The Helltones from Oakland, California make great funk rock music that is infectious. When I heard their remake of the Prince/Sinead O’Connor song I was hooked. I’m not much into remakes but this one was different. The band describes themselves as a Surf, Soul, Rock and Roll band. This six-piece group was founded by frontman Darwin Siegaldoud and former drummer Paul Bowman in 2016. They have since added Victoria Sepe on organ, Nathan Moody on guitar, Shane Lawton on bass, Cairo McCockran on drums, and Kristen McReddie on backing vocals.

This band can play songs that sound like the 50’s to pop, funk, and groove. On certain songs, they remind me of early B52s with their guitar sound. They made their debut in 2016 with their self-titled EP and they have released a couple of albums and singles since then. Love their song “Queen of The(m) All, that guitar riff got me. The band has been playing around and has quite a following. They have been releasing singles for the past several months with their remake of “Nothing Compares to You” and just released “Don’t Waste My Time.” I can’t wait to hear their album and hope when they tour they come to NYC. I would love to see them live.. Support independent music and musicians. Happy listening!