by Jessica Nguyen
Core Effect is a rock band with a heavy vibe, strong in every element of the band- vocals, bass, guitar and drums. The group formed in Detroit nearly a decade ago. With the ability to tour alongside bands like Seether, Papa Roach, Tantric and Saving Able, Core Effect could very well be compared to all of those artists in sound. However, they have had no problem developing a sound of their own and gaining followers throughout the Midwest and east coast.
“Not to slight these accomplished artists [we have toured with], but we each have our own specific and influential band that made us pick up an instrument or sing, ” says the band’s bass player and vocalist, Randy Riddle.
The band’s 2012 EP, Rubicon, shows off Core Effect’s unique and progressive sound. “It took six months to record,” says Riddle. “We wrote 12 songs and then we choose the best six to record for the EP.” Rubicon is no stranger to Pennsylvania, having been recorded in the Poconos at Soundmind Studios.
“A favorite memory of recording [was at] Soundmine,” says Riddle. “We were free from the world and able to focus solely on recording the album.”
The name, Rubicon, can be associated to being free from the world. The band had the ability to get away from everyone and write their album- not looking back and not being influenced by any of the other music heard on the radio. “The Rubicon means the point to no return,” explains Riddle. “The meaning behind this title is that we hope to have shed the skin of our genre’s typecast and become our own sound.” Core Effect’s goal in creating their new EP was to perfect the art of no boundaries.
The band has a pretty hefty tour schedule throughout March and will do one show in May (in their home state of Michigan) before taking a break for the summer. Then, the band will be hitting up the A2 fest in Ann Arbor to perform alongside over 30 bands at the two-day festival. But don’t expect them to relax on those weeks off. There’s no downtime for this band yet.
“The plan is to record two or three more singles this year and music videos to go along with them,” says Riddle. “We’ve found that in this day and age the visual aspect to go along with music is almost necessary to gain the interest of new fans and to keep the current fans we have interested.” The next single and video is a song called “Blindfold”.
Maybe a bit more touring is in the works for the guys after they check off the task of keeping fans visually stimulated. Core Effect has played in the Philadelphia area before at Dobbs, Grape Street and The Note, so there is a good chance they’ll consider visiting us in their next set of shows. Playing live, of course, is one of Core Effect’s favorite things to do.
“We love the energy we get from the fans and connecting with them,” says Riddle. “Having fans tell you how much your music or certain songs means to them and how it helped them through a time in their life…it makes it all worth it.”
