Into the Presence

Into the Presence is the long-awaited spark ignited by the joint effort between drummer Tim Alexander and guitarist/vocalist Luis Maldonado. The pair have now released their first full-length, self-titled album on Razor & Tie. Into the Presence is a 10-track odyssey of tunes which were recorded in true analog (tape machines and vintage outboard gear) creating a sweeping musical journey that is stripped down in its instrumentation but grand in its sonic landscape.

Into the Presence's sound is a revamped version of the stuff rock legends are made of. Still, they've managed to stamp their personal signature into this debut by making good use of all analog resources and vintage gear. Tim Alexander and Luis Maldonado enveloped their sound with a sense of rock antiquity. Their album became a reflection of vocals straight out of A Night at the Opera and instrumentation akin to Dark Side of the Moon. Into the Presence recreates that primordial time when rock found its bearings and took hold on the emerging scene for the rest of time.

"We thought about when those [records] were made and what they had access to," explains Maldonado. "All those records sound amazing, but everything on there is an honest sound." It's the fidelity to that sound which drives Into the Presence and makes them such a unique act. "We recorded this album on a two-inch analog format so there was no digital," continues Maldonado in the RockWired interview. "There was no cutting and pasting or auto-tuning. The recording is an honest documentation of what went on in the studio."

However, the material the album was recorded on is not the only notable feature regarding the studio process.

"While we were recording in the studio we had a number of other-worldy experiences," says Maldonado in an interview with RockWired.com (referring to Tim Alexander's studio in Jerome , Arizona , ghost town of lore). "We always felt like there was a presence around us. There were whispers everywhere. It was interesting and bizarre at the same time. We would have bottles of water and one would be frozen and the rest would be fine. It was my idea after that whole experience to call the band Presence and rest of the band suggested that we call it Into the Presence."

Maldonado's almost surreal vocals soar over the heavy rock riffs while the harmonious humming of cellist Ana Lenchantin's pairs perfectly with her sister, Paz Lenchantin, contributing bass. Clearly, Into the Presence promises to stake their place amongst the band's very own rock heroes.
For more info check out www.myspace.com/intothepresence