Earthless

Earthless was formed in 2001 by three busy musicians. Drummer Mario Rubalcaba (aka Ruby Mars) was a member of Rocket from the Crypt, and had previously played in Black Heart Procession, Hot Snakes, the Sultans, and Clikatat Ikatowi. Bassist Mike Eginton played with Electric Nazarene. The pair were longtime friends and co-owned the record store Thirsty Moon in San Diego when they met Isaiah Mitchell, a guitar instructor who had played with Nebula and Drunk Horse. The three men shared a deep love for the Krautrock of Amon Duul II, Can, and Faust, as well as vintage Japanese and American psychedelia, hard rock, and proto-metal. They jammed together whenever possible but it proved difficult to get together given Rubalcaba's other commitments. Their first gig -- released digitally as Earthless: Live at the Casbah 08/12/2004 -- showcased their organic communicative sound; it wed meaty hard rock, psych riffs, and vamps to flowing improvisation and a mercurial use of textured space. The following year they issued their studio debut, Sonic Prayer, for Matt Anderson's Gravity label. Earthless played regional shows up and down the West Coast, while the album drew rave reviews across the globe. They followed with 2007's Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky for Tee Pee. It was composed of a six-part suite, the sprawling title track, and a vocal cover of the Groundhogs' "Cherry Red" sung by Mitchell. The set drew positive notice from critics and music fans, and at home it was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Album award at the San Diego Music Awards. Interestingly, it ultimately lost to their debut, Sonic Prayer, which had also received a nomination. The band also took home the award for Best Hard Rock artist.

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