Butchers of Sky Valley - Self-titled debut album

Photo by Robert Emil Trela

L-R: Tim Brummer, Davis Rowan, Mike Mokotow, Jeff Knaster 

After six years in the making, indie blues-rock outfit Butchers of Sky Valley are releasing their eponymous self-titled debut album on November 5 via Heeled & Heavy Records. Check out the official lead single “Hold On, Heartbreak,” a tune that features a roaring riff rising out from a seductive hazy hook.
Lead singer Mike Mokotow describes the single as being “a testament to building up a real simple, catch groove to the very end and then letting it drop and release into something else. We wanted this to be the lead single because it’s a perfect introduction to the album, which is kind of like having Korean BBQ. You have all those great tasting different little plates come together so well and yet there’s this unexpected quality to it as a whole. That’s what I love about some of my favorite albums. But this song is one of our favorites to play live and is definitely one that keeps on fighting to make itself known on a pretty damn eclectic album.”
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The backstory: “Underneath gusts of heavy distortion, bombastic blues, psychedelic soul and crooning vocals is a mysterious allure both infectious and indefinable.  Butchers of Sky Valley mine the past yet thrive in the present weaving their own signatures rooted in rock and wrangling lyrics. There’s a sense of intrigue inherent within the band – from the name (which Mokotow has hinted partly derives from the Kyuss classic Welcome to Sky Valley) – to the cinematic lyrics delivered with such depth and immediacy that it leaves the listener pondering the message behind each song.

 “In 2007, singer Mokotow and the band’s former guitarist (and current studio partner) John Cosenza initially began writing songs together on a whim, bonding over their appreciation of  Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, early ZZ Top, The Dirty Three, Black Sabbath, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Queens of the Stone Age. The album slowly began to take shape over the course of six years. After Cosenza chose to step back from the band to take care of family obligations, Mokotow rounded out the line-up with guitarist Tim Brummer, bassist Jeff Knaster, and drummer Davis Rowan.”