Drawing inspiration from the gloomy climate of the Pacific Northwest, The Sawyer Family are, at once, steeped in mythology and darkness, and eerily real. Originally formed in 2001 in Eugene, Oregon, the band has continuously evolved in the decade since, writing darker, heavier material, but still retaining the flairs of melody and harmony their fans came to expect from them. Their first release, the “Scary as Hell” EP, dropped them squarely into the roots rock scene of the Northwest. This batch of songs, along with their full length follow-up, “The Sawyer Family Album,” solidified their reputation as purveyors of swampy, creepy rock and roll and got them gigs with bands such as The Red Elvises, The KoffinKats, The Blasters, and Dick Dale. Still confined primarily to the West Coast, they continued writing, putting more and more distance between the rootsy sound of their beginnings and their new direction of melodic metal with a dark tinge of humor. The release of their second full length album, “Why Did God Create The Sawyer Family,” brought them critical acclaim as well as a demand to venture further into the country. They began working relentlessly, setting up tours and writing the next album. Their energetic live show, along with constant new material, made almost every show different, and it wasn’t long before they were ready to record the next album, “The Burning Times.” With this release, they began to show their refined dark side. Sometimes slow, sometimes blindingly fast, but always melodic and orchestrated, “The Burning Times” set The Sawyer Family apart from their past as a straightforward rock group. They soon sold about 2000 hard copies and countless digital downloads while independently traveling around the country, appealing to punk rock, metal, and roots rock fans alike. It was not long before they had visited nearly every state playing over 400 shows since 2009, from dive bars to festivals. As they have refined their ever evolving, sometimes unpredictable, songwriting, they’ve left a burgeoning fanbase wanting more all around the United States. The music is sometimes compared to Queens of the Stone Age, Mr. Bungle, early Metallica, and Corrosion of Conformity and, while these are all influences, there is still great variety in the songwriting with nods to fifties doo-wop, surf, and early punk rock. In many ways, their fearless songwriting and refusal to be pigeon-holed in one genre has become the Sawyer Family’s trademark and what their fans have come to expect from a show, whether they are sharing the stage with Mondo Generator or The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies one night, to The Goddamn Gallows and Joe Buck the next. The sure thing, however, is their vintage feel in today’s era of electronic music; drums, guitars, and bass. Their most recent release, The Sawyer Family, is the result of their collaboration with Grammy nominated producer John Custer after a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign. On this project, they have more fully refined the experimental, yet accessible, aspects of their sound, and has been gaining favorable reviews since its release in late 2015. "Stoner Americana Thunder... like Slim Cessnas Auto club formed a side project that was part Black Flag part Black Sabbath.." Motif Magazine, Providence, RI "This album easily makes my top 20 of all time,....Truly original, and there is nothing else like it." - twenty red nails blog, Akron, OH "(The Sawyer Family)... has earned comparisons to Queens of the Stone Age and Mr. Bungle, but it just may be the U.S. answer to Danish metal-rockabilly fusion band Volbeat." - Brian McElhiney The bulletin Bend, OR