Wandering Monster promote debut album at Glasgow gig

Wandering Monster are playing in Glasgow this month. (Pic: Porl Medlock)

The band features Sam Quintana on double bass, Ben Powling on tenor saxophone, Calvin Travers on guitar, Tom Higham on drums and Aleks Podraza on piano and keyboards.

Songwriter Sam said: “My early musical experiences saw me playing bass guitar in rock and metal bands.

“In my late teens I developed a love for jazz, which intensified when I moved to Leeds and started studying the double bass.

“The musicians that inspired me to start writing for a group were those who blend the jazz and rock genres, the likes of Dave Holland, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Tigran Hamasyan being at the top of my list of influences.”

Sam’s compositions on the album reflect the “inner monsters” in our lives.

The Rush Begins and Tuco let the band show off their raucous side and explore themes of anxiety, anger and frustration, whereas in contrast Sweetheart, Emöke and Happy Place are gentler and more reflective, delving into grief, loss and nostalgia.

You can catch Wandering Monster at The Butterfly and Pig, Glasgow, on Wednesday, January 16.