Spotlight on Reignwolf

As I mentioned in my Sasquatch recap, Reignwolf, A.K.A Jordan Cook truly deserves his own post. Reignwolf fist caught my attention during Sasquatch on Saturday night. As we made our way down to the lower bowl of the gorge I exclaimed, "Look it's Jack White!" as a skinny guitar player with long messy black hair stood atop a van next to the Easy Street Records booth.

I soon realized that it was not Jack White, but as Reignwolf began to play a short set on top of the van! we couldn't help but stand their looking mesmerized. Going into screeching guitar riffs while simultaneously using a kick drum with his right foot, Reignwolf immediately won me over. After playing a couple songs, Reignwolf pushed his amplifiers off the top of the van and stumbled over his kick drum, nearly falling off the van himself. 

The next day on Sasquatch's yeti stage, Reignwolf was joined by a backing band and played an absolutely killer set. 

To start, Reignwolf might be the most badass band name I've heard in a while, and the name perfectly reflects Cook's style. The best thing about Reignwolf is that I have never seen an artist more engaged in his music than this guy. He gives absolutely everything he has while on stage, demonstrating his vast musical capability. During his Sasquatch set Cook straddled his PA monitor, soloing while staring off into the distance above the crowd with a wild look in his eye. Although it appeared that Reignwolf was drugged out of his mind, it was merely a reflection of how deeply he was immersed in his music as he calmly addressed the audience after the completion of the song.
While Reignwolf's guitar playing is the emphasis of his music, Jordan Cook's vocals are a mix of heavy metal and blues; almost a mix of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Jack White. 

Often playing guitar with his left hand while holding the mic with his right, Reignwolf's stage presence is simply epic. During his Sasquatch set, Reignwolf played his guitar and solo'd using his microphone as a pick, turned the stage into a misty temple of rock with several smoke machines placed under his amps, stage dove, and solo'd while being held up by an enthralled audience.
Simple yet effective, Cook's lyrics stay true to his blues roots. Reignwolf's "In the Dark, probably my favorite new song repeats the same 4 or so lines over and over throughout the four minute song. "My love, why's it gotta be so hard, my love, always keeping me in the dark". However, Reignwolf proves that that's all he needs, as his varied guitar playing and vocal effects contribute to a diverse performance. 

Reignwolf's in-studio show on KEXP is a prime example of his musical charisma. With only the on-air host in the room watching, Reignwolf made it seem as if he was playing to a packed arena, hotboxing the studio with a smoke machine, standing on his monitor and angrily kicking his base drum and screaming into his mic. Check out his full performance and interview here:

Now based in Seattle, Reignwolf will be making appearances at both the Capital Hill Block Party on July 20th, and at Bumbershoot over labor day weekend. Be sure to buy some tickets and check him out, I know I certainly will. This guy is going to be huge.
Reignwolf's official website: http://www.reignwolf.com/