Cortez

Cortez
Cortez circa late 2018. Photo by Bruce Bettis.
Background information
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Genres	Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal
Years active	2006 - present
Labels	Buzzville Records, Bilocation Records, AM Records, Salt of The Earth, Ripple Music
Associated acts	Roadsaw, Black Thai, Gozu, Sasquatch, Steelhead, Fast Actin' Fuses, Favorite Atomic Hero, Sin City Chainsaw, Big Top Vertigo, Razorwire, Suckerpunch, Prong, 3 Inches of Blood, Walls of Jericho, Sun Gods in Exile, Fury 440, HellWheelDrive, Novadose, Redeemer, Swamp Witch Revival, The Supersoul Challenger, Heimlich Maneuver, Mob Hit, SuperHoney, Infernal Overdrive, Antler, Coke Dealer, Cracktorch, Liquor Tricks, Quintaine Americana
Website	Cortez Official
Current members	Matt Harrington, Scott O'Dowd, Alasdair Swan, Jay Furlo, Alexei Rodriguez
Past members	Curtis Caswell, Tony D'Agostino, Craig Riggs, Jeremy Hemond

Cortez are a stoner rock band hailing from Boston, active since 2006. They have been described as a mix of classic 70’s hard rock with rumbling, doomy stoner-metal. With influences ranging from the proto-metal fuzz of Cactus and Deep Purple to sludge-masters Melvins and speed-weed monsters High on Fire. By the time of their first album release the band attained a reputation as one of Massachusetts' most notable stoner rock acts, one that has shared the stage with countless bands amid occasional touring.

To date the band has released three full-length studio albums amid a host of other releases. The band's name is derived from the iconic Neil Young song "Cortez The Killer".

History

Cortez was founded in 2006 by the founding lineup of guitarists Scott O'Dowd and Tony D'Agostino, bassist Jay Furlo, drummer Jeremy Hemond and vocalist Curtis Caswell. Cortez's first show would take place on 1 July 2006 at O'Brien's Pub in Allston, MA (With Devil To Pay, The Humanoids and We're All Gonna Die). Following a string of local gigs and an appearance at the second Maine Stonerfest, Cortez would begin work on their debut release. Recorded and mixed at New Alliance Audio Production in Cambridge, MA between December 2006 and January 2007, Thunder In A Forgotten Town saw release in 2007 via Belgian label Buzzville Records. Amid several shows in Maine, New York and Massachusetts, Cortez would perform their first shows outside the United States at Buzzfest in Belgium alongside Solenoid, Cabron, Hypnos 69, Monkey3 and Brant Bjork.

2008 would Cortez touring for the first time alongside We're All Gonna Die and Solenoid, entitled the Drinking Beers and Sharing Gear tour, with Craig Riggs from Gozu and Sasquatch filling in on vocal duties for several dates. By this point the band has shared the stage with the likes of Dixie Witch, Ogre, Ol' Scratch, Solace, The Bakerton Group and Gozu among many others. However in 2009 the band would attain a new singer in Matt Harrington, recording a three-song demo in the process. The band would tour with Ichaboad, When The Deadbolt Breaks and Maegashira for a short stint along with making an appearance at the tenth annual Stoner Hands of Doom. In the meantime work would begin on a debut album, eventually recording it in 2011 among several shows in the regional area. The eponymous Cortez would see release in 2012 via German label Bilocation, a parent of Kosmik Artifactz. The album would be praised by the likes of The Obelisk among others.

Cortez's next release would come in the form of a split 7" with DC stoner/doom rockers Borracho, releasing this split through AM Records circa April 2014. A release show for the 7" would take place on 19 April 2014 at The Velvet Lounge in DC with both bands, along with Cincinnati stoner rock group Valley of the Sun. The band would also make appearances at Eye of the Stoned Goat and RPM Fest among other gigs. The band would keep active with gigging through 2015 and 2016, including a mini-tour with Wasted Theory. However by the end of 2016 the band would undergo a major change after recording a host of new songs with founding drummer Jeremy Hemond leaving the band with Alexei Rodriguez (Catharsis, 3 Inches of Blood, Prong, Walls of Jericho) taking his place. The band would also notably perform a tenth anniversary show on 17 September 2016 at O'Brien's Pub in Allston, the same venue where they performed their first show.

Signing with Salt of The Earth Records, Cortez would finally release a second studio album in The Depths Below on 30 June 2017, seeing praise from the likes of Riff Relevant, Outlaws of The Sun, and Ripple Music among others, the latter signing the band for a split with Wasted Theory entitled The Second Coming of Heavy (Chapter 9), released 21 September 2018. The band would also notably make a return to RPM Fest in 2018 and also appear at New England Stoner and Doom Fest in 2018 and 2019. Cortez would close out 2019 performing in the West Coast for the first time alongside Loom, Under and John Garcia and The Band of Gold.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Cortez (2012, Bilocation)
• The Depths Below (2017, Salt of The Earth)
• Sell The Future (2020, Ripple Music)

Other Releases

• Thunder in a Forgotten Town (EP) (2007, Buzzville)
• 2009 Demo (Demo) (2009, Self-Released)
• Vanishing Point/Know My Name (Split 7" with Borracho) (2014, AM Records)
• Stormbringer (Digital Single) (2016, Self-Released)
• Walk Through Fire (Digital Single) (2017, Self-Released)
• The Second Coming Of Heavy (Chapter 9) (Split Album with Wasted Theory) (2018, Ripple Music)

Members

Current Lineup

• Scott O'Dowd - Guitar (2006 - Present)
• Jay Furlo - Bass (2006 - Present)
• Matt Harrington - Vocals (2009 - Present)
• Alasdair Swan - Guitar (2012 - Present)
• Alexei Rodriguez - Drums (2017 - Present)

Past Members

• Jeremy Hemond - Drums (2006 - 2017)
• Tony Vegas - Guitar (2006 - 2008)
• Curtis Caswell - Vocals (2006 - 2008)
• Doug Sherman - Guitar (2008)
• Marc Gaffney - Vocals (2008)
• Marc Schleicher - Live Bass (2007)
• Craig Riggs - Live Vocals (2008)

List of Known Tours

• Buzzfest 2007 (With Brant Bjork & The Bros, Monkey3, Hypnos 69, Cabron, Solenoid) (2007)
• Drinking Beer & Sharing Gear (With We're All Gonna Die, Solenoid) (2008)
• Amped For The End (With Maegashira, Ichaboad, When The Deadbolt Breaks) (2009)
• 2016 Mini-Tour (With Wasted Theory) (2016)

External Links

• www.cortezboston.com
• Cortez Facebook
• Cortez on Discogs
• Cortez Bandcamp
• Cortez MySpace
• Show Archive 2006 - 2019