Blue Snaggletooth

Ann Arbor, Michigan outfit Blue Snaggletooth present themselves as merchants of “Psychedelic D&D Rock & Roll,” merging pre-1975 strains of hard rock, heavy metal, and psychedelia with lyrics drawn from vintage science-fiction and fantasy sources. Their muscular yet sinuous sound appeals to stoner-rock listeners while steering clear of irony, instead honoring those vintage touchstones with unreserved conviction. The group took its name from a peripheral Star Wars character immortalized as a rare action figure. Guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter Chris “Box” Taylor launched the project in 2009 after prior stints alongside cosmic punks Mazinga, powerful retro-rockers the Avatars, and Powertrane, the soulful hard-rock unit fronted by Michigan legend Scott Morgan. To realize his vision for classic hard rock and vintage metal, Taylor recruited guitarist Jess Willyard, bassist Ian Harris, and drummer Ian “Pit Viper” Sugierski as the original roster. Following regional touring throughout the Midwest, the band issued its debut album, Dimension Thule, in August 2011; the record earned strong notices and quickly exhausted its first pressing. Personal obligations soon prompted the group’s dissolution. Taylor promptly rebuilt the lineup with guitarist Casey O’Ryan, bassist Joe Kupiec, and drummer Mike Popovich, and after sharpening the new configuration onstage the quartet entered the studio in early 2014, emerging that autumn with its follow-up, Beyond Thule.