The Splatter Pattern Spins “The Wheel” and Lands on Rock N’ Roll
A few years ago, the world lost one of the greatest rockers of all time in David Bowie. A pioneer, a postmodern superhero, a musical genius who wrote iconic songs for himself and others, a performer like no other… it’s hard to argue that Bowie was anything less than a true legend. While we miss him, he left us quite a catalog and quite a legacy. Part of that legacy is not only his music and the music he penned for others, but the inspiration he gave to countless artists around the world.
Among those he inspired, Kansas City rock outfit The Splatter Pattern. With a blend of art rock, progressive rock, and alternative that infuses psychedelia and jazz, it’s hard not to hear a connection to the late, great artist who gave us Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust, and countless other iconic rock gods to worship in his career.
During the pandemic, self-described music geek Bill Ryan teamed with fellow multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Dave Storms to form The Splatter Pattern. And their album While We Were Making Plans has since received acclaim with critics and fans likening their sound to everyone from The Talking Heads to The Beatles to Brian Eno to Dire Straights and beyond… including regular mentions of the clear influence from one aforementioned Thin White Duke.
Their single, “The Wheel” (lyric video below), is a great place to start – not only because it has that progressive sound that defines the entire album, but also because it’s the opening track. With a bridge that sounds like it would fit perfectly into a Styx song and a hook that Bowie himself would be extremely proud of, the song rocks in that perfect rock and alternative fusion kind of way. A little bit weird, a little bit offbeat, and a whole lot of awesome, “The Wheel” is deserving of joining at least a few of your playlists post-haste.
Once you’ve enjoyed “The Wheel”, head to Spotify to check out the entire album and go follow The Splatter Pattern on Facebook.
