Anthemic rock band Night Argent looks forward to epic 2016
Night Argent had a big 2015.
The Tri-City rockers started the year winning a major music competition in Los Angeles — the International Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands.
Then came a gig playing South by Southwest.
Then a month on the Vans Warped Tour.
And 2016 is poised to be even bigger.
This album is us. We wrote it, we produced it. It’s how we discovered who we are as a band.
Chase Manhattan
Night Argent’s frontmanNight Argent has signed with Outerloop Management and struck a booking partnership with Artist Group International, which works with bands from Muse to The Strokes.
The group’s self-titled debut EP will be released in April. It’s available for pre-order now on iTunes and the band’s website.
“This album is us. We wrote it, we produced it,” said Chase Manhattan, Night Argent’s frontman. “It’s how we discovered who we are as a band.”
Along with Manhattan, Night Argent includes Jeff Stachofsky on guitar, Shane Santanna on keys, Evan Taylor on bass and Zac Burrell on drums.
The guys make sleek, electro organic anthemic rock — and it instantly draws you in.
Take the pulsing Widowmaker, on which Manhattan sings of a woman who’s “so fast, she’s like lightning, firing across the sky,” with lips “so inviting, my head is going numb.”
Or the soaring, uplifting Nothing more Beautiful.
“Open up, torn apart, nothing more beautiful than your heart,” Manhattan sings.“Turn your head to the sky, no one’s going to bring us down tonight.”
The band released a striking music video for that song last year. It was created with Richland native Justin Frick, a frequent collaborator, and has racked up more than 177,000 views on YouTube.
Night Argent formed a few years back, with its current lineup solidifying in 2013.
A milestone came not too long after, when the band changed its name from Goodnight Argent.
That signaled something important.
“We had gotten to the point where we’d played together long enough that we’d kind of found our sound. It was different than what we had been doing,” Manhattan said.
“I feel like the group really came together once we changed our name,” Burrell added. “It was like, now we know. This is the band that’s going to go on and do this.”
The guys talked with the Herald last week ahead of a show at the Uptown Theatre in Richland.
Although they were going on soon and the crowd outside was growing, they didn’t seem nervous.
They seemed excited. It’s clear they love making music.
And they have an undeniable bond.
As they talked about their plans for 2016, the guys couldn’t resist some playful ribbing.
Like about Stachofsky’s sometimes creative spelling choices. Or Santanna’s habit of sending followup messages in the band’s group chat to correct his own — usually very minor — grammar errors.
The five band mates are different, but their personalities and talents fit together just right, Stachofsky said.
Their friendship has deepened as they’ve hit the road in their cramped camper, played on increasingly bigger stages and chased their dream.
“It’s like we’re all brothers,” Manhattan said. “When we’re on the road, it’s like a band of gypsy brothers.”
One with plenty of support from back home. The Night Argent guys said they owe a lot to family and friends in the Tri-Cities.
I feel like the group really came together once we changed our name. It was like, now we know. This is the band that’s going to go on and do this.
Zac Burrell
drums, Night ArgentAnd they were quick to pay respect to Tri-City music educators who helped them on their path to success, such as Debi Eng and Mel Haug.
Manhattan, Stachofsky and Burrell all graduated from Pasco High School between 2004-11. Santanna spent some time as a Bulldog but was part of the Kennewick High Class of 2005.
Taylor graduated from Chiawana High in Pasco in 2011.
Night Argent plans a hometown show to celebrate the EP release. It’s set for April 22, with the time and venue to be announced.
Manhattan said he and his bandmates are looking forward to all that’s in store for them. They’re also thankful for all that’s come so far.
“We’re knocking things off our bucket list,” Manhattan said. “If it all ended today, we’d be grateful for the opportunity to do those things.”
For more information on Night Argent, go to www.goodnightargent.com or find them on Facebook.
Sara Schilling: 509-582-1529, @SaraTCHerald
This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Anthemic rock band Night Argent looks forward to epic 2016."