TEN MILLION LIGHTS are:
RYAN CARROLL: guitars, vocals
ERIC BLOCK: guitars
RUSS ELLIS: bass
PAUL HARDIE: drums
Contact | tenmillionlights@gmail.com | (503) 708-5419
RIFYL: Ringo Deathstar, Hum, Nothing,
File Under: Alternative, Shoegaze, Post-Punk, Psych Rock
BIO
Ten Million Lights have emerged as a sonic force in the Cascadia shoegaze scene, creating a captivating sound experience that sits at the apex of beauty and noise. The Portland Mercury calls it “noisy dream-pop and psych-tinged shoegaze,“ while The Big Takeover lauds, ”A highly-developed post-punk maelstrom.” The group crafts epic psychedelic soundscapes transporting you through fuzzed-up guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and blissed-out vocals. Their love of beautiful melodies and wistful harmonies evokes a sense of nostalgia and catharsis.
The Portland, OR quartet, made up of Ryan Carroll (vocals), Eric Block (guitars), Russ Ellis (bass), and Paul Hardie (drums), have a unique chemistry fueled by their shared love of motorcycles, guitars, and building things … like their practice space, personalized recording equipment, DIY light show, and a short run of limited-edition guitar pedals that accompanied their most recent release.
Ryan and Eric have been performing together since 2003. The duo launched Ten Million Lights in 2010 after the implosion of their band Saturna following a West Coast tour with Bob Mould. Three LPs and a slew of EPs later, Ten Million Lights are thundering along, heavier and louder than ever. Their dynamic live performances are invigorating and energetic, capturing the essence of shoegaze while pushing its boundaries. With their most recent offering, Into Nothing (LP, 2023), Ten Million Lights continue to explore music that resonates on a visceral level, offering listeners an escape into a world of sonic bliss and emotional depth.
Ten Million Lights have played premiere venues in the Northwest alongside great local bands and national touring acts including The Veldt, Sun Atoms, Dead Leaf Echo, Somesurprises, Mint Field, The Prids, Pete International Airport (Peter from The Dandy Warhols), The Shivas and many more. Their live show is an emotional roller coaster of desperation, rage, hope and finally peace.
PRESS
“Noisy dream-pop and psych-tinged shoegaze” – The Portland Mercury
“Portland rockers Ten Million Lights produce fast and loud dreamy psych-pop that’s a little heavy, but all-organic and tasty. Their songs get stuck in your head, in the good way.” – IndieCentralMusic.com
“Atmospheric, psychedelic music, that is melodic and heavy, with a beautiful subtlety to it.” – IntoTheMelody.com
“You expect a big, bursting post-shoegaze miasma from these experience Portland post-punk punchers – half of whom, leader/guitarist Ryan Carroll and guitarist Eric Block, date back to the ’00s Saturna – and they’re pleased to serve more of it on album #3 (to go with a gaggle of EPs). Like Shifting Sounds label bands, TML’s copious effects pedals don’t just bliss out; they add starbursts of volume (in both senses) to somewhat neo-psych compositions. The foursome can be strictly dreamy for variety (“Snowdrift”, “Wilder”), and Carroll’s voice and numerous sublime harmonies are mollifying elements in the whirl. But their hearts remain in a mind-expanding, ferocious froth, such as the opening, challenging, near-eight-minute Hum/Swervedriver-meets-Status Quo with Ride vocals opener, “Swaying.” (It sure is.) And when they go sharper-fanged, as on the more herky-jerky “Lights Out” and prickly “Cherry Sun,” they tantalize.” – Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover, Issue 93)
LISTEN
WATCH
HI-RES PHOTOS
Ten Million Lights 