Seattle grunge band Candlebox, most known for its 1993 hits “Far Behind” and “You,” will be rocking the stage of Varsity Theatre on Thursday.
The show will be one of the last stops on Candlebox’s tour, following the April 22 release of its sixth studio album “Disappearing in Airports,” a project intended to showcase the group’s signature raw, urgent sound coupled with its heavy and introspective songwriting.
Also performing are alternative rock group Lullwater and indie singer-songwriter PeteRG.
Throughout the years, the band has performed alongside rock legends like Rush, Radiohead and Metallica, and the huge success of its multiplatinum 1993 self-titled debut album made it possible for the band to perform on the main stage at Woodstock ’94.
“Our sound has definitely grown over each record,” Candlebox bassist Adam Kury said. “But at the end of the day, you’re never going to lose that initial sound and initial style that the band has.”
Candlebox recently acquired two new members, guitarists Mike Leslie and Brian Quinn. Their input was instrumental in the creative process of creating the new record, Kury said.
“As soon as you bring in a new personality, it changes the group,” Kury said. “We were very fortunate that when we all got into the studio we were actually able to work really quickly and really well together.”
The personnel change came after the 2015 departure of founding members Scott Mercado and Peter Klett. The two left to focus on their indie rock project, Lotus Crush.
The lead single from Candlebox’s new record, titled “Vexatious,” is an analysis of the current state of our relationship with technology.
On this track, lead singer and songwriter Kevin Martin argues people have become so absorbed in their online identities that they no longer truly experience the real world.
“We’re just noticing that people are spending a lot of time online,” Kury said. “They’re sitting out there in this little bubble that they’ve built for themselves. There’s a lot more to life than that.”
The album’s title, “Disappearing in Airports,” was inspired by the cover art of the same name, painted by the late artist Scott Rivers Fisher.
In addition to an assortment of classic tracks and new tunes, the bassist said Thursday’s audience can expect to see the same high-energy performance style that Candlebox has prided itself on for more than 20 years.
Candlebox
When: Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m.
Where: Varsity Theatre, 3353 Highland Rd.
Tickets: $20