Euphoria Station album "Smoking Gun" Review.

Artist: Euphoria Station 

Album: Smoking Gun

Released: 2025

Artist Website: https://www.euphoriastation.com/

Euphoria Station is a Los Angeles based outfit that was formed by vocalist Saskia Kraft van Ermel and guitarist Hoyt Binder. The band consists of some heavy hitters including Toss Panos (Robben Ford) on drums; Ronald Van Deurzen on piano and Hammond B3; Rebecca Kleinmann on flute; Jorgan Carlsson (Gov’t Mule) on bass; and Mike Disarro on harmony vocals. Smoking Gun is the band's third release, consisting of 13 tracks and clocks in at just over an hour. The record was produced by Hoyt Binder and Saskia Kraft van Ermel; mixed by Smiley Sean and mastered by Howie Weinberg.

After multiple listens to the record I find myself gravitating to the swampy sounds of track 4, Nowhere Junction. The harmonica at the top of the track sets the vibe and sinks the hook instantly. This band has an interesting take on the rootsy side of music, in part because the vocal has a Seattle grunge like quality to the phrasing which is both unexpected and working perfectly. While the band is drenched in slide guitar and tradition the vocal melody takes it someplace else entirely, adding an unexpected and welcomed color. 

My Mistake is another cut that has a beautifully executed slide guitar line that takes the listener straight to the music that was being made in Macon, GA years ago. The influence of southern rock is quite apparent musically, but that influence is nowhere to be found in the vocal approach. It is this contrast that makes this band both quite unique and impossible to pigeonhole into one genre. To be clear, the combo never feels forced or out of place. Somehow it works, like pineapple on pizza, or the bumble bee that shouldn't be able to fly, according to physics, yet they are 100% airborne. 

The presence of the slide guitar on this album never gets old. A beautiful and short instrumental The Ballad of Grace Malloy brings it right to the forefront. Hoyt Binder clearly identifies as a slide guitarist. There are lots of folks who competently flirt with it, then there are players that are committed to the bottleneck. Hoyt is that guy. The interesting thing about slide is it takes overplaying right out of the mix for most, being that the guitarist is essentially down to one finger. It forces the player to conserve and depend on feel and taste. Gracefully sliding through those in between notes where the hurt lies is the art form and Hoyt is a master of it.  

Another instrumental that stretches the band into almost prog leanings is Dusty Roads. However, to call it "prog" is too strong of a statement. It's almost as if Queen was going to take on an Allman Brothers cover with Larry Carlton sitting in for good measure. All the musicians deliver a heartfelt and dynamic performance throughout this 5:26 roller coaster ride. It has the southern rock-isms in the guitar playing with all the honky tonk licks that define the style, but expands quite a bit harmonically from honky tonk playing. Again, taste is the key ingredient here coupled with a unique cocktail of genres that feels quite natural. 

This album is an interesting mix of blues based rock that flirts with prog at times and has strong southern rock leanings as well. The attention to the details are evident throughout the entirety of the production. The band is more than competent and the songs are well crafted. The vocals are relaxed and well executed while the guitar is more aggressive, making for a real yin / yang approach to the music. There are enough ingredients here to make a hearty, spicy gumbo. The influences show themselves in the music, but this band has a sound that is their own, never leaning too far into its influences. Fans of the edgier side of roots rock will enjoy this set of songs. I hope it finds lots of listeners! 

Check out the interview below....

Tell us the brief history of your band or musical career.

Hoyt: Saskia and I met in the early 2000s and formed a musical bond, immediately working on a demo and playing live in Hollywood through the 2010s, finally settling on the name Euphoria Station, and releasing our debut album One Heart in 2017. We had already begun work on a new sound, which we called an Americana Daydream Revival, while on many fishing and hiking trips which lead to our second album, the critically acclaimed The Reverie Suite in 2019. We recently released  our third album, Smoking Gun, which pays homage to our Southern Rock heroes.

Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

Hoyt: I love all kinds of music, but my main influences on guitar are Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, Brian Wilson, Aarond Copeland, Bohuslav Martinu, Traditional Americana & Native American music. Outside of music, John Cleese.

What album has had the greatest impact on your life as a musician?

Hoyt: Brian Wilson’s Smile. The history of how it came about and finally getting finished completely took over my life in 2004.  He was a genius and the amount of creativity that went into that album is inspiring.

Saskia:  “Escape” by Journey.  Even though the band’s previous albums were great in many ways, Escape was perfect. Songwriting was awesome with perfect vocals, production, musicianship, etc. 

Is there a particular song that has resonated with you for a long time?

Hoyt: It's a tie between God Only Knows and Surf’s Up. Brian Wilson was so ahead of his time, creating pure art that was still accessible to the masses. He’ll always be a huge role model for me.

Sakia:  “Still They Ride” by Journey,  “Don’t Look Back” by Boston (and many more)

What’s your favorite accomplishment as a musician thus far? 

Hoyt: For me, it was our second album, The Reverie Suite. I was able to realize a vision in full,  with no compromises and that is a rare thing. I believe we achieved a sound that was America, in all its beauty.

Saskia:  My favorite accomplishment as a musician is finding Hoyt and collaborating with him.  There are many choices as a singer/songwriter and finding another person that shares the ideas, experiences  resonates, is motivated, talent, etc.,  offers an incredible canvas to work with. He’s also a great human being.

Tell me about your favorite performance in your career.

Saskia:  A woman walked up to me when I was finished with my set one night and  kindly asked me to follow her.  We walked across the room and she took my hand and gave it to another woman to hold.  She introduced me to her friend, a blind woman that was in tears.  The crying woman clutched my hand and thanked me from the bottom of her heart  because I made her feel something deep within from a song I sang..  I stood in silence for a moment, touched by her emotional reaction. It was a humbling experience.

What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?

Hoyt: To be yourself. My teacher, the great Ron Eschete, would always stress to be true to who you are. I studied jazz with him in college and what that ultimately meant for me is realizing my efforts would be better served finding my own style. There would be plenty of other, better jazz players filling gigs and it was ok if I wasn’t one of them.

Saskia: Have fun on stage.  The audience wants a good time.

What inspires you to write the music you write? 

Saskia:  Life experience.  Reality and daydreams.

What made you want to play the instrument you play? 

Saskia:  My father listened to music all the time.  I would always pay attention to the singer as I found that was my favorite part.  I would sing along a lot.

Hoyt: My brother Todd, he was my first guitar hero. My second was Michael Sweet of Stryper. I grew up in a sheltered Christina home where even Christian Rock was frowned upon.  I learned a lot of melody and self-production from Sweet, who was heavily influenced by Boston.

How does your latest album differ from any of your others in the past? 

Hoyt: We started out with a more traditional progressive line up relying on keyboards for sounds that weren’t guitar. We were always melody focused but over the years, we’ve come to love the organic sounds of acoustic instruments, relay flute, strings etc...  We try to feature the harmonica whenever possible as it evokes that American feel which is just a wonderful sound.

How are you continuing to grow musically?

Saskia:  I believe the story or lyrics is the foundation to build upon.  Writing about past or current experiences always tells a story.

Hoyt: With time and age, I feel closer to music. It is less about the superficial elements and more about the meaning behind the music, in other words music and lyrics become one.

Are there any musicians who inspire you that are not famous? What qualities do you admire about them?

Hoyt: Depends on what you consider famous. Steve Morse and Bela Fleck inspire me. They aren’t famous in society but huge with musicians. My favorite classical composer, Bohuslav Martinu, is not famous but I’m glad I was introduced to his work, especially Symphony No. 1 and No. 6.  Indigenous Tribes who play music for the sole purpose of praising God or celebrating life inspire me. That’s what music is about for me.

Tell me what your first music teacher was like. What lessons did you learn from them that you still use today?

Saskia:  My vocal teacher trained in Italy and the method he was taught, he taught me . It was very difficult and took me years to master.  A  couple of things: I had to change the way I breathe and (2) I had to be able to hold my breath for an excessively  long time.  His teachings were life long lessons.  I thought he was crazy at times, but time has shown me differently. 

Hoyt: Curt Anderson, who owned Squid Music in CA. He was pure metal, and he taught me the importance of loving a specific style so much that you must strive to be a master in the field. I learned that there are only so many paths you can take and be truly talented, you must focus on the one thing that you want to be great at.

If you could play anywhere or with anyone in the world, where or with who would it be?

Hoyt: J.S Bach, he wrote the book on harmony and pretty much influenced everything that came later. I don’t think I would actually be able to jam with him, but it would be amazing to see him working on music in person.

Saskia:  Steve Perry

If you could change anything about the music industry today, what would it be?

Saskia:  Create my own label.

Hoyt: I would actually go backwards in time and have record labels return to being gatekeepers to the industry. Along with record sales being a thing back then, the cream had to rise to the top and the public was way more engaged in the bands that rose to the top. Today it feels like the mainstream public gets inundated with too many options that a lot of great music gets lost in the shuffle.

What are your biggest obstacles as a musician?

Hoyt: Living life successfully. Music is a taker, it takes all of me and keeps me young, but that’s not always copacetic with reality.

What strengths do you have that you believe make you the musician you are?

Hoyt: Putting the song first and always self-producing, meaning you must be your own producer and never let your ego ruin a song. I learned this from Edward Van Halen and Brian May. You can still be the greatest guitarist in the world, even if you are not showing off.

Saskia:  Keep the strength of your craft strong, come from the heart and believe in yourself.

Other than being a musician, what was your dream job growing up? 

Sakia:  Being a humanitarian.

If you had to choose one... live performance or studio work, which do you prefer and why? 

Studio work. Live shows are a ton of work and while they are beautiful in the moment, I much prefer creating music and hearing it unfold in the studio. There’s no better feeling that knowing you have created an amazing album that will last forever.

What do you think about online music sharing?

Hoyt: There’s no turning back, but it is the worst thing to happen to our industry, in my opinion. Music no longer has the value it once had. It wasn’t just the physical album and paying money for it, it was the idea that you were going to spend that day listening to that album and it would impact you for the rest of your life, because you absorbed it. Today, I feel that music is a commodity and mostly functions as a background to other, more important things.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

Hoyt: I prefer to only write when inspired, never forcing a song.  I’m most inspired when I’ve had many consecutive hours of downtime coupled with nature, such as fishing in Sequoia. Inspiration will lead to a melody, a riff, a progression or all the above. Once I have a spark of creativity, I’ll record it on my phone and it’ll be there when I’m ready to work on it. This also happens when Saskia gives me that spark in the form of lyrics or a melody with lyrics.

Give us some advice for new musicians just starting out in the industry.

Hoyt: Now, more than ever, be yourself and don’t follow trends. With the advent of AI, things will sound more and more like each other until music is nothing more than a background noise. Despite this trend, the world will always need true art, even if it doesn’t know it.

Saskia:  Do the best you can on your instrument, practice a lot, play from your heart and believe in yourself.

What is your favorite piece of gear and why?

Hoyt: The Mojave Peacemaker amp. It is based on a Marshall Plexi Super Lead and has so much mojo. It screams 70s vibes, and I use it for my main tones.

How do you prepare for your performances and recording work?

Hoyt: For performances, I practice all the way up to going on stage as it is an in the moment thing, where you want to be as well prepared as possible and there is only one take. For recording, I like to be off the cuff and only in the creative moment, not focusing on technique other than warming up a bit.

Saskia:  Practice, practice, practice

What do you like most about your new album?

Saskia:  It is a new creation.

Hoyt: I really love Toss Panos’ drumming. It creates energy and excitement at every moment and brings the material to life. I worked with him in the past on an instrumental release, Prayrie Go Round, and I’m a huge fan of his style. In particular, the son “Off the Beaten Path” really came out perfect. It’s a balance of finesse and chaos that I truly love. Another highlight for me is Here With You, which has some of Saskia’s most heartfelt lyrics and there’s something very romantic and vast with the ascending and descending elements in the progression.

What artists do you enjoy listening to nowadays?Hoyt: I don’t find much of a connection with what I hear these days. There’s a lot of perfection and things that sound similar. I tend to stay in the past and if anything, I prefer listening to 20^th century classical and big band music or earlier.

What is the best way to stay updated on current news; gigs, releases, etc.

Hoyt: The best way is at www.facebook.com/euphoriastation where we post the most articles and updates.

What's next for your band?

Hoyt: We are looking to book a few festivals in CA in the Spring and Summer of 2026. We will be continuing to push Smoking Gun by getting it out to reviewers and bloggers, as many people as we can as all we want at the end of the day is to be heard. We have music written for our next album already. This time, instead of an homage to Southern Rock, we’ll be  looking to pay our respects to Van Halen, a huge influence on us and so much of rock history.

What are your interests outside of music?

Hoyt: Saskia and I love road trips, visiting small towns in the Southwest and West Coast of the US and fishing.  Last year we drove from California to Washington, and it was a blast seeing all the towns in between.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

Saskia:  I am Dutch-Indonesian……just like Eddie (Rest In Peace) and Alex Van Halen.

Hoyt: I grew up wanting to be anything but a missionary or in the military. Given those prerequisites, I feel like I have succeeded at life.