Formerly known as Imogene, LA-based Heavy Water Experiments passionately resists the tendency of modern bands to revive sounds of bygone eras. While admittedly taking influence from 60’s and 70’s genres such as psychedelic and progressive rock, this is a group who strives to break new ground according to an avant-garde or art rock sensibility. One of the ways HWE achieves this is through unique instrumentation, such as the use of an 8-string bass along with a regular 4-string bass, keyboards, and drums. However, the band never relies on this approach as a marketing gimmick since it also incorporates electric and acoustic guitars in the usual way.The sound of the band is eclectic and can range from a dark, heavy quality to a mellower, acoustic-oriented vibe. Certain tracks might seem to fit well in the stoner rock category, for example, while others could be deemed indie rock or some other current genre. In the past, the band has used marriage characterizations such as “Pink Sabbath, “ “Doorphine,” and “Radio Queens of the Stone Head.” These are intended to underscore the notion that HWE neither sounds like one particular band nor like any specific combination of bands. Accordingly, HWE has been compared to a vast number of past-to-present artists, and yet there has never been a tendency toward one or even a few in particular.

Imogene are now known as Heavy Water Experiments. Although Imogene's sound could be described as groove-oriented hard (or alternative) rock, one may find it is not so easy to make comparisons to specific bands past or present. Amidst the process of putting the band together, founder David Melbye has used descriptions such as "Pink Floyd meets Funkadelic" or, if one prefers contemporary references, this might be translated to "Radiohead meets Queens of the Stone Age." Still, even these "marriage" characterizations are vague at best. Regardless, the band places a stronger emphasis on R&B-based rhythms than most contemporary "white rock" bands and, at the same time, strives for sophisticated, emotionally driven vocal melodies. The music varies from a heavy, aggressive quality to a mellower, psychedelic-tinged flavor. Songs are typically concise and easily accessible though often with an inclination toward a darker mood. The group began as a power trio, but has since added a keyboard player (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, etc.) to the line-up. Together, they are currently promoting their debut full-length album--available on this site. Also, the band has already posted several self-produced music videos on the website--including a live-performance video. Imogene performs both heavy, electric sets as well as mellower, all-acoustic sets depending on the venue.