Eclectic Vibes - March 2020
by Andrew Frey
Joe Russo's Almost Dead coming to the Sylvee
I am generally moist with excitement for all the amazing shows coming this summer!
JOE RUSSO’S ALMOST DEAD
But he’s still kickin! Formed by Furthur drummer Joe Russo, JRAD has become one of the hottest Grateful Dead and Americana folk-rock cover bands touring today. Their improvisational inclinations and jazz fusion flourishes are sure to delight the crowd when they play Madison, WI on 3/13 at the Sylvee. But wait! There’s more. Can’t get enough Dead? Start your day early at 4 pm when High Noon Saloon becomes Shakedown Street and welcomes Dead Tribute band Seaside Zoo. The bears are sure to be jumping! joerussosalmostdead.com
GETTIN’ DOWN WITH SODOWN
Saxophone playing producer, Ehren River Wright, better known as SoDown was one of the most memorable sets I saw at the recent Gem and Jam Festival in Tucson, AZ. His invigorating set wove it’s way down numerous electronic genres while being flavorfully filled with fantastic drops and thunderous groovy beats! Get Down early and catch him opening for the Riddim & Blues Tour with Boogie T & BOOGIE T.RIO on 3/19 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. sodown.com
BONGZILLA ZILLA ZILLA
Are you ready to do some spliff riffin? The time is now! Legendary Madison blunt rollers, Bongzilla, have cashed in their kief and are heading out on tour this month in support of the 20 year re-release of their remastered Apogee album on vinyl. Grab your grinder and become one with the cannabis crew on 3/13 at Walker’s Point in Milwaukee and 3/24 at High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI with Ruin Dweller and No Question. facebook.com/Bongzilla
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 is Recusant thru 10 is Effusive
Collective Acoustics - bc >= ad
Collective Acoustics
Album title: bc >= ad
Record Label: Gah Gah Music
Rating: 10
Love at first riff? From the very moment I put this in the player, the silky smooth organic rocktronica created by this experimental trio caressed my musical g-spot. The flowing and dreamy instrumentals are comprised of curious guitars, murmuring and enticing jazzy rhythms and patches of blissful ambience. All played on real instruments. No samples, loops or MIDI here. The highly versatile crew creates in other interesting ways including organs, electric bass and harpsichord plus instruments and devices of their own design.
(3843) Page Views
Collective Acoustics online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download bc >= ad from Amazon
• Download bc >= ad
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around The World
Various Artists
Album title: Putumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around The World
Record Label: Putumayo Records
Rating: 8
Bringing some heat and passion into the cold part of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, we are treated to 12 toe-tapping Bossa Nova tracks from Brazil, France, Norway, South Korea, Serbia, and beyond. They show off the global appeal and popularity for a sound that started in Brazil in the late 1950s.
(4142) Page Views
Various Artists online:
• Website
• Purchase Putumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around The World on Amazon
Boban and Marko Markovic Orchestra - Gipsy Manifesto
Boban and Marko Markovic Orchestra
Album title: Gipsy Manifesto
Record Label: piranha
Rating: 10
The Balkan brass band movement has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding musical uprisings of the past several years and the Markovic’s have been unabashedly at the forefront of things. This legendary father and son virtuoso trumpet duo hail from Southern Serbia, but thanks to the saturation of multicultural elements into their music, they have been penning numerous genre-defining and explosive Balkan Gypsy Brass dance hits over the years while seeing their popularity skyrocket thanks to DJs around the world remixing all things Balkan into their electronica. Balkan beats get the dance floor percolating and there is a lot of fantastic percolation happening on Gipsy Manifesto!
(2358) Page Views
Boban and Marko Markovic Orchestra online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Gipsy Manifesto from Amazon
• Purchase Gipsy Manifesto on Amazon
John Brown's Body - Fireflies
John Brown's Body
Album title: Fireflies
Record Label: Easy Star
Rating: 9
As the popularity of reggae continues to rise, we find JBB leading the pack, with Fireflies debuting at #1 on the Billboard Reggae charts. Their 11th studio album is filled with hook-heavy rootsy reggae offset by melodic soundscapes and constant sizzling selections from their horn section. The Ithaca, NY based dub rockers are in top form and ready to take their charge to the highest heights.
(2029) Page Views
John Brown's Body online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Purchase Fireflies on Amazon
16 Volt - American Porn Songs
16 Volt
Album title: American Porn Songs
Record Label: Metropolis Records
Rating: 9
18 tracks of morphed, molded and renewed tonal treats packed with a revisioned glow by legendary industrial performers and winners of the 2009 American Porn Songs Remix Contest. Highly satisfactory auditory results that work on the dance floor as well as just thrashing about in your room.
(5892) Page Views
16 Volt online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download American Porn Songs from Amazon
• Purchase American Porn Songs on Amazon
3 - The End Is Begun
3
Album title: The End Is Begun
Record Label: Metal Blade Records
Rating: 9
Moody, paradoxical and sophisticated rhythms compliment the succinct and distinct vocals which soar but do not annoy, while utilizing technical prowess to bring broad minded progressive metal to new heights.
(5078) Page Views
3 Inches Of Blood - Here Waits Thy Doom
3 Inches Of Blood
Album title: Here Waits Thy Doom
Record Label: Century Media
Rating: 9
Daredevil vocals riding on the unrelenting waves of an unabashed speed metal barrage. Vocalist Jamie Hooper notes of the album. “We are forging the steel that we’ll use to annihilate the heavy metal posers, and in every town we play, the streets will run red with their blood.” Nuff Said. Produced by Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison.
(3664) Page Views
3 Inches Of Blood online:
• Website • Wiki
• Purchase Here Waits Thy Doom on Amazon
8889 - Zoology
8889
Album title: Zoology
Record Label: Self Released
Rating: 6
Singer/songwriter styled alt/indie rock from Madison. This follow-up to their MAMA winning debut album finds a well-defined, well-thought through chunk of moody alt music. For my ear candy I prefer a bit more intensity and cleverness.
(3851) Page Views
8889 online:
• Website
• Download Zoology from Amazon
• Purchase Zoology on Amazon
A Tortured Soul - Kiss of the Thorn
A Tortured Soul
Album title: Kiss of the Thorn
Record Label: Eyes Like Snow/Northern Silence Records
Rating: 7
Operatic and progressive old-school gothic metal (ala Priest, King Diamond, Shadow’s Fall) from Milwaukee but signed to a German Label. Shadowy doom protruding from a festering pool of abstract progressions.
(4981) Page Views
A Tortured Soul online:
• Website
Abney Park - Lost Horizons
Abney Park
Album title: Lost Horizons
Record Label: Self Released
Rating: 10
Forerunners of the oncoming “Steampunk Artistic Movement,” this Seattle outfit takes flight with a story of roving time travelers and airship pirates while gallivanting through and amalgamating the most admirable traits of a variety of genres including gothic, gypsy rock, punk, industrial, and electronica. Eclectic, elegant and unique.
(5377) Page Views
Abney Park online:
• Website • Wiki
• Download Lost Horizons from Amazon
• Purchase Lost Horizons on Amazon
King Sunny Ade - Baba Mo Tunde
King Sunny Ade
Album title: Baba Mo Tunde
Record Label: Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings
Rating: 10
I’ve been a fan of this Nigerian native Afro-pop mega legend for quite some time so I was delighted to hear about his first studio album in over 10 years. The second of this twin disc release blasts off with the 31 min title track and if you make it through that on your feet, you might as well call in sick for the week cause you will be shaking and dancing all day and night to these incredible and inviting masterpieces.
(3296) Page Views
King Sunny Ade online:
• Facebook • Wiki
• Download Baba Mo Tunde from Amazon
• Purchase Baba Mo Tunde on Amazon
After All - This Violent Decline
After All
Album title: This Violent Decline
Record Label: Locomotive Records
Rating: 6
Sturdy, powerful, galloping, and thrash-attacking guitar riffs propel this head banging Belgium juggernaut. The vocals are gruff, but understandable and quite appropriate, for the power metal they purvey.
(3905) Page Views
After All online:
• Website
• Purchase This Violent Decline on Amazon
Akara - Extradimensional Ethnography
Akara
Album title: Extradimensional Ethnography
Record Label: self-released
Rating: 10
A palette of sensational ethereal compositions created by a conservatory-trained classical composer turned electronica producer. These mystical meanderings are as delightful to the ear as the cover art is to the eye. Experience what are described as reality unveiling extradimensional symphonies.
(2230) Page Views
Akara online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Extradimensional Ethnography from Amazon
• Purchase Extradimensional Ethnography on Amazon
Omar Akram - Secret Journey
Omar Akram
Album title: Secret Journey
Record Label: Real Music
Rating: 9
This son of a UN diplomat brings us an infusion of world flecked jazz instrumentals set in melodic new age atmospheres. Piano is the dominant but not overpowering motivator here, complimented by violin, guitar, drums and keyboard.
(4065) Page Views
Omar Akram online:
• Website • Wiki
• Download Secret Journey from Amazon
• Purchase Secret Journey on Amazon
Azam Ali - From Night to the Edge of Day
Azam Ali
Album title: From Night to the Edge of Day
Record Label: Six Degrees
Rating: 9
Lullabies of love; lullabies of anguish; lullabies of rebellion, exile and awareness; such is the dichotomy of these Iranian, Turkish, Lebanese and Kurdish lullabies as presented by this amazing Iranian-born, Indian-raised vocalist. She connected with the spectrum of emotions behind lullabies when she gave birth to her son and realized the tumultuous world that he would be exposed to and live in.
(3277) Page Views
Azam Ali online:
• Website • Wiki
• Download From Night to the Edge of Day from Amazon
• Purchase From Night to the Edge of Day on Amazon
Aligning Minds - My Heart is Remixed
Aligning Minds
Album title: My Heart is Remixed
Record Label: Gravitas Recordings
Rating: 9
What do you do when you have one of the most downloaded infectious etheric glitchy breakbeat releases of 2013 for your record label? A remix album of course! This opportunity to show off the talents of others offers remix contest winners as well as the revisioned compositions from like-minded producers all for a Name Your Price download. Most of the proceeds will be donated to the green non-profit, Critical Beats, to further the link between electronic music and important causes.
(2264) Page Views
Aligning Minds online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download My Heart is Remixed from Amazon
Almah - Fragile Equality
Almah
Album title: Fragile Equality
Record Label: Blistering Records
Rating: 8
Well flavored and maturely tempered power metal featuring former Angra members. Robust guitar solos are intertwined with pulsating rhythms and urgent vocals justifying the quality and caliber of this melodic power metal fury.
(3916) Page Views
Almah online:
• Website • Wiki
• Download Fragile Equality from Amazon
• Purchase Fragile Equality on Amazon
Alo - Man Of The World
Alo
Album title: Man Of The World
Record Label: Brushfire Records/Universal
Rating: 10
Sublimely mellow rock music tumbled with expertly crafted tale telling courtesy of 4 childhood friends. Since it was by Jack Johnson and recorded at his solar powered studio in Hawaii ALO scored the opening slot on Johnson’s summer tour including Alpine Valley 7/24 and River’s Edge 7/25 and I am thrilled more people will get to hear them.
(3601) Page Views
Alo online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Man Of The World from Amazon
• Purchase Man Of The World on Amazon