Sounds From The Superhighway 19

Gatsbys American Dream - Their biography claims that this "isn't easy music to swallow." Strange. A band that purposely makes their fans think. A band that doesn't hand you anything on a silver platter. Pardon me, but doesn't that spell doom? On the contrary, it is quite the opposite. With literary references ranging from Jurassic Park to the Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lord of the Flies and Interview With A Vampire, GAD are well read. By using their knowledge and obvious musical talent, they weave some intense stories coupled with equally intense music. GAD's new release, entitled Volcano, will hit the stores on April 12th. The band is currently on tour with Rufio and Over It.

Accidental Experiment - All Marcos Curiel wanted was pull play in P.O.D. and maintain his side projects. And they wouldn't go for it. Aside from that being a bad Suicidal Tendencies take, it is true. Read comments that Curiel has made, and it is clear that he is not happy with his former bandmates. Still, he is much happier now with his new project, Accidental Experiment. Along with Curiel, the band features former Sprung Monkey members, drummer Ernie Longoria and bassist Tony DeLocht. When a vocalist was needed, Curiel called on old friend, Portland native, Pete Stewart. With the line-up in place, AeX re-issued Arena, their EP, with two new tracks. Later in 2005, the band will release, United We Fear, their full-length debut. In the meantime, AeX will continue their tour with Alston.

3 Kisses - You glance at the opening page of the band's website, and you really don't get much of an impression. You begin to dig deeper and realize that this is not your average band. 3 Kisses have gone through a plethora of events that might have taken them out, but they, instead, have managed to come through. Tish Meeks, who, along with husband Tony Meeks, formed the band in the late 90s, was recently published in the ever-popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Her story, "Legacy," was written for her mother who succumbed to breast cancer. She also uses her music as a means of recovery. Speaking of music, Tony & Tish have seens members come and go, but have finally settled their line-up with the addition of drummer Jennie Rutherford and bassist Eric McCoy. Check out the downloadable music on the band's website. I think it will suprise you. Two pieces of news: 1. Tish received an endorsement deal from Daisy Rock Guitars, who specialize in guitars for females rockers; 2. The band showcased for several majors labels. We'll bring you the results when we hear from the band.

Sam Prekop

Who's Your New Professor
Thrill Jockey (2005)

Reviewed by Kate Guillemette

I keep trying to read some implication of "who's your daddy" into the title and I'm failing. Ah well. Sam Prekop is the dreamsicle-voiced segment of The Sea and Cake. While his more straightforwardly, acoustic guitar, Sea and Cake cohort Archer Prewitt has released several solo albums, this is only Prekop's second recording under his own direction (Prewitt does play on it, though). Prekop clearly works to make his lyrics more easily decipherable than they have been on some of his previous work, but that gentle, leisurely voice is so much an integral part of the sound of the music that you (well, I, at least) really don't care what it's saying. While this is definitely a "rock" record, Prekop's song structures take just as much from jazz; he's an accomplished guitarist and composer, and these are not pop songs. The bass and "wah" on "Density" (10) are, I hesitate say, "groovy." For more jazz, hit "Magic Step" (2). This is the perfect sort of record for people who need to dial things down a notch, yet keep thinking: quiet guitar wizardry, understated elements of electronica, and that unmatchable odd combination of friendly and melancholy that is Sam Prekop's gift.

On TGB rating scale, this one shoots to Mercury.

Archer Prewitt

Wilderness
Thrill Jockey (2005)

Reviewed by Kate Guillemette

Archer Prewitt is that guy from the Sea and Cake and the Coctails. He has released four solo albums prior to this recording that have continuously left me rather blasé about Mr. Prewitt’s solo career. The plain fact is that there are lots of voices better and/or more interesting than Prewitt’s in the highly vexed land singer-songwriters. The great thing about this album is that Prewitt seems to have come to terms with that, and has mustered the troops of extraordinary and infinitely tasteful instrumentation. You’ve got a harpsichord, bells, at least six types of keyboard-shaped-things, horns, and a string section in addition to Prewitt’s signature guitar-playing. They all add up to some surprisingly dense, mature, and grand recordings.
The only oddness comes from the fact that Mr. Prewitt’s voice doesn’t match the serious stateliness of the orchestration here and there, but again, that might be because this is a voice so darn gentle and pleasant that you can’t really believe anything bad or otherwise superlative has ever happened to it. I had to listen to the album three times before I could even start to care what the man was singing (“It has lyrics? No. Wait.”), and I still couldn’t quote you a line of it. Prewitt also drew the picture of the fey and unnecessarily topless girl with highly improbable hair on the cover.

On TGB rating scale, Archer Prewitt is a true Earthling.

It is my pleasure to welcome Kate to The Great Beyond. As you can see, she's not afraid to tell it like it is. Kate is the music director at KVRX-Austin 91.7 FM-on the campus of the University of Texas. You can find out more about the station at www.kvrx.org.

Glad to have you in The Great Beyond.

Minus Story

Heaven and Hell (EP)
Jagjaguwar (2005)

Reviewed by Kate Guillemette

Minus Story was, I think, my favorite “new” band of 2004. Their first full length, The Captain Is Dead, Let the Drum Corpse Dance, is great, lush, complicated orchestral pop. This EP strikes me as less remarkable, perhaps because there are fewer tracks on which to change things up, and it just doesn’t feel altogether cohesive. There is “serious” guitar stroking on the title track, which I yawn over every listen; that song, and track 2, however, are a couple of years old and predate TCID,LtDCD (so, one may ask, why are they on this EP?). While on tour last year, Minus Story seems to have run off with Okkervil River’s keyboards, and vocalist Jordan Geiger now sings almost exclusively in his waltzing three-beats-at-a-breath barroom cadences on 4 out of the 5 listed tracks (most conspicuous on “Misery Is a Ship” [4]). “Hybrid Moments” (5) is a Misfits cover that prominently features toy piano and jingle bells and in general shows off all the elements of Minus Story’s sound that I liked so much on their first record. The “hidden track” (untitled #6) is a spoken ghost story with some ambient childrens’ noises/voices behind it and a couple of intentional and completely unnerving recording glitches/channel switches. It freaked me out, at home, alone, so be aware.

On TGB rating scale, Minus Story asks Venus for a girl for them to thrill.

DJ Monkey

Another Evolution
7 Records Music

As I listened to this album, I could not help but hear my Catholic elementary school teachers imploring to not go outside the lines. I hated them for making me do something I wasn't remotely interested in. As far as I was concerned, I was free to draw outside my lines and onto the paper of the person next to me. Furthermore, I was damn proud of myself. That's the exact feeling I get listening to DJ Monkey's Another Evolution.

DJ Monkey, featuring Joey Alkes, a published poet, make it very difficult to pigeonhole their sound. At the same time, their diversity shows an extreme intelligence, knowledge of, and adaptability towards many genres including rap, hip hop, alternative rock, jazz, and, most notably, spoken word. One review described it as "Public Enemy's Chuck D. cut(ting) his teeth with NWA, join(ing) forces with the Roots and add(ing) Branford Marsalis for flava."

This is not a band that has come from nowhere and gotten lucky. They bring an extensive resume to the table. Alkes was the co-writer of "A Million Miles Away," recorded by both the Goo Goo Dolls and the Plimsouls, as well as featured in the above-average B-movie Valley Girl, which starred Nicolas Cage. Mick McMains was a integral member of Earl Slick's NYC, and Jamal “lil’ tip toe” Cryer’s credits include Rass-Kass-Van Gough and Bad Azz “Word On The Street.” Cryer has also collaborated with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Jelly Rolly to name a few.

Another Evolution takes you to places both familiar and unfamiliar. In those that are familiar, you will still discover little nuances that you may never have heard before. Those unfamiliar will transport you on a sonic journey that will leave you yearning for a permanent vacation from the real world.

7 Records Music music re-release Another Evolution as part of a deal that sees DJ Monkey sign a recording deal.

Track Listing:
1 5th Avenue Jam
2 U-Boat
3 Beatnik
4 Too Cool
5 Hollywood & Vine
6 My Life Is
7 Big Oil
8 Messages
9 No One Speaks
10 Raindance
11 Boomerang
12 Jerusalem

On TGB ratings scale, this release flies onto Venus!!!

Soul Rebels Interview - Part 3

And so, we come to part 3. As Soul Rebels' Lumar LeBlanc continued to sit in traffic, we discuss the band's unique sound.

TGB: WHY THE LENGTH OF TIME IN BETWEEN ALBUMS?

Lumar LeBlanc: Basically, we always try to put out quality and not quantity. The timing has to be right. We don't just want to put out music for music's sake.

IS THIS A SOUND THAT IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE OR IS IT UNIQUE? IN OTHER WORDS, IS ANY ONE ELSE DOING WHAT THE SOUL REBELS ARE DOING?

I think we are on the brink of something new and explosive, but I really feel that because we have a good fan base, and we make our living off the music, you must have somebody out there who is listening. But it still has a long way to go as far as being totally accessible. Until you can put the radio on and hear it consistently, then it would still have to be considered something that the six of us have invented in the laboratory. If we continue to grow, this will go the way of rap music and explode.

AND STILL, THE SOUND CANNOT BE PIGEONHOLED.

It's kinda like Outkast. Even though they are a hip hop group, you can hear that there are all kinds of other elements in the music. They've grown from the Southernplayalistic type of stuff to what they are now. Their stuff is wild and it's appreciated by other genres. That's definitely how we want our music to be. We don't want to be pigeonholed.

HERE'S A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION. I AM THE OWNER OF A MUSIC STORE. WHERE DO I PLACE YOUR RECORD IN MY RECORD STORE?

You would probably have to put it in the jazz or hip-hop category. Hip hop is where many young people who buy music will tend to look, so that is one place where it would be advantageous to us. With jazz, you would place it there because it has a lot of bass, horns, and tuba.

WOULD YOU SAY HIP HOP IS MISUNDERSTOOD?

In some rights, it is not and in some, it is. Hip hop is basically provoking - thought provoking, provoking of all types of expression. You have gangsta rap which promotes its senstivities whether they are positive or negative. You have more commercial rap which is understood in its own way. Then you have some forms of hip hop and rap that are not understood because you are not involved in the lifestyle that shows where this music is coming from. So, I think it is misunderstood in one regard because it is given a bad label by some in our society, but in other regards it does what it's supposed to do. Who would have thought that in 2005, hip hop is one of the most profitable categories in the musical genre.

FINALLY, WHAT IS NEXT?

The immediate goal is to try to get the business of Soul Rebels Brass Band Incorporated moving forward. Then we can focus on other pieces. We have material that could be ready for recording right now, but we are constantly working and touring. We would love to work with people like Quincy Jones. He definitely has a vibe for horns.

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As of this writing, the Soul Rebels were preparing for a tour that would take them to venues from coast to coast. The culminating, and, in my opinion, the highlight of the tour, will come in 2006 when the Soul Rebels invade Lincoln Center. If you have any chance to catch the band, do so. Your feet will thank you and the rest of your body will not regret it either.

Soul Rebels Interview - Part 2

The Soul Rebels were born in the early 90s. Since then , they have created music that dares one to pigeonhole their sound. Band members include Lumar LeBlanc (snares and vocals), Derrick J. Moss (bass drum), Damion Francois (tuba), Tannon J. Williams (trumpet, flugelhorn and vocals), Marcus Hubbard (trumpet and vocals), Winston Turner (trombone and vocals) and William Terry (saxophone). As their bio proclaims, "The seven musicians throw down beats and work out a groove like only a tight-knit, intuitive crew can, each an essential part of the mix."

In part 2 of my interview with Lumar LeBlanc, we discuss goals and expectations.

TGB: WHAT GOALS DID YOU SET FOR YOURSELVES GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?

Lumar LeBlanc: First, we want to try and find the best facility, recording studio, to capture our sound.

DOES IT TAKE A CERTAIN TYPE OF STUDIO TO DO THAT?

Yes. You have to find a studio that is able to capture horns. To get the best clarity, brightness, warmth, ambiance, and the total of what horns have to offer. Like Earth Wind & Fire, their horns are magnificent. They sound so real and authentic. It is not only the talent level, but the studio that can handle the horns and provide what the horns are able to offer. The horn's sound is a direct result of someone blowing into the instrument, so the sound constantly changes and you have to have a studio that can handle and understand that. The next step is that you have to prepare mentally. You have to go into the studio with a game plan. You have to have your songs ready to record because you don't want to go into the studio and waste time. The third element would be that it is very hard to capture what you do live and put it on a CD, so you have to find some way to up that feel and that energy so that the person who buys or purchases the CD can experience the same vibe and intensity that happens at the live show. That's our approach.

DOES THE BAND GO THROUGH COMPROMISE BEFORE AN ALBUM IS DONE? WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR COMPROMISE?

The process is the performances. We are blessed in that we perform so much on stage that we have time to deliberate what will work and what will not work. It's almost like a laboratory up there. We might come together and have a tune that, say, Winston Turner will come up with. He might present it a certain way, but after we finish chewing it up for at least a month on stage, by the time we spit it out, it has every other band members impression on the song. By the time it's ready for the studio, it's an expression of each individuals artistic personality. So, the process is worked out at gigs and on stage. A band member may come with a song and we'll let you know if we don't like a certain part of he music. So, we try to modify it and turn it into something that will work for each member. So, the gigs are where we work things out and by the time we hit the studio, we have it all mapped out so that we don't waste time.

IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.

It's six people and everybody contributes.

WHAT WERE THE EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THE RECORDING OF REBELUTION?

We wanted something that was really explosive in the sense of artistic gifts that we each have. We wanted people to say, "I've never heard anything like this before." You hear tuba, horns, bass drums, snare drums with raps and everything. When it's all together, it makes sense. One of the expectations was that we wanted this to have excitement and explosiveness.

Another goals was that we wanted it to have a flow. We wanted it to have a more assertive flow. That's where the hip hop comes in. We wanted it to have that thump. We wanted it to make you move. Lyrically, we felt that we could get people who don't appreciate jazz to listen to instrumental music.

We also wanted it to be urban contemporary, but able to get into the mainstream.

DOES THIS ALBUM MEET EXPECTATIONS?

I think it does, but I still want the album to go mainstream.

Soul Rebels Interview - Part 1

They come from a city where the names are synonymous with the music. Names such as Louis Armstrong, Dr. John, the Marsalis family, Professor Longhair, the Neville Brothers, Allan Toussaint, Buckwheat Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, and many many others. At the same time, there is a great tradition of high school and college marching bands that have incorporated the life and blood of the Big Easy. Now, along comes the Soul Rebels, six young men steeped in the history and traditions of New Orleans.

Thier latest release is entitled Rebelution, which Lumar LeBlanc proudly calls "a giant leap for music." the sound takes everything New Orleans has to offer, throws it into a blender, gently removes it, unwraps it carefully, and rejoices like a child receiving a Christmas present. The Soul Rebels unashamedly believe they are the future of music.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Lumar LeBlanc as he battled 5:00pm New Orleans traffic. Below is the first part of that interview. We discuss the sound of New Orleans and the Soul Rebels. Enjoy!

TGB: YOUR SOUND IS INTENSE. WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

LLB: It's a collaborations of all of the beautiful minds that comprise the Soul Rebels. We are basically a six piece organization. We have people who come from all walks of life and listen to all different types of music. There are people who are heavily influenced by jazz element. All of us are hip-hop based because we came up during the days of hip hop proliferating into the mainstream. Definitely the hip hop is there. Then you add the 70s funk which we are also influenced by. Then there is the protest element. Soul Rebels started out as a poor righteous band like a Public Enemy. You had issues that we took up, and incorporated them into the music. Our the years we becomes rebels in the sense of opening the doors for other forms of music. With a tuba, horns, snares, it's a different type of thing when you talk about them being the main instruments in a band.

HIP HOP HAS CHANGED. IN ITS EARLY DAYS, THE MUSIC WAS COMBINED WITH A MESSAGE. THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE CASE TODAY. THE SOUL REBELS DO SEEM TO EMBODY A MESSAGE. WHAT'S THAT MESSAGE?

Our message , right now, speaks to being whatever you want to be. You can express yourself in whatever form you want to. In doing so, you are a rebel and you're included in the rebelution. We don't want to have any barriers. We don't want anything that will limit us. If you look at jazz, a lot of times, people will say that jazz is not focus. There's a lot going on in jazz. Jazz is not supposed to be rap focused or urban contemporary. Then people think rap music is supposed to have a solid beat. It supposed to be commercial ready. But we wanted to mix all types of music together. Basically, it's rap with a message. Hip hop with a message. A message that you can be the greatest person that you want to. Just trust in yourself, go forward and do what you have to. We want to just free the minds of everybody that listens to the Soul Rebels. Have a good time and free your minds.

TALK ABOUT THE JAZZ INFLUENCE. DOES IT COME FROM PEOPLE LIKE COLTRANE, DAVIS, MONK, MINGUS, ETC.?

I was raised more on the sounds of New Orleans. We definitely respect those legendary icons that are still in our jazz community. We are definitely influenced by those individuals, but Soul Rebels, the members, we are influenced more by the traditions of New Orleans jazz and the funkateers from New Orleans. People like Louis Armstrong, the Olympia Brass band, WyNton Marsalis and the Marsalis family.

WHAT IS THE SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS?

The sound of New Orleans is heavily rooted in rhythm and that transcends into the horns. The horns are definitely the focus. They give communication. Then you move on to the tuba, bass, and snare, and they are what makes your body move and makes your soul just jump up and down. You can trace all the greats to that style. Even the great high school bands. All of them have the great tradition of the sounds of New Orleans.

IS THE COLLEGIATE SETTING WHERE THE BAND MEMBERS STARTED SHEDDING THEIR BABY TEETH?

We have guys who went to Loyola, Southern University, Texas Southern, and Xavier. Definitely the skills began to be polished at the collegiate setting. But we also go back to the great high schools like Fortier, McDonogh 35, John McDonogh, Sarah T. Reed, St. Augustus. All of these great schools is where we started getting our skills. When we got the college level, our skills were polished. We were able, at a collegiate level, to go to next level. It became a show-type of thing. The bands at the college level do a lot of show tunes and show style choreography. They have played at Super Bowls, for presidents, and all types of TV Shows. So, you have to be precision drilled and trained. In college, we were able to shed our baby teeth and put the stamp of approval on the showmanship. We learned how to be precise and peform on stage.