Eclectic Vibes - March 2019
by Andrew Frey
On a JRAD journey through the Dead at the Sylvee on 2/17/19 - photo by Andrew Frey
Do you find yourself marching into March to the beat of a different drummer? That’s what this column is all about!
ALMOST DEAD
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead was this massive Sold Out show at the Sylvee in Madison on a sloppy Sunday night on the 17th of February in Wisconsin and it still managed to be awesome! JRAD brought to the stage exactly what the audience wanted and needed for the evening, offering not just Grateful Dead, but several other choice rock selections, building connections across musical landscapes and time frames near and far. Until we meet again! www.joerussosalmostdead.com
MYSTIC TROUBADOURS
After seeing both Trevor Hall and Dirtwire last fall at Shangri La at Harmony Park in MN, I was ecstatic to find out they were touring together in 2019. Trevor Hall offers us deep and heart felt mystical songs, while Dirtwire shows off unique instrumentation amid a strange southwestern sounding rock. Together they will produce an unforgettable evening on 3/28 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI and 3/29 at Concord Music Hall in Chicago, IL with Will Evans. www.trevorhallmusic.com
DEAF BARONESS
Smashing genre stereotypes while proving that not-your-run-of-the-mill black and extreme metal CAN make it into the big time is what this amazing lineup is all about! The top rated melodic indie pop black metal band Deafheaven certainly are headlining, but the mighty and majestic sludge runners of Baroness will give them a run for their money, plus the bluesy, ritualistic black metal of Zeal & Ardor will make you reexamine your beliefs in metal itself. Prepare to be entertained and confounded at the Sylvee in Madison, WI on 3/30 and Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL on 3/31. www.deafheaven.com
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 is Supperated thru 10 is August
Andy Frasco & The UN - Change of Pace
Andy Frasco & The UN
Album title: Change of Pace
Record Label: Fun Machine Records
Rating: 9
Super fun and party forward, Andy Frasco & The UN have toured through 10 countries, average 250 shows per year and have somehow managed to output 10,000+ hours playing music. Change of Pace adds more soul to their fabulous freaky funk, showing off their natural evolution as a band, while not losing their edge or originality.
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Andy Frasco & The UN online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Change of Pace from Amazon
Kojo - Guide My Soul
Kojo
Album title: Guide My Soul
Record Label: Random Records
Rating: 9
Guide My Soul is the first full length psybass release from KOJO (aka Alexander Green). It is filled with a multitude of quirky samples, fat, plucky bass lines and upbeat rhythms. Time spent experimenting with styles and techniques over the past years pay off throughout the 14 tracks offered here by making this a grand adventure through many sonic landscapes distant dimensions.
(907) Page Views
Kojo online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Guide My Soul
• Purchase Guide My Soul
SoDown - Jet Black
SoDown
Album title: Jet Black
Record Label: GetDown Records
Rating: 10
This EP is smokin hot! Establishing a menacing synth ambiance before introducing slick slices of glitch amid strong casts of electro bass and funky beat breakdowns makes for an entrancing listening experience. Chest pumping, hip hopping electronica doesn’t get much better than this.
(808) Page Views
SoDown online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Jet Black from Amazon