UNDERGROUND A&R REPORT

These reviews will appear in the first issue of JAMBONE, out in April 2005

http://undergroundrecords.org/jambone/

Way Station - s/t

Funky jazz fusion from the cats layin' it down on Big Bear Theory.
Precise slaps-n-daps, screaming lead guitars, tasty sax and big beat boogie woogie prevail throughout this killer eleven tune set. The mix has a big music venue kinda feel, wide hall reverb on the precussion, while most of the other instruments stay home in the monitors. As they kick things off with "Carnival Ride", feets hit da floor and it's a sure bet on the money folks will keep the dance floor jumpin' as this crack band made up of Barry Bernhardt on guitars, Frank Catalano on sax, Greg Geary on bass and Tim Bennet's fine drumming crank it out in fine form. On "Psycho Surf" Catalano's sax remind you how great be-bop can truly be, as his backing band shifts from sparse crackles to highway burnin' power fusion. You can almost visualize a grainy black and white film and the rat packers heading to Malibu on the pacific coast highway for the never ending nitecap. Way Station get a bit held down when they slide into the standard jazz side of things, and even though this form is daper, nothing like the heart firing pulse of their tight neo-fusion (a'la the gear grinding "All Through The Night"). Stay with this, and these cats are one everlasting party on high. Contact: Big Bear Theory


Mozart Street - s/t

Some of the finest sax playing I've heard in a while by Toby Veach.
Barry Bernhardt is back proving he is the kind of electric fusion. Opener "The Rolling Sky" shows you what these cats can do, there is tight jamming throughout, reminding me of some fo the best Jeff Beck. All around there is the jazz and funk provided by Mark Montgomery's ball slapping lead basslines
and monster percussion from Dean Pizzato. This group is a potent unit
as they rip ass on tunes like "Walkdown", while goes from scream to stream on a dime.
"Snake Shake" stars with a blues boogie then slides into groovin' funk fed running jam, with Veach the man on the outer edge together with Montgomery taking most of the leads. It's tasty, like fine gumbo. Mozart Street is like a concert hall filled with lunatic ringmasters each hawking their wares. What the best jazz fusion should be. No sleepy romantic twaddle here. On "Comfusion Says"
the band does a great job of mixing jazz and hard rock, ending riffin
as the soul slink of "Vampire Ire" slides in and Veach gets busy with mucho lead sax as the tour into the french quarter rolls on. Contact: Big Bear Theory http://www.bigbeartheory.com

Sunshine Apparatus - Grade scool Play ground Swing set Fairy-tale

Spatial blend of roots, americana, coffee shop and experimental sound
sculpting. First part of the album presents a neo-folk setting for a rich blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. The later half of the album slides into instrumental soundscapes with strong ambient qualities. You'd expect a song titled "Sleepy" to be ambient, yet it borders on countrified lite jazz, and where the wild drums came from, I don't know. Lots of guitar on this album, and that is took the artist a while composing these songs shows, as you get a wide berth of diversified styles. Should be a nice set on the upcoming tour.
Contact: A-attack Records, 4011 Black Creek Ct., http://www.geocities.com/a-attack,
aattack1@hotmail.com


Dave Halverson - Fragments Of What

Haha, great title man! Quite an eclectic atmospheric set here, from
dreamin' "Constellation M", to some on the border jazz-electro "Omicron". In fact, the whole album is borderline, each song sounds comprised of varied genre, and give Dave Halverson credit, he somehow makes the thing work. Farmers In The Spirit Field begins as a sparse landscape then cooks some guitar for the ending entre. There is some quirkiness here, as evidenced on the circus-go-round organ of "The Fair", you feel like you're are the fair, maybe with some nice shrooms. I'll give Dave credit again, his composing can do a little evocation, which is always nice. The dark river in Egypt feel of "To Die No More" is creepy enough to be cool, perfect motion picture music. Contact: Dave Halverson POB 20711, Oakland, CA 94620,
510-985-6477, tlucid@hotmail.com, http://www.davehalverson.com


The Rosette Guitar Duo - s/t

Lyngstad & Marsh are the kings of counterpoint, a skill unbeknown to many modern pickers not just because it takes a duo or better to happen, but it's based in
theory, and well, alot of players never studied the stuff, though in my days as a classical guitar major, I worked alot with harmonic couterpoint, usually as a duet, but not at the level these cats can play. The Rosette Guitar Duo make beautiful guitar music; dual melodies, strong time discipline. Stuff for when it'time to dream a little. Contact: http://www.rosetteguitar.com,
contactus@rosetteguitar.com, 780-886-6160 or 780-905-4361


The Rick Ray Band- Out Of The Mist Of Obscurity

One of the hardest working guitarists in showbiz, Ray's familiar tower tone and original rave ups make him instantly recognizable. You have to give the jamhound
credit, since 1999 he has recorded over 30 albums, and that's a feat man! If you live smooth, bluesy shredding guitar, The Rick Ray Bnad is the stuff to put on. He and songwriting/ vocal partner Phil Noch fill about half this album with their collaborations, firing things off with the scortching "Why did I
know", going from laid back groove to sizzling hammering lead in a five
minute jam span. The titel cut is also a creeper, and psychotic to match! Few songs contain so much, then end in space, beyond simple musical mathematics. Component brass man Gary Wood (no pun intended) adds a smoothing horn to some of Ray's guitar workouts, playing off alter ego Rick Schultz's wilder edge via clarinet (believe me, it sounds killer). It's almost if you have a bit of symphony in there. It's cool man, you gotta dig the Rick Man Band.
Contact: Neurosis Records, 20301 Ball Ave, Euclid, OH 44123,
http://groups.msn.com/guitaristrickray
hobbelshnimp@hotmail.com