3/04/2007

Aussie Summer Rain

Its raining outside. Not a light drizzle but an overwhelming powerful demonstration of nature, and of God. Its a late summer storm, one that is much needed. Needed to defeat the thick humidity and the sweltering heat that has plagued us all weekend. Needed most to quench the parched lips of Australia. The vast an spiritual land is going thirsty and with a torrential down pour like tonight new life is shore to spring up.

There is also a breeze, a cool breeze. It is very comforting in the fact that its cold and is helping me regulate my body heat. I think that there is even peace in this storm. Something that almost sounds like an oxymoron, but in all of the water, lightning, thunder, and wind I can see a system at work. A system that is giving life and in that life giving system there is a peace.

3/02/2007

Perpetual Groove - L.L.D.

The first week of March is bringing the jamband music community a little more this year than expectations of spring tours, better weather, and the anticipation of the upcoming festival season - No on March 6th the community will be blessed with the the relase of the junior album from the Athens, GA quartet, Perpetual Groove. Perpetual Groove (know from here on out as pgroove, their effectionate name given by their fans) is a jamband success story from start to beginning. They are the 'little enginge that could' of our jamband world and with the release of their new album they are staking their claim as a major staple in todays jam oriented live music world.

Pgroove is a live show juggernaut of a band playing well into the 100s of shows year after year. Logging hard road hours and serious miles inorder to bring their sound and their live music experience to the nation. Their hard work has paid off for them; they have found themselves admist the Green Apple Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Jam Cruise, Camp Bisco, as well as Moe.Down. But now pgroove is shedding its jamband adolesence and forging its own niche and its own sound which is truely highlighted on their third album, LIVELOVEDIE.

The over all production value of the album is much higher in this fan's opinion than either of the bands 1st 2 CDs (Sweet Oblivious Antidote and All This Every Thing) and show cases their maturity level. They are a lyrically driven jamband and this is emphisised by their 1st 2 tracks, Save for One and Two Shores. They are tightly composed songs that allow for some abstract thought through Brock Butler's lyrical narrative. Two Shores is one of those songs that would become the albums single if this was pop music. Also their new intrumental, Mayday, demostrates an ability to polish road tested material and mix it with produced sound clips and pull it off in the studio to have a finished product that has left fans hopeful of more to come.

The layers and depth of pgroove are also relvealed throughout this album. The songs Crapshoot which is a song about contimplation and decisions, and It Starts Where It Ends, a more lyrically driven song that features multi layers of guitar playing, pianio solos, and lyrical exploration.

But for me the real success of the album is in 2 songs towards the end of the CD. The 1st song that has left this listener very impressed is So Much As Goodbye. This song really captures the Perpetual Groove feeling. The song is composed pretty much into 3 distinct parts allowing for even the pgroove novice to experience the full range of pgroove from lyrical driven, to rythm driven jams that encourage even your grandma to get up annd shake her booty, to the all encomposing composure of the full band bringing it all back together. One note the album version is a much shorter version than any of the live performaces, but it holds true to the song and will leave a newbie who falls in love with the studio version absolutly floored when they experience this song live.

Following up on So Muc As Goodbye comes the bands jam vehicle, Speed Queen. The bass is the key to tthis song and bassist Adam Perry does not let anyone down on this one, infact his polished effects in the studio only highten the stigma behind this song. This song like SMAGB (mentioned above) has been successfully cut down to a running time of 7:30 (I know you are saying "cut down to 7:30?!?!?!" yeah well it is notrious for topping out a 20 minutes during a live show) and again really captures the musical finger print of pgroove, with the peak of the song bringing all four member together in a sync that makes them seam like seasoned veterans and declares that they are here to stay and that there is only more good things to come from this 'little band that could'

GO SEE PERPETUAL GROOVE