Galactic Funk (Part I)

Last post for the month. Just a few quick notes before I begin. First, I’ve decided that for format, I’m going to have just the two most recent posts showing on the page at any time. The rest will be available in the archives in the upper right-hand corner. Secondly, someone asked me if I could include sound clips on the site, and as much as I would absolutely love to do that, it would present a whole host of potential legal issues that I don’t want to deal with. Instead, I’ll try to include links to YouTube clips if they’re quality enough. Lastly, a Happy Birthday to the Small Donkey.

Ok, on with the show. I’ve been excited for this post for a long time. It’s about one of my absolute favorite bands, and will be split into two parts. It is a band of relative unknowns to most, but one that most people who know me and my musical tastes are going to have some level of familiarity with, because I’ve been destroying their anonymity for years. These guys are the modern-day masters of funk music. They are, New Orleans’ own, Galactic.

Galactic is a five-man (formerly six-man) jazz/funk group that has been around since the mid-‘90’s. They were first brought to my attention during my freshman year of college, by my musician-roommate JP. JP was an avid drummer and guitarist from Virginia, and he was very in tune with a lot of different stuff that I had just never heard in New York. Most of it was very mellow, groovy, jam-band stuff. Worth noting is that he also introduced me to John Mayer (way before he blew up), Ryan Adams, O.A.R., Ben Harper, Coldplay and others, while I’m pretty sure I introduced him to more rap music than he even knew existed (which is pretty much all I was listening to at age 18).

So anyway, since JP and I shared a mutual affinity for all things drum-related, he turned me on to this funk band Galactic, because their drummer was point-blank the best in the business. According to him, I simply had to hear it. I remember how he used this now-defunct, highly primitive file-sharing site (I can’t even remember the name of it anymore) on my computer, and came up with a couple of tracks that he thought I’d like. I remember being absolutely blown away. At that point I had only heard old-school funk. I had no idea that modern bands were playing funk like this. And let me clarify, it was not rock, or hip-hop, or anything else that had elements of funk to it. No, it was just straight up, groovy funk music. And JP was right, the drummer was intense… he filled up the track with more drum sounds than I could process, yet it didn’t sound at all cluttered. Everything fit together perfectly, in this exciting, fast-paced display of raw musical energy. Guitar solos, sax riffs, screeching organs, impossible drum solos, perfect basslines… it was unreal. The love affair was born.

Galactic started in 1994, as the brainchild of two ordinary kids from D.C. Guitarist Jeff Raines and bassist Robert Mercurio were so into music, that they decided to pick their colleges of choice, based largely on the music of the city in which the college was located (I’m sorry, but how ballsy is that!). Their love of funk and soul landed them both in New Orleans, where they sharpened their skills by immersing themselves in the local styles of jazz playing. In time they teamed up with saxophonist/guitarist Ben Ellman (a California transplant), and keyboardist Rich Vogel (a Midwest transplant). But the lineup wasn’t truly complete without the addition of a true local. As it was, that local would become the driving force behind the band’s sound, as his musical prowess was so deeply rooted in the New Orleans style of jazz, that he stands out on nearly every song this band plays. The “local” was drummer Stanton Moore, highly regarded as one of the finest drummers in the business today. And there they were… five scrawny-looking young white kids, playing funk music in the heart of New Orleans. Pretty impressive.

But once again, they couldn’t resist adding some more New Orleans flair. So the band decided that they should branch out, away from just instrumentals, and take on a vocalist. How about a hip, young superstar-in-the-making? Nope. Instead they decided to go with a local legend named Theryl “The Houseman” DeClouet, who was 20 years older than most of the band members. This proved to be the finishing touch on a formula for 7 years and 4 studio albums of great funk music, which culminated in 2003 with DeClouet’s retirement, and the band’s rise to semi-mainstream fame.

Now for the sound. I know I seem to throw this phrase around quite a bit, but this music truly is like nothing else I’ve heard. Like I stated earlier, a lot of bands out there can summon up a funky sound, but they’re not really playing funk music. These guys play real funk, and they make it sound modern. And it all starts with the drums. Stanton Moore plays the straight-up, unabashedly groovy and syncopated New Orleans style of drumming. Lots of snare drum, great exchanges with the snare and the hi-hat, backbeats on the bass drum that seem out of place at first, and an overall ability to make complex patterns sound easy, while never over-doing it and drowning out his bandmates. He’s one of the few musicians out there who can approach an instrument with a “less-is-more” style of play that will actually allow him to rip through immensely complicated rhythms without anyone even noticing. I have to laugh a little when people anoint flashier players as the kings or queens or their instruments, when in reality most of those players are a lot of gimmicks with little substance. Not the case here. Moore’s play is almost always flawless, and provides the funky framework over which the other Galactic members can lay down their respective grooves. (Check out this video for some of Moore's great licks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYBmaXztl1I&feature=related).

Moore’s rhythmic counterpart is undoubtedly bassist Robert Mercurio (in many of today’s musical genres, it is the bass and drums that are considered the “rhythm section”, whereas years ago there might have also been a piano, horn(s), second guitar, etc. due to the fact that there were more instruments available to play the lead parts). Like Moore, Mercurio’s play is understated yet highly sophisticated. He generally finds a groove and sticks to it throughout a song, thus never disrupting the flow that he and Moore set for that song. Some bass players try to do too much, and wind up just confusing the ear as to what the actual melody is. Mercurio stays in his zone and allows the listener to settle into the groove. This is not to say that he’s just a space-filler though. His basslines are undeniably funky. Whether he’s picking, slapping, or playing chords, the guy is always funky. And that of course makes every other instrument sound that much funkier.

As for the other band members? Well, I’m going to hold off on that part since 1) I have another post in which to discuss them, 2) I think it might be cool for you guys to approach some of their songs with a very defined perspective (here, the rhythm section perspective) as opposed to just an overall view, and 3) this post would become obnoxiously long.

So enough yapping, let’s get on with some suggestions. I’m going to provide some selections from their earlier stuff on this post, and I’m not going to bombard you with analysis… I figure you can all analyze for yourselves. The sound is very groovy, and highly influenced by the New Orleans style of jazz. It’s much lighter than their more recent sound, which retains more elements of hip-hop. Some tracks here have vocals, and others are instrumentals, but all of them are incredible. Great driving music. Enjoy.

Song(s) For The Week:

“Baker’s Dozen” from Late For The Future: The first Galactic song I ever heard. Unreal. Moore’s snare drum dominates the track, and Raines’ guitar solo is one of the cleanest you’ll ever hear. Unfortunately, iTunes doesn’t carry the original, only live versions. I’ll have to see what I can do about that.

“Something’s Wrong This Picture” from Coolin’ Off: This is the first song Theryl DeClouet wrote with Galactic. It’s a perfect introductory track for listeners, as his jazzy, lounge-singer voice is toned down to fit within the band’s sonic landscape. I love Mercurio’s slap bass, and Ellman’s sax solo.

“Doo Rag” from Coolin’ Off: A classic Galactic song. It has a very laid back sound, with all of the members uniting to form one smooth groove. Mercurio and Moore stay in the background, where they are joined by Raines on guitar, setting the stage for Ellman and Vogel to take the lead. This is probably one of the most ambitious uses of the keyboard that I have heard out of Galactic. It’s 6+ minutes of mellow funk.

“Running Man” from Late For The Future: Another vocal track. This is one of the most laid-back Galactic songs out there. iTunes doesn’t even carry it, but I figured I’d throw it in just in case someone found it. A very relaxing song.

“Everybody Wants Some (Part 1)” from Coolin’ Off: Like “Doo Rag” this is a very mellow song, indicative of their early sound. I think Moore’s play really shines on this song, as does a guest trombone spot from Mark Mullins. Enjoy your listening!

The Lyrical Miracle

Whoops. Looks like I showed up a little late to this week’s party. Please forgive me. I attribute this week’s tardiness, and last week’s lone posting, to a 3-day excursion to Baltimore, followed by an impromptu 1.5-day excursion to Philly. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, but not nearly enough music. I was actually fairly deprived these past 5-6 days. I have to admit, the lack of music, as well as the severe lack of sleep, made me quite crabby. Luckily, a combined 7 hours of driving gave me a small window of opportunity to get some good listening in.

So what was on the menu this time around? Plenty of randomness… some metal, some funk, some jazz, some old Dave Matthews (very unusual for me), some Hall & Oates (I heard “Private Eyes” in CVS the other night and couldn’t resist busting out that CD… laugh if you must), and surprisingly very little RHCP or Incubus. But the tracks that were repeated with the greatest frequency were by a guy that I doubt any of you have ever heard of.

I first heard of Don McCloskey while interning at Sony. You may remember me referring to my boss Josh in a previous post, as he was usually my source for new Sony music. Right next to Josh was my other “boss” (he didn’t like me calling him that) Patrick. Patrick always had music playing too, but usually at a much lower volume, allowing Josh’s stuff to dominate. This wasn’t a huge problem though, because I spent a ton of time in Patrick’s office asking dumb questions, thereby giving myself a chance to hear what he had on. There was lots of heavy stuff (which I enjoyed), the occasional old school rap block (which he played on days when we needed a pick-me-up) and a fair amount of folk-type stuff, which I normally don’t really care for all that much.



One of these folk performers, however, Patrick made a specific point to have me listen to. It was this guy Don McCloskey, who was either a friend of Patrick’s, or a friend of a friend, or something like that… I forget. Either way, Patrick knew the guy, went to his shows pretty regularly, owned his albums, and played his stuff at work quite a bit. He seemed really into it, and was really excited to share it with me. At first I was skeptical, since I knew that traditional folk music didn’t do very much for me, but as it turned out this guy was far from traditional.

I’ll never forget when I first heard McCloskey's music in Patrick’s office. I really had no idea what to make of him. A folk singer? Yea, I guess… there were banjos, and guitars, and whatnot… but then also this guy with a nasal-sounding voice, rapping about “G’s” and “hoes”… And the craziest thing was that it was actually really good! I mean, I have to admit, the guy sounded like he was white as snow, but you couldn’t help but sit there and say “wow, that was a pretty good rhyme right there.” And if you weren’t immediately impressed by his musical prowess, you at least had to laugh. It was pretty clear that this guy was going for a comical and satirical sound just as much as he was pure folk. So we sat there and listened. We remarked on how impressive his rhyme schemes were at some points… we laughed at the incredibly lewd lyrics he used in certain songs… we credited him for his ability to retain true folk elements in songs that sounded more hip-hop than anything else… and I walked away with one more new artist to check out… which I did.

You’re probably sick of hearing this, but man do those iTunes gift cards come in handy. A few months ago I had a few bucks left over on one of them, so I decided to buy some Don McCloskey tracks, and give them a more thorough listen than the few occasional moments listening in, or outside of, Pat’s office. I would liken him to… I don’t really know. There are elements of G. Love, Sublime, Phish… literally tons of different musicians, as well as different musical styles. The main elements in McCloskey’s music are folk and country, mixed in with hip-hop and funk. Not to be left out are blues, jazz, rock, soul, ska, and plenty of others. It doesn’t seem like it would mix particularly well, but it does. And that has to be attributed to the man behind the microphone.

McCloskey can sing. As I mentioned earlier, he has a nasal-y voice, but he also has a significant vocal range that allows him to not only hit a wide array of notes, but also bend them, thereby giving him the ability to sing in a blues-ier manner. Additionally, he is able to provide the “twang” that is traditional in folk music (look no further than Bob Dylan), on those songs that are intended to convey a more folk-sounding style.

But in reality, his traditional singing is not the real draw. It’s the rapping. Would anyone mistake this guy for Jay-Z? No. But he’s still pretty good. And the reason I say that, is because he’s not actually trying to be a rapper. He’s being what he is: a folk singer who incorporates rapping into his folk music, and does it in a fun, almost self-deprecating way. His phrasing is solid. His lyrics are clever, and humorous. And perhaps most importantly, he can “rap” by actually singing his rhymes in a generally monotone voice that will fluctuate between the various notes that make up the blues scale. It makes the rapping sound melodic, and brings it back into the realm of that bluesy, country-sounding folk music, just with the obvious undertones of hip-hop.

I’m afraid I might have ranted too much about genre crossovers here, so let me take a step back for everyone’s sake. Don McCloskey is good. He’s a lot of fun to listen to. You may like folk music, and hate rap music. You may hate country, and love jazz. You may like protest songs, and despise songs that appeal to sophomoric humor. This guy does all of it, and he does it in a way that seems to me to be very appealing across the board. It’s the kind of stuff that I would gladly put on at a backyard barbeque, and listen to all the way through while we all just sat in the sun and drank a few beers. As it was, this music proved to be the victor of my weekend playlist. I had to go from New York to Baltimore, Baltimore to Philly, and then Philly back to New York. Lots of music was played in the car, but Don McCloskey by far got the most pressing of the rewind button. Sure it’s really random, and sure it’s not someone that you’ve heard of… but so what? One of the best things about music is all the secrets it has. Check this guy out. Who knows? He might not be a secret forever.

Song(s) For The Week: “Return of the Freak Emcee” from Northern Liberties; “Live From the Other Side” from Bombs Over Bristol; and “This Just In” from Northern Liberties. “Return of the Freak Emcee” is my favorite McCloskey song. It is the perfect song to illustrate his style, capturing all of the elements I mentioned above. His satire starts right away as he dedicates the song to all those “fake-ass folk singers” who talk about how “phat and large they’re living.” Then as his monologue builds to a head, the band kicks in with this funky bassline, and jazz-style keyboard harmony in the chorus. To keep the folk sound, an acoustic guitar is laid over the top of the bass, creating that jam-band sound. McCloskey shows us his humorous but impressive rapping style, while also demonstrating his prowess as a singer as well. Really, it’s just a fun song. He bends notes like a blues singer, reaches for high notes like a soul singer, raps about goofy stuff like a comedian, and sings about his plight like a true folk singer. All over the place and I like it. “Live From the Other Side” is a little less heavy on the hip-hop elements, but is fairly similar to “Freak Emcee”. The use of blues-tuned guitars creates a very mellow feel, and McCloskey himself softens his voice, to create a looser sounding rap style. Of note is his second verse, where he plays both himself and his muse in an argument. Also, I can’t help but be struck by the random rock riff in the solo section. Just more organized chaos I guess. Lastly is “This Just In.” This is McCloskey’s traditional folk. Country blues guitars, bass, and drums… McCloskey putting the folk twang on his voice… lyrics that attack Bush, the handling of Katrina, American healthcare, etc… I like this song a lot. It’s far away from the other two suggestions on this list, but it shows McCloskey as a true folk singer, ranting about social awareness. And his lyrics here are actually quite good… I love the line about the doctor telling the patient “you’re too poor to get sick.” Hope you guys give these a try, and if you do I hope you enjoy. Many thanks to Pat for introducing me.

The Incredible Comfort Zone

After a fairly long, exhausting, bizarre, head-scratching weekend, I found myself sitting down on this Sunday evening, curious as to what my musical relaxant would be. For the most part, I have spent the past three days cycling between funk, rap, and metal. But those are not befitting of these final few weekend hours… it’s not how I want to wrap up one week before starting a new one.

Amazingly enough, this choice was made for me without my realizing it. My brain checked down to the default… the place where I go when I just need to breathe deeply and let go of every single little thing that clutters my mind. The Chili Peppers? No. They are my default for pretty much everything else. But when I am in these moments where I need to zone out and transcend everything else, it’s time for jazz music.

I love jazz. I always have. I think I can attribute much of that to my father and his affinity for this genre. His steering-wheel-jazz-drumming has been well documented for years, as has his knowledge of, and love for, so much of history’s great classic jazz music. What is probably lesser known, is that he was actually a fairly accomplished musician in his day, playing and traveling for years as a keyboardist/accordion player. And from what I understand, jazz music was definitely a large part of his repertoire. So yea, I’m pretty sure that’s where my love affair with jazz music stems from.

However, to say you love “jazz music” is the equivalent of saying you love “sea food.” Such statements do not take into account the immense amount of diversity within the main subject. Do you like Swing? Dixieland? Bebop? Post-bop? Fusion? Acid? West Coast? Smooth? There are no shortages to the sub-genres in jazz music. And more importantly, you do not have to like or love all of them to be a jazz aficionado. I know I don’t. There’s plenty of jazz that just doesn’t really sit well with me. But as always, why focus on the negatives, when there’s so much else to fall in love with?

For me, it’s the jazz music of the 50’s and early 60’s. Some call it “contemporary”, some call it “post-bop”, some call it “soul jazz”… but whatever the title, you just know it when you hear it. It’s unmistakable. “Walking” basslines, syncopated drum hits to go with swinging cymbals, and of course the melodic/harmonic trade-offs between the piano, guitar, vibes, horns, or whatever else is center stage. Whereas bebop was loud, and fast, and experimental, and untamed, contemporary jazz music was/is clean, and cool, and groovy, and, for my money, the absolute best you can find. Nothing else can take your mind away like these songs. And that is probably why I came right back to my home base tonight. There’s just nothing like it. Things don’t seem to matter as much when you hear these guys get going.

So who is the man of the hour tonight? It’s the guy who has been my jazz music man of the hour for the past few weeks actually. Wes Montgomery. Without question one of the, if not the, most important and influential jazz guitarists of all time. My list of favorite jazz musicians is comprised mostly of pianists, drummers, and various horn players. I usually find jazz guitar to be too soft. Montgomery, however, is a clear exception to that rule. His play is soothing, yet edgy… clean, yet unrestricted… aesthetically pleasing, yet complex and challenging. He redefined his instrument, and created a sound that has been held as the gold standard of jazz guitar for decades.

Now, I wouldn’t dare attempt to cover all the astounding contributions this man has made to jazz music in a blog post. That would just be disrespectful. So instead, I will simply touch on one album. The one that I am now listening to. The one that is considered to be his finest work. The one that I would recommend to people if they were to ask for suggestions as to where a good place to start listening to jazz music would be. The one that I implore any and all of you who read this to check out. The one with the most blatantly upfront title you could ever ask for. The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. Please note however, that iTunes lists this album as just Incredible Jazz Guitar.

Montgomery’s unique style varied throughout the years, changing with the ebbs and flows of the musical landscape in the jazz world. At the point of this release however, in 1960, vintage contemporary jazz music was at its peak. As a result, we are given a sound that grooves, but also hits hard when it wants to. I know I am repeating myself, but I am always taken by how the great players can effortlessly blend styles that seem both low-key and wild at the same time. And that is what I feel happens on this album. Montgomery’s play is so incredibly refined and beautiful, but it never loses its bite.

Adding to the splendor of the album is Montgomery’s rhythm section, which is comprised of some extremely seasoned jazz vets. On piano is Tommy Flanagan, longtime accompanier of Ella Fitzgerald. On bass, Percy Heath, of Modern Jazz Quartet fame. Lastly, on drums, is Albert Heath, Percy’s younger brother, and a masterful musician in his own right. These three helped Montgomery tap into a sound that grooved on the deepest of levels. Percy Heath’s brilliant basslines set the tone of each song, while Flanagan plays the perfect counterpart to Montgomery’s guitar, and also handles his duties as a soloist quite admirably. Albert Heath sits back and manages the whole thing with his no-frills time-keeping, while also adding in the occasional few bars of soloing himself. It’s no surprise that the album became such a classic with these three contributing to Montgomery’s play.

This album is one of the classics… one of the rare albums that can be considered the “finest work” of a particular musical genius. I find it to be amazing on so many levels, including the practical level. You don’t have to be a jazz guru to appreciate this album. It’s accessible even to the most novice of listeners, and yet is challenging enough to please the pros as well. For that reason, I say “Go listen!” I’m sure you all have found yourselves in moments where you just need to step back… be it on a Sunday night after a long, and hectic weekend… or on a Wednesday morning when you need to chill out before your stressful day at work/school… or on a Friday night when you want to get ready for your night out in a slightly more low-key fashion. This album works no matter what. Enjoy.

Song(s) For The Week: Four on Six and Gone With the Wind. Two Montgomery standards. I think “Four on Six” might be my favorite song on the album. It’s one of the darker (relatively speaking) and groovier songs on this record. The rhythm sections sets everything up with this great, double-time 4/4 beat, allowing Montgomery to come in with a light, beautiful chorus melody, before everyone just kicks it into gear. The aforementioned Percy Heath basslines are on perfect display here. Also, you can hear traditional “block chords” by Flanagan on the piano, used to harmonically contrast the trills of Montgomery’s guitar. He also, at 3 ½ minutes in, takes the lead from Montgomery, in the traditional trade-off style of contemporary jazz music. We even get brief solo sections by both Heath brothers, before the band takes us back to the chorus (the “head” in jazz music). An absolutely phenomenal song. “Gone With the Wind” shows a lighter side. The tempo is slowed down, the bassline less aggressive, and Montgomery himself playing a far more relaxing tune. If “Four on Six” grooves, then “Gone With the Wind” soothes. The most breathtaking aspect of this song, is the layered playing style that Montgomery employs, playing one single harmony on separate guitar strings, thereby creating the illusion that you’re listening to two or more different players. You can’t help but walk away from this song feeling at ease. I hope you all enjoy both of these choices very much. And before I go, my sincerest congratulations to one of my all-time favorite jazz musicians, Herbie Hancock, on his Grammy win tonight for Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters. Jazz music is alive and well.

Viva La Volta

Ok, let’s just get it out of the way… That was quite possibly the greatest, most unbelievable, most satisfying football game I have ever seen in my entire life. There is absolutely nothing I can write here that would accurately describe how monumental that game was for me and so many others, so I will just say this: 18-1. Damn that feels good.



Right, so if I can tone down my euphoria for a few minutes, I might actually be able to talk some music. Dear sister Jane, God bless her, was so impressed by my salute to her and her iTunes gift cards in a previous post, that she decided to give me another two for my birthday. And yes, once again it allowed me to continue stocking my library with a whole bunch of random stuff. However, not all of it was random. There was one band whose new album I knew would be out soon, and I was determined to own it. So I waited the extra three days for its official release (which was excruciating for an impatient music lover) and then began the evaluation process.

The band I am referring to is The Mars Volta. Heard of them? I imagine some of you have. They’re actually fairly popular, but certainly not “radio-friendly.” I’ll try to give some background, though I would not consider myself an authority by any means. So during the late ‘90’s, there was this up-and-coming band from Texas called At The Drive-In, or ATDI. They weren’t all that well-known, but they had created enough of a buzz that many insiders thought they had the chance to make it big. It didn’t work out that way, as the band split up in 2001. However, from that split, two new bands were born. On one side, were three of the five ATDI members who wanted to pursue a more straightforward, rock-oriented sound. They formed Sparta, a very good alternative rock band. I actually saw them in 2004 when they opened for Incubus, and I was pretty impressed. Nothing too wild. A fairly common style of rock. Not too edgy, but not too pop-sounding. All in all a legitimately decent band.

It was the other side of the ATDI split, however, that would blow everyone’s mind. The two ATDI members who essentially forced the split, were lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. These two would go on to found The Mars Volta. Now the reason they even wanted out of ATDI in the first place is that they felt themselves going in a completely different direction than the other band members. These two didn’t want to play “rock.” They wanted to play everything… at the same time. They wanted to use their Latin roots in their music; they wanted to play in different time signatures; they wanted to use all sorts of dissonant chords; they wanted to distort the hell out of their instruments; they wanted to make albums that only had five songs on them, but they wanted all those songs to be 10:00 long; they wanted a huge band with a huge amount of instruments... You get the idea. They wanted to break free of the traditional nature of the band they were in, and just go in a direction that had absolutely no boundaries. And so they did.



So Cedric and Omar rounded up a crew of seven other musicians, and formed the Mars Volta (if you’re counting it’s 1 singer, 1 drummer, 1 bass player, 1 keyboardist, 1 percussionist, 1 multi-instrumentalist, 1 “sound manipulator”, and 2 guitarists). The sound? Decidedly “prog rock”, which is the term used for progressive rock, a style of rock music that incorporates all of the abstract musical elements I mentioned before. For a point of reference, Pink Floyd is often considered the gold standard of prog rock (Rush and Yes are also included in that conversation regularly). I am oversimplifying quite a bit here, but those are just the basics.

Anyway, The Mars Volta essentially revived popular prog rock, and even gave it a facelift by adding in elements of hard rock and Latin rock. That didn’t guarantee success though. People didn’t know what to make of them when their first album came out in 2003. Hardly any of it could be played on the radio. Singles? How could you pick a single? The songs were generally either too short, or way too long. Not to mention the fact that they were all over the place. If you gave it just one quick listen, you’d think the recording process was one big mistake. Flat notes, overlapping rhythms, obnoxiously loud guitar distortion… what is this???

And for the most part, that’s how these guys have been looked at by many people. “What is this???” I tried checking them out once or twice, but couldn’t get through it. Too complex for me. Then one day in October 2006, I actually had to listen. The Mars Volta was opening for the Chilis, and I’ll be damned if I was going to miss an opening act (I just can’t do it). At first I wanted earplugs. I mean this stuff was loud! And just really weird. But then they started riffing this one cool song… and then that turned into another good one… and before I realized it, they had played a 45 minute set that only had 4 songs. 4 songs… in 45 minutes. Wow. So I decided to give them another shot. And wouldn’t you know it, once I devoted more than the token 30 second iTunes listen, I found them to be incredible. Yes, you have to get past your natural desire to hear simple, catchy beats and melodies, condensed into neat 3-minute bundles. But if you can do that, you’ll find a wild band that plays stuff you’ve never heard before. It’s complicated, it’s challenging, and best of all, it’s refreshing. You have to give credit to a group who decides they won’t be musically bound by 1) industry customs, and 2) traditional musical theory.



Well anyway, they just released a new album last week called The Bedlam in Goliath, and it does not disappoint as far as weirdness goes. I admit, some of it I just don’t get, and I don’t think I ever will. However, there is also a lot of stuff on it which I just find to be simply amazing. I’ve been rewinding portions of certain songs, just going “Man, how did they even think to come up with something like that?” Bixler-Zavala – who’s incredibly unique voice sounds reminiscent of Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant (yea I said it!) – sets the tone on this album. His lyrics are often incoherent, his melodies sometimes stray from anything that’s going on in the song, he allows himself to go way out of key at certain points, and yet he’s such a bad-ass singer that he almost scares you a little bit. The rhythms on this album are almost impossible to keep track of. They change countless times in a given song, sometimes frustratingly so, and it’s hard to even bob your head along with it. Everything else is pretty much business as usual. Weird, abstract, dissonant… everything you’d expect from The Mars Volta. One note, however, is that the band experienced a lineup change before this album, as they took on quite possibly the most talented young drummer in music today, Thomas Pridgen. He’s so good he makes me want to throw my sticks in the garbage.



So if you’re feeling adventurous, and you are 100% willing to keep an open mind, I would recommend that you give them a listen. The Bedlam in Goliath seems to be getting great responses from the public, and I have to say that I am drawn to it more and more each day, simply because it is so far away from anything else out there. So if you want to try something really different, check them out. “Where should I begin?” you say… Well, I’m glad you asked…

Song(s) For The Week: “Viscera Eyes” from Amputechture, “Inertiatic ESP” from Deloused in the Comatorium, and “Ilyena” and “Goliath” from The Bedlam in Goliath. Some names huh? “Viscera Eyes” was the song at the Chilis show that got me into this band. It’s intense. It’s got a real heavy riff to it that is terrifyingly dark. It would always conjure up crazy imagery in my head. The lead guitar follows the traditional Mars Volta approach of “dissonance is best”. You may think it sounds weird, but its all part of their plan. Bixler-Zavala shines here. He hits notes that shouldn’t even exist, and also switches back and forth from Spanish to English throughout (which makes the song even creepier). The chorus is powerful and the verses are frightening. The last 3 ½ minutes of this 9 ½ minute song contains a beautiful, Latin-inspired guitar solo. Of note, John Frusciante (of the Chilis) did much of the guitar work on this song, except that last solo part. I love it. “Inertiatic ESP” is the band’s first quasi-single. It actually stays in one time signature (very unusual for them), though it is incredibly fast-paced. Rodriguez-Lopez’s guitar (which I often find too over-the-top) is great here in its harmonizing with Bixler-Zavala’s voice. The middle section contains a very psychedelic “solo” piece that kind of makes you feel like you’ve been drugged. Also of note here, Flea (of the Chilis) plays the bass on this song… yes, these two bands do a lot of cross-over work with one another. Lastly we have the new stuff. “Ilyena” might be my favorite Mars Volta song of all time. It is so good. It starts out with 56 seconds of distorted, robotic-like, radio play of Bixler-Zavala and some backup singers. It builds such anticipation. You know something big is coming, but all you hear is this weird distortion… and then… bam! This funky, Latin, rock riff. Bixler-Zavala reaches for notes that are so high he sounds out of key, and then they go to the chorus, which is totally metal-influenced… and these guys are great with metal, because they make it sound Latin-oriented and that makes it groove and rock at the same time. Thomas Pridgen is un-friggin-believable on this song. He adds about 5 extra notes on the snare drum every time he hits it. Honestly his work here is absurd. Then there is “Goliath”, which was the other song that got me hooked at that show. People have been waiting for this album pretty much solely for this song. It’s got a ‘70’s prog rock feel to it because the guitar riff is so strong, and has such a major-chord essence. They could have made it more accessible to the public by putting it in a normal time signature, but nope… so instead you get this rhythm that seems to go on for one beat too many, and when you try to rock out to it, you can’t help but be off. The horns and percussion are great in this song, as they add some Latin fire. Bixler-Zavala conjures up the rock sound of the ‘70’s with his vocal stylings, and Rodriguez-Lopez is at his bizarre best with his weird solo section. Pridgen, again, ridiculous. Anyway, I hope you guys find this helpful. Be brave and give a listen. Later gators.