Thu, 09/08/2011 - 4:37 pm

Rene Lopez (pronounced Ren-ey) is a striking Spanish hipster born in the heart of Bronx, New York creating a fusion of sound he calls “electric Latin soul.” His newest solo album, aptly titled ELS, is being released on Nat Geo Records alongside the recently signed festival favorites Toubab Krewe. Lopez seems to be gaining a similar, jam-rock oriented fan base, and it’s clear from his album why, though his work with John Butler Trio’s Money Mark and ‘90’s jam band Wasabi doesn’t hurt.  

On his website, Lopez calls it “a combination of rock, soul, boogaloo, and a number of other styles that have personally inspired” him, but the ultimate result is that of two worlds fabulously colliding. His father was a founding member of the Salsa group Tipica 73 and his influences are undeniable, but Lopez’ urban upbringing is also a theme easily identified throughout ELS.

The title track, first on the playlist, is a declaration of what the album is trying to achieve. It’s deceptive because “ELS” is immediately more Latin than anything else, whereas the rest of the album doesn’t really follow that trend. The lyrics are in Spanish except for the chorus, where Lopez announces, “electric Latin soul makes you lose control.” The only real parallel between this track and the others is its crazy dance-ability.

“I Flow” is sung in a sultry, rhythmic speech style and it’s a head-bopping tune but really serves as the first example of Lopez’ American-influenced side.  This track also has a horns section, which seems to be the icing on the cake for any genre these days, but really does add an additional layer here.

“Johnny Wants to be a Matador” and “Honey Got Some Love” are two of the quintessential check marks an artist makes on their hopefully-game-changing album: the unattainable-goal song and the sexy-lady song. The first is a story where the character “dreams of leaving Brooklyn and moving to Spain.” It’s the familiar tale of big dreams and little possibility, but has an upbeat, shimmy feel to it, keeping the mood positive. The latter features Caribbean and tango grooves layered together with horns to support the narration of an intriguing woman.

The next few tracks aren’t as gripping as the first were, though they each offer something to album as a whole. “Fa La La” is lyrically interesting but musically slow, and “Puerto Ricans in America” overcompensates for this by being too surfer rock and dance-y. Granted, in a club scene, this intensity would work well, as would “L2 The Boogaloo,” especially remixed with heavy, late-night dance beats.

The 8th song on the album is another one of the essentials: the radio ready track. “Feeling Something Good” is undoubtedly the made-for-the-masses tune, but is pretty brilliant in it’s exposition.  When Lopez coons, “It’s good to be alive… I’ve got love in my heart, wanna set it free…,” it’s vaguely reminiscent of Michael Franti’s sun-shiny style, though this island melody is little more honest than Franti’s utopian music.

The next song, “Everything We Do,” is another mellow jaunt with somewhat of an anthem vibe. In a 1980s kind of way, a group shouts the chorus with an apologetic tone. Its saving grace is the trumpet solo during the bridge.

The album gets back on track for the last two songs, only for one to out-do the other. “Shing-a-ling” is reminiscent of “Feeling Something Good” with a light Spanish glow and groovy subtleties, while “Moon Feather” is the true culmination of the album’s direction. Musically, Lopez brings back his deep, mysterious, speaking voice over a funky, laid-back, reggae beat. This song could become a favorite among the jam-band followers, as it chronicles a young “boy and girl who met tripping on some fungi,” found west coast love, started selling crafts, and teaching yoga.

All in all, this album a handful of choice singles that may bring Lopez some radio success.  On the other hand, the dance party grooves of his live band may very well find themselves on the last night stage of festivals next summer. After all, in the end of “Moon Flower,” the two lovebugs “grew up to be Deadheads…”

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 12:57 pm

Hancock, NY is a quaint town in the Catskills with little other than a bank, a couple bars, and a small grocery store. It’s home to a splendid property called Camp Minglewood, where kids run around barefoot all summer, go from arts and crafts to swimming to kickball and back to their tiny bunks. Then, the music takes over.

The Catskill Chill Music Festival drew a sizeable crowd to the tiny Minglewood campgrounds for its second year and luckily, the weather was bright and warm until the rains on Sunday. But that didn’t stop the young in spirit (if not age) crowd from partying. With some of the attendees in cabins and most on the fields, it encouraged everyone to make friends, and we all acted like campers again.

Now I know I’m not the only one who tends to skip the first band at these things- there’s countless hours of music ahead, it feels like you just got back from a cross country road trip even if you only drove 3 hours, crossing into festie-land is no easy task.  So those poor first bands usually get minimal attendance and while Fundimensionals were no exception to this rule, they played their hearts out and blew my mind. It was a set that couldn’t be labeled as just jam or rock or electronica, but more a combined sound with heady guitar riffs bouncing on top and delicate percussive effects chiming in at just the right moments. Their unannounced, 2 am set on Sunday morning was the jam of the weekend, bringing in members of Heavy Pets, FiKus, Shwizz, and other artists.

JGB with Melvin Seals kicked off the first night with tunes that could only remind you of Jerry, including a high-energy “Cats Down Under the Stars” that drew people down to the lower pavilion main stage for the party. In the upper pavilion, Jimkata was the first act to have a good light show accompany it and, combined with their roots-rock-psychedelic sound, they transitioned us into night seamlessly, when sometimes that day-to-night slot can be tricky.

Super-group Conspirator took the main stage next and it sounded mostly like a Disco Biscuits show, albeit a good one. Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein of the Biscuits clearly lead the group, with heavy dub influences from DJ Omen and now, with their new guitarist, Chris Michetti (RAQ), and two drummers (Darren Shearer, of the New Deal, and Mike Greenfield, of Lotus), their sound has become more complex. The set had a lot of momentum to it, but plateaued fairly often and the crowd was a clear reflection of it. Generally, the music seemed to please and they kept the pavilion packed for their two and half hour set.

Melvin Seals & JGB | Catskill Chill Music fest.

One of the most popular listening spots was in the Spiritual Haze hookah lounge, right between both stages, and one of the smoothest parts of this whole festival was the schedule. Less than 10 minutes overlapped between sets on the main stages and it was rare for the campground Club Chill as well. All Good Festival makes a good attempt at this, but having the stages separated by a small hill like they do here makes all the difference in sound check and those first couple minutes. So from that hookah lounge between the stages, you could hear everything perfectly, in fact almost better than at the stages, and Roots of Creation sounded skillful, but it seemed like they had a bit of an identity crisis as a band. It went from reggae to psych to heavy rock, and while sometimes this is a good thing, I don’t think they had quite the blending powers to pull it off.

Perpetual Groove is one of those ol’ faithful bands that will never disappoint. You can rely on them to be at most of the jam band festivals, have a reasonably decent set time, stir up a dance party, and play all their hits. Once in a while they do something wildly impressive, but mostly they’re a steadfast group of talented musicians who play a quintessential festival set.

The Chill brought in Adam Deitch and Break Science to close Friday night, and to say that this is obviously where all the other bands got their roots is an understatement. These two producers heavily influenced the wildly popular and fairly new trend in electronic jamming and live synth and their innovation is still bursting through each set. Far more electronic than many bands that employ this style, they were a perfect nightcap dance party to top off an already great day of music.

Saturday continued to impress not only with a stellar line-up of musicians, but also with an amazingly beautiful, warm, sunny day. Heavy Pets opened the main stage and, as much as I hate to say it, I was a lot more impressed with them last year. If they’re absorbing other new bands’ style or if those bands are copying the Pets, I can’t be sure, but their straightforward jamming and fairly typical pop rock songs were an easy way to open the day and that’s pretty much it.

Shwizz had the smaller pavilion packed with people ready to get their dance on, and they definitely delivered. Pretty new to the scene, this is a band to watch out for- their lead guitarist is a monster, the next Jimmy Herring, easily.  FiKus was another stand out performance for an unknown band. Their similar, electro-spacey-rock jams seemed to noodle through the crowd, stirring energy and excitement for the acts ahead.

Zach Deputy

In another wise scheduling move by the producers, Zach Deputy was the perfect end to day, start of night performer. Surrounded by his synth shelves, platforms of effects pads, and four different microphones, his music did everything but stay within the box. Zach’s voice is soulful, unique, and bluesy, while the music combines funk, reggae, jam, and jazz. As an extremely talented solo guitar player, he builds his songs part by part and lets the jams flow organically before delving into an album song. Between the hoopers, live music painters, groovers, and loungers, everyone loved it. Humbled by the crowd response, Zach walked off stage with his hand on his heart, double-checking every few steps to make sure it was real.

The headliner of the night was Umphrey’s McGee, and while I might normally skip an Umphrey’s set at any other festival, this was a 3-hour block of time when no one else was playing. The pavilion was packed with glow-y, painted bodies and UM reared its musically advanced and technically superior head, but for standard selections that they’ve played better before. Coming off an intense run at Brooklyn Bowl, which included a guest appearance by Bob Weir, the band was clearly tired and did not have the precision they normally play with. It didn’t seem to bother anyone as the crowed raved on like it was 1999, but the set highlight was easily the cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,” which was jaw dropping.

Umphrey's McGee | Catskill Chill Music festival

Dumpstaphunk was impressive, but it was a lot of sound to take in and understanding the scope of their music was difficult. Most of the bands at this festival played a little too loud to appreciate their skill level, and these guys in particular turned it up past 11, which in fact some may have interpreted as a good thing.

After raging the Fundimensionals unannounced cabin jam until about 7 am with 300 or so other troopers, Cabinet took to the stage at 1:30 pm with a calm, yet reviving bluegrass set. Particle was fun, easy listening, featuring great riffs and a classic rock sensibility that we hadn’t heard much of this weekend, and people seemed to appreciate it. Dopapod filled the upper pavilion with enthusiastic fans, unlike when they first played on that same stage 3 years ago (for Camp Minglewood’s Harvest Fest) to 4 or 5 people, as they noted. While their set started out like many others, kind of dub-electronic-y, it transitioned to a funky, blues-riff driven jam and back again.

Here’s the only place I’d say Catskill Chill messed up: 7 Walkers should have been earlier. The Sunday sets at festivals are hard because people have to drive home and get sleep for their workweek, believe it or not, and scheduling them at 9pm was eliminating about half the crowd that the famed member of the Grateful Dead deserves. The audience size was unimpressive for Kreutzmann’s band, but the ones who stayed made it worthwhile. 7 Walkers broke out Dead classics like “Sugaree,” “He’s Gone,” and more, while maintaining their individuality as a band and playing their own music. You could even hear the stage from the food court, where the first NFL games of the season were being shown. (That, too, had an impact on the turnout for Billy K, but most people had their musical priorities in line.)

The festival was a huge success in its second year, and I can only imagine that it’s going to get bigger and bigger. The crowd was easily double the size from 2010, they added a whole extra stage (which they need to alter in some way, but was still cool), and the line-up packed much more of a punch this year. With music until 5 am, cabins to rent, and a campground that begs to be played on, why wouldn’t Catskill Chill become the next small festival to hit it big? All that, on top of a great group of responsible kids having fun together is the ideal, weekend long musical experience.

Sat, 09/17/2011 - 8:41 pm

The opening track on Avos, by James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg, “Hospitality”, has a sneaky, adventure feeling to it. One guitar holds down a somewhat dark undertone while the accompaniment dances happily, almost mischievously on top. “A Free Amift” sounds like the teenager-coming-of-age moment; an innocent melody breaks for two beats during the chorus as a sort of awakening and the wind chimes in the background give the whole song a positive feeling of uncertainty.

“Sedentary Song” is the first track that has somewhat of a backcountry blues vibe, and it’s definitely darker though not angry. If it were to be released as a single, “Fez and Guinness” would be it B side- this next song seems to exploring a lost love, or something regrettable, and with help of an added violin part, portrays a sadness and longing.

While the album flows nicely to this point, the next two songs are nothing particularly memorable and the general sound is so similar throughout that there becomes a longing for some drums, maybe a bass line. The seventh selection, also the title track, is perhaps the oddest of them all, but at least it’s different than what’s been going on the last six songs. It starts out with creepy sound effects, guitars slowly coming in and building this great crescendo and decrescendo, but lacking in any definable climax.

“Believer Field” is another slow one, but not uninteresting. The duo picks up their pace and volume, opening the song up like a garden welcoming spring, and play a step-down scale which makes it feel innocent and exploratory.

Again, with this next track, I have the feeling that each song sounds too similar for the general public to appreciate. Sure, the enthusiast will be able to hear the tiniest differences and make sense of every intricacy, but songs like “The Blurring Cogs” leave something to be desired.

In contrast, “Straight Up and Down” is possibly the most interesting song on the album; its minor chords and unusual juxtapositions change the mood from sneaky to bubbly in one fell swoop. This song sounds like a child hiding hid bad behavior from mom and dad. With the slower surprise ending, it seems his parents may have caught on.

The last two tracks round the album out nicely. “The Queue Outside the Night Ministry” features some very impressive finger picking work, reminiscent of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s intense style, and “Scarborough Fore and Aft” serves as a good summation of the album. It showcases Elkington and Salsburg’s awesome picking skills, their quirky affinity for darker undertones and contrasting melodies. Overall, the album is a very high quality display of their ability, but doesn’t make a lasting impression.

Sat, 09/24/2011 - 8:46 am

In a classic Zach Deputy move, the one-man-band touring machine played 4 shows in two days at the Rockwood Music Hall September 13th and 14th in New York City. The venue was an intimate bar, with only a slightly raised stage for the artists, and a little dancing room for the listeners.

As a celebration for the forthcoming release of Another Day, these shows were a bit different from regular ZD shows. First and foremost, he played with a full band backing him- bass, keys, and drums- and to be honest, seeing Zach with a band was unusual. Normally, he’s got his whole rig of effects shelves and microphones, like a pod of music-making doo-dads and turny knobs that somehow create a beautiful sound.  This time, however, it was just a modest Zach Deputy playing a special type of show.

When I talked to Zach a few months ago, he said that it takes way more time and resources to produce a CD the way he would ideally like to. Naturally, it would take a significantly greater amount of effort for him to lay down each instrumental track, and each vocal track, exactly the way he wants, so his band comes into the studio to help him out. This time, in an effort to recreate the album as it sounds, the band took time out from their regular touring schedule with Ryan Montbleau to hook up with Zach in NYC.

This is not the only difference, of course. During his first performance of the run, he said that they set out to make a funky dance album, but wound up recording the songs he usually played just for himself. For his newest release, Zach wrote much more serious, slow ballads and love songs than a live crowd might be used to hearing.

The first set made my heart flutter a little, with poetic songs like “By Your Side.” It certainly didn’t call for hula-hoopers or poi-spinners like it normally might, but irresistible performances like “You Don’t Even Love That Girl” were so full of passion and soul. He sung about heartbreak, lost loves, and even a lullaby, “Sleep,” for his young daughter. The band was definitely a nice addition for this set; the percussionist added a level of serenity to some of the songs that might not otherwise be accomplished, the bass creates an immediate and meaningful depth, and the delicate piano parts gave the whole set an old-time club jazzy feeling.

Time between shows was a nice chance for the band to mingle and Zach to meet his loyal fans. His band members all seemed very excited to be part of this project and enthusiastic for the coming release of the album, regardless of whether they perform with him regularly. Zach, with his big hugs and loving smile, was also pumped for the party. He said it was nice to do something different for a change and wanted to show off the hard work he had put into such an intimate album.

The second show, which started around 10 pm, was less emotionally charged, but still calm and kind of contained. About half the crowd was sitting, ready to absorb the music and listen patiently to Zach’s new tunes. The other half was ready to start grooving, standing around with their drinks and bobbing their heads to the first few chords. While he did do a few repeats- it was a double-header CD release party, after all- he played some of the more upbeat tracks from his album, starting slow and seductive with “Thoughts of Yesterday” and gradually gaining a dance-party rhythm with “Make it Right.”

After the second show ended, a humble Zach Deputy mingled with crowd and thanked us all for coming out to support him. The show was certainly a unique Zach Deputy experience, but it was special to see his most personal songs performed the way they were written. Nothing compares to Zach’s solo performances, but with Another Day, he has expanded his repertoire of music and his fan base while keeping his current fans happy and supportive. Live and solo, the beautiful songs off Another Day could transform into something completely new, and that’s the joy in an artist like Zach Deputy.

Fri, 07/28/2017 - 9:27 am

On August 5th, 2017, the rock 'n' roll quartet The Southern Belles will independently release their third studio album "In the Middle of the Night." They'll be touring the east coast from Florida to West Virginia throughout July in support of the release, mixing festival dates and club shows. To celebrate the album, they will headline The Broadberry in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia on August 5th. Full tour dates can be found below:

"This is by far some of the best music we've ever recorded," says guitarist Adrian Ciucci. "Our style has developed, our song writing has grown tremendously, we sound better and stronger than we have on other records. And I really think the whole thing is just a great story, I hope everyone digs it."

The Southern Belles are Adrian Ciucci (guitar/vocals), Tommy Booker (keys/vocals), Aaron Zarrow (drums/vocals) and Mikey Sellemi (bass/vocals). Playing a high-octane mix of funky southern psychedelic Rock & Roll, the Belles perform hundreds of shows and festivals each year. The Southern Belles road-tested sound has earned them a devout following, with fans traveling far and wide to catch the show. With their upcoming album "In The Middle Of The Night,"  the Southern Belles are picking up steam and gaining national notoriety for their original compositions and song craft. Their songs are both fun and moving, with lyrical stories evoking familiar emotions and complex musical journeys. The album is digitally available for those who have or wish to preorder it through Pledge Music, and vinyls will be available on August 5th for their album release show.

Friday 7/28 Sanford, FL - West End Trading Co.
Saturday 7/29- Dunedin FL - Dunedin Brewery
Sunday 7/30 -Jupiter FL - Guanabana's
Wednesday 8/2 - Charleston SC - Charleston Pour House
Thursday 8/3 -Asheville NC - One Spot
Friday 8/4 - Blacksburg VA - Steppin' Out Fest
Saturday 8/5 - Richmond VA - Broadberry (album release show)
Saturday 8/12 - Capon Bridge WV - La La Land
Fri, 09/08/2017 - 9:13 am

The Southern Belles of Richmond, VA, announced their tour dates through the end of 2017. They will be touring in support of their most recent release, In the Middle of the Night, which came out on August 5th. The band will return to several of their favorite cities and hit some brand new markets where fans have been asking for plays. Advance tickets for many of the shows are on sale now.

The four-piece southern-psychedelic rock band has been touring the east coast for the past five years, including several runs out to Colorado. The next four months will take them from Florida to Connecticut, with a few stops in their home state of Virginia and back out to Tennessee. See the full list of dates below:

9/13 - Silk City - Philadelphia, PA, with ShwizZ

9/14 - Sprout Music Collective - West Chester, PA, with ShwizZ

9/15 - Alfred House - Washington DC

9/16 - Main Pub - Manchester, CT

9/21 - 622 North - Blacksburg, VA

9/22 - Preservation Pub - Knoxville, TN

10/6 - The Brown Hotel - Indiana, PA

10/7 - Bullfrog Brewery - Williamsport, PA

10/12 - The Acoustic - Bridgeport, CT

10/14 - Carpe Noctem 4 - Lehighton, PA

10/25 - 8X10 - Baltimore, MD

10/27 - Alfred House - Washington DC

11/3 - The Broadberry - Richmond, VA, with Groove Fetish

11/4 - The Pour House - Raleigh, NC, with Groove Fetish

11/9 - The Rabbit Hole - Charlotte, NC, with Emma's Lounge

11/10 - The Local - Boone, NC              

11/11 - Barrelhouse South - Savannah, GA

11/17 - Dunedin Brewery - Dunedin, FL

11/18 - Guanabana's - Jupiter, FL

11/30 - Alfred House - Washington DC

12/1 - Melody's - Beckley, WV

12/2 - The Southern - Charlottesville, VA

12/7 - Doc Taylor's - Virginia Beach, VA

12/8 - Martin's - Roanoke, VA

12/9 - Abbey Bar - Harrisburg, PA, with Dr. Slothclaw

12/14 - Preservation Pub - Knoxville, TN

12/15 - Clyde's - Chattanooga, TN

12/16 - The Hummingbird - Macon, GA

“We can’t wait to get back on the road with this new material,” said guitarist Adrian Ciucci. “It’s received some great attention since the release and I’m excited to see how it develops live. Even though we’ve been playing these songs all year, having the album out gives them a whole new life and playing them in front of crowds who are familiar with them now is gonna be a totally different thing.”