TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Kevin BARTLETT

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

PUNCH BROTHERS / PUNCH

For active music listeners from bluegrass to rock, the name Chris Thile is not unheard of. After the breakup of the band Nickel Creek, in 2007, Thile formed a new band called Punch Brothers (named after a Mark Twain story called “Punch Brothers, Punch”) with musicians whose names are very well known in the industry: Noam Pikelny on banjo (from Leftover Salmon and The John Cowan Band), Greg Garrison on bass (from Leftover Salmon), Gabe Witcher on fiddle (in fact it would be better to call it violin in this case), Chris Eldrige on guitar (from Infamous Stringdusters and The Seldom Scene).

Technically, this is not the band’s first album. Thile fans will remember his first album titled “How To Grow A Woman From The Ground”. All the present members actually played on that first album, but back then they called themselves “How To Grow A Band”.

It is not uncommon at all in the progressive music scene to read a review about a certain band or artist where you will see comments like: “It is hard to classify this album genre-wise….” etc, etc… That is why it will probably sound boring to use these words for this particular album, which deserves a much better description. In all honesty, Punch Brothers are the best thing to happen to folk music since Bill Monroe who created bluegrass. In fact if he witnessed it today, he would most probably be very surprised to see the distance the genre has traveled. It would not be a bold statement to say that Punch Brothers are redefining bluegrass, and folk music. Picture Bill Monroe, The Flecktones and Brahms jamming on stage together. Does this give you an idea about the band’s sound?

The album opens up with “Punch Bowl” with intertwining violin and banjo lines. You will immediately notice the chemistry between the musicians. They are 5 highly talented people who have come together at the right time and the right place, as if it was meant to be. As the 4 movement suite “The Blind Leaving The Blind” starts flowing you will then know that you are witnessing an important moment in music history. Initially, this compositional masterpiece was written after Thile’s divorce as a way to deal with the after effects. Thile questions his relationship as well as religion. This piece has a great deal of time changes that sometimes feel like sudden stops and starts as if driving a car and hitting the break hard and then pumping the gas intermittently.

“Sometimes” is an instrumental work of art. “Nothing Then” questions marriage with its lyrics written in tercets instead of quatrains. The following song “It’ll Happen” has lyrics that are only 13 lines long. Neither one of these two songs have choruses, which is something not frequently used in popular music, but handled professionally in the hands of these virtuosos.

The album was recorded in a 4600 sq. ft. room and needless to say this enhances the sound quality a great deal. It was interesting to find out that some parts were improvisational, but for the most part the band spent a long time writing and practicing these pieces. It is a musical miracle that these 5 men with great talent and vision came together as it is not very commonly seen in bands. Hopefully they will stick around for a long long time.

Hande BURDG