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

Shawn PHILLIPS

At the kick off of his 2010 tour Shawn Phillips sat with us at a 24 hour diner in Davenport, IA to grant us a very special interview. At his insistence, it would be very informal. One should not expect otherwise from this splendid human being.

The hours prior to this meeting over midnight breakfast were now a recent memory, but...more

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 ***

HOT BUTTERED RUM / LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST

Hot Buttered Rum is a progressive bluegrass band formed by 5 talented musicians: Bryan Horne (double bass, vocals); Nat Keefe (guitar, vocals); Zachary Matthews (mandolin, fiddle and vocals); Aaron Redner (fiddle, mandolin, vocals) and Erik Yates (banjo, flute, accordion, resonator guitar, clarinet, saxophone & vocals). The band members came together in Northern California where they started to play. Live In The Northeast is the band’s fourth album. Their previous album Well-Oiled Machine has the name of Mike Marshall as the producer. The band recently came back from Hawaii, where they played 8 shows in 10 days.

Live In The Northeast is the band’s new release that came out a few months ago. They hand picked each song on the album from various shows in the northeast from their Fall 2006 tour. The song selection reflects the band’s wide range of musical interests including rock, jazz, classical music, folk, reggae, latin, and traditional bluegrass. This fusion of genres gives the band their own unique sound especially when they start jamming. There is a smooth, but sometimes a sudden transition between genres. This is a CD full of surprises. The album opens up with a traditional bluegrass song “Busted in Utah”. The second one, “Limbo in Lovelock” is a nice folk song. The real treat comes with “Desert Rat” when the band unveils their psychedelic side. The fiddle and the flute are, well, let’s put it this way: delicious!

“Return Someday” is yet another surprise with its reggae rhythm but folksy vocal lines, but it takes a jazzy u-turn when each instrument takes their solo parts. There are 2 cover songs on the CD: Grateful Dead’s “Cumberland Blues” and Leo Sayer’s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”. They show with these two that a bluegrass band can actually rock.

“Spider” and “Honey Be” are more in the jazz arena, while “Queen Elisabeth” is a blues tune and lastly “Metrosexual” has tropical aromas mixed with latin rhythms, and its lyrics will surely put a smile on your face. The sound quality of the CD is pretty good; you don’t really feel like you are actually listening to a live album. Because the band is very tight, and apparently loves jamming. I personally like to hear live performances from jam bands because this is when their true talents show, as well as the true spirit of a jam band. If you are the same way, Hot Buttered Rum is not going to disappoint you.

Visit their website at: www.hotbutteredrum.net

HANDE BURDG