Blowing Up - Particle Ignited By OB Horndogs

report filed 5/31/01 8:18 am pdt - Word's out: Particle is blowing up! Translation: they are getting very popular, very quickly. Some of our contacts back east tell us that the Particle buzz has extended to their side of Rockies even though the band hasn't yet ventured out of their hometown stomping grounds in the great southwest. Got a feeling that's gonna change soon. Way too much positive reaction to what they're doing to stay close to home for long.

Caught the four stroke groove engine last Wednesday night at Winstons. Very strong crowd on hand for a mid week show. Particle played a Sunday show at Winstons about a week and half earlier and word had already spread. These guys are phenoms! Not only is each member of the quartet highly skilled as an individual, they make exceptionally dynamic music together as a unit. Call it 'sonic magnetism.' Combining elements of techno, jazz and rock, Particle's all instrumental jams not only attract the mind's ear, they capture its imagination.

Lots of local scenesters and hepcat heavyweights were on hand for the festivities, including two of OB's most prodigious horndogs, Carlos Washington of Giant People, and 'AG' from Wise Monkey Orchestra. Washington was first on stage. Sort of a cool school melodician with an understated urgency, Washington doesn't blow listeners away with speedy licks, he mesmerizes them with textural articulation... this guy is a tone scientist.

Easily the most prolific 'sit in' artist I've had the pleasure of knowing over the past few years, AG was once again in fine form. Can't recall all the different bands I've seen this guy jam with... artists as diverse as Dr. Didg, Juggling Suns, B-Side Players, and John Brown's Body to name a few. Unbelievable versatility!

Both AG and Washington mixed rhythm riffs with solo explorations, meshing perfectly with Particle's expansive audio framework... this was an action packed night of great music!

Particle is currently in pre-production for their debut album, and we'll keep ya in the loop as that project develops...

Meanwhile back at the word factory - we've posted two new Artist Profiles:

Fresh Flow - Somewhere between soothing New Age and the hot and sweaty sexuality of World Beat, lies the tantric passion of Soundstream's audio exotica, and Sinister Twist - Playing less jazz and more rock helps Lake Trout embrace the dark side.

And yes, the long threatened barrage of CD reviews is imminent... in fact it's already begun! We've posted our review of Babaji's Tribal Ecstasy and will have several more with our next update.

Unfortunately, we can't review all the CDs we receive. Let's be honest - some of 'em suck, and we're just too warm and fuzzy (or maybe just too damn busy) here at Anytime/Anywhere studios to publicly rip some struggling, talent challenged artist wannabe. In most cases though, the CD's are either not recent enough for editorial guidelines (usually nothing older than 3 or 4 months), or they simply fall through the cracks of time that occasionally appear at the corners of our production room floor.

Hey, these things happen. Well, at least they did. Not any more though. Because we do get so much great music and can't possibly pound out a full review on every single one, we're proud to introduce a snappy new feature that our oh-so-clever marketing dept. has dubbed:

These CD's Don't Suck:

Mr. Rosewater - we're glad you came. Very tasty, guitar driven jamjazz from Portland, Oregon, with a trippy vibe that blends horns, keys and rumbling bass lines.

David's Foote - How Ya Doin'. Zappa-esque quirk rock from Wilmington, Delaware, that brings zany, top-chop musicianship and sophisticated vocal skills to the jam scene's loon fringe. I'll bet these guys are a blast in concert!

Maggi, Pierce and E.J. - For. Moody acoustic rock from Philadelphia, PA, with smooth female vocals, sweet three part harmonies, solid tunes, and a wide range of pop, rock and traditional Americana influences.

Crazy Mary - Burning Into the Spirit World. Stripped down, guitar/bass/drums art rock from New York City that paints a wild musical collage of post-indie pop with new boho female vocals, a splash of middle eastern surf and way cool cover art!

Topaz - Listen. Sexy, horn driven funky soul from New York City with exotic overtones from sitars, didjeridoos, and sultry female vocals, that drifts oh-so- pleasantly into ambient spaces and techno/fusion influences.

OK, we're up to date. Plenty of good live music in town over the next week or so, and of course, we've moved that stack of CD reviews to the front burner, so it's time to get busy around here. If all goes well, we'll have some carefully crafted verbage and colorful eye candy waitin' for ya, when our adventure in music journalism continues...

mrlee.com is a proud sponsor of: