Tampa Calling

Mohawk Bomb Records announced today the release of the debut EP from Ascending to Avalon, whose Soundgarden-meets-Minus-the-Bear throwback riff rock and psychedelic sensibility make them a prime choice to fans of Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Foo Fighters and Open Hand.

“Wake the Sleeping Sun” is a 7-song eclectic blend of styles that shows the band’s talent and diversity. Ascending to Avalon was started in March 2008, when Ryen Gerson (vocals, guitar) started jamming with Lance Miller (drums) and Eric Bourne (guitar) on some material that sat around in the depths of his mind. The trio quickly formed a bond which led them to record over 20 original songs and put forth a rough demo recorded in Ryen’s basement. In October 2008, producer Ivan Pena started working with the band and the result was “Wake the Sleeping Sun”, an eclectic display of the band’s range of influences, full of radio rock appeal.

Listen below the jump:

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He was the bespectacled white kid from the suburbs trying to sit in with musical legends in New Orleans. But instead of getting the cold shoulder, drummer Stanton Moore was welcomed on the bandstand by any number of prominent players. And the crowd dug him, too.

Stanton Moore Trio, Thurs., May 28, 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City. $10.

“To tell you the truth, when I was coming up and they’d let me sit in, the regulars at the bar would be, ‘Listen to the white kid,’” Moore says by cell phone on his way to a recording session in the Crescent City. “They’d be dancing and egging me on. They were real supportive.”

It probably wouldn’t have gone quite so well if young Stanton had sucked. But from an early age, he committed to learning the distinctive, tricky and at times peculiar nuances of the New Orleans drumming style. (See his video demonstrations at the bottom of this post.)

“I had a great guy who taught me the basic rudiments,” Moore says. “But it was a real challenge to go from that to learning from [storied NOLA drummer Johnny Vidacovich] to loosen up. But I was determined. I really worked on how to loosen it up and apply it to my drum set.” Read the rest of this entry »

Gerald Cleaver/Willliam Parker/Craig Taborn: Farmers By Nature (AUM Fidelity)

This is full-immersion music — on the part of players and listener alike. Farmers by Nature captures a live performance by three of the most accomplished improvisers to be found anywhere — drummer Cleaver, bassist Parker and pianist Taborn — in a completely extemporaneous setting. The level of interactivity is at a ridiculously sophisticated ebb, each player leading and reacting equally, the trio moving organically from minimalist solo forays to manic, almost violent, crescendos.

There aren’t a lot of pretty notes here, but the music is not the non-stop, high-dudgeon cacophony that informs most free jazz. During a good portion of “The Night,” Taborn fixates on the middle range of his piano, wringing all he can from a limited palette of notes. On the ensuing two pieces, “Cranes” and “Not Unlike Number 10,” he murders his instrument, spewing out fusillades of sound like he’s a deranged octopus.

Very little of Farmers by Nature grooves, but most of it finds a shifting but discernible pulse. A section of “In Trees” features Taborn’s scattershots over something akin to a frenetic bop rhythm. Occasionally, Parker gets a bit enamored with plumbing the sonic possibilities of his acoustic bass and devolves into lone noodling, but soon enough the trio rediscovers its collective momentum and (dis)order is restored.

The trio has no particular destination during the set — and is in no particular hurry to get there. But the immersed listener, with sensibilities geared to this sort of music, will find it a most invigorating ride.

—Eric Snider