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Rhubarb w/Ocupanther & Brown Sugar

April 4, 2014

We have a triple threat on our hands tonight. Each act offers a mind-bending exploration of sound, that is, if you choose to let go. Think of them as a triple-layer popsicle–flavors blending and melting together, yet distinguishable by taste and age. First on the roster is Buffalo-born Rhubarb, formed in the late 1990’s when trapper keepers were in the limelight and we prepared for epic millennium celebrations around the globe. Perhaps this pivotal timing had something to do with their sound. It’s not the over-saturated and aimless wanderings most ‘psychedelic’ music cares to label itself. Rhubarb clearly takes its roots from a jazz-standpoint, like Medeski, Martin, & Wood, slowly carving out a sensual rhythm and twisting the beat into a delightful daydream, steady on percussive leads. Next in line is Rochester-based Ocupanther, who take their name from a mythical Ocular Panther who gains control of a soul through hypnotic[...]

Thievery Corporation – Saudade

April 2, 2014

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton are busy guys. Since forming Thievery Corporation in the late ’90’s, they’ve produced eleven studio albums, with the release of Saudade as their twelfth. Normally when one thinks of Thievery Corporation, they are associated with the acid-jazz movement and over-dubbed relaxing reggae. For the duo, things are shifting with this new release. What drew them together is the Brazilian-born genres of music that can be seen here in purely classical form on Saudade. After straying and exploring several elements of the electronic world, as Garza says, ‘it’s us coming full circle from electronic music back to something organic.’  The Portugese word ‘saudade’ means “a longing or something or someone that is lost, a contented melancholy, or, simply, the presence of an absence.” This is an appropriate titling for the group and the musical shift they are exploring. Sometimes, in order to get rid of that feeling of loneliness,[...]