Horn rock. There's nothing quite like the kick in the ass you get from brass. The thunk of the funk dissipates the pain in your veins, eases the grind in your mind. The hard-charging swagger of Anthony Gach & Harmonic Aggression delivers the heavy soul of Genya Ravan and Ten Wheel Drive, the hip cutting of Tower of Power, and the punk, two-tone energy of The Specials. The band consists of Anthony Gach (trumpet/vocals), Catie Graves (vocals), Adam Ness (sax), Jim Caviness (trombone), Josh Bookin (guitar), Dave Cohn (bass), Randy Hill (keyboards), Dustin Frost (percussion), Chris DiGregorio (drums). Anthony Gach wrote all the songs except for "Keep on Singing," composed by Dan Elliott.
The album title, "Peaceful Observer," pretty much describes the vocalists' point of view. The somewhat crytpic stream-of-consciousness lyrics depict a rich, Jungian, inner life. In "Angelwood," Gach intones, "There's light outside my windows and I'm laying down to sleep. Gotta get up for work soon, now I'm catching z's and I'm counting my sheep. But it don't mean as much as it should, here at Angelwood." More obscurity follows in "Brofounda." "All the signs have changed, the reasons are unclear. The battle's over, now there's nothing left to fear. Another leash on life was coined for getting caught. With a little despair to many distressed and to the rest distraught."
Anthony Gach composes, arranges, sings and plays trumpet well indeed. Other standouts include singer Catie Graves, bassist Dave Cohn, and trombonist Jim Caviness. I love when Graves cuts loose and scats on "Keep on Singing." "Keep on loving what you got. Keep on dancing in your spot. Keep on shaking what is hot. Keep on giving all you got. Keep on fighting what is wrong and we'll all try to get along. Keep on singing to this song, keep on, keep on singing." The bass line to "Prelude" (which later appears in "Angelwood) so hooked me with it's trifecta of blues, jazz, and funk that I had to whip out my bass and learn it! In the middle of "Brofounda," where the beat shifts from funk to rock overdrive, Caviness unleashes a fiery fury of locomotive breath.
Refresh and invigorate yourself with the horny passion of Anthony Gach & Harmonic Aggression. Toss away cookie-cutter, computer-generated pablum. Instead, embrace a gang of visionaries who mind-meld to create a uniquely loveable vibe!
©2016 Roger Zee