STONED GOLD

Jam Up And Jelly Tight

Welcome, Robbi Robb shows up with a new challenging offer here. The follower of the bands anticipated 'Stones Of A Feather', where they successfully intended to transform feathers into stones and vice versa. Play what you don't know - on this occasion the main idea deals with 'The Art Of The Jam Band'. The approach is to introduce us, preferably young motivated musicians hereby, to his concepts and intricacies for collective improvisation. It all came up once with an inspirational writing addressed at his band mates and other like-minded fellows. And later, based on that, he wrote a real primer about this issue, summing up his experiences, advices, hints. Starting with the official release date 1st of November Space Rock Productions will be distributing special limited vinyl and CD editions. Including this book, needless to say. Consequently, besides the intellectual and spiritual component already mentioned, the tracks featured on 'Stoned Gold' are resulting from different improvisational sessions of course.

The line up is reduced to the essential core, speaking of Robbi on guitar, Jorge Bassman Carrillo, Richard Stuverud on drums and Amritakripa (synths). As for that the diversity concerning involved instruments is concentrated as well. This will pass a good impression by the way, how their live performances use to work on tour in general. Each song shows other stylistical elements, and as for that it is inevitable that some references to other known groups are coming up too. For example the first song Infinite Unmanifest somewhat sounds inspired by early Cream live trips in the vein of 'Spoonful', 'N.S.U' or 'Toad'. Mixed by Robbi himself the album is a proper blend of floating and heavy moments. With the focus on the latter for sure, due to an energetic, luxuriant, sometimes multi-tracked guitar input overall.

The bass guitar is variating in the same way, so that you may think each track shows another player, chapeau Jorge! Iceberg Dream sees them evolving from a trippy start to a heavier fast-paced execution. The intriguing I Am Not Robot passes over to a more halting doomy atmosphere, provided with massive slicing guitar and excellent effective drumming. No Walls, No Wars then is dedicated to Mister Trump I'm sure, though as well introduces a fallback regarding Robbi's roots, which are in South Africa. Tribal percussions furthermore, native chants, didgideroo. Including the closing The Drone this is intensively pointing to African Acid Rock, and his former band Tribe After Tribe in particular. There's a lot to discover on 'Stoned Gold'. Take your time for this lesson. You will learn to love it!

'Stoned Gold' is the fifth album of the American psyche-space-prog-rock band 3RD EAR EXPERIENCE from Joshua Tree, CA. And this is arguably the most diverse, intricate, and colorful offering from the band to date.

Clocking in at about 70 minutes, the album features 6 mostly instrumental compositions which crystallized during extended jam-sessions in the studio involving Amritakripta (keyboards, synths, vocals), Robbi Robb (guitar, vocals, productions), Richard Stuverud (drums), Jorge Carrillo (bass guitar), and two guest singers ' Alex Perez and Steven Young. In some way, the music illustrates the aesthetic views and theoretical foundations which one can find in Robbi Robb's 'The Art of the Jam Band: Concepts and intricacies for collective improvisation', 20-page musicological essay attached to the CD/Vinyl release. The essay itself is a sort of recourse to the young generation of aspiring musicians stating that Improvised Rock is incredibly rich and imaginative array of modern music.

While many modern impro-instrumental bands adhere to the principle 'play what you can' (creating actually the same sounds over and over), 3RD EAR EXPERIENCE are here to elaborate huge variety of creative approaches and bring multiple different colors to each new composition. In fact, each track on 'Stoned Gold' has its own stylistic identity (or even several identities). From vintage and forceful, classic power-trio Acid-Psyche-Rock (on opening 'Infinite Unmanifest'), through esoteric and synth-textured Space-Rock ('Iceberg Dreams' and 'Stoned Gold'), groovy-motoric, droning, distorted, and riffy Kaut-Rock and Heavy-Psycho ('I Am Not Robot'), towards Tribal-Rock and Afro-Beat ('No Walls, No Wars' and 'The Drone'). Each track on the album offers kaleidoscopic variety of stylistic elements and influences. As well as each track showcases intelligent, thoughtful, absolutely competent and artistic performance of each musician involved.

Summing up, 'Stoned Gold' is highly representative, expressive, inventive, stylish, challenging, and enjoyable album. This is 'must have' for lovers Psychedelic-Prog, Space-Rock, World-Fusion, and modern Impro-Rock in a broad sense. There is no Progress without Experiment, so yes, don't be afraid to experiment and try yourself in what you don't know yet!