#21 out of 102 in Deli Magazine's Best of NYC 2015!!
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@ellisashbrook
#21 out of 102 in Deli Magazine's Best of NYC 2015!!
Concert Review of The Bowery Electric 3.6.15
brooklynvegan named our show a Top Pick for tonight!
Ellis Ashbrook is 21 on the top 100 bands for The Deli NYC's "Best of 2014 Poll for Emerging NYC Artists."
Ellis Ashbrook generates ferocious sounds and swarming vibrations. Swim in a psychedelic pool of aquatic delays. Be moved by a band that has rocked audiences all over the Northeast. Their songwriti...
Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia Review
Ellis Ashbrook | Meridia
album review by John Powell
Prog-rock Rambos, Ellis Ashbrook is a contemporary powerhouse of a quartet, drenched in a thousand and one riffs per second, hooks that annoy you enough and then etch inside of you. Plus, harkening back to late 60s prog-rock outfits, Ellis Ashbrook rocks both male and female singers, creating textures on top of dual synths and John Barber’s endless supply of fire. Still underground, Meridia has that garage rock sound, not over-produced, but it lacks in consistency it makes up for in balls-out awesomeness. Their vocals are lost in the swoon of instrumentation, so even after a hundred listens I’m not sure what they’re singing on about.
Yet, lyrics and vocals have never stopped rock n’ roll before, and it shouldn’t deter you from Meridia. No one knows what R.E.M. or Pearl Jam are going off about, but that’s okay, as long as it’s sung passionately, and same with Ellis Ashbrook. The ticket is John. The rest of the bands is capable of keeping up with him, but Prog-Rock needs the lead of guitar.
“Accelerator” starts off the album with scorched guitar zinging like Soundgarden. “I need a rush!” goes the chorus, sung jointly by John and Natalie Lowe. They aren’t singing about much importance, but they don’t let that slow down the clear-cut point of the song.
“Slide” has a more metal guitar riff, but it’s awesomely sexy. Here are some of the lyrics: “Opting to talk/not to talk/I’m ripping my shirt/ not to fall/ too soon/ I’m walking to block/ how I start/ what I want/ when I stoop/ I can lose/ what I need/ to cocoon.” See? It’s frustrating when lyrics get lost in the shuffle, but the song is too damn cool to make it arguable.
They leap from the heavier, more Rush and Coheed and Cambria sounding prog to the jam-oriented glimmer of bands like Umphrey’s McGee. On “Peripheral Declination” the synths keeps things going and John takes on a softer approach to singing.
“Unbreakable” sounds like Fairport Convention, especially with the female vocals and lines like, “And so I go/ to fight other battles.” It does have a slight disco bridge, but it’s done tastefully.
In fact, Ellis Ashbrook runs the gamut, the cool breeze adult contemporary gust of “Climax” to the five minute piano ballad “Bottomfeeder”- and everything in between, but smoothly so that a listen from beginning to end is not boring or conversely disjointed. It’s a musical mission to get all these influences to make sense, and they do through love of rocking out. Bassist Jonathon Granoff and drummer Alex Major are no slouches, really the conduits of the rocking out, energizing tempo changes, and overall instilling great gusto to the mix for John and Natalie (who also plays keys) to find their jams.
Meridia comes highly recommended because it’s not confined to rules and proves that this sound is not dead nor even rehashed. This is fresh stuff.
Bottom line: A wonderful rock album. Male and female singers, devilish drum and bass, and everything you’d ever ask for in a rock album.
Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia Review
ELLIS ASHBROOK "MERIDIA"
Brooklyn-based Ellis Ashbrook is back with their third album of intriguing, hard driving modern psychedelic rock music. I have heard the term genre-bending, and although that may apply to many Brooklyn bands, this band is bending out some acute angles here. First and foremost, this is rock music. They have psychedelic touches, progressive rock jams, funk rhythms, and several lighter touches of many sub-genres. This is a long player, and although there are moments when my mind wanders, I am usually back quickly enough as this band always has something up its sleeve to snap me back at attention. There is some skill in the song writing, clearly, and the arrangements are big and bold. Songs to try out first: "Cat Song" - Some nice funk moves with spacey synth/electronica/guitar breaks ending a rather progressive jam. "Climax" - Over six minutes of what starts off as a loungesque rocker and ends up like some gloriously bombastic Queen song with violins. Climax, indeed! "Decelerator" - Another long song with many shifts from quiet/loud or slow/fast. Ultimately the musical storyline is well constructed.
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Closing the evening was Ellis Ashbrook. It was an unfortunate time slot for the exceedingly talented prog band; they didn’t get started till about one fifteen in the morning. The upside of course was that they didn’t have to leave the stage at any particular time; perfect for a group that enjoys going off on a good and lengthy musical tangent. Referencing Rush (the synth years) to Jefferson Airplane and even King Crimson, the quartet’s musical prowess and expertly crafted songs were solid throughout. With atmospheric songs like “Snakey’s Got Demon Eyes Big Time” and “Desert Raft”, Ellis Ashbrook is actually making the jam band relevant again. Despite poetic, at times obtuse lyrics, their songs are immensely fun to listen to; you could imagine spacing out in your apartment in Haight Ashbury with Ellis Ashbrook on the stereo. One of their closing numbers was Led Zeppelin’s seminal “Rock and Roll” which really was exceptionally good for a cover, rousing a group of clearly wasted B&T revelers to dance in some hellish circle of inebriated joy. It felt inappropriate and completely out of place - but I guess after two in the morning, all bets are off.
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Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia
When an album leaves one feeling good inside you know it has to have something special about it. Such is the case with Meridia from US rock band Ellis Ashbrook. The release, the third album from the band, is a mesmeric collection of swirling and heated songs which captivate with ease and infectious imagination. It is an instant friend to the ear and an eager perpetrator of heartfelt delights with its irresistible weaves of invention and passionate melodic enterprise. A series of varied peaks without any lows in between Meridia is simply one enormous pleasure.
The Brooklyn based quartet of John Barber (vocals, lead guitar), Natalie Lowe (vocals, keys), Jonathan Granoff (bass), and Alex Major (drums, electronic percussion), draw in influences across multi genres to create a rock sound rippling with diversity and shimmering beauty. It is feisty when it needs to be and as funky as your hips could dream of and the overall blend is a perpetually engaging and fresh pleasure for the senses. With two previously well received albums behind them in their self titled debut of 2006 and Assemblage in 2008, Ellis Ashbrook has taken their sound to a new level with their latest album to be reflected in the what one expects will be even greater acclaim going its way.
The album immediately infuses emotions with full enthusiasm through opening track Accelerator. With a dawning electronic breath the song unfolds its arms to envelope the senses with a mighty indie pop feast of elegance. From the initial voice of Lowe there is an immediate Blondie lilt to the song before it evolves into a more rock orientated flow as the vocals and excellent guitar of Barber join the party. Electronic bursts and spotlights of sound keep things wonderfully warm and casual alongside the firmer thrust of the song which by this point and as it approaches its climax ripples essences of Oingo Boingo.
Second song Slide takes no time in showing the variety of the album and music of Ellis Ashbrook in general. A pacing melodic tease split with sharp guitar play and surges of muscle the song is a hypnotic fusion of Alice In Chains/Nirvana and classic rock brought with a breath of psychedelic warmth. Again vocally the song radiates infection and class whilst musically the band turns contagion into an art form.
As the album continues to envelope the senses songs like the jazz funk flight of magic which is Cat Song, the brilliant hypnotic tropical treat Peripheral Declination, and the crystalline shimmering No Please, Don’t Watch, leave the heart desperate for more. Peripheral Declination is especially irresistible and a rival to the opening pair for best song on the album, its magnetic Mike Patton crossed with Beck craft impossible to stay away from.
As mentioned there are varied heights of excellence on the album but there is never a time the album leaves one merely satisfied, songs like Climax, the folk rock gem Unbreakable, and the emotive Bottomfeeder, leading thoughts and emotions on a sensual experience as rewarding as the more boisterous and irrepressible tracks elsewhere. As Meridia progresses its air evolves from an urgent and energised beginning into a mellower and more passionate atmospheric ambience especially over the latter six or so tracks, though it still offers plenty of stirring bursts as in the closer 22 to compliment and invigorate the pulsating beauty and impressive songwriting.
Taking extras spices found in the likes of Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ween, and Pink Floyd to name a few, Ellis Ashbrook manipulates them into their own unique sound to offer something which is as we said at the start rather special. Meridia is a gift for the ear, time to treat yourselves.
http://www.ellisashbrook.com/
Ellis Ashbrook – Meridia: Much like the Phenomenal Handclap Band, this album seems deeply inspired by the 70s and bears a resemblance to Pink Floyd, Return to Forever and other acts that played with funk, rock and jazz. I think they actually do it much better than Phenomenal Handclap Band because there’s a sense that the musicians can improvise at will.
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Filling the sounds of Frank Zappa and early Porcupine Tree with a vibe of the late ‘60s psychedelic sound of touching the prog elements with a bit of danger mixed with alternative and punk at the same time can be a risky choice because some of the genres would have drawn a line in the sand and see if they would accept it or not, with Ellis Ashbrook, they have taken the sounds of the three elements and take it to see where it would land on exactly at the right spot at the right moment. The band already has two albums in the can and their new album released last year called, Meridia, is completely twisted. There’s a touch of funk, heavy rock, psychedelic elements that goes through the Zappa realm that would have made the master himself very happy with and coming with a sense of humor that would send a touch of enjoyment through the crowd and a way that this band would take the elements of prog and psychedelic music up a notch and creating some danger that would fill around the room and the sound of their music. Cat Song, which has this ‘70s guitar rock groove that has the band into the realms of how the band pay tribute to Zappa with a touch that resembles the Apostrophe-era that shines almost a touch for Ashbrook to write a score for a Pam Grier film with a funkadelic soundtrack as Peripheral Declination sounds like something out of Yes sole self-titled debut album that has a touch of the guitar and bass resembling a bit of Peter Banks and Chris Squire that is almost a tribute to their heroes. With the opening Accelerator that kicks the albums off with more of a garage space rock adventure, it goes on this amazing journey through the milky way that features a lot of guitar and bass lines including some moogy and organ solo work that makes it a fabulous ride that sends you to another dimension that you’ve never been to and making it a fun ride. There’s also some mellowing elements with a bit of the spookiness that you’ve never heard before on Climax and Unbreakable which has some jazzy classical thumping beats to it in a mighty roar and has a bit of a Baroque Rock sound. They’re back again with the spacey music and sometimes in your face atmospheric music with another 6-minute rocker, Decelerator. Bottomfeeder, a haunting, dark piano melody with a militant drum feed comes in with a touch of the sessions from Pink Floyd’s second album A Saucerful of Secrets as the groovy jazz psych funk of No Please Don’t Watch builds into a moving dance as Slide goes into the tones of the Heavy Rock and Alternative sounds of the ‘70s and ‘90s with a dosage of Black Sabbath and Nirvana. Psych uplifting finale, 22 is very touching because it shows that while Ellis Ashbrook has the psych and prog influence under their spell, there’s a bit of the jazz and a psych bossa nova sound they carry and that is a real wonder and closing the album off to close the curtain. I have listen to Meridia about three times already and overall, this is a must listen to album and adventure you’ll never forget.
Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia Review
Meridia is the third full-length studio album from the band Ellis Ashbrook, known as a contemporary experimental rock group, started in Brooklyn New York. The band is made up of vocalist and lead guitarist John Barber, drummer Alex Major, bassist John Granoff, and keyboardist and vocalist Natalie Lowe. Barber and Major have been composing music together since the age of ten, however in high school they turned their duet into a fully formed band. Since high school they have gone on to gain much success, recently playing in venues like the Highline Ballroom in New York City.
Ellis Ashbrook is absolutely an experimental band to say the least. Each track on this album has a new direction, a new vibe, however this does not mean that the album goes in a hundred different directions. There is a definite consistency in each song on the album, and even if it’s not a consistency in sound, it’s a consistency in the vibe and mood and purpose of this album. Ellis Ashbrook tries many different styles, of course some working better than others, with some songs having just classic guitar riffs and piano melodies and others using half of an orchestra. Songs like “Climax” and “No Please Don’t Watch,” do an incredible job of mixing rock music with classical instruments used in less conventional and expected sound. Then there are other songs on Meridia that are successful with just the guitar chords and vocals, like “Cat Song,” however this song still has saxophone parts that push the song to the next level.
Ellis Ashbrook now have a very strong New York following and are known very well in the Brooklyn rock scene. And since their second album release they have gained even more fans in Boston and Providence as well. Meridia is a very fun, part rock, part folk, part experimental album that will leave you wanting to hear more of the ideas that Ellis Asbhrook has come up with in their last two albums.
The Review: 8.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
-Cat Song -No Please, Don’t Watch -Climax -Decelerator -We Laughin’
The Big Hit
-Cat Song
Review by Victoria Espinoza
"Local outfit Ellis Ashbrook offers intriguing sounding alt rock that draws on prog, grunge funk-metal in equal measures." -Time Out New York Magazine