A Perfect Mess

Earlier this year, I was in a lull with material to write about and I put a call out for new and exciting stuff to not only write about, but just digest and bring me out of a funk. Our friend Cat hit me up with some gems that I put into my rotation to ponder and delve into deeper. One of those recommendations was a new track from Brooklyn based band PEAK called Imaginary Lines. It was good. It was really good and something fresh but it was the only track that had yet been released so I just devoured it for a while. It was on my Spotify playlists that I used when driving myself and clients. It was in my ears when I started commuting to the city over the summer on those long ass bus rides. It became part of my background soundtrack for months. This last week, I found myself on assignment from The Jamwich to do a review of PEAK’s show at Arlene’s Grocery and all of a sudden I was reminded there is a whole album I need to devour and review from this band who did this song I have been in

There is just something that happens to my entire soul when I am listening to good record. It’s like the bugs of negativity that have been infesting me for days, weeks, months seem to rise and leave my entire being and these gold and rose colored droplets of positive deposit in their place. Is there no better feeling that a good uplifting batch of sounds for your soul? I ask, but I know the answer. Boston’s The Elovators know the answer too, and that’s why they have given us all their new record, Defy Gravity. It’s everything we need right now. I stumbled on these guys a while back and did a piece on their last record, The Cornerstone. (you can check that out   HERE ) I thought it was outstanding and really captured a vibe of pure love and peace, and goodness knows we can’t have enough of that these days. I really didn’t think they could up that game, but here I am with these sounds in my ears and I’m completely floored. This vibe is complete fire. The beat is silky and the voca

What is the Jam Scene exactly? This is something I have been working to define for a while…pretty much ever since I met my husband. Not because I ever felt like it NEEDED some sort of definition. It doesn't, and one of the great things about it is that it doesn't have one. I don’t like to give him credit when he is listening because I don’t want to swell his head, but it’s because of my husband's influence that I found myself here. It’s not the whole reason because there were a lot of reasons, but those times I refused to listen to a band, check out a festival, or explore that inner flower child that I knew was there (hell, she was bred into me by my parents)…I stopped myself because I already thought I knew what the scene was. I thought I knew everything I needed to and that it was NOT FOR ME. I was extremely closed minded. The real truth is that I had no idea what the Jam Scene really was. The truth is that it’s a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s something

Electronic music is not something I really ever saw myself getting into because for some stupid reason, I didn’t think I would find anything of myself in it. I was so incredibly wrong. Over the last couple years, I have discovered amazing artists like Lotus and Escaper who truly changed my perceptions about what electronic music actually could be. I remember Disc Jam this year and standing near the hospitality tent while Lotus played. Me and four or five other people who had never met found ourselves, mid-conversation, just slowly morphing into a giggling impromptu dance party. It was one of those magical moments where you have to stop and enjoy being alive really consciously for a minute because in that minute, it was pure joy brought on by a shared love of music. I’ll never forget that moment. Since discovering those artists, my playlists on Spotify have been being dotted with other artists that the machines there think I might like. One of those mind changing tracks was a son

It's tough to have a talented spouse and a blog about music. Eventually, the two are going to cross and you are going to have to sit there and wonder if nepotism is a thing in music journalism. Is it? I have no idea. But here is the scoop... my hubs joined this pretty neato band called Wig Party and now Wig Party has this pretty neato EP that I want to talk about and I don't know if I can, but I am going to anyway so when you see me gushing in run on sentences, you know this is me trying to determine if I am being a bad blogger. Am I? Fuck it. So here is Wig Party. A band of merry fellows from Northern New Jersey who have come to knock the socks clear off your feet. I actually did a piece on their Phish pre-party at American beauty a while back. You can read about that right HERE . It was a super good time! I'm glad to now be a part of this Wig Party family. But more on that later. The band has been around a while. They found some notoriety with their first release,

As you may already know, I occasionally get the distinct pleasure of doing album reviews for The Jamwich. It’s a great treat for me because not only is it a good excuse to get into some new music that I might not have heard, but I am also forced to make as big an impact as I can in 350 words. If you are a regular reader of mine here at A Perfect Mess, you understand why this is a challenge for me.   I have been told brevity is not my strongpoint and I could not agree more. I love words. I love using words. I especially love using words every way I can to get someone to want to hear the music I am telling them about. I do it when I write, and I do it when I talk. It’s something that happens when music feels really exciting to me! I want more people to want to hear it too! It’s why I do this blog in the first place. This is a place to talk about and share great music! Look, I already went off topic. See how that happens? So earlier this year, I was tasked with doing a review on thi

Let me admit right off the bat that I am new to Spafford, so you will have to forgive my late arrival to the party and my lack of knowledge that fans might consider pertinent. I’m not BRAND new, as I have had a few tracks in heavy rotation for a year or so on my playlists, but I would hardly call myself truly and deeply familiar with their work. That being said, when I heard there was a new record out, I had to hear it. Curiosity has had me for a while. You see, there is a very strong Spafford presence on line, and its an incredibly loyal fan base. I mean, lets be honest. The jam scene has some of the most rabidly loyal fans I have ever seen just in general. Pop into most fan groups on Facebook, and be prepared to be roasted heavily if you speak about any other band or even your lack of complete knowledge on the one in discussion. You know what I am talking about. Everyone feels THEIR band is the next torch carrying, movement starting, life changing artist on the scene. While

A few years ago, as I was still finding my way into the jam scene, I took notice of a band that seemed to be everywhere. They were on what seemed like every single festival that summer while opening for other bands as well as doing their own shows. I swore they must have some sort of hologram stunt doubles because there was no way they could be playing so many shows. I thought, "These guys must be the hardest working band in the scene..." That band was Aqueous. Since then, I have watched as this already pretty stellar band has become more polished, more sophisticated in technique, and maintained their steady climb through nothing short of hard work, dedication, and pure talent. It's a pleasing experience to see well deserved success in music, and that is what they are accomplishing. Naturally I was pretty excited for their new record, Color Wheel, and I could not be more excited to tell you all about it.  The record itself showcases the band's particular

The Disc Jam music festival has become one of my favorite spots to hear music that isn't yet on my radar. Sometimes just wandering the field in the middle of the day, something will catch my ear and stop me in my tracks. It's happened numerous times and it's one of the things I dig most about that gathering. This year was no exception. Case in point - Boston's own Dub Apocalypse. We happened to be cruising by the main stages this year when we felt that familiar sensation of something good in our ears and had to stop and listen. Oh look! That's Eli from Dopapod on keys, but who is that he is playing with?! This is fantastic! That guitar grooves like Gilmour! Holy magical woodwinds, Batman! Hey... is that Van Martin?! This was our introduction to who we realized was Dub Apocalypse. The band is a dub reggae instrumental group comprised of an incredible amount of knowledge and talent. So who exactly are these guys? This band is a blender full of experience, respe

I didn't think for a second that the 2018 Disc Jam Music Festival would disappoint me, but I really had no idea how much it would raise it's own bar. The festival seemed so much bigger this year! The attendance was considerable, just based on what we observed in how far the camping went compared to last year. In fact, I am curious as to what last year's aerial shot and this year's aerial shot look like next to one another. The music acts were huge and there were so many! There were things I just didn't get to see because I was somewhere else seeing something else. That was a really fun conundrum to have for a writer! There were wonderful vendors, artists, performers, as far as the eye could see and they carried with them a wonderful vibe that I have come to expect from Disc Jam. I really cannot say enough about how wonderful those folks were to interact with. We had a truly wonderful time at the festival this year! We found a good spot to set up our A Perfect