I’ve just returned from tonights show. Its the first time I’ve seen them live since Ken has joined on drums. Steve and Norm had a great sound, but now with drumming mixed in its really amazing. If you want to get a sense for what the trio sounds like check out India Minor available from Ken’s site. There is also plenty more linked from their old(?) homepage but it seems to be mostly older material without drumming included. The new butterflies-and-zebras.com seems to have a mix of stuff.
They’ll be playing live again on Thursday June 19th at the Avant-Garde Bar, 135 1/2 Besserer St. Tonights cover was $5 and the volume, while loud – wasn’t such that I needed to break out the earplugs. Very enjoyable.
There are several descriptions of what the sound of B&Z is classified as, but the set of labels that fits best for me is Experimental / Ambient / Psychedelic. With two guitarists and a strong Hendrix influence you can guess where things are headed, however the recently added drumming adds a new dimension to the sound. It was clear in the live performance that the trio were working well together, exploring the sound scape they were creating. It seemed like each of them were striving for perfection in the details of their play while seeking musical synergy with the others. For me personally, I enjoy the depth of the music they are creating and the sense of freedom they invoke in the listener. Thanks guys – nice stuff.
Thanks Roo, we had a great time playing. I’m in the process of adding the recordings from the show to the http://butterflies-and-zebras.com site I’m just starting to set up. Steve may have better ones but I’ll put mine up for now. Looking forward to the Avant-Guarde Bar next week.