Basic Food Group employs rock trio instrumentation to investigate new combinations of musical genres. Compositions are scored in detail with sections allowed for improvisation. Over time the work is "pureed," that is , reworked and rearranged by the entire band, with elements of the music scrambled and shuffled, and new influences added. We approach it as if we were playing electric chamber music, yet each piece might include combinations of latin, reggae, rock, punk, funk, avante-garde or classical forms. The music has three equal parts, with each instrument playing a different, often non-traditional role. We intend to challenge ourselves and the audience through the twisting of familiar genres into new hybrids.
Awards
Best version of a Basic Food Group original, 1986-present
Gear
Guitar, Bass, Drums
From Earpollution.com: Sometimes while sitting at a bus stop, I'll find myself entranced by the doings of a few sparrows. As they hop and flit about, an explanation for their actions appears in my head: they're encountering old friends, flirting with people, or just enjoying the sunshine. Basic Food Group are musical sparrows. They examine a riff for a short while, pick it up to see if it interests them, then quickly flit on to another with a quick movement that is almost unseen—one moment they're here, the next over there, acting as if they've been there the entire time
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From Earpollution.com: Sometimes while sitting at a bus stop, I'll find myself entranced by the doings of a few sparrows. As they hop and flit about, an explanation for their actions appears in my head: they're encountering old friends, flirting with people, or just enjoying the sunshine. Basic Food Group are musical sparrows. They examine a riff for a short while, pick it up to see if it interests them, then quickly flit on to another with a quick movement that is almost unseen—one moment they're here, the next over there, acting as if they've been there the entire time. Weaving amongst themselves, the instrumental trio of Steve Boyles (guitar), Todd Larson (bass) and Rik Sferra (drums) take short turns coming forward to flirt with the listener in the hopes of a scrap of attention (and possibly a morsel of food), then darting back to rejoin his compatriots playing in the background. As a result, the album is not so much a collection of individually composed songs as it is one extended capture of a three-musician interplay. One moment can be a strongly-united march tempo, the next borders on dischord and is suitable for falling down stairs to, but throughout it is light and entertaining; full of short grooves that worm their way into the base of your spine, and quality sounds using a minimum of electronic gear. Highlights include the loose-strung bass buzz of "A Day at the Hysterical Farm," the head- bobbing drive of "Suburbs (Revisited)" and the finale "Born Out of a Dream," which is the most evocative of its title of any of the more goofily-named tracks here. Sparrows may not be the most deeply inspirational animals, but they're always an entertaining diversion, and I have yet to come away from watching them without a tiny smile on my face. -Paul Goracke
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