Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eddie The Rat: Food For The Moon Too Soon

Eddie The Rat: Food For The Moon Too Soon

By Glenn Astarita
January 22, 2010
View read count

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Peter Martin describes the methodology of his band, Eddie The Rat, as "head music for your feet." Here, the Bay Area twelve-piece unit is captured live in 2001 at Artist's Television Access in San Francisco. And when citing Martin's use of various instruments, it is worth noting that some of them include birdcage, magazine rack, and sermonizing. Percussion also serves as a vital component of the group's impetus, to complement the six primary vocalists. Martin's methodology is largely unclassifiable yet firmly nestled within the avant-garde spectrum, with the opening "Metabolize" conjuring strange illusions of John Cage meeting Pink Floyd and world music artists, all performing under the watchful eye of a twisted spiritual advisor. However, the musicians veer off into ghostly spectrums, spawned by thumping rhythms, plaintive cries, background chatter and a polytonal bombardment of bizarre contrasts.

Eddie The Rat delves into abrasive minimalist ventures and eerie soundscapes amid notions of ascending onto the "other side." The unusual instrumentation is partly equalized by Bill O'Mahony's skronk-like rock guitar phrasings and the core rhythm section's sturdy beats. With booming bass ostinatos and psycho voices, the band embeds a massive array of factors into its repertoire.

On "Spiritual Amnesia," Heather Bradley's rather aching, lead vocals set the stage for a cosmic folk-rock-psychedelic jaunt that teems with dissonant treatments and Jesse Hix's quirky Jews harp lines. Depending on how the program is digested, the music can appear to intimate a blurry nightmare or perhaps a fitting soundtrack for Ouija board fare. Regardless, it's a strangely interesting trip, underscored by the ensemble's offbeat and entertaining manner of spinning a tune.

Track Listing

Metabolized; Listen; Waiting for (Ain't Never Gonna Get); Enlightenment Blues; Food for the Moon Too Soon Pt. 1; Cannibal; I Ovulate in Mode; Spiritual Amnesia; Food for the Moon Too Soon Pt. 2; Primordial Hoot; Life (as a Prosthetic-Workaround for the Soul).

Personnel

Peter J. Martin - (aka Pete Rat): conductor, lead vocals, sermonizing, piano, moog, guitar, birdcage, magazine rack, assorted odds 'n ends; Ronnie Camaro: electric bass, sparklers; Bill O'Mahony: electric guitar; Jesse Hix: contrabass, xylophone, jews harp; Warren Huegel: percussion, wine glasses; Brandon Foust: percussion, wine glasses; Heather Bradley: lead vocals; Molly Tascone: vocals; Floyd Labar: vocals; Jeanette Labar: vocals; Dione Ardania: vocals; Vonn Scott Bair: vocals.

Album information

Title: Food For The Moon Too Soon | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Edgetone Records

About Eddie The Rat

Tags

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.