| Homegrown Music Network ~ 3.27.04 |
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The
OM Trio The New Jersey
based jazz-fusion outfit, known as the OM Trio, recently descended upon
the local Cats Cradle in Chapel Hill on Sat. evening March the 25th at
9:00pm. Slated as the opening act before headliners and close associates
Umphrey's McGee, the OM Trio provided a seamless "power-hour" of
old and new material which came off as one of the best sets of music I
have witnessed in recent memory. The evening
began at the Cradle with a room half-filled with local Chapel Hill and
Carrboro music-ites. OM Trio forged commensurately transcending and heavy handed
sonic landscapes over the next hour as the audience grew in numbers in
steady assemblage for the late night act.
The percussive back drop more times than not involved driving
break-beats as the head of each tune cycled into its improvisational mode.
Multiple fans and new comers
to OM Trio danced and moved their feet in time to the deep laden bass and
key notes locked in with drummer Ilya Stemkovsky's snare. The
intensity rose with a steady upward momentum which reached a peak as the
OM Trio was joined on stage by guitarists Jake Cinninger and Brendan
Bayliss from headliners Umphrey's Mcgee.
Hard-hitting jazz was now fused with old school metal as the unit
tore into a funky rendition of The OM Trios original composition
Bulbous*> which segued into their another entitled "Mesh">
eventually winding its way back into Bulbous*. As my friends and I had
predicted, The OM Trio, along with Jake and Brendan were all on point.
Completely dialed into their audience with great stage presence and deep
beats, OM's hypnotically energetic sounds fused well with Umphreys classic
rock comping and shredding guitar chops. The interpretation of these
pieces saw multiple outlandish and fast note exchanges between Brian Felix
on his keys and the members of Umphrey's. Overall
the performance stylistically ranged from jazz, to trance, to metal, and
at times thanks to Umphrey's saw some brilliant guitar interplay between
keys and guitar. Reflecting the Cat’s Cradle witnessed Sat. evening the
perfect Umphrey's opening show, as The OM Trio melted thru barriers,
pre-conceptions, and awakened new fans that a night of incredible music
had begun. By sets end they had devoured the traditional paradigm of what
a keys, bass, and drum trio can create musically. With a dynamic line-up consisting of Brian Felix (Keys), Pete
Novembre (Bass), and Ilya Stemkovsky (Drums), it was positively-proven
that no one is safe once OM Trio commences its forward roll. The Om Trio
organization is currently touring in support of their fifth studio album
entitled GLOBALPOSITIONINGRECORD (GPR) while like-wise hashing out tunes
for their sixth coming release. Having recently moved back to NJ on the east coast from San
Fran, and working with considerably well organized and innovative
management from Mr. Lee Seelig, OM Trio is definitely pointing itself in
all the right directions. Quickly making new fans and taking their
audiences to new levels, OM Trio has proven they are a true power-trio,
not to be missed by anyone who enjoys ground-breaking improvisation and
lives within 100 miles of where the band next performs. For more information on the
band and their music visit: http://www.omtrio.com Reviewed by: Drew Willardson |