Garaj Mahal

Nelson Ledges Quarry Park has been serving up Grateful Fest for almost ten years now. What a long strange trip it's been! Our very special yearly event will have a plethora of impeccable guests!!!

Conscious Alliance is excited to announce their Rebel Alliance Jam IX and Toy Drive at the Fox Theatre on December 8th. The annual holiday benefit event will support the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. All patrons who donate one unwrapped toy (of at least a $10.00 value) or $10.00 will receive a limited edition poster by artist Will Ruocco http://www.willruocco.com/.

The magic and beauty of the FloydFest vision is unparalleled. The profound purpose of the organizers and staff shines from corner to corner of the experience. So jump on the Blue Ridge parkway and come on down! FloydFest 5: ROOTS ALIVE!

Driving on my way to work this afternoon, the sun is finally shining, and my ride is going to be accompanied by the funky jazz-rock influenced grooves of Garaj Mahal. The first track, "The Shadow," would alone be worth the price of this album, for it takes you on an over 9-minute journey.

One must approach Tribute CDs with extreme levels of caution. There is perhaps no more dangerous bridge to cross as a music buyer. Sometimes it works out OK - pleasant enough jazz and bluegrass tributes have been produced – but it always threatens to wander into the realm of pointlessness. Is there really an audience for A String Quartet Tribute To The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Dub Tribute To Limp Bizkit? What niche of music lovers is so refined and unknown that it deserves A Rockabilly Tribute To AC/DC? It’s hard to take these tributes seriously sometimes, but that’s OK. I like to think that the musicians and producers and listeners aren’t looking for a galvanizing experience, but maybe to witness the whimsical oddity of, say, Coldplay performed bluegrass-style.

Mixing cultures here but hey, it’s all in the musical family. Led Zeppelin reached a key summit with their 1975 release “Physical Graffiti.” In retrospect, this Moroccan album via the Flames of Albion overshadowed their mysterious ‘Runes’ album, which contained “Stairway” and the blues masterpiece of production and sound “When the Levee Breaks.” Graffiti featured the ethereal trance classic “Kashmir.” Lead vocalist Robert Plant, lead guitarist and chief Zep mystic Jimmy Page – rock music’s most talented studio producer - and former Page band mate, Jeff Beck, have all sited this song as the definitive Bonham-Jones-Page-Plant pearl. The rest of the album wasn’t chopped liver, either…Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Underfoot, In the Light, Ten Years Gone, The Wanton Song, Sick Again - need I continue?

Garaj Mahal is the merger of four virtuoso musicians, bassist Kai Eckhardt, guitarist Fareed Haque, drummer Alan Hertz, and keyboardist Eric Levy, who successfully blend the styles of jazz, funk, and rock like no other band before them. Perhaps the label of “Jamband Supergroup” suits them most appropriately, as these players each have an impressive musical resume for which they bring to Garaj Mahal. Their unique blend of styles and musical cohesiveness have earned them praise by both fans and musicians alike, and their latest release, “Mondo Garaj,” only further proves that Garaj Mahal is the real deal and are torchbearers to a jamband movement all their own.

Ah, futility. I have thrown my hands in the air, unable to wrap any brand of verbiage around these phenomenal live releases from the band you should know and love, Garaj Mahal. In spite of this, I’ll give it a shot.