Post by jptheprofessor on Aug 4, 2008 12:11:21 GMT -5
HERBIE – LEFT OF CENTER (no label) Left Of Center is an appropriate title for the new live CD by Harrisburg’s Herbie, as it displays the eclectic, hard-to-pigeonhole nature of the band. Clocking in at well over an hour, Left Of Center captures the group’s live performance from April 21, 2007 at Harrisburg’s Appalachian Brewing Company. With guest keyboard player Mark Brown along for the ride this night, the Herbie roster of guitarists Jay Baab and Andy Mowatt, bassist Ben Eberts and drummer Ffej Herb deftly blend rock, funk, jazz, progressive and even country elements into nine flowing musical adventures (plus hip hop-geared bonus track). On the surface, Herbie’s performance might draw immediate comparisons to the jam band stylings of Phish or early Allman Brothers. But there is a lot more going on here. First of all, the group’s dynamic jams are focused and calculated, and expand from and support the songs’ melodies, mostly devoid of directionless noodling or indecisive meandering. In addition, these performances are charged and inspired, as Herbie elevates each arrangement to heated, exciting crescendos. Because of this, even the album’s lengthiest number, the 15-minute-plus “Russell,” manages to stay interesting and keep the listener riveted to find out what lies around the song’s next bend. Herbie packs their musical gumbo into tighter packages as well, such as the busy disc-opener “Bring It Home,” the fast-firing redneck stomp “Down North,” the funk-driven “The Bad,” and harder-edged excursions such as “Unconscious” and “Love Knife.” Recorded and engineered by Brooks Edman and Bruce Eisenhauer of Sound Motion Recording, the mix is crisp and balanced, and nicely captures the vibrancy and detail of what Herbie is doing onstage. Left of Center not only serves as a strong representation of what Herbie is capable of on the live stage; it also further demonstrates the group’s musical adventurism and their ability to focus and direct it. (The CD can be obtained through Herbie’s website, www.herbierock.com.)