James G. Barry Band
Reviewed on this page:
Strange Rock
Okay, shameless self-promotion time: After decades of hiding in a cave being eaten by envy, Wilson actually joined a band and made a record. I'm not going to give it a star rating but I am going to write a little review because that's what I do.
JGBB& has pages at Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube, Deezer, Apple Music and Amazon Music - they're currently trying to figure out how to get a video to go viral on TikTok. I have not reviewed any of the band's epic live shows but I recommend them whole-heartedly.
(DBW)
Barry is an accomplished singer/songwriter and bandleader; I'm not reviewing his other work here because I can't figure out how to combine impartial reviews and self-promotion on the same page.
Strange Rock (2024)
Singer/songwriter/guitarist James G. Barry is nothing if not ambitious, and this time he's put a full lineup of wind instruments - mostly flute, trombone and saxes - over a solid-yet-flexible bass/drums/percussion base, playing prog-rock mini-epics about science ("Edible Glitter"), myth ("Starfish") and/or fresh fruit ("Ripe Mango," which pleasantly echoes "Watermelon Man" - the Mongo Santamaria version). The brew of roots rock, 70s jazz fusion, and curiously concise jamming might seem unwieldy, but it all comes together with endlessly hummable melodies delivering unrepentantly hopeful, humanist lyrics ("The Watering Eye," which introduces not only the title phrase but also Sgt. Pepper-y alter egos for the band). Everything's by Barry except the instrumental "Cough Drops & COVID Masks" by Wilson, who also arranged all the brass and woodwinds. Apart from Barry (vocals, guitar, some touches of keyboard) and Wilson (far too many woodwinds including a fife, plus a vintage Fender Rhodes), the group is Neil Madsen (trombone), Cynthia Madsen (tenor sax), Barbara Holmes (flute), Chris Sanchez (cajon and percussion), King Richard (bass) and Dr. Robert (drums).
(DBW)
Earlier the same year, Barry and the Neil Madsen 5 appeared on Dan Kilian and the Million Man Band's Angie Pandorus and The Portal of Time - winds again arranged by Wilson
Trick Or Treat (2025?)
Barry has released five or seven singles ("Sheep Heid Inn") from this forthcoming sure-to-be-sprawling work, most with videos by elusive director Carlos Lamontoni ("Conga Ray"). When complete, it probably won't be as cohesive as Strange Rock but it'll be even more far-reaching and varied.
(DBW)
This isn't a test.
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