with Brownskin Band
"BMSM might be one of my favorite bands on the planet. With a horn
section to kill for, a drummer that can put me in a beat coma
instantly, and a knack for hitting grooves in a pantsless stride, they
aren't easy to ignore, writes Joel Frieders of SYFFAL.com and hes not
kidding. For a band without a lead singer, Big Mean Sound Machine has
character in spades. When assembled from a selection of the finest,
well-lubricated, musically brilliant human components, the final
result is the aural equivalent of positive feeling, ...the embodiment
of feeling delicious, writes Frieders. People dance when a rhythm
moves them, and theres no defying instinct when Big Mean Sound Machine
is on stage. Anyone who has experienced the band in action knows that
their performances are the heaviest and sweatiest. Incorporating
Caribbean, African, and Latin sounds and everything in between, these
musicians sound as though theyve been playing together since the
sandbox days. They transition effortlessly from a collective of
trombone, sax, and trumpet to riveting soloists. Then, there is heavy
bass before percussion, guitar, or keys take the limelight, and when
[theyre] not playing simultaneously, those who are stepping aside are
jamming out as if they were in the crowd with the rest of us, writes
Mary Mistretta of UpstateLIVE. A polyrhythmic monster with a crisp,
constant, unrelenting groove, the band brings together many musical
traditions in a unique blend that reinterprets and reanimates live
dance music unlike any other band playing today. At the bands birth in
Central New York State, the founders wanted to set themselves apart
artistically while honoring the true, primal reason that people listen
to music in the first place: because good music feels good; and though
their sound has evolved since their inception in June 2009, they have
stayed true to their mission for the better part of a decade. Few
bands can trace their roots all the way back to a specific set of
values shared in casual conversation among good friends; in the case
of Big Mean Sound Machine, honoring the ideas the group was founded on
seems to be more of an instinct than a choice. Big Mean is
contemporary proof that its possible to create art that stimulates the
body while also challenging the mind to explore beyond the status quo.
For the listener who stops shaking to pay attention at a Big Mean
show, they can find a musical education, writes Josh Brokaw of The
Ithaca Times. Borrowing elements from traditional afrobeat, roots
reggae, ethiojazz, and funk among others, Big Means [style] is not
easily captured by the precise, genre-parsing descriptors of a
contemporary music press thats uncomfortable admitting to being
surprised with a new sound, writes Brokaw. Their instrumental
soundscapes have no overt messages yet theyre anything but barren. You
get the feeling of walking the streets in a city late at night as
those who are up to no good are coming out of their homes searching
for their next score, writes Bryan Lasky of NYSmusic.com. Seamed
together by an amazing rhythm section the core of the group commands
attention while providing a passionate and constant groove, boasts
Vinyl Fluid Records, noting the fact that this purely instrumental
band stimulates audiences both physically and cerebrally, though
devoid of vocal indoctrination. The theme the band delivers again and
again through evolving rhythms and melodies is to enjoy music for its
creativity and musicality, and the way it makes you feel in every
sense of being able to feel.
music
concerts
dance
funk
reggae
culture
nightlife
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27/05/2017 Last update