MJR05 is here and ready for the taking folks. A Gentlemen’s Game is the sophmore effort from NYC-based psych/jam pop band Dots Confuse Minds. The five song EP was recorded at Propellerhead Media in Buffalo, NY with Shaun Mullins who served in both a lead engineer and producer role. Shaun gave the typically scrappy band a far more professional sound, which has garnered great results. The band recieved a terrific write up from the Deli Magazine which sums it all up much better than we could ever attemtpt to do. The album was also featured on jambands.com and has been getting great radio play across the Northeast from programs like Surrender to the Airwaves on 90.7 in Cape Cod and Bucket of Lard on 90.1 at Eastern Connecticut State.

From the Deli Article:
Unpretentious rock from NYC! Dots Confuse Minds play Pianos on 03.14

Let’s admit it, NYC is a scene that rarely produces bands immune from pretentiousness, which has its good and bad sides. That’s why stumbling upon Dots Confuse Minds’ straight up pop rock songs seems like a breath of fresh air for our… ears? The quintet musical references range from classic rock of the 60s to The Pink Floyd from The Wall era, but in their best moments (like in streaming track “Doin’ Life Right” they remind us of Seattle’s Young Fresh Fellows, unsung heroes of the college pop rock of the early 80s. Dots Confuse Minds just released EP “A Gentlemen’s Game” and will be playing at Pianos on March 14.

Keep your eyes and ears open on February 17th, as the latest EP from Dots Confuse Minds will be coming to you free of charge. That’s right, we’re giving this one away via the Bandcamp site (pay as you want, just enter $0). This one is a knockout with a huge improvement to the vocals and overall production quality. The band headed up to Buffalo to record at Propellerhead Studios over the course of a weekend and played the legendary Broadway Joes.

The album art was created by the famed cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Ellis Nadler. Have a look…

Here is the first offical video from Dots Confuse Minds for the hit song Jenn You Whine. Animator John Bister created the video using paper and cut out vintage stock footage.

Next up on the Mason Jar Calendar will be the debut double LP from Ryan’s band, Dots Confuse Minds. Stay tuned for details regarding release party shows, the official videos, and other exciting news. Here’s a look at a work-in-progress version of their song Leap.

https://soundcloud.com/dots_confuse_minds/leap

Check out the latest release from the fast growing Mason Jar artist, Steez. In classic Steez fashion, the Madison boys managed to track a four song EP that clocks in over 40 minutes long. This is pure funk nastiness with serious improvization for a studio recording. You can grab the album on a “name your price” basis at the Steez bandcamp site.

Available now on Turbine’s bandcamp site.

Working closely with producer John Davis, who recorded The Black Keys’ Grammy winning song Tighten Up off their recent album, Brothers, Turbine puts forth an album that guitarist Jeremy Hilliard describes as, “By far, the best our music has ever been presented.”

Blue Light City is laced with subtle intricacies that listeners might glance over without even noticing. The music is dotted with odd time signatures, unorthodox structures, and innovative applications to the instruments. Yet, what makes Blue Light City such a stellar listen is despite the nearly endless complexities in the music, the album barrels along in nonstop fun. The songs are catchier than ever without jeopardizing the band’s musical training and respect for sophistication.

Turbine has quickly gained a devoted audience who have come to expect the unexpected. Chosen by Relix Magazine as “Artists on the Verge”, they can scratch like a DJ with their harmonicas, turn an electric guitar into a silver fiddle, and sing three-part harmonies over wild, high-energy sci-fi rock soundscapes.

Hailing from New York City, Turbine has graced the stage at almost every major festival across the country including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, 10K Lakes, Gathering of the Vibes, and Telluride Bluegrass just to name a few. They have also been fortunate enough to perform with many influential bands including the Del McCoury Band, the Benevento-Russo Duo, and moe. With Blue Light City, the band hopes to take the next step and reach that level of notoriety for themselves.

The band will celebrate the release of Blue Light City with a show at NYC’s Sullivan Hall on Friday, June 24th at 11 pm. The album will be available for download via the band’s bandcamp site.

Here’s the first official video from Steez. This version of S My D was recorded to be a part of a forthcoming compilation CD in protest of Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. Keep your eyes peeled for the Chewbacca bobblehead appearance.

In conjunction with Hidden Track, Mason Jar Records and Turbine offered there latest live release, Sounds in the Hall, for the low low price of free.

Grab it. You won’t regret it.

For Immediate Release

Turbine and Mason Jar Records team up for live release Sounds in the Hall

Set for release at shows and via all major internet distribution channels beginning May 22nd

Breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling of the improvisational rock scene proves no easy feat for young bands. Burgeoning musicians lumped in the dare we say it, jamband realm, need to successfully marry a deep high-quality catalog of material, whimsical stage presence, diverse writing chops, virtuoso instrumentation, and a calendar containing upwards of 200 shows per year. Correction, breaking through the glass ceiling of the improvisational rock scene is damn near impossible.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, and Brooklyn’s Turbine would like to submit their CV. On their first official live release, Sounds in the Hall, as they have over the course of 8 songs checked off every single one of the preceding prerequisites. Comprised of carefully hand-picked selections of both Turbine classics and newer material, Sounds in the Hall covers all the bases, but the clear differentiating factor that sets Turbine far above the masses is their amazing penchant for writing memorable and distinctive songs across a variety of sounds and genres.

Just running through the eight song track list, Turbine touches on a bonafide hit-single in waiting “Blackout Song,” the slow summer groove akin to the Grateful Dead “Eddy From the Sea,” a thick extended funk jam on “Behind These Walls” that stretches all way to cow funk-era 1997, blazing bluegrass chops on Maritime Rag, and a handful of tunes that highlight the remarkable vocals and smoking harmonica leads.

Having played a seemingly infinite number of shows over the past couple of years, the Turbine boys took a lot of time in selecting their finest renditions of the material on Sound from the Halls, as described by guitarist and harmonica player Ryan Rightmire.

“There were so many factors in selecting the songs. Being that this is our first official live album, we wanted to include songs from our two studio albums as well as feature some unreleased ones. In the end, half the album is made up of unreleased tracks. Listening back to the performances, it was hard to ignore the energy of the big shows. Bonnaroo and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival brought out some great moments, so they are well represented. As for a specific memory, at one point during “Stand Down” I played the harmonica with a balloon, and you can hear the crowd erupt mid-song. It’s those mid-song responses that always tell us things are going well.”

It bears highlighting that Turbine’s Ryan Rightmire incorporates the harmonica like it’s never been used in a rock context. Not only does he employ some trickery like playing with a balloon, but it’s not uncommon to hear him layer on some effects and turn his harp into a synth-laden rhythm instrument. Alternatively, he possesses to chops to play it clean and go toe-to-toe with John Popper and perhaps remain the last man standing. While it’s probably not wise for the bands’ publicity to start entering them into fights, these guys are pretty scrappy so keep your guard up, Popper.

Turbine is by no means any one trick pony either, guitarist Jeremy Hilliard plays law-running lead guitar and cranks out definitive melodies throughout his lead playing as well as helping shape Turbine’s wide reaching sound with his song-writing talents. Bassist Justin Kimmel and drummer Octavio Salman hold down the low post like Abdul-Jabar, as both are trained musicians with the ability to run the offense and take over the game at any moment.

Sometimes these things just feel meant to be; when Turbine showed up to perform their show at Bonnaroo, from which three of these tracks were taken, they found a bit of encouraging irony. “There was a giant wind turbine spinning next to the stage. As of matter of fact, it powered our entire show including all of the recording equipment. We made the announcement that this was the first turbine-powered Turbine concert. I kept expecting the songs to speed up every time a gust of wind made it spin faster.”

Taking the name from the lyrics of one the album’s highlight tracks, “Behind These Walls,” Sounds in the Hall evokes a sense of the live experience the overall feel for this tour, which included some big venues. We can only hope that with the help of a successfully release, that the halls will keep growing and the sounds will just keep getting better.

In support of the album, Turbine will host a record release party on May 22nd at the Mercury Lounge in New York City (with the Brew).

Sounds in the Hall Tracklist

Eddy the Sea – Telluride Bluegrass Festival, CO
War of 9161 (The Pledge) – Breckenridge, CO
Invited – Bonnaroo, TN
Behind These Walls – Boulder, CO
Doing to Me – Bonnaroo, TN
Stand Down – Bonnaroo, TN
Maritime Rag – Telluride Bluegrass Festival, CO
Blackout Song – Breckenridge, CO