The Emergency Broadcast Players CD "Only a Test" (1997) is available on iTunes, as well as Geoff Cleveland's debut CD "Donut Storm" (1993).
Check it out.

ONLY A TEST

DONUT STORM

Check out this video of my mentor Jaki Byard (1922-1999). Also, my new number 1 friend is currently a very nice Jaki Byard tribute profile. Visit the site for more on this musical treasure, and add them if you please.

More often than not here at Radio KRUD, we write about bands that derive their sound from multiple musical discourses. It's hard to pin them down to one single musical style and say, "Now their sound is defined and there's not much else that needs to be said." Well, today's band is particularly genre defying. In fact, before I even continue with this post, I challenge you to predict the sound of a jazz band who lists Meshuggah and Mastodon as their primary influences. Well, that kind of eccentric mixture is what you get from the Hate Camels, and I guarantee that their music will go way beyond whatever insane sound you have concocted in your head based on what I've already said about them.

You just have listen to their album Death Comedy Jams…and one piece of life metal. The title is pretty self-explanatory when you see the track listing:

1. Mitch Hedberg
2. Richard Pryor
3. Sam Kinison
4. Lenny Bruce
5. Bill Hicks
6. Andy Kaufman
7. Peaceful Queen

That last track is the "one piece of life metal." In case you were wondering, yes, it's a concept album. Each song basically acts as a tribute/theme song for its respective comedian, so keep in mind the person and their work when listening to the music. If you're familiar with any of these comedians, then these songs are that much better because of how intricate a portrait they paint. For example, "Mitch Hedberg" has kind of an easy-going and trippy quality to it while "Sam Kinison" is the most aggressive track on the album and "Andy Kaufman" gets very weird in some parts.

Even if you're not a fan of most or any of these comedians, this is still some incredibly well-crafted jazz that you can enjoy listening to. This album is quite experimental, which is kind of a "no duh" statement seeing as it melds elements of classic jazz and heavy metal. And it's all instrumental, so there aren't any deep growls or throaty howls to be found for those of you who find heavy metal vocals to be a bit overbearing. I think most of the metal influence comes from the more aggressive delivery and some of the crunchiness found in the tunes. Geoff Cleveland, the composer, must be some sort of musical genius to combine such bipolar styles and make the end result work as well as it does.

If you're still not certain whether this is something you would be into, then let me tell you what Mitch Hedberg's wife, Lynn Shawcroft, had to say after hearing the track named after her late husband, "I just checked out the song. It's amazing… Mitch would be sooo flattered. Mitch was inspired by music. And he loved musicians. He would be happy to know that a great musician like Geoff Cleveland was inspired by comedy in the same way." Let me echo her sentiments by saying that this is great, innovative music and is doubly entertaining if you're a fan of any of these comedic icons. Get this album.

It takes something special to get such a visceral reaction. Feel free to congratulate the band for the following review:

HATE CAMELS: DEATH COMEDY JAMS – MUSIC REVIEW

By Michael Johnson, HOTINDIENEWS.com

Date published: January 11, 2008

 

     My friends will tell you that I have a very odd, obscure sense of humor. I find things funny that most people would not just based on the fact that I'm and odd and somewhat juvenile person. So I thought-what the hell. I'll review the Hate Camels' comedy CD entitled "Death Comedy Jams"-what could it hurt.

     Track 1 comes and goes…I'm not laughing. Not even a curled lip. In fact I felt kind of nauseous after it. I thought it might have been that bean burrito, but no-that resolved itself much later. "Mitch Hedberg", the track in question, is nothing but squealing guitar, bad bass lines, coffeehouse cymbal work and whining vocal track for no apparent reason other than to annoy it further give me a migraine as there were no lyrics-just a squeal.

     Upon listening to this gaggle of misery it finally dawned on me that the music in question was representational of a specific comedian. Be it Mitch, Kinison, Lenny Bruce or whomever-the songs symbolize their personas. I guess it's good in concept but that is where something like this should end. There is no commercial viability her. Not one.

     Musically it's fascinating. Many of the tracks make me physically ill. I don't know why-it may be the harshness or the mishmash of notes and squawking. It's an awesome ART piece-an idea-something contemporary and unique. Is it play list worthy? Not in the least unless you want to give someone the very least in music this year. For me, personally at least, I'd prefer listening to those Christmas albums of cats meowing carols.

Check it out. A reviewer named Jon Sobel has written a nice little review of the Hate Camels CD:

Hate Camels, Death Comedy Jams


This disc stands at the crossroads of progressive rock and jazz fusion, with a flash of heavy iron doing a wheelie in the intersection. Six of its seven long instrumental tracks pay tribute to a series of great comedians who have passed on - Mitch Hedberg, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, and Andy Kaufman. Kinison gets the metal treatment, natch. Lenny Bruce draws out a jazzy improv number that evokes the Beat era. Bill Hicks gets a piece with a twelve-tone feel, and so on. But direct references to the particular comics' personalities or styles aren't always easy to pick out - in some cases they might not exist. No matter; the compositions have enough inherent interest to please the kind of music fans who perk up at the genres I named at the start. Hear some of the tracks at Myspace.

(Here's the site where it is posted):

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/20/175213.php

Even though I'm presently without a computer, I'd like to mention that two amazing jazz drummers have died. Nat Yarbro passed on August 9th. He and I played with each other several times, in each others' bands and other situations. Not only did he swing his ass off and sing beautifully (and write wonderful poetry and prose), he was a great man who cared deeply about other musicians, especially the "youngsters". I attended his memorial service on Friday Aug. 17th and it was a beautiful thing. I miss him profoundly.

Max Roach died on Aug. 16th. He was more famous than Nat for sure. I had the pleasure of knowing him as well, though too briefly. He was an instructor at the Jazz in July workshop in Amherst MA & I was there in 1992. Of my several conversations with him, the one which stands out is when he congratulated our student band on a great performance and patted us all on the back. That night I couldn't sleep.

Nat Yarbro & Max Roach-two great people who happened to be excellent jazz drummers. They will be missed.

 

You can now digitally download the Hate Camels album "Death Comedy Jams...and one piece of life metal" from iTunes. Download the whole album if you'd like to hear the 14-minute long "Bill Hicks (This Is Just a Tribute)" or download the other tunes individually if you must. Here's a link:

  ..

Also, hard copies are available from CDBaby:
..>..>

..>..> HATE CAMELS: Death Comedy Jams...and one piece of life metal Instru-metaljazz inspired by dead comedians aka "Life Metal/Death Comedy/Jazz".

or SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE. In this case, I'm talking about TWIST & SHOUT at 2508 E. Colfax Avenue in Denver where the CD is in the "local" listening post. Woo-hoo!
Watch for an interesting and unique distributor coming soon!

I should tell everyone first: If you enjoy the music, you get it! There's nothing else to "get"!
OK, so here's the 1st review for the CD. Once again, Westword found a way to write a bad review for a CD they enjoyed.

Hate Camels
Death Comedy Jams
Self-released
By Michael Roberts
Published: May 24, 2007

*

Subject(s): Hate Camels

Yuksters generally understand that if they set up a joke, they'd better deliver a punchline. But the Hate Camels, who'll introduce their new disc on Thursday, May 24, at the 15th St. Tavern, with help from Down by Numbers, apparently missed that day of clown college. The first six tracks here are named for a like number of deceased standups — a gambit that sets up expectations the all-instrumental group doesn't fulfill. As a result, listeners may feel disappointed even though the music is actually pretty interesting.

A for-instance? "Andy Kaufman" features a jazz-fusion-meets-prog groove and fine soloing by guitarist Dan Devine and theremin manipulator Geoff Cleveland — yet anyone who can figure out how it equates to Kaufman is a better man than I am, Gunga Din. And while the metallic opening of "Sam Kinison" will make sense to those familiar with the late comic's primal screaming, other connections are more vague, and trying to trace them detracts from the piece as a whole.

That's not very funny.

(Final note from Geoff)
Here's the link to the review which also has a link to Michael Roberts' email. Anyone who'd like to ask him what he was expecting, or how my being inspired to write tributes to comedians suddenly makes enjoyable music worth dissing, feel free to. I will eventually but it'd be better coming from someone else.

http://www.westword.com/2007-05-24/music/hate-camels/

P.S. If you're familiar with the end of "Andy Kaufman", you can offer him the obvious joke and how it relates to the comedian in trade for his explanations. Telling him our guitarists' name is Dave can be a freebie.

The great Mitch Hedberg died two years ago today. Some people across the country have decided to remember Mitch by going to a sandwich shop and ordering a "Mitch sandwich" (Pastrami on Banana Bread with Cottage Cheese) and even got at least one store to make the "reputation destroying" sandwich.
http://www.dead-frog.com/archives/2007/03/mitch_hedberg_sandwich_march_29.php
I'm sure there are other, less brave ways to honor Mitch today as well. Might I suggest give a listen to the first track on my profile?