Almost Free
is a trio that brings together the best of proverbial alt-rock styles
(with pedal-effected guitars, bending solos and spindly high-neck fret
throttling that can recall the now-nostalgic big-muff shred of Smashing Pumpkins, tempered by a more esoteric stateliness ala Radiohead)
paired functionally with a palpable penchant for classic surf rock’s
sunny timbre, (a recipe that will recall influences like The Pixies).
But this seemingly straight-forward approach is given a bit more of a
gritty uppercut by a tight and calamitous embrace of post-punk:
propulsive percussion tornado-ing forward over wavy bass lines that set
that fractured dance vibe – not so much anthemic floor-hitters but an
intricate and enjoyably jittery take on the traditional toe-tapping
head banger pound.

Almost Free, (with
Andy Bird on vocals/guitars, Bob Impemba on bass and Garren Stevens on
drums), hails from Sterling Heights, where the trio grew up together.
They’ve been forging their musical chemistry since they were 16 and
have since played hundreds of shows ‘round the Metro Detroit area, most
recently at 2007’s Metro Times Blowout. Their upcoming LP, Modern Mistakes (to be released March 21st at Small’s
Bar in Hamtramck) shimmers with cold and cutting, hard rolling jams –
these art/punk raucous runs are burning high-flying guitars that reach
tones both dreamy and chilling, rumbling bass grooves that wave and
flex over rigid, punchy rhythms.

The songs are raw and
haunting, but not necessarily dark – there’s a pain in Birds raspy
howls that never suggests vulnerability, nay – resoluteness and perhaps
disaffectedness. The music, in tone, paints that classic Radiohead-esque
picture of scorched dystopias drowning with malls, fast-food and smog
but reaches prog-rock recalling tones, fuzzy and cerebral, that soar up
and over and into the twinkling skies above – hard, herking jerking
rock at times, but often ethereal enough to constitute escapist
ballads. In rhythm it could be as fuck-all punk as the grimiest Nirvana
or as disarmingly intricate as Pixies or classic 70’s post-punk.

Recorded at the Audio Café with help from Jeff Campo and Tom Rice, the band self-releases Modern Mistakes at a celebratory show with Plymouth based rock trio that's also actually a blog...Jesus Chainsaw Massacre (listen), Bay City garagey power pop trio, The Esperantos (listen) and and the nigh-impossible-to-search-for-via-google: Mild Cartoon Violence, at Small’s on March 21st. An intriguing line up, strong and weird...hopefully this’ll turn some heads…