Perpetual Groove

Thursday, September 2 • Doors 8pm • Show 9pm • $10 Advance • $12 Day of Show • Over 21 Only • Buy Tickets

w/ Slippy LaRue

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The genre-spanning band Perpetual Groove has had a “record” year in 2010. With the release of two new studio projects, Heal, a full length record, and Honey Cuts, an EP and a slew of sell out performances, the band has been reinvigorated with the addition of new keyboardist, John Hruby. Hailing from Athens, GA, this legendary band has once again reinvented their sound. A line-up adjustment and a change in scenery have given way to a beautiful, timeless set of recordings that signifies the rebirth of a band that’s carved out their own unique sound by performing nearly 1000 live shows in their brief career.

The sound of Heal combines Perpetual Groove’s famed melodic tunes with highly personalized lyrics in order to create an entirely new experience. “We wanted to make a record unlike any previous effort,” says new keyboardist John Hruby, “to expand upon the elements of Perpetual Groove that fans are accustomed to, with a new sense of vigor, sparked by the lineup change.” With their new keyboardist comes new lyrical influences and harmonies, as demonstrated in “40 Roses”, written by Hruby. Other standouts include the strong opener, “No Directions” and “Honeycutt”, the only instrumental track of the album. The lone instrumental features the band’s only recorded banjo part, a first for guitarist Butler. “Too Close To The Sun,” is destined to be the sleeper favorite of the album. The composition’s soaring lyrics typify the sound that has been so prevalent in helping to grow their expansive fan base.

While the sounds of Heal lived in the tried-and-true realm of traditional instrumentation, Honey Cuts offers of three tracks that just didn’t fit into that collection. “There are some subtle loops and effects on these tracks that just didn’t fit the style of Heal as a whole,” remarked bassist Adam Perry when asked why the tracks were kept off the album. “Space Paranoids” kicks of the trio of tracks and offers fans a studio version of one of the band’s signature, mainstay live compositions. “Cairo” fits comfortably in at number two. The lyrics “Another late shift driving, sometimes all night without warning” will resonate with anyone who’s spent all night driving, as the band often does while touring. Butler’s precision guitar notes drop in and out of the song with as much ease as his comforting voice. “The Noise” closes out the EP. The composition has a fitting place on the EP, as it was one of the first new songs performed by the band during John Hruby’s debut as keyboardist and showcases the best aspects of it’s preceding tracks – a strength in catchy epic soaring instrumentals and an eye towards meaningful but open-ended lyrics.

Perpetual Groove continues to tour relentlessly throughout the United States and is a staple in the US festival scene with performances at All Good Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, Jam Cruise, High Sierra, and their own annual gathering, Amberland. The band has also made appearances at International events such as Jam in the Dam and Caribbean Holidaze. In addition, the band has continued to push the envelope in the music industry, touring behind the first ever 5.1 surround sound system and producing the first album to be completely offset by renewable energy credits.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Past Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.