Garage A Trois – Calm Down Cologne
Tracklist
A1 | No Zone | 9:11 |
A2 | The Epic | 6:49 |
A3 | Calm Down Cologne | 2:36 |
B1 | In-A-Pro-Pro | 10:09 |
B2 | Numinous | 7:01 |
Notes
A high-stepping, mind/body elixir, ‘Calm Down Cologne’ finds Garage A Trois in full improvisational flight, composing live, in the moment, on the studio floor. Hunter on the Hybrid Big6 and Moore on the drums and cymbals are locked in a mountain-ous groove. Simultaneously, Skerik conjures the melodic lines with one hand on the saxophone and the other on a clutch of analog keys: Modal 001 synth, Rhodes 54 and Mellotron, among them. The jaunty title track is the only pre-composed piece on the collection, while Seattle singer Christa Wells adds the LP’s sole overdub—a Stereolab-esque inspired vocal matching the sax/keys line on aptly-titled “The Epic.”
Set opener “No Zone” finds OG GAT channeling Stuff with Eddie Harris sitting in with electrifying results. The album’s cen-terpiece, the massive “In-A-Pro-Pro,” stretches ten-plus minutes as it checks a number of vital boxes for which Garage A Trois are celebrated: stone cold funk, outer-space breakbeats, ‘70s ‘On The Corner’ guitar grease. Ever the masters of shapeshift-ing, OG GAT seamlessly reconfigure course on “Numinous,” a dubbed-out descent that winds down the record.
As for the rather curious album title, the story goes that legendary underground Seattle artist Rick Klu gave Skerik the idea when he was describing a bouncer having to use some ‘calm down cologne’ on an unruly patron. More metaphorically speak-ing, a whiff of Garage A Trois’ new magic potion elicits a “free your mind and your ass will follow” response—truly a much needed balm in these anxiety-ridden times.
Charlie Hunter – Hybrid Big6
Stanton Moore – Drums & Cymbals
Skerik – Saxophones, Modal 001 Synth, Rhodes 54, Mellotron, EFX
Recorded by Randall Dunn at Studio Litho, Seattle
Assistant Engineer: Jon Roberts
Mixed by Randall Dunn at Avast! Seattle
Mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering
Recorded February 3, 2019
Vocals on The Epic by Christa Wells
All sounds recorded live in studio, no overdubs, except vocal.
Artwork and design by Olie Eshleman
Additional design by Gregory J. Del Deo
Label management by Kevin Calabro
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Barcode: 020286234579