Pros
Excellent blend of originals and covers.
Cons
Would have liked double CD!
The Bottom Line
Tired of sound-alike music, or purchases that burn you with only a couple good songs? Impeccably mixed CD combines good old-fashioned rock and roll with picante sauce for ear-tempting pleasure.
I had the pleasure to spend 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 60's through late 70's, a period of Musical Renaissance in the genre of Rock and Roll.
Living in the South Bay Area environs of San Jose, (now Silicon Valley), I was exposed to a variety of wonderful music, and there were always dozens of night clubs featuring some of the hottest and most exciting music of the day. Bands like Daddy-O, Malo, Uncle Rainbow, Crackin', Elvis Duck and Snail rocked my 20-something world, along with my two favorite groups, Cold Blood and The Garcia Brothers Band.
Then And Now
A little history is important, especially with a regional, (West Coast), band you may not be familiar with. The original GBB featured brothers Lare “Lare” Garcia on guitars and vocals and Greg “Gig” Garcia on bass and lead vocals.
An excellent female vocalist, Molly Pasutti covered the soprano and alto range, while Robin Cortez rocked steady on drums and an assortment of Latin-styled percussion. For a time, my number one heart throb and best friend, Craig Barton, supplied extra texture through Hammond B3, and large dollops of funkiness through his more easily transported clavinet.
Dave May later replaced Craig the Egg on keyboards, and the band was occasionally enriched by Jim Murphy on saxophone and a cool conga player from Santa Cruz named Frank Castellanos.
Over the years, the Garcia Brothers Band gathered a huge following in both San Francisco, San Jose and East Bay communities as well as the more agriculturally based Sacramento Valley to the east.
After moving back to my hometown, I remained in touch with the band, and during a brief flirtation with college radio, the talented Brothers were generous enough to send me a couple copies of their latest vinyl output.
Years passed, and it wasn't until I googled The Garcia Brothers Band, that a happy reunion began to take place. Having relocated from Santa Clara to the greater Sacramento area, Lare, (now christened Lare), and Greg, (now Gig), were still doing this musical thang, doing session work with top musicians, writing, producing, mixing, engineering, singing, playing and performing. Whew!
Soul Tribe
For over a year, I was tantalized at the Headliner Music website by promises of a new GB release. The awesome cover art, with purple, pink and golden colors artfully blended in what appeared to be a air brushed sunset sky reflecting onto mysterious reflecting waters was like pico de gallo, whetting my musical appetite.
Finally, the CD was in my hot little hands and I could again experience the superb blend of Latin rhythms, straight ahead rock and roll and heartfelt ballads, (Greg/Gig rules on these). Summertime Man showcases Greg's mellow velvet pipes and songwriting skills; romance personified.
The very essence of the Garcia Brothers can be found on the first cut, Cruisin'. A 'mostly' instrumental, signature pumping clavinet is met with Latin percussive groove and tasteful 'baa baa baa' vocalizing reminiscent of Sergio Mendez and Brasil '66.
A smokin' drum and percussion bridge will have you thinking Coke Escovedo, (Lare/Lare's worked with Pete Escovedo, Coke's older sibling), and Lare's incisive guitar solo cuts through the mix with shades of Brother Jimi.
A new favorite, Still Falling, composed by members of Dream Of Genius, a related group close to Lare's heart, (with a Bacon factor of 4). This mid tempo funkster features guitarist Michael Hernandez, (que guapo!), on lead vocals, and highlights Greg's Fender jazz bass popping style.
Could a single song be worth the price of admission? Try Feel The Love (Siente el Amor), a scorching read on love gone wrong. This composition's Evil Woman benefits from Lare's muscular vocals, expertly blended harmonies, and strong, strong group mastery of individual instrumentation, with special props to a stinger of a lead guitar solo. Ouch!
Lare indicates this one was highly autobiographical, penned at the end of a 16 year marriage:
It happened real fast when they first met
Blonde hair, blue eyes and body sweat.
On your wedding day, you could hear them say
"There's no way they can miss"
You played him real tight on your wedding night
The last time you truly kissed.
What a joke, blowin' smoke
Oh, tomorrow's work comes early.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him
(He's not the one, he's not the one)
What he doesn't know won't hurt him
(He's not the one, he's not the one)
To keep the pet name "honey" better bank more money
For two or three more years
Kickin' back, talking smack
"Did you bring me something?"
Fire! Stone cold woman
Fire! Thoroughbred Woman
Liar! You said, "I'm your best friend"
Liar! Always to the end
Fire! Love without affection
Fire! Like a heroin addiction
Liar! Not going to sweat you
Liar! So easy to forget you
Folks, that's only the first 3 tracks! The band's cover of Jimi Hendrix' anthemic generation cry, Freedom, is funked up a notch, a la Red Hot Chili Peppers, axe work courtesy of Lare. Garcia's soaring guitar leads stroke the pleasing vocals and make this a signature cut for the GBB.
Speaking of classics, the band tackles Malaguena, adding "Metal" to the title, in a show of electric prowess, that if seen live, would show a blur of brown fingers, a head hunched over in concentration, and a rapt crowd encircling the soloist, then cheering, smiling up at the awesome ensemble.
Another Spanish traditional, Entre Dos Aguas, is a beautiful instrumental re-invented as a living byplay between Lare's melodic guitar work and the absolutely top notch percussion crew. Perfect road music or for lazing down the river on a warm weather cruise with a bunch of friends and cervezas mas frio.
The catchy title number, Soul Tribe, sounded familiar, and is written by artists, (Rogness/Robertson), I was unfamiliar with. A spin through another Lare Garcia project, Dream Of Genius, again reveals this song, and the songwriters as part and parcel of this stellar outfit, but with Greg's strong vocals, this is definitely pure Garcia Brothers all the way:
These days when every village grows so small
History has played its trick on one and all
In every face you see someone you know
It the beat of every distant drum, another soul
Well we walk the same walk
And we talk the same talk
There's no difference inside
We're a soul tribe
Well, we cry the same cries
And we live the same lies
Nothing here to hide
We're a soul tribe
Likewise this well-mixed, self-produced CD, Soul Tribe, represents both past and future for the Garcia Brothers. Whether you've heard of the group before, were Lare enough to have caught one of their shows, or are just getting a taste of their infectious blend of poly rhythms, righteous guitars, thumping bass, vocal perfection and keyboard flourishes for the first time, here and now, this represents solid craft and strong group effort.
I was a (relatively) thin, fine, fox and I danced the night away to a mixture of covers, (Adventures In Paradise, Pick Up The Pieces, Freedom), and GBB originals, way back when. I could dance 4 hours without pause, except to fan my thick, long hair or accept a chilled beverage from an admiring fan.
Today, I look for thickening shampoos that add body, part my hair a new way to add volume, and have given up pub crawling for a respectable full-time job. My generation's drug of choice has changed to ibuprofen, and am more apt to reach for the Rolaids before tackling some of that excellent turkey mole like the Garcia Brothers family turned me onto at a very special wedding reception long ago and far away. Still, rock and roll never forgets...
Recommendation
Torn between 4 and 5 stars, I'll give this one 4 stars since my personal bias screams for a full 5 star rating for every musical endeavor this talented group has touched. The Lare Garcia produced and engineered Dream Of Genius' /Swim the Riptide does get this rating for its touch of mixing, engineering and songwriting genius, and you'll find this review of strong singer-songwriter originals coming soon.
4.5/5, highly recommended for lovers of Jimi Hendrix, Malo, Santana, Tierra, Avance, Tower Of Power, War and Los Mocosas. I enjoy singing the praises of strong local musical groups whose self-produced efforts are uniformly excellent, yet under-represented in today's musical marketing PR jungle. Available internationally through both Lare Garcia and Headliner music websites, this may be your day to break the mold and try something fresh and new.
Recommended
Yes
Great Music to Play While:
Hanging With Friends
