Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Getting Surrealistic with Viridian Groove

Autumn Equinox greetings fellow progheads!  Hard to believe it is that time already...and while I hate to see summer fall off the calendar so soon, I am excited to continue the search for all things prog. Walking through the prog garden I discovered some new growth in the experimental section...so wasting no time, I packed up the Concert Closet and headed to Venezuela to expand my horizons and bore deeper into the sounds of The Viridian Groove.



The Viridian Groove refer to themselves simply as an experimental/progressive rock band.  I have only made the journey to "The Land of Grace" once or twice in the past, so discovering more progressive music in this part of South America is a bit exciting; I can feel the prog juices starting to flow already...let us get to that buffet and see what is on the menu...

Viridian Groove released their debut album "Surrealistic Sweven" this past April and my first slice from the disc is a bit on the "altered states" side, "Uthominis."  The song opens as if walking through a time warp of sorts...everything seems a bit off center...and then the mood goes from dark to calm; almost serene. The vocals come in stage right like voices breaking through a veil of unconsciousness slowly and methodically.  The horns play off the guitars quite nicely and the bass line keeps everyone in check. There is an "otherworldly" atmosphere to this piece; think New York Dolls covering early Pink Floyd, with a touch of Brian Eno/David Bowie and their mid 70's flair and artistry.

Viridian Groove  certainly grasp the concept of experimental; meandering through this album you feel as though you're being pulled into intermittent mood altering pods...be soothed here for a bit then move down the oscillating hallway for a small dose of tension and mystery...yet further down, don't be alarmed by the jazz fusion feel...you are in the right place and everything is going to be OK...

Next up on this existential mood elevator is a cut called "Juxtaexposing." The piece opens as though I am overhead looking down into an ICU ward at a patient in distress...and then the mood quickly picks up, the atmosphere changes, and Viridian Groove is channeling Frank Zappa at his experimental/prog best.  I believe I detect a touch of captain Beefheart wafting in the air as well.  The vocals are strung between fiddles and horns while the percussion work grabs the entire piece by the neck...

Liner Notes...The Viridian Groove calls Valencia, Venezuela home and is theoretically a two-man band...but as with their music, nothing is quite as it seems with The Viridian Groove.  Victor-Lio Angulo on guitar, bass, cuatro, and keyboards, and Jose Luis Vazquez on vocals are the founding members and heart and soul of the group.  For their initial release, Viridian Groove included Daniel Cruz on violins, Enrique Lara on woodwinds, and Miguel Mendoza on drums and percussion. Additional sound provided by Douglas Dominguez on drums, Veronica Lozada on strings, Flavio Gasparini on guitars, and Laura Diaz-Santos on background vocals.  A crowded studio indeed for a two-person operation...

       

Third and final course from this Venezuelan prog feast is called "Planetarius," another cut that attempts to defy logic.  Viridian Groove seems to enjoy walking the listener down a path in the prog garden lined with random imagery and wild sound.  Much is happening in the foreground and the background here; best to just strap in and enjoy the ride.  The Viridian Groove staked out their prog garden plot in the vicinity of Ivan Perilli and The Happy Graveyard Orchestra; serious musicians who prefer to choose their own destiny...

This week I opted not to post a video clip since none seem to be available...The Viridian Groove is a new comer to the prog garden with "Surrealistic Sweven" coming out barely five months ago.  I encourage all my loyal proghead followers to check out The Viridian Groove on their Bandcamp website Viridian Groove Bandcamp.  Listen--and make a purchase!  Their music is also available on iTunes and Spotify...of course the support your purchase provides is much appreciated.  The Viridian Groove are also on Facebook at Viridian Groove FB and you can follow the band on Twitter @viridiangroove.


                


Once again fellow progheads it is time to say goodnight.  The Viridian Groove may be a tad off the beaten prog path, but they have a sound well worth checking out.  The prog garden has strong roots and continues to flourish because of its diverse growth, and The Viridian Groove pushes that envelope just a bit...

As I continue this journey searching out new and lesser-known prog bands, I have come to appreciate the many sides of prog.  The unifying link I believe, is the desire to bring real, honest, and emotion driven music to the masses.  Whatever the sub-genre, progressive rock is, was, and shall ever be at the forefront of the music class.   In keeping with the spirit of enlightening, I must continue the search for all things prog...until next week...    

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