BAND OF THE WEEK, ABNER TRIO!!!!!

Hey guys sorry I am late this week. Work has been kinda crazy and I haven't gotten around to reviewing the batch of tracks that I received from the drummer of Abner Trio, Karl Hofstetter . These tracks are the unmastered versions of the songs that will be included on their next LP entitled "The Giant Crushes You". And I have to say, they sound really good for just being unmastered.

I was introduced to the Abner Trio when I was a an incoming freshman to college. A friend of mine who was friends with Daniel Paquette, the lead singer/speaker, gave me the Man at Arms split. I cant tell you how many times i listened to that CD in my car, on my itunes, etc. I had no clue who these dudes where other than they were friends of friends and they sounded great. I craved more.

Their sound was very unique to me at the time. Soft Spoken vocals and harmonies, filled with lyrics that are often humorous and ironic. The arrangement of all the instruments work harmoniously together and just feels right. I'm a sucker for great simple drum beats that get complicated with their execution and technique but also really carry the songs together predominantly, and Abner Trio really does this well. But that's not to say that they don't rock out. Actually on the contrary they do "most excellently." (to quote Bill and Ted) And its that combination with subtle melancholic tones and a full out rocking assault that really impresses me and drives me to listen to the band. Unfortunately for me though, I was finding out about the band at a time when they were on hiatus.

But all that waiting has come full circle. The last couple years I have played with Whoa Bro Awesome and we have played at Dan's old house in Indianapolis where i got to know him a little better and got to hear him play solo. Now this summer I work with Karl and find out that Abner Trio is coming back with a new LP and I get to be one of the first people to listen to the new songs. Back when I first heard that EP I never thought I would be so entangled with this band. Life surprises you like that I guess.

It was hard to pick a single new song to upload and I finally narrowed it down. "You're Gorgeous, Believe It!" is an awesome track and I have listened to at least once each day since I have got the songs from Karl. It starts off with this plucking guitar and vocal accompaniment that is sounds kind of heavenly, then enter the drums and dual vocals. The drums are so tight on this song. I just really cant find the right words to complement it correctly. Then towards the end of the song they just switch and rock out in traditional Abner Trio style. It's really fucking great.

Anyways, listen to the new track "You're Gorgeous, Believe It!" that is posted on the bands page here and revisit their old tracks if you are not familiar with the band (or even if you are)

The band is playing tonight at the Melody Inn and I encourage all who can attend show up and support this band. I know I will. It will be my first time seeing them live after wishing to see them for years now.

Thanks and have a good week. Hopefully I will see you sooner than later.