Groucho Marx, Contributing Writer
After months of recording, local band Chester is finally ready to release their new EP, “Assaulted by Knowledge (The College Years).”
Originally formed in February of 2011 by guitarist/vocalist Taylor Frederick and bassist Jon Patrizio, Chester’s sound is a mix of genres, ranging from upbeat and energized funk to reggae to progressive rock. As Fredericks and drummer Kevin Foran describe it (only somewhat jokingly), “psychedelic sex funk—with a hint of jazz.” They’re at the forefront of the local music scene, and made up of some of the best musicians from SUCO’s music department. Both Frederick and Patrizio are currently a part of the SUCO Zappa Ensemble, which is considered one of the most challenging ensembles to be accepted into in the department. Together with keyboardist Eric Luba, they remind us of the level of tight grooves Kakiat Park used to produce when their members were still in town.
The track listing for the album includes four originals: “Alice,” “Molly,” “Voodoo Man,” and their five-part prog rock masterpiece “Lesbianage.” The first three were recorded at Thunder Roads Studio in Massena, NY, after the band won ten hours of recording time from competing in a battle of the bands. “Lesbianage,” which has everything from varying time signatures to a brief exploration into dubstep, was recorded in SUCO’s Studio A by Music Industry students Harry Datkowitz, Chris Coppola, Tyler Bailey and Shawn Dalinsky.
The band is excited to be coming out with professional level recordings, as they only had a rough demo out before now. The full EP will be available online this upcoming Saturday, December 10, for free digital download on SoundCloud and free streaming on ReverbNation.com and Chester’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/chesterjam.
Chester’s also got a show coming up this Friday—that’s tomorrow!—at The Black Oak opening for Timbre Coup, a progressive jam rock band from Albany, starting at 10 p.m. For general or booking info, they can be contacted at [email protected].
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