Here it is, folks. Just in time for our CD release, the music video for Binghamton's first single is here. After a sweaty day running about from subway cars in Brooklyn to Rockaway dunes, we bring you this.
William Gruff - At The Bottom of the Ocean
William Gruff new single is a "gorgeously sweeping romantic anthem"
Feast your ears! William Gruff has just released the first single from our new album, Binghamton. People are already talking about it, as Popa's Tunes said it all in the above quote, and Good Music Inc. went so far as to offer an exclusive preview of our album on their site. They caught on to some of our influences whilst digging it:
“...focusing in on the juxtaposition of organic sounds, against heavy allusions to space, [they] create a feeling reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust or Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.”
What do you think? William Gruff's new album Binghamton featuring "At The Bottom of the Ocean" is available on iTunes, Amazon, and streaming free right here.
Red Bull Sound Select
Johnny Showcase, hopped up on Red Bull, leaps.
So, apparently there's this neat music-appreciation dealie that the hyperactivity beverage giant Red Bull put together. It only makes sense, as they sponser pretty much everything else that is cool and done by skilled professionals at their flavor of cool (lookin at you, Felix). Johnny Showcase was recently added to their list of supported artists, and to toast the occasion we performed at their September event at Sigma Sound (!) in Philladelphia.
Mister Nimbus: 100 Albums That Make Me Love Music →
Our good pal Saint Mort (also known as Matt Kelly) always had nice things to say about The March Hare, and this post is no different. In his list of "100 Albums That Make Me Love Music", he listed our debut Mister Nimbus at number 22. He avidly booked us back in the day, and had this to say:
"In all my years of my booking I never met a band with more talent and stage presence... Their one album is the one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard."
As always, you can listen to the album in its entirety on this site.
Johnny Showcase on NPR! →
So we got featured by Newsworks.org the other day. Here's the video, and you can read the post here.
"With catchy lyrics spiced with sexual innuendo and familiar rhythm and blues, the cabaret does indeed make audiences laugh just as much as it inspires them to dance and hum along."
Johnny Showcase "kicked out all the jams" says Philly.com →
In celebration of Beck's new sheet music-only Song Reader release, we participated in a very special concert event at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Some of Philly's best bands were handpicked for the show, and each was assigned one of the songs from the "album".
As a consummate fan of sheet music, this was a particularly cool endeavor. Our swanky New Orleans funk rendition of "Now That Your Dollar Bills Have Sprouted Wings" brought the house down, and Philly.com was there to tell the tale. Click the title above to read all about it, and scope out the charts for yourself!
UPDATE: Additional coverage on the show from The Examiner and The Swollen Fox
WXPN's 12 Days of Local Christmas →
UPDATE: This article was cited by WXPN as one of the top 10 most popular posts of all time. How 'bout that!
The new single release from Alex Radus, "Hustle and Bustle" , was aired today on WXPN - one of Philadelphia's top radio stations for local and international music of import. It was featured on the program The Key , during which his Helen Leicht added the song to her "My Morning Download" playlist.
Check the tune out below, or read Bruce Warren's article from December 2012 over at XPN's The Key.
Johnny Showcase wins Philly's Featured Artist Poll →
Voted the best of the best. Click the title to read more!
Johnny Showcase - Sensual, Parts 1&2
Dig the new video from Johnny Showcase! Directed by Rachel Gordon, and filmed in Philadelphia. It's already been enjoyed by some of Philly's top reviewers:
“Sensual, Parts 1 & 2″ is tacky and more than a little ridiculous…but one also gets the sense that these folks in the technicolor suit jackets and swarthy shades are 100% serious. I mean, the song is a stone groove with a catchy refrain... to play the funk this believably, you’ve got to mean it...
-WXPN's The Key
"Bravo to all who were involved! You just made the world a little more enjoyable."
-The Deli Philadelphia
"I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that this group is using their talents to make things as ridiculous as this."
-What's Protocol?
Check out the articles from The Key, The Deli, and What's Protocol?, and enjoy the video. Stay smarmy!
Visit www.johnnyshowcase.com for more info
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UArts Big Band record is "delightful" →
All About Jazz recently reviewed a pair of releases from The University of the Arts, including records from both the Transfusion ensemble and the "Z" Big Band. I was a member of the latter, and was honored to be a part of this recording session. Our set featured a solid set of tunes from Count Basie, Quincy Jones, and many others.
"This truly large group (five trumpets and five trombones!) maintains the characteristic excitement of Basie's music but also brings to it a modern, Gerald Wilson-like sensibility..."
Read on for more, or take a listen to the record here!
Indie Music Reviewer says William Gruff is "astonishing"
The good folks at Indie Music Reviewer not only showered us with praise for our debut effort, they invited us to Atlanta to perform at their festival.
“William Gruff” is the title of a debut recording by an astonishing east coast band of the same name. Personally, I was slack jawed before the end of the first song as were a few friends who also had the pleasure of hearing it...
The album is stylistically dynamic with influences from jazz, rock, country, gypsy, Latin, and boogie blues. Each track is skillfully executed and delightfully catchy. This powerfully great record is sure to be a wild success."
The Mountain Man Known as William Gruff →
Darryl at what's protocol? attended our first show post-emergence from our studio cocoon.
William Gruff - William Gruff
Click to listen to the full album online
The debut album from William Gruff. Featuring many songs previously heard from Philadelphia's Mountain Man, this sprawling album hits all the right spots.
Charlie and JazzPA: keeping the music alive
Saxophonist Greg Johnson and myself at the 2009 JazzPA Festival. Photo by ChiaChen Chang
Megalodon performed at JazzPA's 2009 Summer Jazz Celebration, and the Daily Collegian spoke with me about our group, and the proliferation of one of America's most original art forms. The annual festival hopes to keep jazz accessible, and to attract younger listeners to this great American music.
“Charlie Heim (graduate-music education), a performer and co-founder of the band Megalodon, said free concerts like the Summer Jazz Celebration are great things for locals to support and people are always going to want to listen to live music no matter what the economic situation is. Heim and his friend Greg Johnson started the band.
”It’s outdoors. It’s all free, and it’s a family affair,” he said about the festival. “It’s not in a smokey jazz bar with an elite audience.”
...Heim said studying and working with jazz music for a long time has made the genre his “main drive in music” for a while. He added that even as a college-age musician, the energy jazz provides, along with the technical and musical challenge, is what appeals to him the most.
The band Heim will perform with on Saturday attempts to link jazz, rock and pop, even though Megalodon is not necessarily a “fusion” band. Megalodon just recently played at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and Heim said he hopes that the performance at the JazzPA festival will also make his music available to a diverse audience.
”It’s not high brow jazz,” he said. “We’re getting down and dirty with the stuff we’re playing.””
Click the link below to read the full article
2009 Penn State Jazz Festival →
From left: pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Tom Baldwin, saxophonist Tim Warfield, and the Centre Dimensions Big Band. Photo from PSU News gallery
UPDATE: check out the exclusive recording below!
Taken from the article in the Daily Collegian:
This weekend, the 2009 Penn State Jazz Festival will host masterclasses and professional jazz musicians in hopes of inspiring and motivating young musicians.
The entire student-run event is expecting high school jazz bands from around the region to participate in this weekend's activities.
High school attendees aren't the only ones hoping to gain some insight from these musicians.
Charlie Heim (graduate-music education) said he was excited for the weekend for more selfish reasons.
"These are legit-pro guys," Heim said. "Everyone is going to get the chance to check out a lot of good music."
Heim said he is most looking forward to working with the professionals first-hand.
Click the title above to read the whole article.
Mister Nimbus is a CD Baby Editor's Pick! →
Not long after we uploaded Mister Nimbus for sale on CD Baby, The March Hare was informed that our album was selected as an Editor's Pick on the site. Not too bad for our first full-length release. With a rating of five stars, our reviewer seems like he really got what we were going for:
"Precise in arrangement, random in rhythm, and stacked with endless layers of sound that become even more prevalent when you strap the headphones on, this album is both a tremendous collection of songs and a genuine musical accomplishment. ...they've thrown every single drop of themselves into it."
Read all the rest Brad had to say, and listen to the album and decide for yourself if he got it right.
Outstanding School of Music groups perform at Kimmel Center →
Four of Penn State's outstanding musical groups will perform Feb. 17 in the Penn State School of Music's third annual President's Concert
Penn State Jazz Bands to perform →
Check out the article from Penn State's Daily Collegian about our Fall concert. A great program is in store, and was happy to have the concert covered by the University newspaper. I will be playing drums in the top big band, Centre Dimensions, and the night will be rounded out by two others : Inner and Outer Dimensions. As Graduate Assistant in the Jazz department, I'll be directing the latter. From the Collegian:
Outer Dimensions will play some Duke Ellington and Count Basie charts, such as Basie's "Shiny Stockings," said Charlie Heim (graduate-music education), Outer Dimensions' band director.
An arrangement of "Birdland" by Weather Report and Thad Jones' "Us," will also be performed by Outer Dimensions, Heim said.
"We'll mostly be playing old standard stuff," Heim said.
Heim is new to Penn State this semester. Upon graduating from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he chose to enter Penn State's graduate program in music education.
"Working with Dan [Yoder] is great," Heim said. "It's a rare experience to work with a collegiate director who has given us great arrangements and original pieces."
Click the link above for the full article.
"Sax Virtuoso" plays his last gig in State College →
We performed a great set of music as Outgroove, one of the iterations of Central PA jazz groups that myself and Greg Johnson were involved with. The Daily Collegian covered this performance with some great reporting, and it so happens that I recorded the set.
They caught me talking about our music, jazz, and keeping it (funky) fresh:
The band's music is based around improvisation, Heim said. He added the band members try to take the music they listen to and incorporate that into the jazz they play.
"We want to make good music, but also challenge ourselves and stay sounding fresh," Heim said.
As far as influences for the band go, each member has his own which include everything from hip-hop and rock to classical and funk, Heim said.
"Jazz, as a 'living music,' is looking at what came before us as an influence and working off of that, but adding our own spin to it," he added.
Read the article, or listen here!
Mountain Man - Mountain Man
The self-recorded album from before they were William Gruff. Listen