Written by Advocate Staff
Tuesday, 05 October 2010
Local artists reviewed
No Cheez Orchestra, Mummarts and Boggarts (self-released, nocheez.com). Ronnie Neuhauser is a long-time New Haven-area guitarist and composer, dating back to his band Grooveyard in the ’90s. With Styrocultural Antidote, he helped produce and compose music for the video The Shakespeare Lady about local street performer Margaret Holloway — that’s deep, inside Elm City cred. Mummarts and Boggarts is the latest Zappa-like work from his No Cheez Orchestra, featuring the virtuosic work of Neuhauser, Fred Melillo (bass); Jason Gavin and Jeremy Shulick (drums); and Trisha Radil and Mike Yost (vocals). Thirteen well-recorded tracks feature spoken word, unusual time signatures, complex changes and heavy usage of doubling or harmonizing. For instance: the guitar might play a long, rapid-fire, seemingly improvised riff, which will be doubled (sometimes harmonized) by the bass, which will be mimicked rhythmically by the drums, which will underpin a two-part, scat-style, vocal harmony of seemingly nonsense syllables (lyrics included with CD). The whole effect can be powerful and mesmerizing; at times operatic and at times rocking and funky. The lyrics and attitude are clearly lefty (Noam Chomsky is credited as an inspiration), often funny and sometimes preachy. —James Velvet
No Cheez Orchestra again delivers an eclectic, progressive offering. Hoards of musical styles and the avant garde will be heard. In the words of one reviewer: Ronnie Neuhauser is a force of nature. In a world where a musician’s success seems to encourage compromise of both music and message, Ronnie thankfully pushes back hard. Mummarts and Boggarts, the latest release from his NO CHEEZ ORCHESTRA is an impressive musical statement from start to finish, the kind of recording best appreciated in one sitting, preferably with headphones or a kick-ass sound system. It makes you groove, it makes you smile, it makes you think. The musicianship, concept and recording quality of this project are all top shelf. This one won’t be leaving my car CD player for weeks. Tony Di
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