They’re at it again!...I will resist the urge to sputter about not having been asked to write a commentary on the last Acker Bros. record If That, Then This…water over the bridge, guys. This latest offering by the brothers, who have been unfairly characterized as second-string ditty-smiths, is a foray into musical territory yet unknown (perhaps unknowable!) to their dry, high-brow, poll-reading critics. This music grooves, bops…as incandescent as a neon sign! And there could be no more fitting a title than Wigged Out! Take, for instance, the track “I Dream of Zeenies”…paging Doctor Freud! More than music, this record is punctuated with sonic exclamation points of a kind you might hear in some soulful sci-fi fantasy. If “Misty” is your bag, put this record back on the shelf. If you can dig today’s souped-up sounds, put your bebop records back in their dust jackets, slap this on the changer, and strap yourself in for lift-off….Houston, there is NO problem here!
Herb Fountainbleu – Jazz Examiner
Grab two handfuls of your own hair and get “Wigged Out!” along with the uptight and outta sight Acker Bros as they let their backbones slip and ride their own personal crazy train to Groovsylvania!! What a scene!! Along with the brothers on this trip are the following hip to the trip, hep cats:
Lee Goodness (Curtis Mayfield, Chuck Leavell, Sean Costello) - Drums and Percussion
http://www.monsterdrums.com/
Dan Graham – Drums
http://www.dangrahamdrums.com/
Joe Manis (Cherry Poppin’ Daddies) – Tenor Sax
http://www.myspace.com/joemanis
Max Fronek – Alto Sax
http://www.myspace.com/maxonthesax
Doug Horning (Marmalade Army) – Vocals
http://www.myspace.com/marmaladearmy
So climb aboard our “Happening” as we leave the jive turkeys to eat our dust and swing hard to the way gone “get it on” beat all the way back to the crash pad! Go Daddy Go!!!!!!.
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Fulton natives Victor and Dana Acker paint a vibrant contemporary jazz picture with "Wigged Out!"
The brothers now call the Boston area home, and the 10-song CD captures the hustle and bustle of Beantown.
Victor takes the main line on guitar; Dana masters the bass. Both compose and share the load on keyboards and percussion.
They deliver great melody and whirling keyboards from the start with "Mixo Schmixo." "The Viper" threads an Ed Sullivan intro and thrill-ride screams with horns that fit in on a big TV variety show. "I Dream of Zeenies" soars into a high and happy zone.
You'd think and hope that a song called "E. Pluribus Zawinul" -- after the late, great keyboardist Joe Zawinul of Weather Report -- would be cutting edge. And thrillingly out-there it is.
Mark Bialczak
The Post Standard
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