Album Notes

Medicine Stone, a creative monster conjured up by singers/writers/producers Matt Bonner and Alec Smith, is a rarely-glimpsed beast known for its dark harmonies and thematic mass. It moves its large, live-band-production feet powerfully and deliberately, and often carries along a number of vocalists, soloists, and other guests as passengers on the detailed contours of its broad back.

Occasionally it snorts or rumbles, and the last time such a thing happened out came Gauge, a 70-minute epic that roams vast territory in search of an answer to a question that may or may not exist. Rich with overdriven guitars, subtle keyboards, volcanic solos, and ethereal female voices, Gauge moves through layers of imagery guided by the vision and twin vocals of Bonner and Smith, the huge rhythm bed of Justin Cook and Andy Wiemeyer, and powerful narration by the legendary and recently departed folklorist Horace Beck. A massive record.