Album Notes

The second album from this Aussie instrumental power trio contains 17 tracks of surf/spy/guitar noir, drawn from diverse and sometimes obscure sources. The opening track, a surf/garage rendition of John Coltrane's bebop tune Mr P.C., is juxtaposed with a rowdy version of The Fireballs' surf hit Torquay, a unique interpretation of Jerome Kern’s classic All The Things You Are, and 9 original compositions.
A feature of the album is a New York/Melbourne collaboration for a reworking of the Aussie classic Seasons of Change, which was a hit for Sydney band Blackfeather in 1971. New York based drummer Al Kash has recorded a rocking new drum track for the Instrumental Asylum version of Seasons of Change. Al is a former member of Blackfeather, and played on the original hit single (and the Blackfeather album “At The Mountains of Madness”).
Another interesting inclusion on the album is the Dave Bridge/Joe Halford tune Bondi Stomp, originally on the 1963 album “Surfin’ Down Under” by legendary Australian group The Dave Bridge Trio. This new version is a heavier treatment of the original arrangement.
With this album the band branches out into a wider soundscape, while still presenting the basic live guitar/bass/drums format. Original tunes include the haunting “Goodbye Bluehaze”, penned by bassist Nikki; “55 Customline” - a tribute to American cars of the 1950s (complete with the sound of Ben’s old Ford V8 running in the background); and a Link Wray inspired rocker that celebrates the firing up of Australia’s first Synchrotron – “First Light at the Aussietron”.
Reverb Rehab: One of the top 10 album releases of 2007- Billy Pinnell, Rhythms Magazine (Australia)
“…this is a band that takes no prisoners.” – Matthew Frederick, The Age (Australia)
“Instrumental dynamite” – Peter Thomas, Big Beat of the 50s (Australia)
“Huge guitar, intense energy, and very emotional” – Phil Dirt, Reverb Central (Santa Cruz USA)
“A muscular, lovingly distorted guitar sound” – Greg Haymes, Times Union (Albany USA)
"Against the hard-driving rhythm section of Nikki Scarlett on bass and Denis Close on drums, Ben fires salvo after salvo of tastily aggressive licks…” – Alan Taylor, Pipeline (UK)
“There are no vocals on this album. They would be superfluous on material interpreted by Ben Rogers, a guitar player whose genre bending technique, taste and eclecticism place him among the world’s great guitarists.” – Billy Pinnell, Music Australia Guide (Australia)
“The overall one-two punch of dazzling instrumentals played by expert hands makes Reverb Rehab one of the most favorable guitar instrumental CDs of the millenium” – Robert Silverstein, 20th Century Guitar (USA).