BangTower

Once again, many thanks for dropping back into the Closet Concert Arena fellow progheads!  As is sometimes the case, the search for all things prog took a circuitous route through the prog garden over the past week; a bit of a different trajectory you might say.  This latest leg of the journey allowed me to cross paths with a band that is comprised of musicians extremely talented and well known in their own right.

Referring to themselves as both a "...progressive musical alliance"  and "...rock/jazz fusion," BangTower is the type of band I like to think I'd have been involved with (if I had anything close to talent); musicians and artists that made their own mark coming together to create new music, cross boundaries, and produce new stuff, all while having a helluva lot of fun doing it.  With all that typing, what say we venture to the buffet and start sampling the delicacies laid before us?

With just a bit of an eager stride, I saunter to the buffet and start the feast with "This Is My Town," taken from the 2016 release "With N Without."  The song opens with a bit of hard driving guitar and quickly moves toward a funky jazz-like groove akin to Little Feat. Must be the weather; the prog garden seems to be blooming with bands that have a little extra hitch in their giddyup lately...even the drums kick you in the skull just a bit...gonna be a jam packed week...

Next up on the platter is "Frankie's Silver Hammer" from the 2017 album "Hey, Where'd Everybody Go?" BangTower  plays like they're in an eternal jam session; you feel the energy flowing through the headphones with the force of ocean waves crashing on the beach.  The hammer in question here is in reality an axe--guitar to be more specific.  The drums stand sentry but the guitar is in the spotlight front and center.  I sense Be Bop Deluxe top notes as the tempo swings from a smoke filled jazz club to that 70's glam/art rock mood...

Liner Notes...BangTower claims the USA as their hometown.  While that may seem a bit vague, the reason is their line-up--and the need for an extended stage for live performances.  The core of the band is Neil Citron behind the controls and on guitar, Percy Jones on bass, and Walter Garces on drums.  Others involved in this alliance, both in front of and behind the curtain, include Jon Pomplin, Robby Pagliari, Frank Banali, Rodger Carter, Joan Fraley, Chris Colovas, Justin Stone, Josh Greenburg, and Gary Crite.  Hence the "Made in the USA" tag...

BangTower has three albums in their catalog and a fourth due later this year.  With a vibe that runs from Weather Report to Dreadnaught, the band covers a lot of acreage in the prog garden.  One of the things that impresses me about BangTower is the ease with which the music comes together and flows.  There is a "cascade-like" effect as one song rolls into another...like warm maple syrup caressing a stack of flapjacks...

One more track to tickle your listeners..."Groove Snake" from the 2010 release "Casting Shadows."  A bit edgier than what I've played previous--and that's a good thing.  There are top notes of a Spirit/Return to Forever/Wishbone Ash  "family gathering" wafting through the headphones.  BangTower isn't afraid to change the mood or scenery as they move from song to song; each individual album is like a retrospective of where the band came from and where it's headed.

Learn more about BangTower at their website BangTower
 where you will also find links to purchase their entire catalog; the band records on the Declassified Records label.  You can also purchase BangTower music at BangTower bandcamp.  For those so inclined, you can follow them on Facebook  BangTowerFB and Twitter  @BangTower .

For your listening pleasure this week I chose "Hair of the Dog."  This cut brings you right to the heart of what BangTower is all about; serious musicians making serious music and having a good time doing it.  The best job to have is one where work time resembles play time and that is what is happening in this video...no props, no circus environment, no dry ice effects--just artists playing a groove and getting deeper into it as they feed off each other's skills.  I always I knew I had the wardrobe to be in a band--I just lacked those darn musical ability skills...

                       

It seems we've reached the bottom section of another blog post fellow progheads, which usually means we have unearthed another gem in the prog garden and spent the last 168 hours or so listening, savoring, and  appreciating.  BangTower is by definition a band greater than the sum of its parts--and the parts are of the high end quality type.

One of the pleasures of wandering the prog garden is discovering the side projects, alternate bands, solo efforts, and other previously unknown works of many of the artists residing here.  BangTower is so much more than three guys, each with impressive resumes, jamming together...this is an alliance built on respect for each member's talent and what they bring to the recording studio.  I'm sure it happens in other genres as well, but in the prog garden there seems to be a lot of appreciation among the artists for the talents each brings to the table...one reason why the search for all things prog is an endless journey.  Of course the only way to prove that theory is to continue the search...until next time...