E P K M E N U
PRESS
The Ithaca Journal
June 8, 2006
Ticket Section
By Jim Catalano
To view the PDF of the article, click here.
Non-Existent's new CD
Local funk-rock-jazz-soul band Non-Existent has been around for several years, formed by then-high school classmates Robin Schmidt (guitar), Mike Brown (drums), John Zinder (bass), Danielle Koplinka-Loehr (trumpet) and Moses Wilks (sax). They've scattered to various colleges over the past three years, but they've continued to reconvene over breaks.
"Amazingly, it never seems to take very much time to get back in synch, even after we haven't played together for a number of months, as was the case this past semester," says Schmidt. "We have been playing together for so many years now that we really play together as a group. Now we usually only need a little brushing up of our songs to get back into musical shape as a group. From there, we usually like to work on new material to keep things fresh and interesting for both the audience and ourselves."
The band, which played a hot set at the Ithaca Festival last week, will be releasing its debut CD, "Pole to Pole," at the Lost Dog Cafe Friday night (Cover is $3 for the 9:30 p.m. show). Recorded at Electric Wilburland, the CD comprises 11 original, mostly instrumental songs.
"We went for a really minimal recording style - we didn't do much in the way of overdubs, effects, etc," says Schmidt. "What we wanted was an album that showcased the music closer to the way it is when it is live, but with sudio quality recording - and that is what we got."
The band lists a number of influences, ranging from the Meters, Tito Puente and Tower of Power to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Derek Trucks and Santana. But the group has melded them into its own sound. "One of the things I like best is our ability to play as a group with a unified sound, not just as individuals playing music together," says Schmidt. "We have really come to know each other's playing styles, we write songs together, and we have come to develop a certain sound, though we do remain eclectic in terms of genre." To learn more, visit www.non-existent.net.
Ithaca's Non-Existent plays a CD release show at the Lost Dog Lounge Friday night.
music.download.com/nonexistent
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Editor's Review
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Joining limber jam-rock and the funked-out odysseys of late Phish with jazz and blues of countless strains, this young Ithaca outfit is setting itself up well for a Bonnaroo invite. They've got the punchy horns, the Stevie Ray guitar, the roiling drums...
© 2006
Page last updated: July 21, 2006