Hard Garden: Extended Play #1
Two time IBC semi-finalist and award winning duo Son Jack Jr and Michael Wilde team up with veteran Jazz/Funk musician Garrett Williams to form new music project Hard Garden. The concept behind Hard Garden is to bring forward all that’s appealing about the blues and modernize it by infusing it with elements of EDM (electronic dance music) imagine a mash up of Fat Boy Slim, North Mississippi All-stars, Stone Foxes and RL Burnside.
The three-song EP “Extended Play #1 features the country blues slide guitar and everyman vocals of Son Jack Jr. alongside the rough and tumble harp playing of Michael Wilde layered in a dance hall blend of loops, samples and freestyle funk from mix master Garret Williams. Boom right out the gate the groove just kills love, love, love, it – can you say Achtung Baby of the blues.
The opening track “Dangerous,” with its electro boogaloo beat and grinding riff is a party time call out from the leader of the pack. Track 2 “Showtime,” pays tribute to the Godfather of Soul and all the disciples of funk then blasts off with a hot horn section on its way to an interstellar get down. The thumping “Papa’s in the Juke Joint,” rounds out the collection with a prophetic tale of hard living delivered with some devilish slide guitar.
Stellar production values deliver three carefully crafted tracks that will give the listener little gems to discover anew with each listen. Let’s hope this is the tip of iceberg and the full album will just go and go even further down this road.
http://www.hardgardenmusic.com/