When popular artists and record companies are complaining about declines in album and ticket sales and fans are complaining about rising prices, it is refreshing to see a band that just wants to be heard. Savannah's own Perpetual Groove has distributed over 10,000 free live CDs and encourages free live music trading. They even have a record company, the independent Harmonized Records that supports their generosity. Through constant touring and live music distribution, Perpetual Groove is beginning to emerge as one of the jam band scene's best young groups.
Perpetual Groove is a quartet which combines funk, rock, jazz and trance to create an eclectic dance party. The band was formed at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the late 90's by guitarist Brock Butler and bassist Adam Perry. The college band released one self-titled album before dissolving when the original drummer and keyboardist graduated and moved on. Early in 2001, Albert Suttle (drums) and Matt McDonald (keyboards), who were serving in the military, met Butler and Perry at an open-mic night at J.J. Cagney's in Savannah and gave the band new life. The band began to practice more and more, and debuted on the scene in August of 2001.
Perpetual Groove is emerging as one of the South's up-and-coming live acts, while branching out to tour the Midwest, Rockies, West Coast and the Northeast. The band has landed such prestigious gigs as High Sierra Music Festival, moe.down, Harvestfest, Atlanta's Variety Playhouse, Savannah's Lucas Theatre and even the Georgia Queen on the Savannah River.
PGroove displays their depth and eclectic sound on "All This Everything," the current lineup's second album. The band's growing reputation as a talented and inventive live band has given them the opportunity to work with Grammy-winning producer Robert Hannon (Outkast, Pink and Matchbox Twenty). "All This Everything" alternates live staples like "Occam's Blazer" and "Crockett & Tubbs" with newer tunes like "Long Past Settled In."
The album begins with a brief instrumental introduction to PGroove's more chill side. "Life" then fades away to the slower Part 1 of "All This Everything," which demonstrates Butler's unique vocal talents, before picking up the pace with the faster instrumental part of "All This Everything," a showcase for his technical guitar skill and the band's ability to juxtapose slow and fast tempo.
"Andromeda" is a brief song with simple, catchy vocals and a smile-inducing beat. PGroove displays its straight rock side with "Long Past Settled In," a ballad with excellent guitar work and soulful lyrics, compliments of Butler. Bassist Perry demonstrates his extensive skill on "Crockett & Tubbs," one of the band's vehicles for trance-like jams.
"The Universe" is a continuation of "Life" played with effects added to give the track a dream-like effect. A slow segue introduces fan favorite "Stealy Man," which begins with a slow danceable rock groove and melodious vocals, before Butler and McDonald turn up the volume and the intensity for the second half of the song. PGroove brings out their serotonin-inspired funk on "Scooter" with McDonald again displaying his prowess on the keys.
Fan favorite "Occam's Blazer," a vehicle for extended jamming that is often played for over 20 minutes live, is a particularly good example of the band's ability to build up energy and release it. The album version is considerably shorter, but the faster pace makes the frantic climax even more intense.
The band then completely switches gears to the mellow "For Now Forget," a delicate plea for peace of mind. The album closes with "And Everything," the conclusion of "Life" and "The Universe" to help give "All This Everything" the coherence and unity that make this album a joy to listen to from beginning to end.
