Active Dayton - Entertainment, events, movies, restaurants and dining, music and more to do in Dayton and Southwest Ohio

LONG, STRANGE TRIP: El Kabong kicks it into high gear with new CD

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

El Kabong is excited. It's hard to tell, though.

They're low-key as they go through their pre-practice preparations. Microphones are plugged in, guitars are tuned, jokes are cracked and no one seems to be in much of a hurry. The practice space is messy-cozy, strewn with skateboards, effects pedals, magazines and disparate amp parts. There's a clubhouse vibe, and everyone seems mellow as they get ready to run through their set.

But this is not just an ordinary, twice-weekly practice. They're fine-tuning a show to celebrate the release of their long-awaited CD, "PleasureCraft," a 12-song slice of rock, funk and jazz fusion, and once they start playing, it's strictly business. They're having fun, it's obvious, but they want to get everything right.

There are interruptions, repetitions and quick conferences in musician-speak (“The bridge, then three quick ones and then the hook..."), but for the most part they run through familiar territory, shaking off the rust. Two hours later the earplugs come out, the amps are switched off and, as the conversation turns to the upcoming show and the new CD, the kidding around begins again.

"It should be better than it is," keyboardist Brendan Rogers says, and everyone in earshot starts laughing. It's an inside joke: The CD sounds great, and it better -- it took them them long enough to finish it.

---

Getting to this point was no small feat. "PleasureCraft" has been in the works since El Kabong formed about five years ago, a span of time that saw the band go through three bass players and three drummers. In addition to the lineup changes, the band has also seen some major life changes -- weddings, births, major business decisions and such. Through it all, they've remained committed to recording some original material. "PleasureCraft" is the result of that commitment.

The band recorded the album in guitarist Grady Truchelut's apartment in the Maria A. Davidson building downtown in 2000, rerecorded some of it in 2002, did overdubs through 2003, and spent the last year mixing. To say it was a labor of love would be somewhat of an understatement.

The attention to detail is obvious, though. A combination of slick production and finely-honed musicianship, "PleasureCraft" is the perfect vehicle to deliver the band's tight groove, a kinetic blend of sounds that marries a full spectrum of influences and the members' diverse musical experiences.

El Kabong was born of boredom, singer Jay Anderson said.

"It was pure serendipity," he said. "We all had nothing to do at the same time, so we started hanging out, playing music together."

That's the short version. The real story, as the other members tell it, started way back in high school. Anderson, Truchelut and Rogers, all Nacogdoches High School alumni, were friends who shared a knack for music. Over the years they all played in several different bands, sometimes together, sometimes not. There were moves -- Truchelut to Arizona to study at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, Rogers to attend UT -- but they eventually found themselves back together in Nacogdoches, itching to jam. So they started recruiting.

"I was up at Flashback, and Grady had recently moved back to town," said guitarist Brad Woodard, who formerly played with The Beefmasters. "We decided it would be a good fit, so they asked me if I wanted to play"

"So we rented a crappy shed at the U-Lock-Em, and that was the birth," Rogers said.

After bassists Byron Reinhardt and Pat Nillson came and went, Brent Patton, who had played bass for Backyard Epics in Houston, settled into his spot in the rythm section. Patton, owner of Java Jacks, helped the band recruit Ray Levitzki after drummers Wil Wiloughby and Russ McAllister ended their tenures.

Levitski played in bands back in his native New Jersey and has shared bills with the likes of Bon Jovi and Cinderella, but he hadn't been actively playing music for years.

"I got to know Brent through the coffee shop," Levitski said. "We talked music, and I came to know he was in a band. I hadn't done anything in years, but they invited me out to play. When we were done for the night, I said 'thanks' and got ready to leave, and they invited me back. That was about two years ago.

"I really enjoy playing with these guys. There's a lot of talent, a lot of good ideas, a lot of creative tension. The creative process presents challenges, but I think this band is capable of being a great band. It can tend to be a little bombastic and over the top, but if it's played well, hopefully people like it."

When a band springs up from so many different musical backgrounds, the creative tension can't be too subtle. The members of El Kabong share a love of playing, and a genuine affection for each other, that seems to smooth that out.

"We're definitely a musicians' band," Patton said. "Musicians tend to move from band to band until you find your fit. Through the eventual friendships that came about, this made a perfect fit."

It took awhile for the band to come together musically, Woodard said, but they've reached a point where things run pretty smoothly.

"We were just working on different influences, trying to figure out stylistically where we fell," Woodard said. "The reason we seem all over the map is we all come from different places. Brendan's from the jazz and blues school, Grady has played rock but he's more of a jazz guitar player, Ray can do everything. In a band this size, you get a lot of different influences. Whoever does the major collaboration in the writing ends up influencing the way the song sounds."

"We have fun with it, and the friendships are a big part of it," Patton said. "Each member has individual strengths. It's funny how it's worked out that way. It makes for a stronger team effort. It comes from a combination of maturity, and everyone's experiences. We have some diverse personalities. You see a good cross-section in this band. That's how we work."