2015 Leftovers I Edition: Groovy Gravy Edition

Jon Madof: Blivet

2015 may be in the books, but I’m sitting here with a backlog of great albums from last year worthy of your attention, so I’m going to dish up some leftovers while we wait for 2016’s great new discoveries to come forth. First up this week is Blivet, the newest project from NYC-area guitarist Jon Madof. This album features essentially Madof’s old powerhouse band, Rashanim (Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on bass and Mathias Kunzli on drums) with the addition of Brian Marsella on keys. It’s those keys that really make the sound which is somewhere between The Meters and Gov’t Mule. Super groovy with plenty of guitar-slash teeth and an open-eared improvisational spirit, this Kickstarter-produced album is a nice way to boogie into the new year.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4fRVGvHH1s4dH6vfQNuPQK

Bandcamp: https://blivetmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blivet

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Big Picture Holiday: Shimmer and Melt

While we’ve doing the funky-jammy thing with our dancing shoes on, make some room for Big Picture Holiday. This NYC-based 6-piece, led by Avram Fefer, kinda looks and feels like a jazz band, but given a moment the sound quickly bounced from the groovy to the rocking to the totally unleashed. Nothing fancy, but tough not to enjoy.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6XSmthktUAWM1rsajOXq6g

Bandcamp: http://bigpictureholiday.bandcamp.com/album/shimmer-and-melt