Music to catch up on over spring break

Who doesn’t love finding new music?  But when school is in session the pressures of daily life can push music to the back burner.

Luckily, spring break is coming up, which means there is ample time to check out these five bands.

BadBadNotGood

This Toronto-based trio consisting of piano, drums, and bass has a heavy jazz influence, but it would be limiting to simply call their style jazz. Mixed with jazz instrumentation is a hip-hop sound that often comes through via the drum beat, which weaves its way into the jazzy notes the other musicians play.

My favorite album is entitled “III” but their most recent album “SOUR SOUL” features Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan and provides a sweet mix of rap and jazz.

The Dr. Seuss Project

This album, written by Paul Bloom, happens to be one of my favorite jazz albums. It was released in 2011, and loosely follows the path of the Dr. Seuss book ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go.’ Every song is inspired by a Dr. Seuss story. All of the musicians have a light touch when they play, which leads the music to embrace a certain subtlety. While the sound remains light, the music is still rhythmic. No note is wasted.

The Owens

You cannot get much more obscure than this group. They currently have a total of 84 likes on their Facebook page. I learned about them by accident while I was walking down Newbury Street in Boston. After talking to them for a short while, I looked them up on my computer at home and I ordered their first album that night, which arrived a few days later with a handwritten note.

So far, the two have released two EPs, one of which dropped within the last week or so. Their repertoire has left a great impression, and their music is subdued but effective. On the surface, their songs may not appear to be able to withstand multiple listens, but the small subtleties of their songs allow for surprising depth.

Ripe

Carrying along the great funk tradition, Ripe’s music is full of fat horn lines and grooving drum beats, all punctuated by soulful lead vocals. From the slap bass all the way to the electric guitar, this is pure dance music. The group is made up of students from the Berklee College of Music and is located out of Boston. They have released two EPs, both of which are worth a listen.

The Party Band

This group was founded at UMass Lowell and is a local favorite in the college town. They have twice opened for another great artist, Trombone Shorty, and have released a full length album entitled Transcendenta. This band has over twenty members, and aims to continue up north the New Orleans second line tradition. Even after just a quick listen to their powerful horns and pounding drums, there is no question where the “party” in their name comes from!