"The Butterfat Trio remembers the basic idea that jazz
has to 'swing' in order to be called jazz. Their ideas are fresh yet familiar, and the playing has all the youthful exuberance to let the listener know that these folks are serious about their music yet don't mind having a great time as well."
-Bill Nerenberg, Peabody Presents; former manager for Herbie Hancock.
In March of 2005, Butterfat Trio set forth on their first tour outside of their mid-west fan base. Armed with a conversion van, a hand-held rock-and-roll trivia game, a miniature battery-powered keyboard, and "a few" Oreos, they traversed along interstates 80, 90, and 70 to bring their eclectic and hard-grooving sound to Detroits historic Bakers Keyboard Lounge, Chicagos rock staple Martyrs, Baltimores up-and-coming performance space An Die Musik, Twins Jazz of Washington D.C., and many places in between.
Does it matter that Rob and Jeff are at a near-Lance Armstrong dominance of "radio rock-and-roll roulette?" Or that Mark was the first to get 10 out of 10 in the trivia championship? Of course it does. But what matters more is that these three guys are using the combined influences from three very different musical lives to break down barriers that have stood firm for centuries. It matters that they believe in the legitimacy of all of their inspirations, without merely paying lip-service to one style or another for the sake of cleverness or the hopes of riches. It matters that they believe in the importance of music education and combined their tour with visits to schools where they presented masterclasses and concerts to kids of all ages. And it matters that Rob, Jeff, and Mark have the skills to make their musical aspiraions a reality - which is a good thing because there are many more walls that need to be broken down.
Ranging from gritty second-line and Detroit-style funk grooves to haunting ballads, raucous originals and traditional standards; Butterfat Trio has the material to captivate a vast range of audiences, while never losing the inimitable Butterfat Trio sound. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Butterfat Trio was formed in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1998 by keyboardist Rob Cookman, drummer Jeff Moehle, and bassist Lyman Medeiros. With Medeiros now based in Los Angeles, Mark Van Ziegler adds his own unique voice to this deeply creative combo. Performing both as a group and as individuals, these gentlemen have toured the five major continents. Their eclectic and numerous perfomance credits span the jazz realm of Larry Goldings, Danilo Perez, Gary Thomas, Michael Buble and Steve Tyrell, to the late, great rocker John Entwistle of The Who. Drawing comparison to the Bad Plus, Medeski, Martin and Wood, and the Brad Meldau Trio, they are considered by some to be a jazz trio. However, their real passion lies in fusing contemporary rhythms with standard and popular song, as well as creating a body of original work and arrangements that exemplifies their organic yet modern compositional ideals. In fact, their songwriting talents have let to three honorable mentions in the Michigan Songwriting Competition Awards for Rob and Jeff, who also won an honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition. After seven years of playing clubs, concerts and clinics throughout their regular touring base, the group finally recorded their debut album. Under Dog contains all original music, with the exception of the popular standard Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden. In early 2005, Under Dog received a Jammie Award for Best Local Jazz Album of the Year from WYCE radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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We're now accepting submissions for our next mixtapes, please submit your info at www. coast2coastsubmissions. com for your chance to get a spot on the next mixtape!
It's the new Skidmore Fountain single, "Asylum." Let me know what you think!
We're playing Friday 10/17 at Pianos in NYC, 11pm - ditch the family unit for the weekend and come out. I'm playing with the two bands beforehand, Quitzow and Setting Sun, as well (and heading to Europe with them in November). Hope you can make it!
I can't wait to get the CD done and do some shows where I can hopefully meet some of you.
I wish I had a time machine and could blast forward and start doing shows tomorrow.
PS. TWO GUITAR PLAYERS WANTED... Make That One Now!!!
The new material we are working on will have a guitarmony sound and will require three players. We are looking for one player who lives in the Detroit Metro area.
What we are looking for:
1. Age 18 to 27 2. Must be a great player. 3. Studio and Live experience a plus. 4. Style of music is pop/rock/alternative/punk 5. Style is a cross between 30 Seconds To Mars, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Muse, Garbage, and The Used with strong commercial appeal. 6. Lead or Backing vocal capabilities a plus. 7. Ability to write guitar parts for existing melody lines. 8. Must have time to make a commitment and be available for studio and live shows. Currently rehearsals are scheduled on Sunday between 1:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M. 9. Will require learning a certain amount of filler cover material. 10. If you have drug or alcohol related issues this probably wouldn't work for you.
A label showcase is scheduled for late February - so time is of the essence.
If you or someone you know is what we are looking for. Please let me know so we can set up a studio audition.
Whoa! Weird. I was JUST thinking yesterday "I wonder how Rob and Jeff are doing" thinkin' back to my days in the 'Zoo teaching at Marshall's. Then i gots youz bulletin and Capt Cookman being on tour n' stuff. How's life? Ciao,
