John Czajkowski (guitars), Darren Debree (drums, perscussion), Harley Magsino (bass) w/ very special guest Jerry Goodman (electric violin); additional guests include: Scott Lerner (1st guitar solo on "Bionic Hillbilly"), Brian Kahanek (fuzz guitar on "Sacred Watershed"), and Kevin Freeby (bass on "F Street Fulano").
Influences
Frank Zappa, Fantomas, John McLaughlin, The Dixie Dregs, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Police, Rush, Tribal Tech, Scott Henderson, Living Colour, Bad Brains, Egberto Gismonte, Pat Metheny, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Ramstein, Dillenger Escape Plan, Allan Holdsworth, Maurice Ravel, Rocky and Bullwinkle and other killer Cartoon Music from the 60s and 70s.
Hectic
Watermelon is a progressive "Post-Zappa Commando-Fusion"
action-music band from San Diego-Los Angeles comprised of John
Czajkowski on guitars, Darren DeBree on drums, and Harley Magsino on
bass. The recently released album, The
Great America Road Trip, featuring Jerry Goodman (of Mahavishnu
Orchestra and Dixie Dregs) is now available at Abstract
Logix and other stores and received a NUMBER ONE RANKING in the UK Jazzwise
Alternative Jazz College Charts!
The Great
American Road Trip comes
along to give me hope that jazz-rock fusion hasn’t collapsed like a
poorly-made soufflé under the weight of its own clichés."
- Reviewed by Dave
Wayne at Jazz Review
"John McLaughlin’s influence is felt throughout the album, but Frank
Zappa is also quite present—not in Czajkowski’s guitar playing, but in
his witty writing and sense of humor. Both entertaining and technically
impressive, The Great American Road Trip has enough jazz to titillate
fusion fans, enough complexity to please the progressively inclined,
but most of all (and despite the above statements about Zappa and
McLaughlin) it has its own endearing personality. And that, more than
anything else is what makes it such a strong debut album. Highly
recommended."
-
Reviewed by François Couture for the All Music Guide
"A tour de force, (The Great American Road Trip) showcases his dazzling
fretwork, contrapuntal ingenuity and impeccable ensemble playing with
bassist Harley Magsino and drummer Darren Debree (violinist Goodman is
featured on nine of the album's 11 selections)...a virtuoso fusion
band…a fleet-fingered guitarist and composer…intricate compositions
(that) blend elements of fusion jazz, prog-rock, funk and contemporary
classical." - By George Varga POP MUSIC
CRITIC San Diego
Union-Tribune
"I absolutely
love when an obscure band comes seemingly out from nowhere to kick my
behind. Coming at you with a high tech, ultra dense progressive fusion
attack, this Navy SEAL-led band has all the talent and imagination
(for) the hardest core fusion heads anywhere. And they don't just
appeal to that genre, this music has such a unique sound and the
players are outrageously gifted, that progressive rock fans that have a
flair for instrumental adventure will find more than enough to appeal
to their senses." - MJBrady
Prognosis
"With so much competition in the marketplace, musicians can find it
difficult to make an original musical statement that separates them
from the pack. Not everyone will be a true innovator. But there are
musician’s who take their influences, add healthy doses of their own
unique talent, and manage to push the musical envelope with their
creativity. The music on The Great American Road Trip by Hectic
Watermelon is a very good example of that process." - Rod Sibley
Abstract Logix Featured Review
West ZooOpolis with Marco
Minnemann is an ambitious
new project with the über-talented German drummer, known for his
breathtaking “interdependent ostinati” and heavy polyrhythmic grooves.
Five different composers will each write and record music around an
extraordinary 52-minute improvised drum performance called Normalizer
2. Trey Gunn, Mike Keneally, Alex Machacek, Phi Yaan-Zek, Mario Brinkman, Marco and John will each contribute
their own unique compositional approach. John's production team
includes Kevin Freeby on bass and
is called West ZooOpolis.
Additional guests include Chris Taylor.
