Soul Coughing, The Pretenders, Blondie, The Fountains, Miles Davis, Willie Dixon poems, Volunteers of America, Kathy Ziegler, Elizabeth Bishop poems, John Lee Hooker, Ali Farka Touré, The Beatles, The Modern Lovers, David Byrne, Jimi Hendrix, The Red House Painters, Niel Young, The Flower Pornos, Smashing Pumpkins, The Ramones, The Johnny Dowd Band, Dora Flood, The Red Devils, Led Zeplin, Rage Against the Machine and anything by Uniit.
Guitarist, singer and song writer Gabriel Tavares has been quietly listening, preparing a hybrid of darker musical strains under the title Cipher. With this, his debut solo recording, Tavares limns that part of the mind veiled beyond the grasp of pure reason where shadowy memories and painterly images circle, endlessly informing every tick and gesture of what we are. Cipher is a tale of curiosity and the humbling discovery of a shifting nether world, alternately imbued with eerie grace and awesome surges of the mindless and the faux. It is a homemade legend of crudely rendered symbols gathered along a labyrinthine walk in the dark.
In 2004 a second recording entitled “Postcard Angels” was made with an uglier and punkier feel and a tighter and more aggressive trio called The THiNS featuring Brian Dudla [Plastic Nebraska] on drums and AJ Strauss [The Sutras] on upright bass. Support on the road for this recording has been mostly solo with performed loop arrangements (very enthusiastically received at CBGBs) and eventually an adapted moniker—The Gabriel Tavares THiNS Sensations. Full-blown trio performances have thus far made only Ithaca, NY home—yet to rave reviews, nearly covering all production costs with regular shows during and after the recording process, working much of the material from “Cipher” into the set and culminating in a smash Grass Roots Festival show. Writing credits go to AJ on the fifth track “Pouring Out,” a favorite among home fans, yet there was so much collaboration on all material that really THiNS arranging and rehearsal often blurred into co-writing.
Tavares says this about "Cipher"--
I was inspired to record a solo CD when my friend, Sri Priya Sundararajan started bringing me to the SPICMICAY concert series where I had the pleasure of hearing world class Indian musicians including Shashank, Zakir Hussain, and Umjad Ali Khan. I envisioned a hybrid of this style and the droney qualities I loved in the music of Ali Farke Toure and John Lee Hooker.
In support of this work I’ve shared the stage with legendary musicians such as John Specker, Richie Stearns, The Sim Redmond Band, Boy With A Fish (former members of The Horseflies), Kevin Kinsella of John Brown’s Body, and Uniit Carruyo, in venues across the northeast from Neitzche’s in Buffalo to Pete’s Candy Store, The Livingroom, CBGBs and the Lion’s Den In NYC to The Charles Playhouse Lounge and The Burren in Boston.
Other Recordings where you can hear my guitar work include Stories of Happiness, The Proudest Animal, His Head Is A House and the self titled “blue record” by Plastic Nebraksa, and the critically acclaimed Sing Desire by Jennie Stearns, Black Castle, by Eliot Martin of John Brown’s Body and August by Rose Polenzani.
Here--a review by Nate Silas Richardson of John Brown's Body:
The music on this disc is a testament to the creative potential of an individual brave enough to explore his inner muse without shying away from any aspect of it. No, there is nothing shy about this disc at all. The urgent lyrics evoke images of the natural world using poetry that is like a modern form of haiku. Brilliant Tabla playing by Steven Curtis and traditional south Indian vocals by Sri Priya Sundararajan on several tracks fit perfectly into Gabe's harmonic sphere. Sim Redmond and Uniit Carruyo also lend their talents to this project to brilliant effect. All this is rounded out by a few tracks with thundering drum and bass work by the team of Matt Saccuccimorano and Brian Dozoretz. Then there is the guitar work, which of course is not very much like anything you've heard before. Gabe's single acoustic guitar has the power of Jimmy Page's famous (and usually electric) "guitar army" sound. There is a drone and there is a melody- sometimes stabbing into the sky and others strolling through the hills and valleys of a few of the more gentle numbers. Given it's timelessness and intensity I think this music might stay with us for a long time to come...
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Much love.......we are finishing up a new album called, Lullabies for Bedlam and will be featured on the compilation Celtic Dreams this fall 2009! Stay grooving THiNS gabriel!
Founding member and former front man of John Brown’s Body Kevin Kinsella returns to Southern Cali August 1 to perform with Elijah Emmanuel and the Revelations. Come out and show some love!
A typical Kevin Kinsella set includes his new original reggae, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant music and classic JBB songs.
Been occupied in "shut-up and play your guitar"-style single-track guitar on minidisc to make loads of downtime become fruitful. Look for a Double CD package of solo guitar and THiNS surplus around the Holidays. If it makes its way to record store shelves it'll be a real hex-breaker.
Gabe, Good to hear from you! I'm back and forth from Phili to Ithaca... 5 months left in grad school for painting (here's a link to some of the latest work: http://www. ramiustech. com/pafa/log )
i plan on being back in i-town full time this summer.... it'd be great to play guitars together. cheers - camilo
We loved you guys at Lost Dog last summer. Hope to catch you all and your spooky, daydream song-spinning soon. I'll be there at The Nines in any event.
Ain't it nice this newfound sunshine in Ithaca?
David- The Swing Gypsys
gabe ...we have come a long way since the Barnes hill days....love your sound, too bad we are on separate coasts...maybe someday our bands can do a show together...stay strong bro, tOM
![Gabe Tavares [THE THiNS]----](http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/58/s_2af16bda96974eb5a9430c237b411647.jpg)
