ONOFFON

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The ONOFFON SSP of the Day is a review we received in an actual print magazine called LUKE, out of Leicester in the U.K. We have made four appearances in this magazine, with reviews of both of our CDs and a two page interview with me. Here is their review of Your Mind -LUKE 'zineONOFFON - Your Mindreviewed by Rob Forbes"I like ONOFFON and although I’m rarely impressed when I get to hear new progressive rock, there’s something about this bunch that really appeals to me. I think it’s probably because, however ambitious they get, they never lose sight of the fact that music is about tunes. They remain accessible and thoroughly entertaining whether they’re exploring a Latin rhythm or on a wigout jazz trip to who knows where. 'Your Mind' continues where 'Surrender Now' left off, though experimentation and eclecticism have become priorities. This enables straight blues rock to sit comfortably alongside ‘50’s lounge pop, and no-one bats an eyelid. As before, the core trio of Don Lake, Von Babasin and Dave Goode play it tight, with no shortage of enthusiasm, and are wonderfully complimented by Glen Garrett’s flute and sax. It’s really a must for anyone who used to have long hair and a duffel coat circa 1972, together with anyone who has ever been impressed by a Phish bootleg cassette."I'd like to thank Rob Forbes for understanding there can still be a continuity of sound within the framework of versatility... it's a rare commodity and one the music industry should appreciate more...

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Today's ONOFFON SSP of the Day is from Italy - posted on a website called Ars Gratia Artis -ARS GRATIA ARTISONOFFON - SURRENDER NOWreviewed by Bruno Anastasi"Primo capitolo discografico di un interessante trio californiano, composto dal chitarrista-cantante-autore Don Lake, dal batterista Dave Goode e dal bassista Von Babasin, quest'ultimo figlio d'arte, essendo il rampollo di Harry, bassista, violoncellista e pioniere dell'auto-produzione durante la meravigliosa stagione del cool jazz californiano (fondò la coraggiosa etichetta indipendente Nocturne). Anche Surrender Now è frutto dell'impegno economico dei titolari. In effetti, una musica così poco in linea con le tendenze del mercato poteva approdare alla pubblicazione solo in virtù di uno spiccato spirito d'iniziativa. Per via della formazione ridotta, l'atmosfera dei brani è piuttosto omogenea, e tuttavia vi sono alcuni titoli che maggiormente colpiscono l'attenzione: la title-track è introdotta da un interessante dialogo ritmico tra i tre strumenti, cui segue un ossessivo e semi-psichedelico refrain vocale; nella delicata Rock Garden la voce di Don Lake richiama quella, indimenticabile, di John Wetton nei King Crimson Œ73/174, anche se l'armonica a bocca, presente lungo tutto l'album, restituisce a questa insolita forma di progressive del 2000 il suo inequivocabile gusto americano; Weekend in Montreal ci riporta agli albori della tentata contaminazione tra jazz e new wave (John Lurie etc.), ma è comunque una bella vetrina per il robusto sax di Glen Garrett; The Gift Must Always Move è un altro ottimo strumentale, e chi si ricordasse degli esperimenti solistici di Phil Manzanera negli anni Settanta può farsi un'idea abbastanza precisa; l'unico pezzo cantato da Babasin (Inside My Soul) è una ballad caratterizzata da eleganti accordi di piano elettrico e da una buona voce. Le lunghe If A Thief Were I e Remember Only ... confermano la capacità dei tre di creare ampie volte musicali, sorrette dagli spaziosi arpeggi della chitarra. È un'opera che va giudicata dopo ripetuti ascolti." - B.A.I'm not sure of the direct translation of everything Bruno has to say here - but I can tell it's quite complimentary. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Anastasi for his eloquence...

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Another Italian review is our ONOFFON SSP of the Day - another print magazine - FAO CASA MagazineCD of the Month (A must for your collection)ONOFFON - Surrender Nowreviewed by Stavros Moschopoulos"Believe me that it is difficult to sit here, month after month, and proclaim with regal audacity one CD as the best over the others. There are so many interesting artists around the world and so many different tastes that the selection is difficult at best. But when I get a CD like ONOFFON - Surrender Now - the selection becomes easier. Southern California's ONOFFON (Don Lake on lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica, Von Babasin on bass and keyboards, and Dave Goode on drums) masterfully blend progressive rock, spacey atmospherics and jazz creating a concoction that is polymorphic, enticing and improvisingly exciting."Our thanks to Mr. Moschopoulos for a wonderful review...

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ONOFFON's SSP of the Day is a little review left by a gentleman from the Netherlands on our Amazon.com page -ONOFFON - Surrender NowJeroen Roeper from The Netherlands Rating 5 Stars"One of the best New Music Discoveries I made. I'm always on the look out for new music and this sure is it. Surrender Now offers something for everyone: catchy bass lines, strong drums and some lovely harmonica's. It can be heard that this is an album made with love. Only the best recording technology of this century is used. That, together with great musicians gives you a new pearl in your collection.Surrender Now is a great album. The music is great for all reasons involved. Oh, and when they perform in your neighbourhood visit them for sure. When the performance is half as good as the album it could be the night of your life.Surrender Now to Onoffon. You won't regret it. At least I didn't."I sincerely thank Jeroen Roeper for his extremely complimentary view of our music...

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Something a little different for today's ONOFFON SSP of the Day - a feature we received back in August of 1999 - (link is to the .jpg I saved and posted on our website) - Independent Songwriters Web-Magazinehttp://www.onoffon.com/ISWMaugust99.htmlONOFFON - Surrender Now"Let's start off first by saying that this CD is one that musicians will appreciate. The music is extremely well done and, oftentimes, complex, something that any musician can enjoy for the skill involved to master this kind of sound. Directional evolution, rhythmically redesigning itself all the time, you'll be spellbound by the whole production."Surrender Now" - pulsating rhythms are the star of this show - the music is all over the place in a chaotic explosion of organized disembodiment. "Weekend in Montreal" - an instrumental composition, complicated and masterful. Full of tempo changes and jazzy licks. YUM! "If A Thief Were I" - this is poetic justice......it's not really songwriting, it's poetry set to music that happens to be sung. You only need to listen to understand. "Remember Only" - a philosophical offering enlightening our analytical depths. If you are a surface person, you won't get the moral so just enjoy the beat.IN SUMMARY: ONOFFON is about as musically complex and historically challenging as any band can get. You can't figure out what direction they are going in because they constantly change their course. The great thing about it is that it never makes you settle into the sound when you are constantly trying to anticipate it. This can lead to continuous excitement and nervous tension. Sometimes, you need things stirred up a bit."In the August 1999 issue of Independent Songwriter Web-Magazine, we were chosen one of the Top 13 Bands in the U.S. - we were very grateful to them for selecting us for this honor...

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The ONOFFON SSP of the Day is a very special review. A wonderful jazz/blues vocalist that lives in the L.A. area, Patti Sterling, came to one of our live performances - at an ultra-cool, avant garde jazz club in Hollywood called Rocco in L.A. She surprised me the next day by posting this review around the internet -LIVE and IN PERSON...ONOFFONreview by Patti Sterlinghttp://www.pattisterling.com/"Last night my husband "Bear" and I drove to the heart of Hollywood to hear Von Babasin and ONOFFON. It was a rare experience. The club ROCCO is straight out of a Raymond Chandler novel... Quiet dark streets, cement glowing blue and grey under dimly lit streetlights...Walk up to the Theatre, greeted by the music of the extreme talent of ONOFFON. Swingin' to some asymetric rhythms, these Musician's delivered a ninety-minute set of exquisitely executed original material that came straight from their hearts and minds. "Surrender Now" from their first CD, opened the extended set, followed by various pieces including "Weekend in Montreal", and "Mardi Gras", which was featured on the Front page of Mp3.com this week.The music of ONOFFON was IN CONCERT... in an elegant... "loft-esque" performance theatre which envokes memories of the late forties and fifties... when West Coast jazz was boppin' in the form of Charlie Parker AND Harry Babasin (Von's Dad).We hope that ONOFFON continues to play there, and keep inviting us. This is a great opportunity to put "Indie" spirit to work... Von is a tireless supporter of his music, helpful to everyone, with a great vision... Your life will be enriched by their music."We deeply appreciate Patti for her eloquence and kindness...

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Today's ONOFFON SSP is from a review site that been around as long as we have - for a change - Jim Santo's Demo Universehttp://www.demouniverse.com/review.php?did=1161ONOFFON - Surrender NowReviewed by Jim Santos"A diverse set of songs by this L.A.-based trio, ranging from the odd-time blues-rock of 'I Don't Give No...' to the straight-up jazz of 'Weekend In Montreal' and the 12-minute prog odyssey 'Remember Only...' Von Babasin (bass), Don Lake (guitar & vocals) and Dave Goode (drums & percussion) are superb players and imaginative composers and the quality of this recording is top notch. This style of music may be long out of fashion (try finding Brand X at your local mall) but when done well it still has the power to transport."In this day and age of websites that come and go, it's nice to see Mr. Santos still handing our independent reviews - we certainly thank him for his Universe...

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Let us return to the Demo Universe for today's ONOFFON SSP of the Day - Jim Santo's Demo Universehttp://www.demouniverse.com/review.php?did=1604ONOFFON - Your MindReviewed by Jim Santos"More musical flights of fancy from the marvelous ONOFFON, whose Surrender Now LP made an impression in the winter of 1997-98. It's probably easier to stuff a pigeon into a hole than to categorize this combo, but if I owned a record store, I'd file them on the left end of rock with a good view of the jazz department. Zappa is clearly a prime influence on ONOFFON, albeit less for his strict orchestral exercises than an atmosphere of sophisticated musical subversion. With the possible (and regrettable) exception of the lascivious and silly "Wet Legs," Your Mind has no obvious "single," but that's beside the point. Babasin, Lake and Goode (BLG, now there's a band name) are great musicians with good ideas having fun doing what they love, and who can argue with that?"Wait a minute - 'Wet Legs' is possibly and regrettably the only obvious 'single' on this CD?!?! That cracks me up. Not that he didn't hear any of our other tunes as a single, but that he regrets calling it a possible 'hit'. Either way, I LIKE IT!!!!Thanks Jim for another great review...

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ONOFFON's SSP of the Day comes from a very respected jazz review site called All About Jazz -All About Jazzhttp://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/review.php?id=3204ONOFFON - Your MindReviewed by Ed Kopp"With its second release, Your Mind, LA prog-rock band ONOFFON blends bass, guitar, and drums along with occasional keyboards, bluesy harp, percussion and reeds. These 11 tunes fluctuate between ethereal acoustic numbers and dark cosmic rockers. Your Mind is jazzier and more rhythmically complex than the band's debut, Surrender Now. In fact, some tracks bring to mind the latest incarnation of King Crimson, my all-time favorite prog-rock outfit. Though Don Lake is a capable vocalist and the two female backups add some nice soulful touches, lyrics are not really this band's forte. Fortunately, ONOFFON plays to its strengths and tackles more instrumentals this time around. Lake (guitars, harp, vocals), Dave Goode (drums, percussion) and Von Babasin (bass, vocals) really shine on “Opus” and “Shadowglass,” the latter a complex instrumental piece with a spooky groove, spacey guitar, and some beautiful playing by Glenn Garrett on alto flute. Other high points include the bluesy “Alley Want,” the complex rocker “Ocean's Cry,” and “Bebe's Song,” an old-timey jazz number that offers a refreshing change of pace. I've outgrown most progressive rock, but I kinda like ONOFFON." ~ Ed Kopp We certainly appreciate Mr. Kopp's comparison to King Crimson, one of my all-time favorite bands in terms of creativity, innovation and pure instrumental virtuosity - I am completely honored to be mentioned in the same breath as them - thank you Ed Kopp...

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We return to All About Jazz for our ONOFFON SSP of the Day, reviewing our first CD, Surrender Now -All About Jazzhttp://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/review.php?id=3174ONOFFON - Surrender NowReviewed by Ed Kopp "Fans of Brand X, Yes or Phish should dig ONOFFON, a band that mixes progressive rock, spacey atmospherics and jazz on the self-produced CD, Surrender Now. ONOFFON is a southern California group consisting of three accomplished instrumentalists: Don Lake on lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica, Von Babasin on bass and keyboards, and Dave Goode on drums. The lyrics on this release are a bit too cosmic for my tastes, but no more so than the aforementioned bands'. Best cuts include the title track, which blends bluesy harmonica, a pleasingly ominous groove and otherworldly vocals. Also cool are the instrumental “Weekend in Montreal,” which is driven by guest Glen Garrett's jazzy tenor sax, and my favorite, “The Gift Must Always Move,” which features some impressive guitar work by Lake. Southern California is not known for its prog rock, but ONOFFON could change that perception. This is a talented band with an interesting sound that should appeal to fusion and prog-rock fans alike." ~ Ed KoppOnce again, we have to thank Ed Kopp for his wonderful comparisons - Brand X, Phish, and Yes - all amazing acts who have carved their identities into music history. We can only hope to leave a comparable legacy...