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From the inaugural issue of “The Gist” May 2006:
I must say I was truly fortunate to attend the Marvin’s Garden show at Mr.
Robert’s recently. If it weren’t for the random waking phone call from an
old friend, I would have missed one of the more impressive upcoming acts
I’ve seen in Madison in quite a while. I’ll admit I’m a true skeptic when
it comes to the Acoustic/Electric genre. There are so many groups in this
genre, it can sometimes be hard to tell what to expect, especially when the
experimental element comes to play.
But these guys really impressed me with their overall talent. Driving rock
to ballads, blues to fusion jazz, and syncopated melodies to good-time
drinking folk songs—Marvin’s Garden blended these elements perfectly with
the interaction between the band and the crowd led by lead vocalist, Justin
Sprague. When I walked in, the first thing caught my attention was the bass
player, Tim Peeters, rockin’ a very bluesy jam on an upright bass. I
thought that was a cool touch to the traditional acoustic/electric mix, not
to mention a very cool way to break in the audience. In the second set,
bows were drawn and the experimentation began. Lead guitarist, Kenny Leiser
brought his violin to the fore, mixing the traditional with the
experimental.
This was a perfect balance of classical, folk, jazz and acoustic rock,
modernized by the electric tonality that all string players in the group
possessed. These guys are very talented and they definitely know their way
around their fret-boards. Their unique fusion never missed a beat, with
their drummer, Tim Giles, laying down a solid groove, and molding a
danceable feel to the colorful array of instrumentation to their
songwriting. As the night progressed, the audience had grown to an
impressive capacity, at that’s when the band got down right funky. At this
point, the band had the audience captivated, a bunch of lovely ladies
dancing up front, and everyone getting down to some good old fashioned funky
grooves.
In the last set, all of the members had their moment to shine, showcasing
their musical talent by breaking down and trading solos leading up to their
grand finale. This band kept on rocking harder till the end of the night,
never letting the audience down and never failing to impress. I walked into
Mr. Robert’s expecting a good-time jam band, but what I experienced went far
beyond that.
I definitely recommend catching one of their upcoming shows. I think
you’ll be impressed, and have a great time in the process.
I must say I was truly fortunate to attend the Marvin’s Garden show at Mr.
Robert’s recently. If it weren’t for the random waking phone call from an
old friend, I would have missed one of the more impressive upcoming acts
I’ve seen in Madison in quite a while. I’ll admit I’m a true skeptic when
it comes to the Acoustic/Electric genre. There are so many groups in this
genre, it can sometimes be hard to tell what to expect, especially when the
experimental element comes to play.
But these guys really impressed me with their overall talent. Driving rock
to ballads, blues to fusion jazz, and syncopated melodies to good-time
drinking folk songs—Marvin’s Garden blended these elements perfectly with
the interaction between the band and the crowd led by lead vocalist, Justin
Sprague. When I walked in, the first thing caught my attention was the bass
player, Tim Peeters, rockin’ a very bluesy jam on an upright bass. I
thought that was a cool touch to the traditional acoustic/electric mix, not
to mention a very cool way to break in the audience. In the second set,
bows were drawn and the experimentation began. Lead guitarist, Kenny Leiser
brought his violin to the fore, mixing the traditional with the
experimental.
This was a perfect balance of classical, folk, jazz and acoustic rock,
modernized by the electric tonality that all string players in the group
possessed. These guys are very talented and they definitely know their way
around their fret-boards. Their unique fusion never missed a beat, with
their drummer, Tim Giles, laying down a solid groove, and molding a
danceable feel to the colorful array of instrumentation to their
songwriting. As the night progressed, the audience had grown to an
impressive capacity, at that’s when the band got down right funky. At this
point, the band had the audience captivated, a bunch of lovely ladies
dancing up front, and everyone getting down to some good old fashioned funky
grooves.
In the last set, all of the members had their moment to shine, showcasing
their musical talent by breaking down and trading solos leading up to their
grand finale. This band kept on rocking harder till the end of the night,
never letting the audience down and never failing to impress. I walked into
Mr. Robert’s expecting a good-time jam band, but what I experienced went far
beyond that.
I definitely recommend catching one of their upcoming shows. I think
you’ll be impressed, and have a great time in the process.