Get Entranced by the Entrance Band

From the band's Facebook page
From the band's Facebook page


The trio began to form around 2002-2003 and has remained fairly low key, blessing small venues in the Chicago, Baltimore, and L.A. areas with their extraordinary blend of talents at live shows. Thinking massively outside the box and excelling at it, these gigs have served as their rehearsals. As they described in a Noisevox interview, their unique musical chemistry resulted in such great improvisation that they figured they might as well have an audience, and so there was rarely any such thing as a scheduled practice session. While many musicians will cringe skeptically at that thought, the product of their music shows how well they pull it off.

Through some kind of magic, it brings back something from the best music of the 60s and 70s that has been missing from a vast amount of contemporary music. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it hits the spot. Maybe it's the spontaneous blooms of solos and extended jam sections, or the bluesy addition of rhythm groove to wailing guitar and echoing, treble vocals. Maybe it's the way it pulls you into a grand eddy of sound like embarking on a journey. Either way, check it out, and send some recommendations this way--I'm at a loss to compare.

Being a mostly-live band rather than a studio band, their stuff can be hard to get. They dabble in the practice of putting out limited vinyl EPs (of which there is a brand new one, Dans La Tempete), but the library has their primary full-length CD (self-titled), which won't disappoint. Also, if you're ever out in the world looking for their music, note that Entrance pre-dated The Entrance Band, having consisted of Guy Blakeslee alone without his present bandmates.


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