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Art Baker - 08/05/2007 
The first thing you notice when you hear Contra Coup's new release On Time is the audio quality; it's one of the best-sounding records from a local band I've ever heard… But of course, that only goes so far: in the end it's the music that matters, right? Absolutely – and On Time hits the ball right out of the yard, with a collection of tunes that do what reggae is supposed to do: not just make you groove, but make you think. Take a core roster of great musicians, add strong arrangements and powerful lyrics, throw in a few special guests, and you get a recording that not only significantly raises the bar locally, but pretty much grabs your ears and won't let go.
Produced by the band and reggae legend Clinton Fearon, On Time features a mix of tracks that stand well not just individually, but together as an album – not an easy accomplishment in any book. From the bouncy "Follow The Rainbow," to the darker, reverb-laden "Money Walks," to the positively stunning "Wrong Street," this one tends to stay in your player for a while. And if that weren't enough, add 4 dub remixes by Victor Rice... It's like the man said: "Now how much would you pay?" On Time is an outstanding effort, and I'm proud to have been given the honor of officially debuting it on my program. |
Victor Rice - 08/05/2007
As a listener, I'm noticing something about my record collection as I
grow older: It has grown over the years, but the Top Shelf has not.
The Top Shelf has, if anything, gotten smaller.
and just when I think I'm becoming too harsh a critic, along comes
Contra Coup.
This group and this production satisfy the listener on all levels -
Time to make space on the Top Shelf. |
Chip Walton - 08/05/2007
Written by Chip Walton Taken from Insite Magazine August, 2007
Austin Reggae Music Come Original.
A boxer gets knocked out and falls hard, his head smashing into the mat. It’s not the initial SMACK that gets him. Of course, his brain does slam against that side of the skull. It’s when his brain bounces back, against the opposite side of the skull that it snaps! CRACK! It’s called a contrecoup concussion.
A reggae fan puts in Contra Coup’s CD, On Time, and gets clocked in the head by the full-spectrum of steady-rocking tunes and dub versions anchored by a thumping low end that rattles the doors and shakes the windows. Vocalist/keyboards Billy Geoghegan’s thick falsetto voice has force. Smooth and strong. The harmonies and language of the music is deep and playful. These are not randomly swung sucker punches. They are well-calculated blows to the dome. Get your gloves up!
“It’s an example of the different styles of reggae, but presented in a very original way.” says Geoghegan. “If you look at “Godot Never Showed,” that’s an example of the originality and the honesty. It’s a solid reggae groove, you cannot deny that. But it’s talking about Waiting for Godot, it’s parodying that play into a song and relating it in a very personal way to life in general.”
Then there’s a weird ska section in the middle that starts off with a disco beat. If you added some bongos, it would sound like the People’s Court theme song. There are actually a few funky People’s Court-esque spots on the record. Very nice! Some tunes ride a happy, choppy reggae up-beat powered by horns. Others sneak along like an old train through a ghost town, talking quietly to itself by organ and melodica. This is a progressive type of reggae.
“It’s troublesome for American reggae bands,” Geoghegan tells me. “Reggae, however you want to use that term, to be honest with yourself and to really do what comes from your heart, it’s missed. Meaning: we wanted to do a record that had the foundation of reggae. That everyone would look at and say, whatever type or genre of reggae we were dealing with: ‘this is authentic, this is good, this was done solidly.’ But also have it being honest. There’s no ‘irie,’ no ‘Jah love,’ the only place where that comes in is the guest appearance by Ras Bekim, who is a Rasta from Jamaica and that’s his belief. Everyone else, we’re just being us.”
On Time is the group’s first release. “The CD almost stands alone,” explains Geoghegan, “the group that exists now basically came together around the CD.” You’ll recognize many of the Contra Coup players from Austin bands: The Stingers ATX, Five Ton Chicken, and RokkaTone. The idea was born on tour, during a time when some of the musicians (under the name Lone Star Rockers) were backing up Clinton Fearon in cities across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
“Coming out of that tour, a core of us decided it was really nice, we learned a whole bunch, we like doing things together – so let’s do this! And Clinton agreed to come down [to Austin from Seattle] for about 10 days and produce it.” [quick side note: on January 19th you may have caught Clinton Fearon’s stunning, fantastically pure solo acoustic show at Flamingo Cantina. What a great evening!]
“We had all the horns and vocal parts done before Clinton got here. He mixed and matched them a little bit, said ‘that part’s a little too much, it clashes with this…’ But as far as the songs, they were together. That’s why he liked it. He wasn’t creating something, he was guiding something. He’s not known for being a producer. But his experience in the studio and the way he hears music, that’s why people want him involved. He hears things in a very honest way.”
The members of Contra Coup were amazed at getting to work with Fearon, a godfather of reggae bass, guitar and percussion; once house musician at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio; alumnus of The Gladiators, The Defenders, and Boogie Brown Band. Good friends for almost 20 years, Geoghegan asked Fearon to let the band record his song “Follow the Rainbow.” And it turned out to be one of the most uplifting songs on the CD.
On Time is mainly original tunes, but includes some songs that never were. Two of them, “Together as One” and “Message to the Youth,” were written a while ago by Geoghegan’s SoCal friend Donny Sevilla, but were never published before now.
Produced here in Austin, On Time was recorded by Roger Blevins, then mixed in Seattle by Mell Detmer. You get 12 mood-elevating tracks. Plus! An end-of-disc bonus: four original dub versions of Contra Coup songs produced by Victor Rice. He put his grand mixing skills and echo treatment on the raw materials at his studio in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Keep your eye out for a red-disc 12-inch vinyl release with the original four songs on one side and the four dubs on the other. Straight up like dancehall days. Get your dank versions!
If you’d like to know more, here’s a few Web sites for you to consider: www.contracoup.com, www.myspace.com/contracoup, www.myspace.com/clintonfearon, www.myspace.com/victorrice. |
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