Rockbands Presents The Fireside Room- Hidden Driveways (SAA1111)

In a kind of musical time-warp Hidden Driveways tips its hat as much to the mountains and greenery of Kelowna, Canada as to Neil Young, The Flaming Lips and Brian Eno. Rockband has been the main musical outlet for tirelessly creative singer and primary songwriter, Steve Hubert who also performs with a laundry list of Canadian ensembles in addition to engineering, mastering and producing. Hidden Driveways bears out some of the above influences and makes informed progress on it’s own merit as well. Incorporating analogue keyboards as judiciously as violins and ambient field recordings the album is a consistently warm listen.

Rockband- Organica in Box-Sized Shapes (SAA1109)

First released in Canada by the group’s own Silver Shamrock label, somehow an early copy of the album made it’s way in the backpack of Orlando Greenhill all the way to Long Beach, CA. Only thing is, he doesn’t know how it got there. One day while Chris Schlarb was looking through Orlando’s CD collection (Ruins, Danielson Famile, Scatered Few, Henry Cow) he came across the album. Borrowing it and falling in love with it immediately, Of course it sounds nothing like the aforementioned noise, experimental and avant-ensembles, but rather, guitar and keyboard based rock-type music that just never seems to get stale. Creative arrangements and sonic workouts on this 14 song LP, originally recorded on 4-track by guitarist/singer Steve Hubert. We tried in vain to contact the Canadians. Letters and phone calls went without reply. Finally after three years. An email. Well the rest isn’t as interesting but let’s just say we’re super happy that Rockband is on board and look for more music from them in the near future. This re-release contains a lyric sheet and full colour sticker on the front of the album.