Search - The Zen Tricksters :: Shaking Off the Weirdness

The Zen Tricksters
Shaking Off the Weirdness
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
1. Talk of the Town
2. Light of Life
3. All Night Long Blues
4. Waiting For a Sign
5. Sleepwalking
6. Last Ten Years
7. The One
8. No One Said It'd Be Easy
9. High Horse
10. The Dean Street Mess Around

CD Details

All Artists: The Zen Tricksters
Title: Shaking Off the Weirdness
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Zebra Tango
Original Release Date: 12/17/2002
Re-Release Date: 1/3/2003
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Jam Bands, Rock Jam Bands
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 616798277236

Synopsis

Album Description

For Shaking Off the Weirdness, The Zen Tricksters' third CD, the band has explored their penchant for acoustic music. The album features 10 original songs including new titles such as High Horse and Sleepwalking, plus staples of their live shows, Light of Life and The One, and boasts a colorful roster of special guests including former Trickster and current member of The Other Ones and Phil Lesh & Friends, Rob Barraco, Buddy Cage (New Riders of the Purple Sage), and Jason Crosby (former ZT, now with Susan Tedeschi and Oteil & the Peacemakers). Formed 24 years ago, the Tricksters are a New York based national touring band who enjoy playing a heavily mixed bag of tunes including rock, psychedelia, blues, bluegrass, jazz, and folk, but somehow meld it all into a sound that is distinctly their own. Founder and lead guitarist Jeff Mattson played three shows in the Fall of 1999 with Phil Lesh & Friends and co-wrote featured track, Leave Me Out of This on Phil & Friends recent Sony CD, There and Back Again.

CD Reviews

The Zen Tricksters Third CD is their Best!!

R. Mattson | New York, NY | 02/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is Jeff (Mattson) singing? It's by far the best he's ever sounded. The production is really, really good. It also really sounds like them. The guitar playing is amazing, of course. But we expect this. I consider Jeff one of America's undiscovered musical treasures. His sound is always immaculate, his rhythms propulsive and articulate, his ideas clear and well sequenced. When he's flashy, it grows out of where the music is going rather than a desire to impress. He also displays a thorough understanding of how the guitar works and what it is supposed to do. Not in the "session playing, I do a million styles" kind of way, but a profound intuitive sensitivity to the mechanics of how the instrument produces sound. There are many, many players with bigger reputations that only get a part of it.
I like the material, which is very accessible, and I love the playing even more. The extra instruments really help in this format. I know the Tricksters can pull it off live as a trio, but for listening it makes a difference. This is a much better record as a listening experience than the previous one. However, live I will always prefer Jeff with a drummer who understands him. In my opinion Christian (Cassan)did a great job here. I thought there was a pop clarity in the rhythm section that hadn't been there before without sacrificing any of the jam flexibility. Klyph (Black) has always made a lot of sense to me as a bass player, especially in the Tricksters. He really is unique and individual. Tom's (Circosta) acoustic playing is very sensitive here and just what it needs to be. Jeff is also one of the most honest guitar players out there. I'm always struck by the depth of sincerity in his playing. "The One" is a really good song. The first one that lights my songwriting (as opposed to playing) buzzer. An incredible album! This will be enjoyed by fans of the Zen Tricksters and folks who have never heard them play."