MP3 Hot Day at the Zoo - Cool as Tuesday
This progressively modern 5 piece string band (guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, upright bass) is pioneering a new genre of music their fans are calling "ZooGrass". It''s a high-energy, gritty-urban-bluegrass with strong elements of folk, blues, ragtime and
11 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Bluegrass, ROCK: Jam-band
Details:
Reviews:
"With all the complex amalgamations that transform traditional bluegrass music into 21st century fusion mutations of itself - ''''slamgrass,'' ''''jazzgrass,'' and ''''newgrass'' among the curious nomenclatures - it''s refreshing to find a band (local, no less) that can deftly combine the music with other influences without fundamentally erring from its basic, deceptively simple all-strings ensemble ethos." Patriot Ledger 2/05
"''Cool as Tuesday'' is an ode to Lowell, MA, women and whiskey. But it''s not all raucous fun. There''s a hint of melancholy in their tone and style, especially on ballads like Lonesome 49er." Lowell Sun 1/05
"Superbly recorded and played ''Cool as Tuesday'' gives a whole new generation of listeners a taste of music from a time long gone by from a group of talented musicians that could very well be reincarnated. Good stuff!" Metronome Magazine 3/05
"You need to drive on this album, loving where you''re headed and unable to wait for your destination, yet appreciating the anticipation... It''s the perfect sound track for leaving or going home, wherever that place you feel comfortable enough to call ''home'' is." Outlet Magazine 2/05
"In a state of apparent old-timey bliss, ''Cool as Tuesday'' offers up an inviting mishmash of music that nods at several southern genres refusing to settle on any one particular, which keeps feel nice and airy." Portsmouth Herald 3/05
"''Cool as Tuesday'' provides a refreshing glimpse at the creativity that we are all screaming for, whether we want to admit it or not." Nomasonha 4/05
"What a treat for the ears this disc is! It''s undeniably bluegrass but with a very young feel. Songs about whiskey-drinkin'' Irishmen, songs of leaving and coming home, lonesome songs of heartache and women with long black hair, and of course, songs about mama. Hot Day at the Zoo has definitely got something going on here!?" 168 Magazine 7/05
"Hard to believe a band with so much cracked corn soul is from Massachusetts. There''s homebrewed magic here and returning for more swigs has only convinced me further of its kick. Take notice, Hot Day is gonna be around for a while!" JamBase 9/05
Liner Notes - Cool as Tuesday:
When I was in Lowell for my annual appearance at the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival, I heard a group of young guys playing upstairs at an art gallery above the place I was playing. They were so outstanding that Katie, who was working below, had to come upstairs to get me to come down to complete my concert. I could have listened to them all night.
Later that night, as l left our marathon concert, they were all playing outside on the street. I got my Pennywhistles from the back of John Cassady''s car to join them. John had driven, as his dad Neal had so often done with Kerouac across the country, but like myself was so energized hearing Hot Day at the Zoo jamming out at 2 a.m. that he joined me on the street corner.
"Who are these guys?" he asked me
"I don''t know" i said, "but they sure can play."
We played together for about two hours and the next day they closed our six hour annual Amram Jam with one of their energy-packed pieces.
Hot Day at the Zoo is a breath of fresh air, a blow for mental health and a delight to see as well as to hear. They love music, they love to share it with others, and they bring joy and creativity every second they are together.
In a World where young people are too often told to give up in despair, Hot Day at the Zoo brings a yea-saying spirit of celebrating life, love, laughter and the infinite pleasures of living in the moment.
The spirit of Lowell Massachusetts and its amazing unsung beauty that fills the pages of Kerouac''s timeless books is present every second in every note of all the music I heard Hot Day at the Zoo play.
When Kerouac and I first collaborated with his words and my music in 1956, he often told me of the great spontaneous jam sessions that took place on Moody Street in the late Forties, where
musicians got together at the spur of the moment and played until the wee hours, which Kerouac felt was one of the unforgettable things that made Lowell late night/early mornings so special.
This same late night/early morning energy is what I felt a half a century later as I jammed with these brilliant young musicians.
Listen to them. They will make you feel like playing an instrument, writing a song and singing it yourself.
That''s what real artists have always done. They celebrate life and inspire others.
That''s what Hot Day at the Zoo does, and they have fun doing it, and so will you when you listen to them
Tell your friends to check them out. They won''t be disappointed.
David Amram
October 2004
The Boston Globe has described David Amram as "the Renaissance man of American music." He has composed over 100 orchestral and chamber works, written two operas, and early in his career, wrote many scores for theater and films, including Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate. He plays French horn, piano, guitar, numerous flutes and whistles, percussion, and a variety of folkloric instruments from 25 countries.