Trouble With Machines (The Lasers Edge, 2012)
District 97 is getting rave reviews from some critics. I see why, because the musicians are indeed excellent. However, this is yet another progressive rock band that uses an excessive amount of heavy metal riffs. Throughout their new album, Trouble With Machines , there are excellent musical passages, especially when the hard and heavy guitar riffs disappear. Obviously, guitarist Jim Tashjian is highly skilled and demonstrates so throughout the album, but the constant heavy rock attacks drown out the keyboards and vocals.
The best cuts are ‘The Actual Color’ which has an epic nature and great vocals and solo guitar work, along with a vibrant rhythm section; ‘The Perfect Young Man’ (featuring John Wetton) with a fabulous combination of female and male vocals as well as another epic conclusion; ‘Who Cares?’ with its fine vocal and keyboard moments; ‘Read Your Mind’ which is one of the most creative with the use of cello and excellent shredding guitar; and ‘The Thief,’ the longest cut. It features beautiful keyboard, vocal and guitar sections, interspersed with more annoying riffs.
Current band members include Leslie Hunt, one of the finest singers in the current progressive rock scene, on vocals; Rob Clearfield on keyboards; Jim Tashjian on guitar; drummer Jonathan Schang on drums; and bassist Patrick Mulcahy on bass.
Of all the newer bands, District 97 has tremendous potential. I see a bright future if they realize that they can sound powerful without resorting to tired metal clichés.
District 97 will be going on tour this October in support of Trouble With Machines. “We can’t wait to hit the road in support of our new release, Trouble With Machines,” said the band about its upcoming tour. “We feel so fortunate to be playing shows with Neal Morse/Mike Portnoy, Three Friends (featuring members of Gentle Giant), IZZ and many more fantastic groups as we make our way through the Midwest and East Coast. Fans can expect to hear a good chunk of Trouble With Machines, as well as cuts from Hybrid Child and some brand-new material. We look forward to seeing some of the great people we met on the road last year and hopefully seeing lots of new faces as well. See you in October!”
Trouble With Machines Fall US Tour
Thursday, October 11th
Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
with Fibonnacii Sequence and Michael Bettine (Gong virtuoso)
http://www.shankhall.com
Friday, October 12th
ProgNight @ The Arcada Theater, St Charles, IL
with Neal Morse (feat. Mike Portnoy) and Three Friends
http://www.oshows.com/#!news/cnyl
Thursday, October 18th
Token Lounge, Westland, MI
with Imminent Sonic Destruction, Recycle the Soul, Crutch to Crown
http://thetokenlounge.com/directions.html
Friday, October 19th
Wilbert’s, Cleveland, OH
with Gravity and Chill Broz
http://wilbertsmusic.com
Saturday, October 20th
Orion Sound Studios, Baltimore, MD
with IZZ
http://www.orionsound.com
Sunday, October 21st
NJ ProgHouse @ Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
with IZZ
Matinee show at 5 PM
http://njproghouse.com
Monday, October 22nd
Prog on the Sound Concert Series
With IZZ
Marisa’s Ristorante, Trumbull, CT
district-97-izz-live-marisas-ristorante-21-over
Tuesday, October 23rd
Magic Room, Brighton, MA
With IZZ Lite
http://www.newears.org
Wednesday, October 24th
Bar Matchless, Brooklyn, NY
with IZZ, The Yellow Box
http://www.barmatchless.com/events.html
Thursday, October 25th
The Smiling Moose, Pittsburgh, PA
with Chaibaba and adadsdad
Buy Trouble With Machines in North America
Buy Trouble With Machines in Europe