Bruno Anastasi of ARS GRATIA ARTIS (Italy):
ONOFFON
Surrender Now
This review, while being extremely complimentary, is in Italian. As soon as we have an adequate translation, we will post it. Until then, go to his site and read it as it was originally written.
Head/Trapp
Music (CA, U.S.A.):
"Some cool tunes coming from ONOFFON, a nice blend of jazzy
rock and inspired improvisations. Reference if you like: Dave Matthews,
Phish, or Ben Folds Five."
Dan Gray's Online Anthology of Musical Internet Collaborations (AZ, U.S.A.):
ONOFFON
Surrender Now - 5 Strings
"This band is comprised of serious musicians obviously highly skilled in their craft. Their first offering, Surrender Now, is a very credible effort, and shows great care in composition and fabulous musicianship. The rhythm section is very tight especially considering the multi-layered, multi-textured rhythmic feats that this band pulls off. The band is Don Lake on Guitars, Vocals and harmonica; Dave Goode on drums, percussion; Von Babasin bass guitar and the occasional keyboard, and the even more infrequent lead vocal. ONOFFON is a three-piece band with guest appearances on koto, percussion, backing vocals, marimba and something called "onoffonic philharmonic direction" among others by various artists. The CD has the feel of adult contemporary jazz crossed with progressive rock. The recording is very good and the music is technically proficient and interesting. The vocals are reasonably well-performed and lend themselves to the genre well, although I definitely wanted to hear more lead vocals from Von Babasin based on the performance of Inside My Soul. Some of the sarcasm and performance was reminiscent of Frank Zappa in places. The lyrics are fairly well-constructed and leave one with the feeling that there's more to be known, which I found intriguing at times, frustrating at others. Lyrically, most of the CD I would describe as melancholy or ironic in feel, with a healthy does of irreverence, sarcasm and indifference, all of which are perfectly suited to the genre. Musically, it fits well into the adult contemporary jazz/progressive rock genres with an interesting blend of musicianship among the artists and their guests. I give this CD 5 strings out of six. I would like to have heard more vocals from Von Babasin, and I had the feeling that the lyrics could have been stronger in places, but overall, it's a very, very credible and fine first offering, and I look forward to the next CD due out early 1999."
Donald Donofrio of Don's Music Views (CT, U.S.A.):
ONOFFON
Surrender Now (this review also appears here)
"ONOFFON is a California band that's hard to put into any one
musical category. I guess they'd best be described as progressive-jazz but
they also cross over into several other genres. The band consists of Don
Lake on guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Von Babasin on bass and keyboards,
and Dave Goode on drums and percussion. They're also supplemented by other
musicians, as needed, on some tracks. The band covers a lot of ground
on this release."Weekend In Montreal", which features guest saxophonist
Glen Garrett, is a magnificent flowing piece of jazz with just a small touch
of progressive styling. "Rock Garden" has more of a guitar-driven
progressive rock feel to it. "Please Baby Please" is an interesting
track that features bluejeans, a fannypack, a newspaper, and fingersnaps
as credited instruments. "The Gift Must Always Move" is a great
progressive instrumental, and another of the many highlights here. "Letter
Received" is another interesting track that takes a humorous jazzy
look at receiving a letter from the Internal Revenue Service. Overall,
ONOFFON has a lot to offer and does so in interesting ways. The band's very
talented instrumentally and smart enough to realize when they need to supplement
their own sound with an outside musician. "Weekend In Montreal"
couldn't have been pulled off without the guest saxophonist. The band knew
that and did something about it. There's a certain maturity to the creative
process here and it shows. ONOFFON has a lot to offer and I look forward
to hearing more from them."
Geoff Melton of The Music Corner (WV, U.S.A.):
ONOFFON - Surrender Now
"Thanks largely to their extremely diverse backgrounds, this
California trio has come
up with a very impressive debut that defies categorization. Depending on
which of the eleven tracks you land on here you'll find Dave Matthews-like
funky/rootsy jams ("Surrender Now", "I Don't Give No..."),
pure jazz instrumentals ("Weekend In Montreal", the beautiful
laid-back "The Gift Must Always Move"), the shuffling, jazz-tinged
groove of "Please Baby Please", the captivating acoustic "If
A Thief Were I" (check out the superb guitar work here), the orchestrated
"Remember Only...", the rocking, blues flavored "Your Reality"
and more. But not only does their diversity shine, their songwriting and
pure talent as musicians shines throughout each and every cut. Surrender
Now is an excellent release with something for just about everyone, and
with such diversity and talent, the future is wide-open for these guys.
I can't wait to see what they've got in store for album number two."
ONOFFON
Surrender Now
"A diverse set of songs by this L.A.-based trio, ranging from
the odd-time blues-rock of 'I Don't Give No...' to the straight-up jazz
of 'Weekend In Montreal' and the 12-minute prog odyssey 'Remember Only...'
Von Babasin (bass), Don Lake (guitar & vocals) and Dave Goode (drums
& percussion) are superb players and imaginative composers and the quality
of this recording is top notch. This style of music may be long out of fashion
(try finding Brand X at your local mall) but when done well it still has
the power to transport."
Ram Samudrala of Music Ram-blings (CA, U.S.A.):
ONOFFON
Surrender Now
"ONOFFON play syncopated jazzy music that has it's moments. There's
some great harmonica playing and guitar work here, which goes very well
with the intense saxophone. The vocals are okay; the instrumental songs/sections
in this album are what appeal to me the most. Some of the more interesting
songs include Weekend in Montreal, I Don't Give No..., If a Thief Were I,
and Remember Only.... The latter two songs have a cool ethereal feel to
them."
Dan Krimm of Music Unbound:
"Finally listened to your CD, and I like it a lot. I enjoyed the variety and the consistent musicality of the compositions through the various stylistic realms. I'm a sucker for odd meters, too, and I liked the 17-meter title cut. This may be a tougher sell than typical bands, but if you get oriented right, I think you have a chance. At least you don't cut yourself out of the main market by being instrumental; vocals are a big plus! (A few instrumentals along the way are fine, as long as the bulk have vocals.) So, anyway, good luck."
"I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I enjoyed ONOFFON. "Surrender Now" - LOVE the time signature leading into the vocs. Von's got a good voice for this. "Rock Garden" - Very etheral. Jangly guitars. Nice tom sound. Thought provoking lyrics. Good vocal job by Don. "Your Reality" - This reminds me of something...... or someone.... can't put my finger on it. Deep and moody sounding. Maybe it's reminding me of early Robin Trower. Nice drumming. "Weekend In Montreal" - HEY! Let's "Jazz"!! Mingus meets Coltrane on a Thursday night. "I Don't Give No....." - These are great lyrics. "Zen - Mercedes Benz" HA! Nice harmonica solo, too. Good double-kick work. I like that direct-to-the-board guitar sound. "Inside My Soul" - Right off the bat I love the lyrics. Wish I could write like that. Very straightforward approach to the track. I like that. The lyrics deserve to be heard without musical complications. Nice job. "Please Baby Please" - All right! HAMBONE!!!! The perfect percussive compliment to the tune! "The Gift Must Always Move" - What a nice mello song. I close my eyes and am flooded with a thousand images. Bet it took a while to get this arrangement right! I listen to this one a lot while I'm "surfing". Your cymbals were recorded very well on this one. Nice drum work, Dave. Lots of empty space throughout the arrangement to let the piece breathe. "Letter Received" - What a concept. An almost Vegas approach to a stab at the IRS. Refreshing! Great scat singing by Don. Ella would be proud. "If A Thief Were I" - Nice acoustic guitar. Really nice guitar work..... BG vocals remind me of "Guinnevere" by CS&N. Best vocals by Don on the CD. "Remember Only..." - BIG!! Very orchestral. I'll bet this one was fun! No click track, eh? LOTS of space. 10-second reverb times. Sort of an Andy Summers feel to the guitars. This would make a good "dive video" soundtrack. Another song to close your eyes on. Congrats to Mudflap Buzz! Nice chorus effect on the vocals. Nice bass riffing after the first verse. Overall, it's a very cleanly produced and well thought out recording. The track layering is very smooth. Herb did a good mastering job. No loose ends on this CD. All the songs stand well on their own. No "filler". Von's bass parts are always right in the pocket with the drums. All guitars are very tasty. What I like best is it's not over produced. You allow the arrangements to carry the songs, not the mixing or spfx. This is a very tasty album."
The Record Reviewer (formerly Popular Music Reviews) (CO, U.S.A.):
ONOFFON
Surrender Now: 75
"An interesting, upbeat band. The singing is good quality, but the listener needs to listen to it a few times to appreciate their work. Their melodies sometimes appear to be trite, but on the whole each track is unique and interesting. The backup is above usual standards. There is an entire track devoted to a saxophone solo, great guitar playing, and excellent harmonica playing in the background. There's a blues influenced rock approach, as the guitar backup is unique and funky. The more I listen to them, the more I like the approach. The counter melodies are intricate, and the music keeps you moving. There seems to be a quality that suggests that their musical approach resembles that of Phish. High musicianship with average and at times great vocals. It's a strong c.d. with a lot to offer to a fan of the softer side of rock and blues. It's a strong c.d. that's worthy of an investment. Check them out!"
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© Copyright 1997-2000 ONOFFON Productions
First date online: Mar. 11, 1997