Relix - Band "On the Verge"
SCARECROW COLLECTION:NEW JERSEY
NO-BRAINER
Scarecrow Collection is a funky five-piece jamband with a propensity for danceable, hook-laden songs. The band began several years ago and currently gigs mostly in NY, NJ, CT and VA. These guys are not so much about endless soloing but more about rich, rhythmic songs. They mix a myriad of musical elements in their blend—jazz, funk, bluegrass, rock and country. SC’S debut album, Hooked and Shattered, perfectly captures its melodic, groove-based music. The sound is crisp and clean without superfluous fills—everything fits just right.
http://www.scarecrowcollection. net
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Revolving Door
SCARECROW COLLECTION - Hooked and Shattered
by Stu Fox
Scarecrow Collection has been playing together for several years and this studio recording is a delightful collection of solid rock songs. The New Jersey-based group’s sound revolves around strong vocals, tight song structures and dancing melodies and their progressions are punctuated by short solos and well-defined directional changes that enhance the flow of their musical movements. The band dives into several different genres on this self-produced disc but the overriding emphasis of their sound waves is deeply rooted in rock.
The group features Gerald Fee on guitar and lead vocals, Joseph Fee on drums and percussion, Ed Fritz on piano, organ and backing vocals, Nick Setteducato on electric guitar and backing vocals, and Mike Sojkowski on bass, and they work as a cohesive unit to cook up an appealing assortment of sounds. The musicians push into dancing instrumental passages and delicious grooves, and the lyrical imagery and singing skills of their front man lifts the music to another level.
The album opens with the churning grooves of “Texas” and the rocking progressions are accentuated by well-placed guitar solos and catchy rhythmic hooks. They lock into swaying rolling grooves during “Breathe,” and then quicken the pacing on the rollicking bluegrass-inflected “When the World Blows Up.” They shift into a rock balladry on “Pressure” and incorporate dancing melodic movements into the title track.
A jazzy instrumental number called “Burgess” provides an interesting change of pace, and then Fee’s captivating vocals glistens through the bubbling folk-rock movements of “Speakers by the Fire.” The gently rolling melodic vibrations of this intoxicating number lingers long after the music is over. A soulful vocal track, funky backbeats and rocking grooves pulsate through “Fate,” and the disc ends with the Latin-tinged “Hey My Friend.”
Gerald Fee’s vocal talents and group’s flashy musical patterns leap out of the mix on this disc. Their tight sound, memorable melodies and polished progressions are very impressive for a young rock band. The Scarecrow Collection is hitting the Eastern festival circuit hard this summer and it will be interesting to see what these rockers do with more experience under their belts.
