Everett Fox Band

The local Scene continues to pulsate with new music that should keep the clubs hopping well into the new year. Local musicians are steadily pumping out new albums, and this week another new recording hits the stores when the Everett Fox Band releases Liberty.
The album kicks off with "Need To Know" and the killer track flat-out knocks the socks off of most of the formulated junk that dominates rock radio this year. The up-tempo rocker begins with Fox banging away on the piano, and by the time the drums and bass join in, the song has taken hold of you. The music races along at an intense, rollicking pace and then fades into a brief jazzy interlude which ends when the band returns to it's original frantic rythym.
The album was recorded at Pyramid Studios by Jason Arnold, who effectively captures the trio's groove. The musicianship shines throughout the recording, and several other songs which stand out are "Everything You Need" and "Keep Your Love Away."
"I think there's more of an edge now," says Fox. "We're going in a funkier direction. The first album was like acknowledging my roots, kind of in the retro style. You can hear a lot of the old stuff in it, where this one is kind of a new style that we're trying to project."
The biggest difference in the sound lies in the group's development into a tighter, more cohesive unit and the improvement in Fox's songwriting and singing. The material is more refined and he is much more confident and forceful in his vocal delivery.
Their first album, Blacksleeves, was recorded when the group was just starting out. "I was pretty young and that was my first recording endeavor," admits Fox. With songs like "Sylvia" and "Leader of the Band," the album revealed Fox's talent as a songwriter, and also included some fine rockers like the title track and "Pistol City."
The first incarnation of the band included a guitarist, but the current line-up has the unique distinction of being the only local rock group that I know of which does not feature a guitar player. Fox usually handles the leads on either the piano or Fender Rhodes and Drummer Dave Salce and bass player Gary Heslin provide tight rythmic accompaniment.
"There's something about a three-piece doing piano, bass and drums in a rock and roll format," says Salce. "There's no guitar. It's pretty unique. We're just like one big rythym section. I've always drawn most of my ideas for the drums from piano players and guitar players, so to have Everett playing the piano, it's strictly a rythym game for me."
The drummer adds that "one of the things that really drew me to playing with Everett was the simplicity of his songwriting and the effectiveness. It feels good and it bounces, it's nice, it swings. It doesn't have an air of pretentiousness at all. It's got a very nice sing-songy edge to it. It's got that accessibility that way, which I think is definitely going to work to the advantage of the CD."
All three of the musicians are excellent players, who really feed off of each other on stage, and they produced plenty of bounce to the ounce during their opening set for Derek Trucks two weeks ago. The Everett Fox Band is having the CD release party at the Nines on Friday and there will be a free champagne toast during their set to celebrate the release of Liberty. - Stu Fox (no relation)-Ithaca Journal

Everett Fox Band - Indie Artist Profile

Musicians hate when others feel the need to draw comparisons to others because musicians usually think they are making something unique, and of course, they are, but that doesn’t stop me from helping you make a determination about what this might sound like. I say, something like Jellyfish, XTC, Tears for Fears, Spookey Ruben and Soul Coughing.

Actually, I take it all back. I don’t feel like drawing a comparison, nor do I think I can really qualify Everett Fox and his band’s output that easily.

Hailing from Ithaca, New York, Everett Fox band grants us a fresh and ebullient sound that grabs your attention and does what it pleases with it until it is good and ready to let go. We asked the man behind the band (and in front of it) these breathtakingly obtuse questions:

MZ: Who?

Everett Fox – keyboardist, singer and songwriter of the Everett Fox Band out of NY.

MZ: What?

EF: We’re a keyboard led trio (and sometimes quartet) of Alternative/Rock/Pop music with a kind of urban Beatlesque kind of sound, especially the new album simply titled “Everett Fox Band.” We called the new album’s genre ‘Alternative/Urban Folk’ for awhile as it wasn’t quite urban and it wasn’t really folk.

MZ: Why?

EF: Why’d I bother with the music biz? Well, like a lot of artists you realize early on that you don’t have much choice. I mean you can work a day job but at some point players have got to play. But for me it was never enough to just play other people’s music. I had to write the music I performed. Music that I would want to listen to myself.

But also I wanted to create a style that was piano/ keyboard led but not confined to the traditional piano-rock sounds of Billy Joel
, Elton John, Ben Folds, etc.

With today’s recording and sound technology keyboardist are not tied to a few particular sounds and it frees you up to try all sorts of things. Having said that, I’ve found while working on the latest CD that you can’t just play a nylon string guitar sound on the keyboard and expect it to sound natural. You have to kind of play it as a guitarist would play it.

My work’s always been alternative but over time it shifted from a piano/Led Zeppelin analog funk bounce to a more crafted and visual studio-oriented sound. With the latest album I drew from more Urban/Jazz elements.

MZ: Until When?

EF: April 1, 2058

MZ: Where?

EF: I’d like to get my songs in some films or on TV. The new album has a very visual sound I think.

- MusicZeitgeist.com

The Everett Fox Band lightens up and tightens up on Liberty, their propulsive and funky second album. Liberty kicks off in high style with "Need To Know." If this were a major-label deal, you can betcha "Need To Know" would be the first single. It kicks in with a wicked, Batman-theme styled boogie-woogie piano line, and then bassist Garrison Heslin and Drummer Dave Salce kick the whole thing right over the moon, pausing for a nice little descending interlude before going back into that catchy riff, which wraps up with a nice classically-inspired motif.
Recorded by Jason Arnold at Pyramid Sound, the band keeps it's focus on Fox's terrific songs. There is almost none of what you'd call extraneous "Jamming," even though all three members can certainly tear it up. Everything sounds nice and natural, as if the band were playing right in front of you - there's no arena reverb or bombastic touches.
"Summer Child" burbles along sweetly on a bed of Fox's shifting major seventh chords, and his plaintive vocals on tracks like "Leave Me Out" are just about as direct and free of artifice as I've ever heard from him.(The latter also features some lovely Beatles-Melotron textures that perfectly complement his vocal.) And on the mad, organ-driven title track, Fox and the band swing like stevie Wonder, while still making the sound their own.
This is a major step forward for one of Ithaca's tightest local combos. - Bryan VanCampen - Ithaca Times

EVERETT FOX BAND
"Everett Fox Band"

Modern pop/indie pop/electronic/alter pop - USA

In last 10 days I have received a few very interesting albums, and among them was a S/t issue of New York City artist - Everett Fox. He is a keyborder/author/vocalists, and his small band also include a percussionist - Dave Salce. Everett Fox is in music business from his earliest age, and during the years he had performed with bands and also alone. He has played in many New York City venues, and his experience is huge. Musically, Everett communicate with many different so call pop variants. He is original author, and his songs touches elements of modern pop, alter variations, indie views and electronic performing psychology. Some of his songs posses insightfull threathenigs, but all of present tunes are different among them, judging by arrangments modifications. I would add that some of Everett authors views knows to remind na Beatles-que productional/arrangments visions "taken" from Liverpool's fellows last albums legacies. His materials also are hard for acceptables on first listenings, but after few repeatable attempts, many things easily comes to right place. Everett Fox is unique author, and he has offered an interesting authors creations.

Rating: 8/10



Website: http://www.everettfoxband.com



Review by: Branimir Bane Lokner - BloknerOnline

"Of all the new music to have passed my way, the Everett Fox Band has the talent and promise to be the next big act to influence the market." - Chip Talmadge - Former Manager Discount Records

"The Everett Fox Band has been a staple of the local music scene...winning a growing following with its funky piano-based grooves" - Jim Catalano, The Ithaca Journal - Jim Catalano- Ithaca Journal

"Of all the new music to have passed my way, the Everett Fox Band has the talent and promise to be the next big act to influence the market." - Chip Talmadge - Former Manager Discount Records