Galen James

Thanks for coming on the show last week, fellas, hell of a show down at Charlie Fosters. Hope to do that again soon.

Check the blog for more info.

Cheers,
DJ Pretentious - Royal Jester Productions

Hey! It was so awesome hearing you guys on friday. Quite amazing, if i do say so myself. Really, the minute you guys come out with a CD, please let me know! Gonna need that. Thank you so much for coming all the way down to Huron. That must have taken a lot of planning, and it was great that you guys would take time to do something like that.

Again, it was great hearing you!
- Kirsten Crockett

You guys were AMAZING on Friday!!!! It was so nice to hear something that I've never really heard anything like before, and I REALLY liked it!!!! How can I get a recording?
- Dana Stein

http://www.westernherald.com/?p=4881

Compendium is a refreshing reminder that music can be progressive and classic at the same time.

Having just assembled in September, one might expect an amateurish performance from the local Kalamazoo band.

However, there was nothing amateur about their show last Wednesday at Charlie Foster’s in downtown Kalamazoo.

The band is innovative without abandoning the foundations of the integrity of their instruments. It takes talent to execute their sophisticated melodies and creativity to fuse their many different styles.

Their genre is indefinable, which adds to the intrigue. They are funky like Robert Randolph and refined like Eric Clapton, yet there is a distinct, underlying sexy vibe that makes their music unique and fresh.

In fact, Galen, the band’s lead vocalist was radiating with confidence. Like Bono or Sting, his one-named rock and roll elders, Galen rose to the occasion.
Perhaps his poise was due to the six exceptional musicians behind him. Galen was responsible for rounding up the band and his reason for choosing each member was simple.

“I heard something in the way they played and I liked it,” Galen said.

This cooperation is a large part of the band’s creative process as well. Galen writes songs and brings them to the band. “They put their own signature sound to it and it gets morphed into our own thing,” he said.

Their ability to improv comes from their jazz background. The musicians are all students in the Western Michigan University music program, specifically jazz studies.
Their band consists of seven members, with frequent guests. Galen is the voice, Sean Carney plays guitar, Hugh Little plays the keyboard, Ryan Andrews drums, Sam Weber plays bass, Terrance Massey plays trumpet and Sean Hill plays the sax.

Although they were exclusive to their instruments on Wednesday, their talents extend further than the crowd experienced at Charlie Foster’s.

Each band member plays a significant role and contributes by writing music, as well as performing it. The song “African 6/8” was written by Ryan Andrews, for example.

It’s a spicy jam that consists of the driving drums of traditional African music while still holding on to the nature of Compendium’s unique sound. Their understanding of the origins of music is apparent and impressive, but their ability to integrate the recognizable with the unexpected is where real praise is due.

Charlie Foster’s offered a cozy setting for an intimate show, featuring an open floor instead of a stage.

There was something about the venue, perhaps the informality or the comfort of the venue that made me feel more like I was getting a sneak peak during band practice than watching a rehearsed set.
The talent and training of each band member is apparent in their smooth transitions and synchronized harmonies.

The veteran Compendium concert-goers were grooving like it was a Saturday night, not to mention the musicians whose love of music was obvious from their impromptu dance moves.
At times, the lyrics were a bit provocative and the low lights of the venue, combined with Sam Weber’s raw bass lines, had me literally blushing.

Most of the band will be graduating at the end of this semester, but they plan to record an album this summer and continue to perform throughout the area.

“If an opportunity arises, of course we would take it,” Galen said.

In the meantime, Compendium will play every Wednesday through April at Charlie Foster’s in downtown Kalamazoo. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/compendiumkzoo.


Kayla Powers, a Western Herald Arts writer, is a junior majoring in art history, and can be reached via e-mail at kayla.m.powers@wmich.edu. - The Western Herald