MindFree

By Gilles Snowcat
When you first hear that a group named MindFree is active in California, proudly exhibiting an infinite-inspired logo, you might think of a kind of leadership, awareness-training seminar for Hollywood celebs in search of personal development or motivation to overcome their career’s pitfalls. You might almost feel the presence of Werner Erhard himself.

And you can’t be more wrong. MindFree is a rock band. And they play something called “a unique brand of Motown Grunge.”

Motown grunge. Wow. Intriguing, to say the least. The power of words: images of the Funk Brothers meeting Nirvana strangely pop to my mind. My mind, my free mind allows me such a connection. Does MindFree’s music do the same?

On a more practical side, MindFree is a new band formed by Hollywood rock scene veterans keyboardist Keith Walsh (remember Brick Bosso and some Unboxing moments? Yeah, that one) and guitarist Mark Abbruzzese. Those two who are obviously no strangers to each other, as Keith Walsh says: “Mark and I go back literally 5 decades. As immortals, we are still in the youthful phase of our lives.”
So, why not have a careful listen at what young immortals can do, musically speaking?

The thundering drums of “I Am The Wolf” leave no room for doubt: Motown Grunge is actually close to melodic, open-minded hard rock. This is confirmed all the record along, with a lot of interactions between the 6-string and the Hammond organ. Think of good rocking moments of the Bernie Shaw-fronted Uriah Heep to get the picture.
“Strong Connection”
But MindFree isn’t a copy of anything you know though. There are touches of uniqueness in the bass lines, played on synthesizer by Walsh, and delightful horns by the Moynahan brothers. This kind of departure from basic classic hard rock is especially obvious on the mid-tempo “She Will Be.” Walsh points out that “while tracking the horns for the part in the middle of ‘She Will Be,’ I suggested that something similar to Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain would fit. A lightbulb went on over each of their heads, they said ‘yeah!’ and came up with that smooth performance.”

Despite the strong connection between Abbruzzese and Walsh, MindFree is by no means a duet. They got their hands on drummer Ric Rosario and recorded their debut album under the skills of producer CD Rios. Rios joins the band on stage to play a real, 4-string bass guitar, leaving Walsh free to do whatever he wants with the Hammond.
Although the organ is the dominant keyboard all through the album, there are some nice synthesizer parts here and there, especially a Mellotron-inspired pad on the fast blues “Shoshone.”

The album features two rather inoffensive covers that don’t really match the strength of the band’s own songs: Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” from Nick Lowe. Much more interesting are the two tracks that first appeared on Brick Bosso’s records. The ska feel of “Storks And Vultures” adds a delightful dimension to the band’s first effort, and “Hollywood Heroes” has a fantastic pop mood that boosts the whole album to summits.
Another impressive song is the bulldozer title-track, that revisits the territory of an energetic Black Sabbath at its best. “MindFree” strangely gets a German version closing the album, a bit like a bonus track. Walsh explains: “[Mark] earned parts of his degrees in Germany, hence the German language version of ‘MindFree’ and his affection for beer — lots of beer.”

The whole album is an enjoyable trip, which is no surprise if you listen to Walsh’s memories: “The MindFree Experience is without a doubt the most satisfying music making journey I’ve been on.”

He happily concludes: “We’re all thrilled to have finally completed our first masterpiece.”

Gilles is a Belgium-based, globe-trotting polyglot, a singer/songwriter with a flair for the absurd and a mastery of instruments who started in the late 1980s making music. - Punk Rock Beat . com

Mark Abbruzzese (guitar and vocals) and Keith Walsh (keys and bass synth) have known each other since kindergarten but they just recently released their debut self-titled album Mindfree. Ric Rosario, drummer joined in 2021 while CD Rios was the engineer/producer. At their core they are a rock band and I would also say they sound like a live band at least on this album. The recordings sound like they are playing a room together.

They get going with a nice romp of a song entitled “I Am The Wolf” that is an upbeat and fun song. It reminds me of a song you might want to hear on a Friday night hoping to have a good time.

The band simmers it down slightly with “She Will Be'' which is a little more of a rock ballad. Bowie came to mind on this song and just in general more of a ’70s aesthetic. They continue to crush with the organ infused “Storks and Vultures” and the more lush piano led “Shoshone” which has one explosive and epic chorus.

The title track “MindFree” was the first time they rock out in a prog rock style. They display their technical skills going up and down scales and changing tempo. This felt like a highlight to me.

The Bowie vibes became more apparent on “Hollywood Heroes” which sounded great. I will take sometime to compliment the vocalist on his dynamic range as well as the emotion he put into singing. Another standout prog rock infused track is “MindFrei.”

This is a finely produced album. As I mentioned earlier this sounds very live as if you are hearing the band in the studio performing. I personally love that quality in music which feels less and less common.

​The songs were well written but also felt connected by the band's signature sound which is something I always preach about in my reviews. Recommended. - Divide And Conquer Music

MindFree’s debut album will feature 11 new recordings, ranging from prog to melodic hard rock and classic keyboard-focused pop. - Punk Rock Beat . com

It’s just like you’ve come back in time during the rock old days, a band has assembled and risen up from the past calling themselves “MindFree” which has Mark Abbruzzese on guitars and vocals, Keith Walsh on keys, CD Rios on bass and Ric Rosario on drums. They amazingly came together and created an awesome album that sends you back in time called “MindFree” which contains 11 rocking tracks that are equally divine that were released on the 22nd of August, 2021.
The first two tracks “I Am The Wolf” & “She Will Be” had a rocking yet harmonic feeling to them that will catch your attention with the guitar and soulful vocals, then comes “Storks and Vultures” which has amazing bass playing on this one that has the track into a different kind vibe, “Shoshone” has started with awesome guitar and drum playing that has a piece of Nirvana’s vibes to it and comes Mark singing beautifully into this track with lyrical vibe this one gives, “MindFree” starts with rocking in guitar and keys that gives a classic nostalgic feels to it as if it’s a soundtrack that comes from the movie ‘Back to the Future’ which is an 80’s perfect music to be played during that time, “Hollywood Heroes” a pop/rock mix that suits the name of this track with a beautiful story that is being told in this piece. “Cinnamon Girl” is like a love song to my ears with a love story that resides upon this track with a dreamy guitar solo that shows how this one feels. “Sky Blue” has a piece of fun music to it that is played on the keys with uplifting music and summed up vocals together that has a happy feel to it that can be played perfectly during a long ride and sing along with it. “Skeleton” gives Halloween vibes to it with some high notes being sung by Mark and comes with a dope guitar solo. “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” has a deep meaning to it but how it was delivered is particularly amazing, despite the name of the song that seemingly gives a mellow feel but it is the complete opposite with awesome lyrical that speaks out the meaning of this track that is a go-to track, Lastly, “MindFrei” is the closure of this album with a 5-minute long dope playing on with a long guitar solo till the end of the track.

This album has been a trip to the past for me that got a lot of nostalgic stories and music that’s been produced here, it gives out a wide imagination that you can go through it in your mind and create an entire memory of the stories that’s been told out of the lyrics of each track that has a purpose to be in that particular order as if it’s a diary. A lot has been dedicated throughout this album and the band is the best thing that happened for the making and getting the gigs alive with those nostalgic themes in their soul. Every element on this album truly wins the heart of the old souls in this world who still have those classic rock and roll in them. - Rock Era Magazine