The Crown & Lobster Trilogy Part I: PTM (xs) Modus Operandi out on November 27 2021
During one of the mini versions of the festival Better Gert Hit 2021 on November 27 the album The Crown & Lobster Trilogy Part I Private Time Machine (XS) Modus Operandi was released. The band consists of Jeroen van Vliet on keys, Aron Raams on guitar, Dirk Peter Kölsch on drums and myslef, Eric van der Westen on electric bass.
The material was written in 2020 and heavily inspired by the great funk & soulband The Meters. I mixed it with my admiration of a great new band Kruaghbin.
On October 24 2020 I invited Jeroen, Aron and Dirk Peter for a recording session which would be a little different from their usual modus operandi. Without any rehearsals and with only minor preparation this album was recorded in the way our great jazz and soul ancestors used to work in the 50’s and 60’s before dubbing and editing was readily available.
It was enough to explain the “traffic” (meaning how to deal with intros, choruses, verses, repeats and endings) and to do a onetime, even partial, run through. Then we recorded all the pieces 2 or 3 times and selected the best takes. Using this process enhances the spontaneity , originality and outspoken tone of voice.
Improvising simultaneously, effortlessly grooving, sensing, phrasing and modelling the music on the spot is the best way to get an insight view of the top quality of these musicians. I’m convinced that if you dare to take the time to really dig deep into our music, you’ll find the beauty, joy and warmth we encountered while recording it.