Indiana Trip Factory

Play it Jasha, as they say. Or play it Indiana Trip Factory. The first of three (so far) live recordings, The City Grille is a moment in musician and audience synergy.\nAlthough without the dull crowd roar of many professional live recordings, the same energy is present. This recording drips with, "yea, I was there" emotion. Unless one was there or has this record, chances are the same music won't be heard again. \nOne of the great things about live recordings is the capturing of a moment. What makes a live recording of ITF even better is that these moments are what the band thrives on. You can almost picture a few devoted fans swaying their heads to the songs in a dimly lit room while ITF plays.\nThere should be no confusion about the quality of this CD. It is a home produced recording of the band. It's low budget and low cost to the local consumer. But it doesn't sacrifice value. With the lack of packaging and promotions comes the authenticity of a real band playing right here in town.\nWith a mix of faster funky songs and slower jazz derived rhythms, ITF provides a musical portrait of musicians with a varied sonic background.\nIn particular, this album is just fun. Beginning with a song about a wizard named Bickley and following it up with a song that has "dobedeedoo" in the chorus gives the CD an early-Friday-night feel. Along with the fun, ITF includes other deeper tunes. Lyrically, ITF mixes it up with meaning and storytelling. \nPaying it's "I'm-a-live-recording' dues, The City Grille has its share of improvisation. From guitar effects to hand-slapping bass lines, an instrumental meeting of the strings and sticks runs rampant through the recording. Although the vocals are good, thankfully they aren't dominating. The main attraction of the CD is the instrumentals.\nA chord ain't no arpeggio, and as shown by the Indiana Trip Factory, local music is not a waste of time.