Post by Slinger on Oct 14, 2022 21:39:34 GMT
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IZZ's music is inspired by such classic progressive groups as Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Renaissance and is often infused with pop hooks à la The Beatles. You might even spot a snatch oor two of even Celtic rock in the mix.
I was hooked by the first track on this album, which has a great CSNY groove to it, proving from the off that these guys know a bit about harmony.
Track 3 sounds a bit like "Yes sings Camel" in places, and there is some definite Snow-Goose-alike keyboard, a la Peter Bardens.
Enough of the comparisons though, I'll let you decide for yourselves.
Ampersand, Volume 1 was their third album, and tracks 1-7, are studio tracks, with the remainder being live recordings, with pieces from earlier albums.
This album showed IZZ incorporating female vocals, but without losing their style of mixing melodic pop-rock ballads with modern progressive rock. They had used female vocalists before, but only in a minor capacity. On this album, they are fully integrated for the first time.
The line-up for this recording included Tom Galgano on keyboards, vocals, and acoustic guitar; Paul Bremner on guitars; Brian Coralian on electronic drums, acoustic drums, programming; Greg Dimicelli on acoustic drums; and John Galgano on bass, vocals, guitars, piano. They were joined by Annemarie Byrnes and Laura Meade on vocals.
As you can probably gather, from the lack of my usual rambling intro, I don't actually know too much about them. I've seen them referred to as the "Prog Beatles" but you can probably take that with a pinch of salt, although I can see the intention behind the epithet.
This is their entry in the "Prog Archives".
IZZ, from New York, originates with the Galgano brothers. Tom (keyboards, vocals) and John (bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals) grew up listening to music together, so it was a natural step for them to join forces as musicians. John Met Greg DiMiceli (drums and percussion) in college, and thus started a domino effect of introductions. Greg begat Brian Coralian (drums and Percussion) and Paul Bremner (lead guitar), and Paul begat Phil Gaita (bass). As musicians do, they all jammed together and eventually IZZ was formed. However, Paul was in another band, so he was not yet an official member.
In 1998 "Sliver of a Sun" was released. For the debut, John handled lead guitar, and Phil was on bass. While putting the finishing touches on the album, Tom met Laura Meade and Anmarie Byrnes. The ladies did not join the club right away, but their vocal and compositional talents would come to have a profound impact on the IZZ sound later on.
2002's "I move" saw Phil's departure and the permanent addition of Paul Bremner. This also meant that John was now on Bass duty. The core of the band was now set with a strong lead guitarist and the unusual aspect of dual drummers.
In 2004 the band released a collection of previously unused material called "Ampersand Vol. 1." It consisted of outtakes from the first two albums and some live tracks. It was a decent curiosity, but the real excitement was brewing with the following release.
The release of "My River Flows" in 2005 really started to turn some heads. The band was very good before, but the addition of Laura and Anmarie, and the growth of the group itself drove them to create their most accomplished work to date. Enthusiasm for IZZ grew as the album got more exposure. Their live shows were also met with high praise. This culminated with their appearance at NEARfest 2007, which was considered one of the best performances that year. Thankfully it was recorded and released simply as "Live at Nearfest."
IZZ is frequently seen on the Progressive Rock festival circuit. They are influenced by the usual classics (Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, The Beatles, etc.), and also modern bands, like Radiohead. There are even those that see a certain pop element in the music, mostly due to Tom Galgano and Laura Meade's vocals. They seem to have no exceptions when it comes to incorporating styles. It is not unusual to hear Rock, Jazz, Latin, and Funk. This gives them a unique crossover appeal. Kudos are also in order for their contribution to "After the Storm," a hurricane Katrina relief album. 2012's "The Crush of Night" also included contributions from prog legend Gary Green of Gentle Giant fame.
Once considered neo-prog, further exposure suggested there was something else going on. Some clues might have been the complexity of composition, dual drummers, and full-voiced female backing singers (sometimes also taking lead, and would have no problem fronting the band individually). This is what led to the label of "modern symphonic". Each album has been released with evidence of significant growth and ever-rising praise. This has placed IZZ in the position of being a foundational band in the modern prog scene.
In 1998 "Sliver of a Sun" was released. For the debut, John handled lead guitar, and Phil was on bass. While putting the finishing touches on the album, Tom met Laura Meade and Anmarie Byrnes. The ladies did not join the club right away, but their vocal and compositional talents would come to have a profound impact on the IZZ sound later on.
2002's "I move" saw Phil's departure and the permanent addition of Paul Bremner. This also meant that John was now on Bass duty. The core of the band was now set with a strong lead guitarist and the unusual aspect of dual drummers.
In 2004 the band released a collection of previously unused material called "Ampersand Vol. 1." It consisted of outtakes from the first two albums and some live tracks. It was a decent curiosity, but the real excitement was brewing with the following release.
The release of "My River Flows" in 2005 really started to turn some heads. The band was very good before, but the addition of Laura and Anmarie, and the growth of the group itself drove them to create their most accomplished work to date. Enthusiasm for IZZ grew as the album got more exposure. Their live shows were also met with high praise. This culminated with their appearance at NEARfest 2007, which was considered one of the best performances that year. Thankfully it was recorded and released simply as "Live at Nearfest."
IZZ is frequently seen on the Progressive Rock festival circuit. They are influenced by the usual classics (Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, The Beatles, etc.), and also modern bands, like Radiohead. There are even those that see a certain pop element in the music, mostly due to Tom Galgano and Laura Meade's vocals. They seem to have no exceptions when it comes to incorporating styles. It is not unusual to hear Rock, Jazz, Latin, and Funk. This gives them a unique crossover appeal. Kudos are also in order for their contribution to "After the Storm," a hurricane Katrina relief album. 2012's "The Crush of Night" also included contributions from prog legend Gary Green of Gentle Giant fame.
Once considered neo-prog, further exposure suggested there was something else going on. Some clues might have been the complexity of composition, dual drummers, and full-voiced female backing singers (sometimes also taking lead, and would have no problem fronting the band individually). This is what led to the label of "modern symphonic". Each album has been released with evidence of significant growth and ever-rising praise. This has placed IZZ in the position of being a foundational band in the modern prog scene.
Despite the cool reception given to this album, I think it's a lot better than the "experts" at Prog Archives give it credit for, and it has the bonus of showcasing many of their different styles.
The band's name comes from the nickname of baseball relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen, who was once on the New York Mets, a team favoured by multi-instrumentalist John Galgano (it says here).
IZZ is still recording and still performing.
So, IZZ, Ampersand (Vol 1). Please tell me what you think.
, certainly as far as I am concerned!
