Mike Dillon – Urn

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Mike Dillon – “Demons”
Urn

When jazz hits you in the face with a stack of bricks, Mike Dillon is there. The punk jazz aficionado has been involved in various groundbreaking projects for the past twenty years. Dillon is a vibraphonist, percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist and MC who has worked with diverse groups like Billy Goat, Hairy Apes BMX, Garage a Trois, the Dead Kenny G’s and Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade. His ability to switch a groove at the drop of a hat always keeps audiences on their toes. You can hear the post-bop thrust of Milt Jackson as well as the cosmic hipness of Sun Ra and the gruff, relentless edge of Iggy Pop and Primus in Dillon’s work.

“You guys are like Milt Jackson meets Henry Rollins meets Tortoise meets Fugazi” – a fan from Oxford, MS

Mike Dillon recently released Urn on The Royal Potato Family. He put together a band in his current hometown of New Orleans and toured with the group for the first half of 2012. When they were ready, Dillon and the band cut the record directly to tape in a Kansas City studio. The core of the band includes Carly Meyers (trombone, moog taurus pedals), Adam Gertner (drums) and Cliff Hines (guitar, bass). Urn also includes special guests Mark Southerland (tenor sax, artphones), Jeff Harshbarger (upright bass) and Pete Leibert (bass). Mike Dillon and the band achieve a dynamic mix on this album, twisting chaos into order before turning it back on itself again. Listen to “Demons” above to hear how an avant-garde introduction blossoms into a deadly, sinister groove that refuses to quit. The trombone / vibraphone combination is intoxicating throughout this record, just as it is in live performance. Check out Mike Dillon and the band getting down to “I Ain’t Buyin'” at a recent show in Fairfield, IA below. Urn is one of the most unique albums you are likely to hear this year. Pick it up wherever fine music is sold.