One of my favorite finds is when I find quality musicians in a firmly established genre that are willing to experiment and take that genre to different place. Sometimes these musicians are seen as the outcasts, but sometimes down the road they are seen as musical geniuses for discovering something that no one had thought of before. We may have found that genius early in Dave Hammer’s Power Supply.
Hailing from the Akron, Ohio, a place better known for its blues/rock background, DHPS claims all this and add jazz as their background. Dave Hammer and bassist, Matt DeRubertis, met in a Jazz Guitar Theory class at The University of Akron. The two like-minds found Chris Baker to play drums and the lineup was set. Together they combine all these genres and add in an extra sprinkle of originality to create their signature sound.
Last month Dave Hammer’s Power Supply released the 5 song EP Aht Uh Yo Hed introducing even more original sounds to the world. If that title is stumping you please realize it is an homage to Shuggie Otis, an RB/soul legend and profound influence on the band. Right away you can hear that all three members of this band are excellent musicians and truly know how to handle their instruments. They mesh together well and no one sounds overpowers the others. All of their influences are felt right away as well. From the reggae guitar over an atmospheric background of the opener ‘It’s Not Worth it’, to the true jazz feel of ‘Robots’, a song you could expect to hear in a smoky underground club in the old side of town. When all of these influences are mashed up into one album and performed by technical masters it makes for beautiful and extremely interesting music. The title track, Aht Uh Yo Hed, may be my favorite of the album. It starts with an old Elvis style guitar riff and Dave’s soulful vocals before combining with Chris’ masterful jazz drumming and ends in an experimental guitar rock out that leaves you wanting much more than the 2 minutes and 13 seconds that the song provided.
Bottom Line: Dave Hammer’s Power Supply have found that perfect mix of styles on Aht Uh Yo Hed to create something that is sexy yet rocks at the same time. Go have a listen for yourself at:
www.davehammerspowersupply.com
or stream their music here:
