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REVIEWS: ANDY WEST with RAMA RAMA 1 back to artists page Released Sept 24, 2002 Bassist Andy West has created a heavy and eclectic progressive monster with elements of Jazz Fusion, Progressive Rock and Industrial Metal. From the Morphine meets Zappa trod of "Herd Instinct" to the Pink Floyd meets sounds from an Atari 2600 of "Qubit", Rama 1 is a wonderful collection of music. – Ytsejam –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Andy West says that he has no direction on this album, that he just plays what he feels. I cannot imagine what it would be like if he actually made a concept album with direction, it would be incredible. In spite of that, this is an extraordinarily ambitious and attention grabbing recording to say the least. It would not be hard to find envious artists that would love to create such brilliant music on just emotion alone. Having tremendous experience as bass player for the Dixie Dregs has certainly honed his chops over the years. Although emotion is the impetus of his artistry, he has a firm grip on the technical aspects of the music. Mike Keneally, the wandering guitar and keyboard wizard, steps in to play some mind melting guitar licks and whirling dervish keys. He also changes the pace when necessary when West decides to take things in a decidedly jazz-fusion direction. Then to make things even more interesting and intense, Toshi Iseda jumps into the fray with some of his own fret bending genius. The lineup West has on this CD is simply awesome. You could not expect anything less than complete diversity, energy, and power coming from a group of standout musicians such as this. That is exactly what you get from start to finish on this album. It is a progressive rock explosion with such force that you be completely blown away when it is finished, then you will want more. – MuzikMan Reviews –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Andy West was an original member of the multifusion pioneers The Dixie Dregs later known as simply The Dregs. Later he would be part of the new age fusion band called Zazen. Many who knew of West's playing with both ensembles were well aware of his signature sound, and tight hitting groove ladened lowend, that could impress with both his jazzy frettless sound, as well as his thumping funk style,and the many other directions each band would lead him. To my surprise Andy West has released his first debut recording, and it is done under the guise of a band name...Rama, the fact that this is Rama I, hopefully indicates there are going to be more Rama cds in the making. I have to credit Andy for creating a cd of fantastic music that isn't featuring himself in a 'bass in front' style, as is usually the case for any bassist fronted project. No not here, this is music that has a strong structural basis, that eloquently focuses on the heavier side of progressive rock and fusion, somewhat similar to what Planet X does. Though Rama is indeed creating their own voice in the progressive fusion market. As you can see by the artists credits on this cd, there are some heavy hitters going at it on this recording, and Andy wanted the cd to be an empty slate before the sessions started, allowing the musicians to synthesize their personalities, as well as their amazing talents, as both writers and performers. The results are very impressive, having the likes of Mike Keneally (Zappa, Beer for Dolphins), T Lavitz (Dregs/Jazz is Dead), Kit Watkins (ex-Happy the Man), and Jens Johansson (Stratovarius, Mastermind) laying down the keyboards, means that you have genious in various forms conducting the musics very basic elements, and coloring the details of the concepts, and there is nothing basic about the music, trust me. On guitars Keneally shares duties with Toshi Iseda, who both turn in phenominal performances, lending as much to the musics heaviness as they do to it's complexity. There are a few well known drummers also involved: Rod Morganstein (ex Dregs, ex-Winger, RMP, Platypus, etc), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, LTE, TransAtlantic) Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani), I wish I knew what drummer was playing what, but suffice it to say, all of the drumming is outstanding. Did I overlook the bass playing? O, it's ok. But seriously, the bass playing is also outstanding, and the most impressive part of the bass here is that it is played to the perfection of the songs in a most complimentary way. It seems as though Andy graciously sought to be part of this band, rather than the leader of it. And with all of these great players, the music speaks of a extremely detailed technical fusion band. What I am hearing with this cd is a heavy, technical, band focus, with some quirky almost RIO influences (no doubt a Mike Keneally influence), but never harsh or abstract, each song merits it's own attention, as it's one adventure after another. Magna Carta was wise in taking up Mr. West on this project, I can only hope that there is a follow up to this, as CDs like this are few and far between. Congrats to Andy West for an awesome debut solo cd! – Prognosis –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Andy West's guest list on Rama 1 is stellar: Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Beer For Dolphins), Toshi Iseda (Heaven's Edge), Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger), Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani), Mike Portnory (Dream Theater), T Lavitz (Dixie Dregs), and Kit Watkins (Happy The Man). And let's give credit to West for allowing his talented band mates to contribute to the writing of the songs and the development of the creative process. Aside from the lyrics to the one song with vocals, the quote "the shortest distance between two points is your mind," and performance/performer information there isn't a whole lot to go by. So the music literally does the 'talking.' Rama 1 is a prog-rock juggernaut that clearly displays the performer's respective talents, but not so much that the technical skills get in the way of interesting songs... The songs are always interesting even if it takes a few spins to 'get' them. "Resonate" actually echoes the sound and feel of Liquid Tension Experiment's second effort, "Herd Instinct" takes a slant on a jazz-rock style, and "Bloomsday" gives a grittier feel to Rama's progressive meanderings. For the benefit of all the prog-heads out there I'll list out the tracks and the respective performers: "Mad March": Iseda, Keneally, Portnoy, West "Meetings": Iseda, Johansson, Keneally, Portnoy, West "Herd Instinct": Keneally, Morgenstein, West "Bloomsday": Iseda, Keneally, Mover, West "Old Meat Frame": Iseda, Keneally, Morgenstein, West "Memento Mori": Iseda, Keneally, Lavitz, Mover, West "Qubit": Keneally, Morgenstein, West "Government": Iseda, Keneally, Morgenstein, West "Resonate": Keneally, Morgenstein, Watkins, West Fans of Event, Frank Zappa, Beer For Dophins, and Dream Theater will be interested in hearing Rama 1, produced and mixed by Andy West and Mike Keneally. Mike Keneally sings on "Old Meat Frame" which is the only track with vocals. – RoughEdge.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The former Dixie Dregs bassist Andy West has put together some intense music and top-notch players on this Rama 1 album. Over the years Andy West has been involved in number of acts and albums like Steve Morse, Charlie Parker, Mike Keneally, etc. This solo album titled Rama 1 is an instrumental album (except for one track) that features today's greatest progressive/fusion rock musicians including Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs, Winger), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani) on drums, Toshi Iseda, Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai) on guitars, Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen, Stratovarius), T Levitz (Dixie Dregs, Jazz Is Dead) on keyboards. The nine tracks on this album are all intense progressive rock fusion songs with these musicians so that alone speaks for itself and yes, you can expect all the extreme talents and powerful playing on these tunes that will blow your mind. Progressive/fusion rock "Mad March" kicks off the album featuring some astonishing guitar solos and drums solos by Toshi Iseda and Mike Portnoy. Another tremendous tune "Meetings" features great keyboard work by Jens Johansson. "Herd Instinct" is a bit of a different vibe with amazing Mike Keneally on keys and great Rod Morgenstein on drums. The trio returns on spacey spooky ambient tune "Qubit" and intense fusion "Government" featuring Toshi Iseda on guitar. Heavy and dark "Bloomsday" features powerful drumming by Jonathan Mover and another heavy tune "Old Meat Frame" is the only vocal song featuring remarkable Mike Keneally on vocals. Powerful rockin' drumming by Rod Morgenstein and guitar playing by Toshi Iseda is superb. "Memento Mori" features immense keyboard playing by T.Lavitz with cool heavy guitar riffs. The closer "Resonate" is rather mellower but still intense fusion tune featuring Kit Watkins on keys. Any rock/fusion/progressive rock listeners will instantly love the former Dixie Dregs bassist's solo effort Rama 1. The songs are greatly written and performed by the top-notch players. You will appreciate their amazing musicianship after 10 seconds into this record. – TakeOutMusic.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Just reading the liner notes, and having my interest piqued by the gathering of luminous progressive musicians on this Andy West solo CD, was a good start. I don't know how to call this one, but it's equal parts Dream Theater, Tool (in a song or two), Frank Zappa, Dixie Dreggs and more. In spots, heavy, textural, melodic, mellow, and familiar, for the most part, also, instrumental (Mike Keneally, in addition to providing guitars on quite a number of tracks, performs the distorted vocalizing on track 5, 'Old Meat Frame'). Suffice to say, there's a wide variation in the scope of music here, and it travels a meandering path from electronic quasi-industrial through progressive heavy rock into textural realms of soundscape virtuosity. A little left leaning of a lot of music, but certainly progressive in approach, if not application and direction. All except 1 of the songs are instrumentals, generally falling in the 4-6 minute range, and taking some interesting twists and turns along the way. 'Experimental' is probably an apt way to describe this, and though it's not dinner music, unless your name is Trent Reznor or Al Jorgenson via Maynard Keenan, I would recommend it on the merits of the musicianship alone. – Prog4You.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The age of the super-sessions continues, this time with former Dixie Dregs bassist Andy West and his cast of super heroes, which include drummers Rod Morgenstein, Jonathan Mover, Mike Portnoy, guitarists Mike Keneally, Toshi Iseda, and keyboards from Jens Johannson, T Lavitz, and Kit Watkins. Needless to say the results of this gathering are quite super, and another in a fine line of hot Magna Carta instrumental prog releases. The opener, "Mad March" features heavy guitar riffs courtesy of Iseda and Keneally, who also adds some scorching synth solos for good measure. Jens Johansson joins the fray for the frenetic "Meetings", a mind-blowing piece with more rip-snorting synthesizer blasts than you can count. Keneally though really steals the spotlight with an inhuman guitar solo that is like a combination of Frank Zappa and Steve Vai (gee-weren't they all in the same band at one time...) while West and Portnoy just drive the rhythm into the stratosphere. Some neat sax sounds from Keneally's keyboards permeate "Herd Instinct", a jazzy tune with a perfect mix of groove and atmosphere. The metallic shards of Iseda's guitar is at the forefront on the heavy "Bloomsday", while the one vocal piece "Old Meat Frame" is an obnoxious rap/metal song that is very much in-your-face, with processed vocal rants from Keneally , heavy riffs, and killer drum work from Morgenstein. "Memento Mori" is a slower, more grinding tune, featuring T Lavitz' trademark symphonic keyboards and the nimble drums of Jonathan Mover. A nice homage to Frank Zappa can be heard on "Qubit", a quirky, complex little ditty featuring Keneally, Morgenstein, and West, while "Government" is a fusion lovers dream. Here, Iseda and Keneally add crunchy riffs, plus trade tons of complex guitar and keyboard lines while Morgenstein and West keep up a furious pace. Former Happy the Man keyboard player Kit Watkins can readily be heard on the dreamy "Resonate", one of the CD's more laid back tracks, and the song itself is very indicative of vintage HTM with melodic horn sounds and intricate arrangements. Did I mention lovely piano work from Watkins? Uh-huh! RAMA 1 is a very impressive project from these fine musicians. Hopefully they will come back and do a part two in the near future. For intricate and powerful progressive fusion, this is a winner all around. – Sea of Tranquility –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– from The Arizona Republic, Jan 2003: What is it about Phoenix that draws musicians? Not only does the Valley boast homegrown talent such as Alice Cooper, but it has attracted transplants from country legend Glen Campbell to Dave Mustaine, founder of thrash-metal band Megadeth. Now you can add Andy West, former bass player from the 1970s fusion band the Dixie Dregs, to the list. After leaving his Atlanta home when the Dregs broke up in the early '80s, West bounced across the country, settling in Phoenix in 1995. "I came to Phoenix from LA via Chicago, which should tell you why I moved here," West says in a recent interview at his home studio in Paradise Valley. "I loved LA, but it had gotten so crowded and dirty, my wife and I moved to Chicago. But it was too cold and flat. So we jumped on a plane and headed back West. Phoenix seemed like a good compromise." Since the Dregs broke up in 1984, music has been a part-time venture for West. He has played in a variety of bands, from the New Age Zazen to the avant-garde supergroup Crazy Backwards Alphabet. He has an occasional group, fwap, that plays more improvisational jam music, and he's rejoined the Dregs on a couple of reunion tours. But mostly he has worked as a software designer. "I've never found a vehicle that allowed me to be creative and make money," he says. "I make money playing music, but I couldn't support myself, live in this nice house, have this nice studio. I consider software my secondary job, but it pays for everything." West recently has re-evaluated his priorities, however. Now some of the most interesting music in the Valley is coming out of the guesthouse at the back of his Paradise Valley home. The setup is impressive - mammoth monitors displaying the latest software, PA speakers, a synthesizer and bass guitars. Several bass guitars, actually, and each has a story. "This is my favorite," he says, picking up a blond five-string. "(San Francisco guitarmaker) Geoff Gould built it. I'm actually designing a bass with him right now. We're going to show it at the (National Association of Music Merchants) Trade Show in January." Designing instruments isn't the only thing on West's plate. The culmination of his instrumental wizardry, his first solo album, Rama 1, hit stores in late September on the Magna Carta label. The disc, an aggressive mix of knotty fusion and avant-garde shredding, features several virtuoso players, including Frank Zappa alum Mike Keneally (with whom West played in the one-off group the Mistakes) and Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein. Although he has been making music since he moved here, West never really has been a Valley musician, though he did play in a local "all-star" band with Glen Campbell and the Gin Blossoms' Robin Wilson at the Arizona Diamondbacks' inaugural game in 1998. "Phoenix is a wonderful place to live and raise a family, but it doesn't have much culture, at least not the culture I'm interested in," he says. "With music, Phoenix seems more like a pit stop on the way to LA." West is hoping that another venture will change his perception of the Valley music scene. This year he is moving his equipment out of the guesthouse and into a professional studio in Scottsdale. With the record in stores, West is also eager to perform the music from Rama 1. Due to the busy schedules of everyone involved in the album, it would be virtually impossible to assemble a band. "I want to find some local guys who are up to the challenge of playing some serious music," he says. "That's one of the reasons I'm opening the studio. "If there is anyone out there who likes (Rama 1) and thinks they can play it, visit my Web site (www.xen.com) and get in touch with me. I think it would be tremendously fun to play the Rama stuff live." – Michael Senft – The Arizona Republic –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Andy West With Rama - Rama 1 For this album Andy West (Dregs) has compiled an intriguing bunch of musicians who join him at various points on the recording. Among those he has a cast of drummers composed of Rod Morgenstein (Dregs), Jonathan Mover (GTR) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater). Besides himself on guitar, he recruited Toshi Iseda and Mike Keneally (Beer For Dolphins). Both he and Keneally provide keyboards, as do Kit Watkins (Happy The Man), Jens Johansson and T Lavitz (Dregs). The booklet states that all songs are "composed by Andy West with individual parts composed by each player". All of the tracks presented here are instrumental except one (with vocals by Keneally), and the disc is composed of fairly brief (by prog standards) compositions, the longest weighing in at only 5 minutes and 55 seconds. The overall format is of a dynamic, slightly off-kilter hard edged prog probably closest Liquid Tension Experiment, and the like, but it also shares links to King Crimson or Frank Zappa and even the Dregs, although none of those comparisons truly fits like a glove. Mad March: Screaming out of the gate, this comes across metallic at first, but then as the other instruments join the frantic jam changes to something more akin to King Crimson or even Frank Zappa. This one stays pretty true to its origins until a staccato segment that feels almost like a symphonic metal take on fusion serves as a short respite. A full on metal jam comes in later, complete with chunky guitar solo. This segment evolves into something that rather resembles Dream Theater. It drops in speed to end in noisy fashion. Meetings: This one comes in slower and heavy, again feeling a bit like DT, but as the instrumental themes begin to emerge, the fusion characteristics return, bringing in a slight eastern tinge with them. The cut alternates between various modes, and includes a fairly frantic, bass heavy segment that has the keys nearly screaming out. Then an interesting rhythmic structure emerges and the piece goes into a wholehearted fusion excursion. It gets rather noisy and chaotic later, with more metallic tones emerging before shifting towards something a bit more melodic. This is a very dynamic number, but sometimes test the limits of melody. Herd Instinct: An odd sort of jazz sound is the basis for this unusual composition. It feels almost normal, but still with a strange sonic texture. This again feels rather Zappaish. A great playful groove emerges later as one of the cooler sections of the whole album. In fact, this is actually one of the stronger and more accessible pieces presented here. Bloomsday: Atmospheric tones start this and effects quickly join. After a time an ominous and meaty bass line enters and accompanying percussion makes its appearance. Then a crunchy guitar starts weaving lines over top of this foundation. The cut eventually shifts toward a different fusion excursion, but only for a short time, returning from whence it came. This pattern serves as the motif for the song, the chunkier rhythmic pattern giving way to the frantic, then back again. It gets quite metallic at times. Old Meat Frame: Effects start this one, and the texture is a bit odd once the percussion enters. The tune explodes to Crimsonish metallic crunch and the vocals are distorted, feeling a bit like those on KC’s "21st Century Schizoid Man". This one has some intriguing instrumental patterns, but is one of the most straightforward on the disc. It drops to a drum solo, with only effects for accompaniment before the previous segment replaces this. Memento Mori: Drums start this, and a metallic fury enters, and for a time this feels rather garagey. Then a haunting sort of texture takes the piece, creating an intriguing mode. It explodes from there to a fast paced, more classic prog type of jam, built on a surging bass line and frantic, but melodic keys. This then shifts to the slower mode and keys still provide the melody. Then a faster movement comes to play followed by one of the most melodic and jazz-oriented segments of the album. It shifts to a metallic, somewhat noodly instrumental trip for a time, but tasty elements emerge again after that. Another slower segment features new, exceptionally cool, keyboard tones, then a shift to another rather old school progressive rock path. A short percussive burst ends this, one of the most dynamic and strongest pieces on display here. Qubit: Percussion in a rather playful mode begins this. Eventually the other instruments join, seemingly playing games around this basis. A short piece, this is also cool and fun. Government: Hard edged, frantic, fairly metallic prog, again feeling rather like Dream Theater creates the motif for this. The keys dominate much of the jamming here, and as it carries on it feels a bit ELPish in places. A later guitar solo is based on meaty tones and leads to a straight up metal stomp portion. Then the cut shifts to a mellow jazz wandering for a short time before a syncopatic bit of instrumental weirdness takes over. Then an almost Zeppelinish guitar sound dominates before that metal segment returns. This again gives way to more sedate and melodic sections. Another fast paced jam takes over from there, and this again leads toward the sounds of Dream Theater. Resonate: Mellower tones start this, and the band begins to build on this in a fusion oriented mellow progression that contains the most melodic passages of the album. This is truly much smoother and a nice break from the chaos that is the majority of this recording. It feels almost like a modern take on the jazzy stylings of groups like Spyro Gyra. It does drop to a more dissonant section, but still this is fairly sedate, with only the rhythmic structure catching the listener off guard. It includes a tasty piano solo, too. It makes for a satisfying conclusion to the CD. – Music Street Journal –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– |
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