Calling all those who live in the upper East Coast USA. Go see the Pnuma Trio. Sorry to be so demanding to you, but it’s really for your own benefit. Yes. Go see the Pnuma Trio. Why you ask? Simple. They are strangely good.

First you got Alex Botwin on bass, Ben Hazlegrove on keys and Lane Shaw on drums, all three supposedly trained in classical music and jazz, which they use to its fullest to crank out wicked beats, encompassing the funkiness and improvisation of the jam band scene, while also incorporating the mind-bending progressions of electronic and dance. Too much to take? That’s not all. The keys are fed though so many layers of effects that by the time it goes from Hazlegrove’s fingers to your ears, the effect reaches a whole new plateau of unique sounds, while the bass keeps a high and hard thump in your chest; you just can’t help but move to it. The drums are fast and tight. So much so that last time I saw them I just couldn’t stop thinking, ‘How does he do that?’

Some have called them show stealers at festivals, which has quickly raised their reputation in the last couple of years, bringing them to tour with such acts as the Disco Biscuits, Buckethead and Michael Franti and Spearhead. They even played a sold-out tour in Japan, yet they haven’t let the quick success go to their heads. Instead, like any successful band, they’ve been evolving; reworking their old songs and styles to fit their growing creativity, while also bringing new sounds into new styles.

If you’re not a fan, the show is still worth your while. It seems rare these days when you get bands that are tight and on the same page as these guys. In a millisecond they can, together, change the song dramatically and make the crowd go wild.

I can tell you from an honest stand point that each time I’ve seen these three young musicians, I have always had an amazing night. So if not for the music, go for an exceptional night of music and see the way these fellows have an effect on their crowd as they burn up the dance floor.

The Pnuma Trio Spring/Summer Tour Dates

04/14/08 Mon Higher Ground Burlington, VT (w/ Bassnectar & Eliot Lipp)
04/15/08 Tue Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA (w/ Bassnectar & Eliot Lipp)
04/16/08 Wed The Main Pub Manchester, CT
04/17/08 Thu The Stone Church Newmarket, NH
04/18/08 Fri Blender Theater At Gramercy New York, NY (w/ RAQ)
04/19/08 Sat Blender Theater At Gramercy New York, NY (w/ RAQ)
04/23/08 Wed 202 Market Roanoke, VA
04/24/08 Thu The 8X10 Baltimore, MD (w/ U-Melt)
04/26/08 Sat Java Barn Canton, NY (w/ John Brown’s Body)
05/17/08 Sat Nelson Ledges Quarry Park Garrettsville, OH
05/23/08 Fri Festi di Bella Sol Geneva, MN
05/24/08 Sat Lightning In a Bottle Festival Santa Barbara, CA
05/30/08 Fri Hunter Mountain Hunter, NY
06/01/08 Sun Hunter Mountain Hunter, NY
07/03/08 Thu Rothbury Music Festival Rothbury, MI
07/04/08 Fri Rothbury Music Festival Rothbury, MI
07/05/08 Sat Rothbury Music Festival Rothbury, MI
07/06/08 Sun Rothbury Music Festival Rothbury, MI
07/11/08 Fri All Good Festival Masontown, WV

Check Out:
“Bufkins (Live)”

Categories: Tour
Tags: The Pnuma Trio