Animal Liberation Orchestra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Animal Liberation Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | ALO |
| Genre(s) | Rock Jam band |
| Label(s) | Brushfire Records Lagmusic Records |
| Website | www.alomusic.com |
| Members | |
| Zach Gill Steve Adams David Brogan Dan Lebowitz |
|
Animal Liberation Orchestra (also known by the initialism ALO) is a musical group, currently signed on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released two full length albums. They have also released several EPs and independent albums, including Time Expander.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born from a friendship nurtured during their days at Saratoga High School, the band calling themselves Django consisted of Zach Gill (Keyboards/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass Guitar/Vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Guitars/Percussion/Vocals) and Matt West (Drums/Vocals).
Changing names and drummers repeatedly, and evolving into a nine-piece ensemble featuring a brass section, the eventual Animal Liberation Orchestra began drawing enormous attention in the Santa Barbara area with their rousing stage shows. When Zach, Dan and Steve returned to their hometown Saratoga, they stripped back down to a quartet, playing with a wide variety of different drummers, including Shree Shyam Das, Matt Butler, and Adam Goodhue. In 2002, the core trio reunited with drummer/songwriter David Brogan (with whom they had previously played in college) and the current version of ALO was solidified.
Zach Gill, the keyboard player, went to college with the popular singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson, and has recently provided piano in Jack Johnson's band, adding a new flavor to the live performances. Jack also frequently "hijacks" (as in, "Hi, Jack!") ALO shows to play his music with ALO as his backup band.
ALO had already released several albums independently, the last of which was Fly Between Falls. This album includes another version of the track, "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down", originally commissioned for the raw, funky soundtrack to their friend Matt Powers' neo-silent, monochromatic epic art film One Size Fits All, back in 1999. This time, the track featured Jack Johnson, who provided guitar and vocals, and perhaps most importantly, celebrity. The guest appearance drew attention to ALO from Jack Johnson's fan base, boosting sales. Jack Johnson then signed the band to his label Brushfire Records, which then re-released Fly Between Falls with worldwide distribution. New to the re-release is the song "Walls of Jericho", a tour staple and crowd favorite noted by its festival imagery, wailing guitar solo, and euphoric crescendo. This track gained popularity after its live performance was featured in the Jack Johnson and Friends Live at the Greek DVD. The studio version's debut on myspace.com received mixed reviews.
Recently, ALO finished a tour supporting Jack Johnson, along with Matt Costa, all across Europe, including United Kingdom, France and Spain, with two dates in mid-April 2006 supporting Jack Johnson in Brazil. In June of the same year, they opened for Dave Matthews Band at concerts in upstate New York and North Carolina. On October 14th, 2006, they sold out their first headlining concert at the venerated Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Dubbed "The Abnormal Formal," this show included supporting acts Mojow and the Vibration Army, Honeycut and Blue Turtle Seduction, and featured ALO playing with special guests including Brett Dennen and Jack Johnson. ALO performed an opening set on New Year's Eve at the Sea of Dreams event in San Francisco, then boarded a cruise ship to participate in the celebrated Jam Cruise 5 from January 2-7, 2007.
On May 1, 2007, ALO released their first album recorded for Brushfire, entitled "Roses & Clover". Consistent with their gradual transition from experimental college music to radio-friendly popular music, the band took a much more mainstream approach in the writing and preparation for this release. Recording in a barn nestled in the foothills of Santa Barbara, the band took 2 weeks to work on about 40 songs that were in various stages of completion, many of which had not even been performed live. Eventually, ten songs were chosen for the final cut. These songs were all performed live at the cd release party on May 5, 2007, again at the Fillmore, which again, was sold out.
2007 has seen ALO playing at such events as the Wakarusa Music Festival, Harmony Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Nedfest, and Earthdance, as well as playing with acts such as Brett Dennen and New Monsoon. The group has also reunited with Matt Powers to produce three music videos to promote the new album; all are available on YouTube. Tour plans for the rest of the year include a visit to Europe in September, a fall tour that winds from the Northeast through the South and to the Midwest, then the Monterey Music Summit and the Tortugas Dance of the Dead festivals in October. ALO will play a few dates in Brazil in November before coming home to the Bay Area for a three night NYE stand at the Independent in San Francisco. In addition, several side projects continue as Zach tours with Jack Johnson, and Steve and Dan tour with Brett Dennen.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Animal Liberation Orchestra & The Free Range Horns Vs. L.A.G. |
Lagmusic |
| 2005 | Fly Between Falls | Lagmusic |
| 2006 | Fly Between Falls (Re-Issue) | Brushfire |
| 2007 | Roses & Clover | Brushfire |
[edit] EPs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Live Mix | Lagmusic |
| 2002 | Time Expander | Lagmusic |
[edit] Soundtracks
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | One Size Fits All | Lagmusic |
[edit] Samplers & Guest Appearances (partial list)
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | SF2000 Time Capsule | Unknown |
| 2005 | Acoustic Trippin' | Unknown |
| 2005 | Grand Gallery Presents: Surf Time | Unknown |
| 2005 | Pure Hemp Presents: One Love Volume 1 | Unknown |
| 2006 | Brushfire Records Winter 2006 Music Sampler | Brushfire |
