Shaking Off the Weirdness

shaking off the weirdness

Track Listings
1. Talk of the Town
2. Light of Life
3. All Night Long Blues
4. Waiting For a Sign
5. Sleepwalking
6. Last Ten Years
7. The One
8. No One Said It'd Be Easy
9. High Horse
10. The Dean Street Mess Around

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Formed 24 years ago, the Zen Tricksters' mission is to blend jamming originals with tasty Dead nuggets to create sets you only dreamed about hearing. Phil Lesh was so impressed with the band's ability to jam in the studio that he tapped two members to be part of his Phil & Friends collective. In an interview with Kenny T of radio station KGLT in June of 2000, Phil said, "The Tricksters are more than just a cover band. They have their own stuff and they are brilliant, their stuff is brilliant. They are great players!" The Zen Tricksters are the quintessential jamband. Based in New York, they play nearly 200 dates a year while touring throughout the United States and Canada. They recently toured in Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo with Relix Japan and it is generally safe to say that the Tricksters are "currently on tour" somewhere in the United States or elsewhere.

The band has three studio CDs, The Holy Fool, recorded in 1996, A Love Surreal, 1999, and the brand new Shaking Off the Weirdness, 2002, and plays many local New York area gigs, but inevitably winds up back on the road again. This is their life and it is what they love. Jeff is very proud of the fact that he has never made his living in any other way but music. "Road life," he says "very much embodies the yin-yang of life. You trade the long hours of traveling and tedium day after day for the supreme pleasure and sheer love of making your own kind of live music night after night." That is quite obvious at any Zen Trickster show--you can hear their love of their art in every performance they give.

The Zen Tricksters are into their third decade as a performing band. Their performances have ranged from the Big Apple Bluegrass Festival to the Seattle Hemp Festival. Over the years they have made quite a name for themselves playing such noted events as the Oregon Country Fair and the Pig Nic, New York's Gathering of the Vibes (all seven years of its existence), California's High Sierra Festival, the Seattle and Eugene Hemp Festivals, and the Poconos' Gathering on the Mountain. They were a staple act at New York's venerable Wetlands Preserve which closed late in 2001, and, Relix Magazine gave them kudos for having played there more than any other band. They have shared the stage many times with the David Nelson Band, most recently at several festivals during the summer of 2002, and pedal steel guitar player, Barry Sless, who also played on A Love Surreal, is a virtual Trickster. They have played with Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Derek Trucks, Mike Gordon, Tom Constanten, String Cheese Incident, and Kenny Kosek on several occasions, and have also shared the stage with the JGB, Suzanne Vega, the Jefferson Starship, the David Grisman Quintet, and more. Their music has been used on MTV, WABC's Alias, and WB's Felicity. The Zen Tricksters also perform as an acoustic trio.

Product Description
For Shaking Off the Weirdness, The Zen Tricksters' third CD, the band has explored their penchant for acoustic music. The album features 10 original songs including new titles such as High Horse and Sleepwalking, plus staples of their live shows, Light of Life and The One, and boasts a colorful roster of special guests including former Trickster and current member of The Other Ones and Phil Lesh & Friends, Rob Barraco, Buddy Cage (New Riders of the Purple Sage), and Jason Crosby (former ZT, now with Susan Tedeschi and Oteil & the Peacemakers). Formed 24 years ago, the Tricksters are a New York based national touring band who enjoy playing a heavily mixed bag of tunes including rock, psychedelia, blues, bluegrass, jazz, and folk, but somehow meld it all into a sound that is distinctly their own. Founder and lead guitarist Jeff Mattson played three shows in the Fall of 1999 with Phil Lesh & Friends and co-wrote featured track, Leave Me Out of This on Phil & Friends recent Sony CD, There and Back Again.

Shaking Off the Weirdness,Zen Tricksters,Zebra Tango,In Shaking Off the Weirdness The Zen Tricksters explore their penchant for acoustic music with 10 tracks that blur the line between rock, bluegrass, blues, folk, and psychedelia. The album features 10 original songs including new titles such as High Horse,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop


Shaking Off the Weirdness
Shaking Off the Weirdness
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The Zen Tricksters Third CD is their Best!!
Shaking Off the Weirdness
Zen Tricksters
Manufacturer: Zebra Tango
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Rock Jam BandsRock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Acoustic BluesAcoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
JambandsJambands | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Holy Fool
  2. A Love Surreal
  3. A Love Surreal
  4. Mule on Easy Street
  5. The Honest Hour

ASIN: B000089SC4
Release Date: 2003-01-03

Tracks:

  1. Talk of the Town
  2. Light of Life
  3. All Night Long Blues
  4. Waiting For a Sign
  5. Sleepwalking
  6. Last Ten Years
  7. The One
  8. No One Said It'd Be Easy
  9. High Horse
  10. The Dean Street Mess Around

Album Description

For Shaking Off the Weirdness, The Zen Tricksters' third CD, the band has explored their penchant for acoustic music. The album features 10 original songs including new titles such as High Horse and Sleepwalking, plus staples of their live shows, Light of Life and The One, and boasts a colorful roster of special guests including former Trickster and current member of The Other Ones and Phil Lesh & Friends, Rob Barraco, Buddy Cage (New Riders of the Purple Sage), and Jason Crosby (former ZT, now with Susan Tedeschi and Oteil & the Peacemakers). Formed 24 years ago, the Tricksters are a New York based national touring band who enjoy playing a heavily mixed bag of tunes including rock, psychedelia, blues, bluegrass, jazz, and folk, but somehow meld it all into a sound that is distinctly their own. Founder and lead guitarist Jeff Mattson played three shows in the Fall of 1999 with Phil Lesh & Friends and co-wrote featured track, Leave Me Out of This on Phil & Friends recent Sony CD, There and Back Again.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Zen Tricksters Third CD is their Best!!.......2003-02-08

Is Jeff (Mattson) singing? It's by far the best he's ever sounded. The production is really, really good. It also really sounds like them. The guitar playing is amazing, of course. But we expect this. I consider Jeff one of America's undiscovered musical treasures. His sound is always immaculate, his rhythms propulsive and articulate, his ideas clear and well sequenced. When he's flashy, it grows out of where the music is going rather than a desire to impress. He also displays a thorough understanding of how the guitar works and what it is supposed to do. Not in the "session playing, I do a million styles" kind of way, but a profound intuitive sensitivity to the mechanics of how the instrument produces sound. There are many, many players with bigger reputations that only get a part of it.
I like the material, which is very accessible, and I love the playing even more. The extra instruments really help in this format. I know the Tricksters can pull it off live as a trio, but for listening it makes a difference. This is a much better record as a listening experience than the previous one. However, live I will always prefer Jeff with a drummer who understands him. In my opinion Christian (Cassan)did a great job here. I thought there was a pop clarity in the rhythm section that hadn't been there before without sacrificing any of the jam flexibility. Klyph (Black) has always made a lot of sense to me as a bass player, especially in the Tricksters. He really is unique and individual. Tom's (Circosta) acoustic playing is very sensitive here and just what it needs to be. Jeff is also one of the most honest guitar players out there. I'm always struck by the depth of sincerity in his playing. "The One" is a really good song. The first one that lights my songwriting (as opposed to playing) buzzer. An incredible album! This will be enjoyed by fans of the Zen Tricksters and folks who have never heard them play.

Rock Music:

  1. Shattered Image
  2. Singles A's & B's
  3. Sir Hedgehog
  4. Slides
  5. Some Things Plural
  6. Start Again [Enhanced] [Import]
  7. State of Play [Import]
  8. Summer Vacation Tour Live [Live]
  9. Sunday Morning [Import]
  10. Telestic Disfracture

Rock Music

rock music