Suite Byrdsong: A review of, and interview with, Kontiki Suite
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been moonlighting as a reviewer for The Active Listener for my pal Nathan. Here is a review of, and interview with, Kontiki Suite that I wrote for his site. Together since 2007, Kontiki Suite is a Byrds-loving band that hails from the area outside England's Lake District.
Featuring uncluttered, tastefully textured triple-guitar interplay (with 12-string Rickenbacker and pedal steel playing prominent roles), the band readily cites The Notorious Byrd Brothers as a major influence; it was one of the album's over which they bonded and on which their sound is based.
If that weren't enough to entice you to check them out, read this snippet from the interview portion of the article in which I asked percussionist Craig Bright about the Byrds:
The Byrds, and their various related bands and solo projects, are very important to Kontiki Suite. As children of the nineties, we were able to discover and appreciate The Byrds vicariously through a love of the bands they themselves inspired and influenced, in which I would include The Stone Roses, Ride and Rain Parade, among many others.
For me to attempt to tell you how vital Gene's post-Byrds music is would be complete folly.
It never fails to blow my mind when I consider the volume and diversity of the music The Byrds produced, particularly between 1965 and 1969. I guess we would cite The Notorious Byrd Brothers as the zenith of their output, as it is a beautifully perfect culmination of all of the best elements of their albums (folk, pop, psychedelia and country). Undeniably, [it is] the template for our sound.
Of course, the consistency of The Byrds' output weakened thereafter, but the void was more than filled by the solo albums of McGuinn, Crosby, Gram Parsons and most importantly to us, Gene Clark. For me to attempt to tell you how vital Gene's post-Byrds music is would be complete folly. Personally, my favourite Clark song is “The True One." Pretty much musical perfection in its simplest form as far as I'm concerned.
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Featuring uncluttered, tastefully textured triple-guitar interplay (with 12-string Rickenbacker and pedal steel playing prominent roles), the band readily cites The Notorious Byrd Brothers as a major influence; it was one of the album's over which they bonded and on which their sound is based.
If that weren't enough to entice you to check them out, read this snippet from the interview portion of the article in which I asked percussionist Craig Bright about the Byrds:
The Byrds, and their various related bands and solo projects, are very important to Kontiki Suite. As children of the nineties, we were able to discover and appreciate The Byrds vicariously through a love of the bands they themselves inspired and influenced, in which I would include The Stone Roses, Ride and Rain Parade, among many others.
For me to attempt to tell you how vital Gene's post-Byrds music is would be complete folly.
It never fails to blow my mind when I consider the volume and diversity of the music The Byrds produced, particularly between 1965 and 1969. I guess we would cite The Notorious Byrd Brothers as the zenith of their output, as it is a beautifully perfect culmination of all of the best elements of their albums (folk, pop, psychedelia and country). Undeniably, [it is] the template for our sound.
Of course, the consistency of The Byrds' output weakened thereafter, but the void was more than filled by the solo albums of McGuinn, Crosby, Gram Parsons and most importantly to us, Gene Clark. For me to attempt to tell you how vital Gene's post-Byrds music is would be complete folly. Personally, my favourite Clark song is “The True One." Pretty much musical perfection in its simplest form as far as I'm concerned.
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Comments
Byrdsy-Geneish directions~ another British unit whose inspiration seems directly Notorious but not lacking originality = Alfa9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnCIGL9bhIM
-could sneak this song in on side 1 of NBB no problem