Off The Hook

1. Red Water

2. Sandy

3. Gray Matter

4. Orlymar

5. New Team

6. Yarooshalayem

7. Burp

8. Video Games

9. Mystery Box

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
In the fall of 1996, Chris "Camel" Gardino, a blossoming bassist, and Tom "Weasel" Hoban, an aspiring guitarist formed a garage band with drummer Christian "Raccoon" Agypt and various other musicians, forming the Doobers. Although multi-instrumentalist, George "Donkey" Holdcroft, practiced with the Doobers several times, it wasn't until late 1997 that he became a member of the band. Shortly after, the name was changed to Jamboliyah. During the event of the added keyboardist (George), the drummer was replaced by Bradley "Walrus" Amundsen. As Jamboliyah played several small concerts throughout 1997 and 1998, their fan base grew larger. The spring of 1998 led to a large turn of events, for both lead guitarist, Nolan "Sea Monkey" Gallagher, and Holdcroft were released from the group due to several differences that stood between the members of the group. Not long afterward, "Walrus" headed off to different horizons, envisioning his musical future as different than that with which Hoban and Gardino worked for. Raccoon Agypt was invited back as the power trio took off on a new level during the summer of 1998, playing many gigs and concerts. Feeling as though they could benefit from another member, the Jamboliyans re-invited a much wiser and more experienced Donkey Holdcroft into their group to form the quartet as it stands today. In early 1999, Jamboliyah extended its creative ambition to establish a regular concert venue: "The Back Door", located on a basement stage in St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Barrington, Illinois. The "Back Door" soon caught the attention of many local bands and has drawn many a concert since then. The growth of Jamboliyah's popularity prodded them to create an album. Around Christmas of 1999, "Off the Hook" was recorded at Norwest Studios in Barrington and produced at DiscMakers. The CD was released to the public on April 24, 2000.

Band members: Chris Gardino - bass guitar
Tom Hoban - guitar
George Holdcroft - keyboard, Fender Rhodes, saxophone, and woodwinds
Christian Agypt - drums, percussion

Product Description
"Off the Hook" offers the listener a wide spectrum of styles in music, from jazz to rock to funk to ethnic. Jamboliyah appeals to many crowds as each of their songs is unique and refreshing. They have been often likened to bands such as Phish and Jazz is Dead. This collection of original songs is rich in culture and fascinating musical ideas. The first track, "Red Water" is a latin groove that provides a slew of catchy licks for a very enjoyable tune. The second song, "Sandy", demonstrates a delightful combination between fast funk and slow jazz. Considered by many to be the favorite on the album, "Gray Matter" offers a pleasant reggae tune that subtly addresses the dire consequences of drug abuse. It is nonethless a simply nice song to listen to. Moving into the heart of the recording, "Orlymar" kicks off into a fast, dark combo of thick latin music and hard rock. To lighten things up a bit, an uptempo "feel-good" tune, "New Team", introduces more horns and percussion into the album. At number 6, "Yarooshalayem" touches heavily into Jewish heritage music. Even though it is a rather eccentric addition to the set, it's appealing dance rhythm has made it a very popular song. "Burp" relates to many modern jazz lovers as it's slow, methodical funk rhythm creates a cool aura around the audience. It also permits Jamboliyah to take advantage of the bassist's famous gastric distention talents. "Video Games" is a beautiful ode that touches the hearts of the band members and thousands of other youth around the world. It reminisces of the days of early home video game systems. The humor involved in this ballad shows that these musicians are also very down-to-earth. The final piece, "Mystery Box", is a beautiful experimental showpiece that grafts the vines of rock, jazz, and eastern ethnic music. As it was always a popular live piece, it was at last transformed into a remarkable recorded composition.

Off The Hook,Jamboliyah

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