My review of HIGH MOON COLD NIGHT, the debut CD release from THE GREATEST FUNERAL EVER.
Personal bias. That's what I will undoubtedly be accused of by some who read this article and they would be absolutely correct. I am biased when it comes to this band (THE GREATEST FUNERAL EVER) and their music. Part of that comes from my direct involvement in working with them on the two demos that preceded HIGH MOON COLD NIGHT, their first official CD release. I know this music (at least a large portion of it.) I have an intimate relationship with it which developed over long hours at the desk of my home studio trying to make demos that didn't sound like demos recorded in a home studio. Through bleary-eyed 2 a.m. drives across winding back roads in Cumberland County, listening to the latest test burn, trying to determine what was good, what was an issue, and what just needed a tweak. But in the end, that's what they were...demos. They were never meant for mass public consumption beyond the curious internet surfer, the zealous fan, or some of those first slightly timid club owners who struggled to get past the word "instrumental."
These songs were living ideas. They were meant to change and grow into better ideas. That's really what a demo is for. So yes, in that respect I am biased. I listened to this CD with a familiar set of ears though not quite familiar expectations. I wasn't sure what to expect. In fact, I would have to say that I was somewhat intimidated also. My ego didn't want me to listen. I'm glad I didn't listen...to my ego. These are different songs now. This is a real "album." Like vinyl LPs used to be. You play this from beginning to end with the obvious advantage that you don't have to flip it over half-way through. There is real continuity here; there is also maturation and evolution. This CD feels like a living thing. The quality of the recording is what I would expect of a professionally recorded CD. I like to think that I have some accurate understanding of that concept in spite of my own humble do-it-yourself facilities. There is definitely something to be said for the excellent result that Progressive Studios has achieved with this CD in its recording, the mixing by KIVO Productions, and for what Disk Maker's Sound Lab achieved in mastering. It's clean and clear and quiet with punchy lows and crisp highs. It is not overly loud or too quiet. It is a very dynamic mix actually, which means that you can actually hear the band play louder or softer as each song progresses. (In fact I will probably use this CD as a calibration reference for any future projects of my own.) The only extraneous noises are the ones that are supposed to be there (no cats putting in their two cents at the end of a take.) And yet you can tell that it was recorded “live” as a band, not painfully constructed track-by-track. Not that there is anything wrong with that process (having used it myself on several occasions.) It can feel organic too. This is just a nice change of pace as well as a testament to just how tight this band really is. As for the songs themselves, you would never guess that this band has only been together as a unit for a little over a year-and-a-half. Their sound is much older...not "old" in years but experience. What follows is a brief synopsis of my own cursory impressions from each of the eleven tracks on this disc. The first song, CUBISM is also one of the first songs I ever heard this band play. This could easily be TGFE's trademark track...but that would be misleading. This band is not defined by a single song, no matter how good that song happens to be. The energy of this track is inescapable though. You want to move to this. Song two is called ON THE TAKE and opens with a funky clavichord riff courtesy of Ben Kiner's dexterous keyboard skills. This is another mover and quite literally a shaker anytime this song is performed live. I love the arrangement on this song. The whole band shines here on a tune that feels like a classic funk song you've known your whole life. SPOOKY NOOK ROAD is new for me. This is a subdued composition that eventually segues into track number four, BURLESQUE ESQUE. My only complaint about this track is that I wish it was longer. It has a very cool ambient groove created by Ben and underscored by Eli Huebner's subliminal bass slide technique, accented by Mike McGowan's subtle guitar melodies, and held together by Curtis Smith's lightly played but expressive drum rhythms. BURLESQUE ESQUE has an Eastern vibe, invoking not unpleasant visions of scantily-clad dancers and smoke-filled dens of ill-repute. Track five is called HIPSTER HENS. This song has more of a Cuban feel accented by hand-clapping and cowboy-calls from the band. It's a song that you just know has a good story behind it. VOLUPTUWARRIORS DEPLOY may be the ultimate chill-out driving song. Suitable for both cold winter nights as the album title suggests, humidity-induced moonlit summer adventures, late afternoon drives in autumn or long busy commutes. You may just hit repeat until you get where you need to be. KING RED, track number seven is a return to the band's Latin flavor. I defy you to not at least tap your foot to this one if not use it to hone your dancing skills when you think no one else is home (yeah…I got caught.) As in several of the tracks on this CD, there is a hand-drum break which will have you reaching for whatever utensils you can get your hands on to play along. This song also features the superb whistling skills of Terry Kiner, Ben’s dad. The eighth song is entitled BROWN CHICKEN COW COW. I have no idea what that means. I'm sure I don't want to. But this is a great funk song. Mike and Ben's interplay really stands out here and Curtis and Eli create the perfect groove to set the needle in (metaphorically speaking of course.) The title track to the CD is number nine and is a great example of modern jazz-funk. This song is also the longest at 7 minutes 37 seconds and features an interlude that allows each member of the band to add their particular flavor to the piece before returning to its main theme. Number ten is called BUMPIN' A ROW and immediately struck me as a departure, though it never strays far from the feel and vibe of the whole or the identity of the band. It's another classic jazz-funk tune that could easily find its way onto the soundtrack of some edgy Indy-film or as a theme song for an HBO original series. The final track on the CD is called SMOKIN' and the title is a true reflection of the character of this song. This song (BLEEPED) rocks! From its funky bass opening and organ work to its soulful interlude of simple powerful guitar lines building with the drums to a crescendo that launches into orbit like someone hit the button for hyper-drive! Was that biased? I guess it was. I am happy to admit that I have a bias for well recorded, well played, original music. HIGH MOON COLD NIGHT does not disappoint. This band and their music have progressed to a new plateau (though I feel confident that it really just represents their next evolutionary epoch.) These are songs that have been crafted over time, not just the time since October of 2007 when the band formed but the time that each member of the band has worked to become who they are individually as musicians. I’ve known Mike McGowan from his birth as a guitar player (as well as his actual birth.) I know the work he has put into his playing and his music. Pouring over books until dawn, marathon practice sessions, and countless other projects have brought him to this point in his musical career. To me this feels like what he always really wanted to do as a musician, what he always really wanted to play and I have never seen him as genuinely happy as he is now. Mike has a distinctly innovative and melodic musical ‘voice’ and it is evident on every song on this CD. I have only known Ben Kiner as a musician for a short period of time, but during that time I’ve seen him mature as a gifted song-writer and keyboard player in his creativity, control, and confidence. He’s just really good. I’m truly impressed with just how much his playing has changed since those early sessions…and even then I thought he was much better than he gave himself credit for. Eli Huebner is a great bass player. There is a subtle grit to his tone that hints at his edgier past. His bass lines aren’t just a static foundation, but are akin to building a house atop the back of some gargantuan behemoth that refuses to just sit and slumber. Each step is controlled and deliberate with a reverberating hint of spontaneous chaos. Curtis Smith is a consummate drummer in the classic ilk of some of the jazz greats of the sixties but with more of a progressive rock sensibility. His playing is the punctuation to every sentence to every paragraph that this band scribes musically. His drums lines are the meter to the collection of instrumental poetry contained on this CD and at the same time provide their own expression, their own symbolism to the interpretation. Recently, I’ve seen a few scattered internet posts (on Craig’s list and such) about the music scene in South-Central Pennsylvania. That something is lacking. That it is below par to other areas. That there aren’t any serious or talented musicians here. Those allegations are of course subjective, prejudiced, and ridiculous (in that order.) The reality is that this area is seeing a re-birth of interest in original music and in promoters and venues that are willing to support it. The excellent quality of that music and of those venues is obviously evident to anyone who bothers to actually attend any of the shows (at such places as the Abbey Bar at the Appalachian Brewing Company, the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, and the events organized by Jonas Hair at Der Maennerchor's "Cathedral Room" to name a few.) Finally, there are a lot of serious and talented musicians in South-Central Pennsylvania and THE GREATEST FUNERAL EVER and their debut CD HIGH MOON COLD NIGHT, represents four of the best…but then that’s just my personal bias. I encourage everyone that took the time to read this review to get a copy of this CD so that they can form biases of their own. Written by Jerry McGowan Owner - Sunset Garage Studios, Musician, and Friend 
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