The first and possibly most important piece of news is that the digital release of our newest album If the Haves are Willing is finally scheduled for 10/04/10 with Halogen Records.  We released the CD’s ourselves in late June and have been working frantically to get the digital edition ready for the streets.  There will be shows celebrating the worldwide digital release, as well as a few other surprises to be announced later this fall.

Over the past few months our guitarist Zack has been feverishly working on the new studio album from his band the Zack Dupont Band.  This is the first full band album he has put together that features his silky smooth songwriting.  His debut album Paths was released last year to a roar of public praises.  For the new record he has been working with producer Jared Slomoff as well as some of the best musicians in Vermont.  Look out for this one when it drops!

Speaking of studio work, just this past weekend we had the privilege of returning to The Tank which is our favorite studio here in Burlington with our dear friend and former pianist Jon Goneau.  Jon made a special trip up to Burlington for this late night session while back on the east coast.  While we still have no idea what will become of the recording from this session,  it was fantastic having Jon back with us.  More info will be made available as we decide how and when to use these tracks.

While on the topic of Jon Goneau, there are outtakes from the recording of No Consequence that are slowly being mixed/mastered for inclusion in the digital extended edition release tentatively slated for Spring 2011.  When the main tracks were done for that album, the beer started flowing and we kept playing.  Out of this extra 4-5 hours of improvised goodness we’ll be compiling an EP for exclusive digital release.

The last bit of news for now is a coming remix contest.  Within the next month or so we’ll be launching a contest to remix a track from If the Haves are Willing.  The best remixes will land themselves on an EP to be released digitally.  Other prizes and information will be made available once we’ve finalized the details.

Here are a few of the pictures taken at the Tank with Jon.

Lastly, we have a video shot back in April at Nectar’s.  It’s of a song called Heavy and features our buddy Sam from Otis Grove on the organ.

We have a pair of CD Release Parties this upcoming weekend:
Friday 6/25 @ Nectar’s (Burlington) with the legendary Dub is a Weapon
Saturday 6/26 @ Positive Pie 2 (Montpelier) with our friends Casio Bastard

After these gigs, every show we play this summer will be celebrating the release of this album. We are very excited to get this album out to the masses as it is the most accurate example of our live sound that we’ve managed to capture in the studio.

The digital release with Halogen Records is slated for later this summer, until then the only place to get the CD (outside of VT) is from us.

In other news, our esteemed guitarist Zack duPont just won the ‘Artist of the Month’ poll from the New England Deli Magazine.   Check out his solo work at www.zackdupontmusic.com

If the Haves are Willing (tracklist) Das Gutt Ain’t that a B Can’t Do It Brother, Be Tightrope the Fill Grinder Boob Diaper (untitled) Set Self Sail

We are pleased to be working with Halogen Records/Halogen Media Works in the release of this album.  The official release date has been set for June 22, preorder is currently under way.

We’ll be having Cd release parties on 6/25 and 6/26 in Burlington and Montpelier.  More info on those to come.

If the Haves are Willing (tracklist) Das Gutt Ain’t that a B Can’t Do It Brother, Be Tightrope the Fill Grinder Boob Diaper (untitled) Set Self Sail

The first of these is happening at Higher Ground on March 13, 2010 when we share the bill with the Toubab Krewe.   We are big fans of the Toubab Krewe and their brand of West African Americana, it is bound to be a show to be remembered.  Doors open at 8PM, we take the stage at 8:30.  This is an ALL AGES show, tickets are $12 in advance and $14 day of the show available here.

Just 3 weeks after that we are returning to Nectar’s to share an evening with our friends (and fellow Ropeadope artists) Otis Grove on April 9.  We are looking at the possibility of releasing our live album at this show, more info on that as soon as we have it.

We will also be playing a few other local gigs in the Vermont area.  Including Wednesday February 10 at Red Square in Burlington.  We have a habit of picking up last minute gigs at a few of our favorite venues in Burlington.  Watch us on facebook for info on those when they occur.

As you may know, we had a little guitar swap occur in 2009.  When Jeremy chose to leave the band the rest of us were stuck deciding whether to hang up our hats and call Japhy Ryder done OR to find the perfect guitar player to fill out the roster again.  Thankfully we opted to hire our friend Zack duPont and what a difference he has made in our sound as well as in our lives.
Zack duPont is a class act.

That said, Z doesn’t spend all of his time tinkering away on the new Japhy Ryder material.  He’s in fact one of Vermont’s finest up and coming singer songwriters.  Don’t be shocked, just because he sticks to instrumental shredding with us does not mean that his vocal chords aren’t fully capable of melting your face. Z’s first solo record “Paths” was released in early January 2010, and has thus far received stellar reviews across the Northeast.

Check him out over at www.zackdupontmusic.com or even better, at one of his solo gigs.

Like we said in the spring, we took the summer off of almost all things Japhy.  Pat and Josh spent the summer playing Reggae with Vermont’s own ‘Pulse Prophets’ while Will escaped into central NY seclusion, Jason hiked the length of Vermont and Zach continued to shred with everyone that he could (that’s what he does folks – he’s a shredder).

While technically on our Japhy vacation, Will and I continued to make moves on this new record of ours.  While yes we wanted it done last spring, we’ve kept finding ways of making it better.  In July we invited our friends Timothy K Hull and Tom Morse to add an extra pair of horns to a few tracks.  After that all work on the album got pushed back due to equipment breaking, ie: the mixing board shat the bed.  The good news is that its back and we plan on continuing the process to get this album done in the very near future.

Also in the making right now is the fabled Live at Nectar’s album that we recorded in the fall of 2008.  This album will be the last release featuring former guitarist Jeremy Kizina.  The disc has been finished, it’s pretty fantastic, and is in the hands of the folks at Nectar’s.  Due to contract arrangements, we can’t put this album out until they do… so we don’t really know when that will happen.  For the time being, you can listen to one of the tracks from this album right here
(head on over to japhyryder.com and check out the audio)

We’re playing a monthly gig at Parima in Burlington and adding a few one off gigs in the Vermont area around those, but there are no plans of anything crazy in the near future.  While working on this album there is not a lot of traveling going on.  Once its done, we might be back at hitting the road.

Rydin’ High

By Dan Bolles [10.22.08]

You know who is really good? The Tampa Bay Rays . . . sigh. You know who else? Burlington’s heroes of hyphenated hi-fi high jinks, Japhy Ryder. Late last week, the instrumental prog-jazz-rock-whatever quartet — just don’t call them “jam,” thank you very much — announced that their excellent sophomore effort, No Consequence, has been picked up by online tune-slingers Ropeadope Digital, an interweb offshoot of Ropeadope Records. The label is home to a veritable smorgasbord of progressive music types, including DJ Logic, Charlie Hunter and Marco Benevento — of “The Duo,” bro. So, yeah, that’s kind of a big deal.

Ropeadope plans to rerelease the album on November 18. Or, exactly two weeks to the day after Sarah Palin sheds her human skin and reveals herself as the hell-spawn, puppy-eating succubus she surely is, following John McCain’s concession speech. (Quick note to God: I’ll accept my beloved Red Sox losing to the Rays, obnoxious little cowbells and all. But give me this one, Big Guy. OK?)

Conveniently enough, the release follows Japhy Ryder’s four-week-long, Thursday-night recording residency at Nectar’s, which begins this week. For those with short-term-memory issues, I mentioned this newly minted series a few weeks ago. But here’s the gist: Each month, Nectar’s hosts a different local band for four weeks, records the shows, and releases the choicest cuts as a live album shortly thereafter. Nif-ty, eh? Jam-rock outfit Greyspoke was the first guinea pig, and just wrapped up its stint. No word yet on when the resulting album will hit the streets, but I’ll keep you posted.

So catch Japhy Ryder while you can. And please, keep your puppies away from Sarah Palin.

JAM-REGGAE-FUNK-ROCK-FUSION-ETC.

Japhy Ryder
http://www.japhyryder.com
For better or worse, Burlington music will always be synonymous with Phish and groove-oriented jams. Though the Phab Phour is no more, they left behind a breeding pool teeming with heady acts — and hyphenated genre labels — eager to elevate minds and shake behinds. Of the numerous auditory options available, few are as entrenched in the scene as Burlington’s Japhy Ryder. The band’s 2008 sophomore release No Consequences solidified their place as the reigning jesters of jam in the Queen City, and their live shows are quickly becoming legendary throughout the Northeast. Jam on, indeed.

On Japhy Ryder‘s second release, No Consequence, you hear an instrumental band that is learning to cut the fat and make a musical statement. Drawing from a wide range of sound and style, there’s a lot of deliberation in these compositions. They’re definitely thinking-confidently-about texture, space and most importantly, mood. Impressively, they touch on being playful, introspective and aggressive equally well.

There are a few young moments that linger, falling into the “Hey, look what we can do” type of playing, which isn’t necessarily bad. But perhaps this is best left for the energy and exploration of a live performance, because on the album it doesn’t say much. Also, there are occasional changes that feel like their only purpose is because the tune needed a change.

The only Reason these shortcomings stand out is because so much of No Consequence shows the strong evolution of a group of smart musicians finding their voice. There’s an abundance of passages that sound cinematic, as on the title track; besides painting a scene in your head, the playing here is something you don’t want to forget. Likewise, on “Johhny Don’t’ they understand how to tippy-toe, dance and be sparse over a rock-solid foundation. Trumpets swell in and out, the guitar reacts, and the spaciousness they create is deep. This type of playing sounds like it could land on a Broken Social Scene album as easily as a score that Bill Frisell would play on. By the end of the album you realize how much these guys are thinking about being lyrical; they’re really close to finding something with this sound that everyone can dig on.