Ok so New Monsoon in my collection, check. Railroad Earth in my collection, check. The String Chesse Incident in my collection, check… So let’s take two from New Monsoon – Jeff Miller and Phil Ferlino – one from Railroad Earth – Tim Carbone and two from The String Cheese Incident Keith Moseley and Jason Hann mix them together and what do we get a great super-group called The Contribution with a great new album Which Way World, which now resides at number two on the JamBand radio chart! Here’s how the band was formed.
It was at Hornings Hideout in 2005 that Jeff Miller, Phil Ferlino and Tim Carbone came upon the “brilliant” idea of making a record together some time in their future. It was a magical night and as the stars came out in our minds they took the first steps on the path that led to the creation of “Which Way World”. They were many days lost in creativity beneath the mighty redwoods and emerged into the California sunshine with ten songs sown together with the threads spun from their common love of the music and spirit of their friendship. In a twist of poetic irony they were able to secure the incredible talents of their good friends Keith Moseley and Jason Hann to be our rhythm section, the String Cheese Incident being the reason they were all at Hornings in the first place those four years ago
I have been listening to this album for a while now and I like the album more and more each time I hear it. The album is a little more ballady than a New Monsoon album, but I can see that the songs would be a great live as the tracks are embleshed with on stage improvs. Top tracks for me were the opening track “Come Around”, “Fear of Nothing”, “Which Way World” the title track, “Samsara” with a great intro by Phil on piano and Tim on fiddle. “Steady Ride” , and the closing track which is probably my favorite “Year of Jubilee”.
From their website here are short bios of the band members:
Tim Carbone – New Jersey’s Tim Carbone is best known as a member of Railroad Earth. For The Contribution, Carbone lends his mood-altering violin work, as evident on the upbeat country-ish song “Steady Ride,” and his voice blends perfectly with Miller’s on such songs as “Samsara.”
Jeff Miller – As a member of the San Francisco-based New Monsoon, Miller has issued five studio albums since 2001. Miller’s penchant for alternating between guitar and mandolin, and his smooth vocals, are highlighted throughout Which Way World’, including the album’s first track, “Come Around.”
Phil Ferlino – Phil Ferlino is also a member of San Francisco’s New Monsoon. Handling all things keyboard-related, Ferlino’s playing in The Contribution reflects whatever the song calls for – as evidenced by such standouts as “Time Was Only Yesterday” (which contains organ playing reminiscent of the Band’s classic material) and “Wind Me Up” (which puts Ferlino’s stately piano lines up-front).
Keith Moseley – Moseley’s two-decade music career has been spent largely as bassist with The String Cheese Incident. In addition to his work with SCI and now, The Contribution, Moseley has played and recorded with multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams, including the 2006 live tribute to the Grateful Dead, Rex (Live at the Fillmore).
Jason Hann – Jason Hann joined The String Cheese Incident in 2004 as the band’s percussionist. Hann is extremely well-versed at his craft, having studied music in such exotic countries as Ghana, Haiti, and Korea. In addition to SCI, Hann has played with a slew of renowned musicians (such as R&B legend Isaac Hayes), has released his own solo album (2005’s ‘Rhythmsphere Vol. 1 – Djembe Furia’), and is a member of the electronic/experimental project, EOTO, with SCI band mate Michael Travis
So if you like good music check out The Contribution, you won’t be disappointed. AS for me I’m waiting for a live recording of The Contribution to show up on live downloads.com! Here is a video of the “Year of Jubilee”
