The publicity photo of The Hub, if seen without their music playing for context, would lead one to believe they are a metal band of one form or another, probably thrash. Two of them have their faces hidden by long, disheveled hair, and the third is wearing a Boston Celtics jersey. Okay, that has nothing to do with anything, but I couldn't leave him out of the conversation. The thing about The Hub, though, is they don't play thrash metal, death metal, precious metal or any other kind of metal, though at times there's an inclination, due to the attitude, tone and crunch in a song, to call their music avant-gardgebanger.

Yes, The Hub are definitely advanced musicians, playing compositions that draw on jazz, funk, and several sub genres of rock. Often disjointed and jolting, their music can also dissolve into moments of calming beauty - just before hitting the gas and spinning out onto the wide open highway once again, where you never know what to expect. Drummer Sean Noonan lays down the tracks without a map, or so it seems to the listener, rarely playing it particularly subtly, a move that would be a big mistake guaranteeing he'd be lost in the mix under the absolutely monstrous sound of bassist Tim Dahl, who is not - I repeat, not - using an acoustic bass here. It's electric, often distorted, and LOUD! Noonan and Dahl are brilliant together on these 11 compositions, which are their own. They write alone, and the tally is Dahl 7, Noonan 4.

That leaves one non-writing member of the band. Dan Magay's alto sax work is not only up to snuff, it snags your imagination and makes you forget everything around you except the music. The guy's dynamite. First string. Some of the pieces call for rather simple honking, or more like seemingly simple honking, which will last a minute or so while Dahl or Noonan lays down something worthy of careful study. Then, when you've forgotten all about Magay, the guy takes off like a terrified, electrified swallow, painting notes in places you weren't expecting to hear them. It's fun stuff for the avant-garde fan, and good material to show someone you're trying to turn on to avant-garde, because the timing of most of the songs seems to be 4/4, a rarity in this kind of music and a miracle when it works so well. What I want now, besides more CDs, is more information. Precious little info shows up on the Net, and I want to keep a close eye on this trio. Hey, a band with music this exciting, unusual and explosive doesn't come around every day, you know?

© 2003 - DJ Johnson

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