Paul Caraher

Caraher is the premier release from the two brothers, Justin and Paul Caraher. The two play all instruments- guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.
The Caraher brothers, Paul and Justin, hail from Nashville, and relocated to Rhode Island because of its proximity to a couple of musical centers- New York and Boston. Among their influences are Bach, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Horace Silver.
The first track features their rendition of saxophonist Joe Henderson's classic blues "Isotope." It is highlighted by a fine guitar solo and exchange with Justin Caraher on drums. I imagine Paul is the guitar soloist on this track. I'm not familiar with their playing, and it is not defined on the album jacket just which of the two is soloing at any given time. This is a good reason for providing proper credits.
The two tackle Chick Corea's "Captain Marvel" and do an impressive job for a two man band. They state the intricate melody confidently , and one of them takes an apropos guitar solo. On John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" there is a guitar solo, a bass solo, and then another guitar solo. While Paul Caraher is the bassist, it is unclear which solo was taken by which brother.
The album features three originals by Paul Caraher and one by Justin and both brothers show a level of harmonic sophistication, and mastery of their various instruments that offers promise for the future.
- Jazz Improv Kenny Burrell issue volume 4 number 1

Two guys with no pretenses about what they're doing are brothers Justin and Paul Caraher. They've each been studying and performing since elementary school, and by the time he was in 10th grade, Paul was a guitar soloist at Nashville's Grand Old Opry.
The two put together an improvisation workshop in Nashville in 2000, and moved to Providence in 2001.
Last year, they released an improvisational jazz CD named after themselves, and included original pieces as well as charts by greats Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Al DiMeola and Chick Corea.
The Caraher brothers' songs fit right in with the others - it's hard to tell which songs are theirs when played next to the jazz legends.
The difficult part of the album must have been the actual recording - both brothers play guitars, keyboards and percussion; Paul adds bass and Justin, drums. The playing is sharp and tight, and is probably best represented on DiMeola's "Mediterranean Sundance."
- Herald/Reminder Metrowest

Brothers Justin and Paul Caraher, collectively known as Funkatronic, infuse jazz, rock, electronica and a dash of jam-band to create a sound wholly their own. The result ~ as their name hints at ~ is almost too funky for words. "We're like Parliament Funkadelic, but we could never be that funky." Paul said.

Oh, but he's being modest. While the legendary P-Funk is comprised of many, many members, Funkatronic reaches the same level of cool with just two. Paul layers loops with bass, keyboards, and guitar and Justin takes to the drums. Even with just the two of them, the sound is surprisingly fleshed-out and full. When they set up at shows, people are surprised to learn the size of the
band. "I can almost predict it, " Paul said, "They're looking at you, sizing you up, like 'Where's the rest of the band?'"

Don't confuse Funkatronic with other duos like the White Stripes of the Black Keys ~ the band isn't indie or punk influenced. Instead of citing the Pixies or the Kinks as their musical heroes, the brothers lean more toward jazz greats like Miles Davis or Charlie Parker.

Before they were exploring the New England jazz scene from their headquarters in Providence, the brothers grew up south of the Mason-Dixon in Nashville. Their mother sang in the symphony, so the boys got great seats for many performances. Paul said seeing internationally-renowned classical guitarist Angel Romero was a major influence on his musical development. The other turning point for him was taking lessons with Nick Nixon, a Nashville blues legend.

Still, Paul was drawn to hard rock heroes like Van Halen and Jimmy Page. It wasn't until he was older that he began to get interested in jazz. Both brothers have played in bands since they were young, but they learned that nothing could beat the experience of keeping it in the family. "We have like a telepathy going, because we grew up together and know each other really well."

After planning a move to the north, the brothers packed up and headed to Providence five years ago, hoping to capitalize on the region's jazz following. They have been touring the Northeast constantly, performing at Trumbull Bar and Grill in Spencer and Partner's Pub in Fitchburg.

The band is surely worth braving the cold, but if you feel like staying in, you can check Funkatronic out at myspace.com/funkatronics or pick up their CD "Up From the Underground" at cdbaby.com/funkatronic.

But regardless of whether you catch the band live or pop in a disc, you can at least be sure these two will play that funky music right. - The Pulse Magazine

The blend of acoustic and electric instruments can be nifty, to say the least, and when the FUNKATRONIC duo get going, the sound spectrum is milked for everything it's worth. Justin and Paul Caraher play traps set and guitar/bass/loops, respectively. Their use of electronics allows them to construct elaborate architectures that invariably use groove and syncopation as building blocks, and the splash of "real" drums underscores the visceral sound of their prog-flecked experimentalism. - The Providence Phoenix 8 Days a Week Column Jim Macnie