Music
Press
Our Rating: 8 out of 10
Ironically, logic seems to be the least guiding force behind Abe's Logic (http://www.abeslogic.com), the project of Hawaii-based artist Abraham Vandenberg. On "Listening Inside," Abe's Logic shift genres so much that you wonder if this is still the same album and the shuffle play button wasn't accidentally pressed. To conservative record labels, this would constitute a nightmare; however, in this iPod-driven world, Abe's Logic, for all its lack of logic, makes perfect sense. Is that clear?
At first, Vandenberg tricks us with his Lou Reed-ish deadpan delivery and electric fuzz on "Any Happening, Recently," the title of which sounds like a My Space post. Already you start to peg Abe's Logic as a solid indie-rock outing with a yen for the Velvet Underground. While we've had hundreds of those already, you just can't go wrong being reminiscent of Reed. But then Vandenberg tosses his first curveball, "A Push Forward," which begins with Dave Matthews-styled funky, jamming guitars that quickly give way to night-owl horns and smooth-jazz textures. Say what?
Vandenberg is a man of many faces. From the pleasant Americana of "Ocean Waves and Sunshine Rays" to the jazz fusion of "Of Timing" to the '60s garage rock of "Next Reality," Vanbenberg pulls out multi-colored rabbits from his hat and surprisingly it all works. It helps that each track is given the same amount of TLC, a showcase for Vandenberg's versatility. While I do prefer his Reed-esque moments on the alternative side, the extra spicing on "Listening Inside" show everything that Vandenberg is truly capable of.
author: Adam Harrington - Whisperin' and Hollerin'
see VIDEO on EPK or visit the link below...(original link is no longer available) - Hawaii's Reel Stories on O'ahu Channel OC16
Discography
All Tracks can be Heard at AbesLogic.com
Abe's Logic
"Wars Ragin" (2010)
"Listening Inside" (2007)
Nomadic Profusion
"Move On" (2007)
"Inspired Film" (2007)
K-ROCK 97.3's A-Train show with Johnny-A...
Theme Songs Abe wrote, performed, produced...heard at link below
http://www.abeslogic.com/music_freemp3-at_weekendstarts042210.php?id=1&albumid=7&page=music
Several Songs heard on Maui 89.5 and 97.3..."Wars Ragin" heard on Jango.
Photos
Bio
Update 12/1/2010 : Over 40 minutes of new music is nearing completion and another hour is entering pre-production with most of December booked for studio time. Exciting Times!
Abe's music is Featured in the New Film "Destination 3°(Degrees)"; a standup paddle adventure across Hawaii’s legendary channels.
Destination 3° (Degrees) puts Jenny Kalmbach and Morgan Hoesterey in a unique and powerful position to raise awareness and funds to help benefit Algalita Marine Research Foundation in their efforts to understand and protect the oceans from the impacts of plastics contamination. The Film will be playing at the California Surf Festival Oct 6-10, 2010. More Dates to Follow...
------------------------------------------------->
Abe Vandenberg is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and signer/songwriter with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from West Virginia University. Living in Hawaii, he has produced two solo "Abe’s Logic" albums (including the 2010 album "Wars Ragin") and two collaborative "Nomadic Profusion" albums.
In 2007, Vandenberg teamed up with Christopher Candito to produce the original score for the BBC documentary "Message in the Waves" (that also featured the music of Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, The Beautiful Girls, and Xavier Rudd) bringing the globally interconnected plastic debris epidemic plaguing Earth’s ocean to a world-wide audience in a creative and inspiring film that has inspired action for change.
Back in 1997, Abe Joined a band and dropped out of college to tour the Colorado Rockies playing rock, blues, jam-funk in various venues from underground bars to ski parking lots. It was on the road traveling in a 13 passenger van with sketchy brakes on the icy and windy Colorado mountain roads that he realized he did not wish to follow a path making a living playing in a never ending line of clubs while living on the edge financially. After returning to college to finish, Abe moved to Maui to focus on developing his style by producing original music while working in the Hawaiian outdoors in conservation. "I did not want to play a lot of covers, especially as background music, so I got jobs that kept me outside and focused instead on creating my own music. It just made sense to me because then I didn't have to rely on covers to sustain myself financially while developing my own creative process and style as a songwriter."
As a Producer, Abe has a dynamic creative process that adapts to the musical circumstances. With multiple instruments in his arsenal, Abe can use different sounds and techniques to discover arrangements that he finds emotionally exciting as a listener and performer. In his studio he begins by incorporating melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and lyrical ideas while continually adding textures with drums, guitars, keyboards, bass, sax and his own distinct voice. Focusing on the feel and emotion, he lets the music flow and develop until he is satisfied with each song.
Not an album to be handled lightly, the 2010 release "Wars Ragin" is poignant, conscious, realistic understanding of the times that speaks out with lyrics that are not so much critical of the times we live in, but regretfully reflective, that what this planet and this culture needs in such wasteful times are cheerful reminders that encourage happiness and responsibility in all our lifestyles, instead of hammering us with guilt and hopelessness.
"Wars Ragin" is an appropriate title for this album, as the first time listener is assaulted with a myriad of different music styles. Indeed, this is not an album to be judged by the first listening. It requires your attention like a great series of abstract art that piece by piece may seem outrageous, yet put all together they blend into an original understanding of new creative frontiers, through the mish-mashing of multiple styles into pastiche.
Links
