Armchair Generals

Let’s have a look at some laid back grooves, shall we. The Davidance record company comes from Italy and one of their latest EP’s is titled Daydreamer. Put together by trio from Long Beach, California, this outfit has blessed us with some truly beautiful laid back grooves in the past.

From luscious soundscapes of downtempo to soulful house, this four-track EP is just perfect for some chillin’ in the sun.

Our fav in the bunch is tune called Way Out, which we will surely feature on our shows as well. Beautiful laid back house. If you’re more into downtempo stuff, then the opening one titled Sunday Morning is for you.

All in all, this one is good. Not unbelievable or un heard of, but good. But sometimes this is just perfect. - Soul to Unite

Tonight, The Armchair Generals are storming the Discovery Gallery, located at 245 W. Broadway Ave, and will be performing their jazz-infused chill electronica. There is a $5 admission before 10 PM, and $10 after. Aaron Elimelech, aka General Osoosi7, took some time to talk about the band.

Aaron: We knew each other for years, and would hang out and discuss music all the time. Eventually we decided to rent a rehearsal space and have a jam session. The first one felt like we had been playing together for years. We continued these sessions on and on for years and called them Lemonade sessions because we would put together these crazy mixes of musicians and try to extract a positive outcome every time. From these sessions we established the core, which is now myself, Pernicia Jaye (General Oyani9) and Raymond Comer III (General Bebo6).

Sander: For the CD, did you involve other players, or approach things as a band?

Aaron: Our CD's have a mixture of both. Some of our songs started as rough ideas years ago that we recently polished up and added the right blend of musicians. Some songs were from actual jam sessions we recorded that we later added more instrumentation to in the studio. For the EP, and our upcoming full length, we are and have been approaching things from a band standpoint and trying to write songs with more structure and detail.

Sander:: Can you give me a specific example?

Aaron: Most of the material on our Lunchbox album is instrumental, or has very sparse vocals. The songs also may not have bridges or designated hooks. Although we love that side of our music, for the EP we wanted to have more lyrical material, songs people can sing to. We also wanted to beef up the musicianship and add a saxophonist, jazz guitar, emcees, etc. to step up our musical contents.

I think we also learned to refine our recording process and pay attention to the details of our process. How could it be recorded better or cleaner? Jam sessions are great, but now we prefer to be able to record all members on separate channels so that it is not so hard to edit later.

Sander:: How does the lyric writing process work in the group?

Aaron: Pernicia Jaye is our lead vocalist and has written most of the lyrics for our songs. However, we have a very collaborative and democratic approach and operate on a "follow the lead" system, where whomever has the idea we support that direction fully and contribute ideas where we can. Sometimes we have three different directions, but we like to allow that individual to see their idea through. Then we evaluate them honestly and decide which to go with.

Sander:: You came from a live setting, moved to a recorded setting... Have there been challenges in moving these produced songs back to a live, trio setting?

Aaron: Certainly. One of our most significant challenges has been transferring the energy onto the studio recording. Live sessions have so much raw energy and chemistry that it is tough to then sit down and reproduce it in a different setting. And do the parts meet the standard that we are looking for? We have also been dealing with the limits of our current situation, we don't have the facilities to be able to record a live session the "right" way, so we have to adapt and make it happen regardless.

Sander:: Do you feel that your live performances as a trio capture the more 'produced' recordings you've made?

Aaron: That has been the work, but we have been very honest and realistic in our approach. Recorded music has so many layers and sounds that are hard to produce with just three people and six hands. Bringing in Danny V has been a tremendous asset, as he is able to sample some of our recorded parts and play them as a live musician would, on stage. It is hard work, and we are our own tough critics. If a song isn't sounding 100% for us then we scrap it from the performance list and work on it in the lab until it is ready.

Sander:: Are you planning to tour outside the LA scene?

Aaron: We would like to get into the festival scene and perform at the Miami Electronic music conference, or Detroit's Electronic music festival. We know our sound is more for the scene in Europe, but would also do well in NY, DC, and ATL where the average listener is more open and willing to break free of the strict pop radio programming that is here in Cali.

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The show kicks off at 8 PM and runs until Midnight. They will be performing along side DJs Mojaux Spencer and S.O.U.L.O. They will be doing some new music, and collaborating with Sarah Cruse and Chad Bishop.

They will also be performing at Viento Y Agua Cafe and Art Gallery in October.

Please visit their website at www.armchairgeneralsmusic.com for more information. - By Sander Wolff \Long Beach Post

Armchair Generals’ Beats Deliver Soul

There are a lot of different beats on the airwaves today, but one Long Beach-based band is waging a war for listeners’ attention by slowing down the tempo.

With an electronic groove that combines soulful house, hip-hop and futuristic samples, the Armchair Generals will provide candy for the ears during Bixby Knolls’s First Fridays event tonight, Friday.

The band’s three core members, Pernicia Jaye, Raymond Comer III and Aaron Elimelech, will perform two live sets at approximately 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Friday on the patio at Everyday Zen Relaxation Studio, 3740 Atlantic Ave. Suite 201.

The trio met in 2004 as students at California State University, Long Beach.
Elimelech said their love of music turned into jam sessions with multiple artists, dubbed “lemonade sessions,” because they never knew what would result from the mix.

During the First Fridays show, Elimelech will DJ and project images in the background, including the band’s music video for their song on the recently released 5-song EP, “Armchair Generals.”

The band’s other albums are “The LunchBox” and “Armchair Provocateur.”
For all three members, music is their passion, but the band isn’t signed to a label. Jaye, Comer and Elimelech say they have day jobs to pay the bills.

“In 2009, we decided that we should share the music with the world,” said Jaye, the Generals’ bassist and vocalist. “Some of our songs have verses, but we color outside of the lines. When people listen, we take them on a sound trip.”
Comer, who typically plays the drums during the band’s sets, said his early musical influences included Frank Zappa and The Police’s drummer, Stewart Copeland.

The Armchair Generals’ name derived from a car trip when Comer and a friend were dissecting songs on the radio and called themselves “armchair generals.”
“Since the production cost of making music has dropped, everyone is making music,” Comer said.
“The challenge is to rise above the din. The band’s name is a metaphor for war … as artists, we want to win mind wars — but win your attention, not like military generals wanting to win land wars.”
Jaye, who has performed in groups ranging from all-female R&B to acoustic alternative rock, said Armchair Generals offers a unique sound that is different from Long Beach’s well-known reggae, ska, and rap music history.
Comer, who accompanied Jaye when she first went to a house music club, said Jaye looked like she “got religion” when she listened to the beats.
The concept inspired Jaye to create a stage name for herself after a goddess worshipped in Ifa, a West African religion, and the rest of the band members followed suit.
Jaye is Oyane9, named after Ifa’s goddess of the wind; Comer is Bebo6, from his favorite Afro-Cuban jazz musician; and Elimelech is Osoosi7, meaning “left-handed sorcerer.”
Keicher Payne, owner of Everyday Zen, said she initially was introduced to the music of Armchair Generals through the band’s promoter, Sharreace Baldwin. Payne said she thought the band’s sound would mesh well with the laid-back atmosphere of her spa, yoga studio and alternative healing business in Bixby Knolls. Another performer, guitarist Tin Santos, will sing songs she has written and play Friday evening in the studio’s Tea Room.
According to Blair Cohn, Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s (BKBIA) executive director, First Fridays in August will run the gamut of sights and sounds, with interactive elements and a variety of live entertainment.

For more information about Armchair Generals, visit

www.armchairgeneralsmusic.com. - By Darcy Leigh Richardson\Long Beach Gazettes

Brisk, bold and chock full of multiple emotions and influences----the trio united during a firestorm of global and political unrest in 2004 and have been creating together ever since.

As eclectic as their names (Osoosi 7, Bebo 6 and Oyani 9), the Armchair Generals are all over the musical landscape with their style: there's the coherent R&B-flavored riffs (immediately apparent in "Sunday Morning," thanks to a chorus that mimics the 80s smash "Saturday Love"), pulsing house and jazz fusion ("Way Out"), the languid and hypnotic calm of "Relajate" and the irresistible "Daydreamer," which is has a plucky bottom, but vocals from Ms. Oyani 9 that smooth and scintillate.

By the time one gets to the final track of the EP (a gentle tempest entitled "Clear") it's probably apparent that this type of music isn't heard as much as it is experienced----there are no catchy choruses, few lyrics and no overproduced gloss or swagger. What remains, however, are well-produced musical selections that may, to some, seem rough or incomplete, but to others will feel imaginative and without boundaries. The acoustics and keyboards mesh well together, and Oyani 9 is aware that her voice is a delicate one, so she doesn't push it or over-sing, which results in a sound that doesn't clash with the feel or the intent.

Will the Armchair Generals appeal to the average listener? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth the effort. Unconventional, yet appealing, the three-member collective won't resonate with everyone, but those willing to groove with them should enjoy the ride.

Vocals: 3.0
Lyrics: n/a Music: 3.5
Production 4.0

Soultracks call: Cautiously Recommended
By Melody Charles

- By Melody Charles /Soul Tracks Online Magazine

It is hard to call Armchair Generals' music down-tempo because it is definitely uplifting, so I’ll just get my point across by describing the band in more general terms like excellent, energetically smooth and a must-see group.

Musically, their sound has a soothing, soulful balance of electronic beats, jazz-infused tempos and calming lyrics.

Physically, they are intriguing to watch because they smile and beautifully grove to their own sound, as they should. The three main members, Oyani9 (Pernicia Jaye), Be’bo’ 6 (Raymond Comer III) and Osoosi7 (Aaron Elimelech) have a natural energy flow and their occasional guest performers heighten the jam session sound they produce.

So, if you missed their last performance of the year at Viento y Agua Friday night, I suggest you make their next show of 2011 a requirement.

The Long Beach band has been getting quite a lot of notoriety in the local music scene and knowing that their serene sound really helps escape this noisy world,
they are done performing for the rest of the year to spend time in the studio creating their LP.

Their final performance packed a crowd of music lovers at the 4th street coffee house October 16th and the minute Oyani9’s voice hit the mike, heads were steady moving in unison.

Oyane9 has the type of pitch that could never be copied. It reminds me of Sade-classic, sensual and unique. She also plays the bass, and very well at that, so watching her enjoy her music as much as I did was certainly pleasing.

Be’bo’6 is a drum master and his electronic set really separates the band’s tone from sounding like anyone else’s out in the local performance scene. He credits a wide range of inspirations, from Led Zeppelin to Prince, and I can only image the extensiveness of his music playlist.

Osoosi7 does background vocals, keyboard and controls the electric synthesizer programming to really pull the Armchair Generals together. As a well-known local DJ and former radio personality for www.kbeach.org, is it easy to understand why his production specialty is a key ingredient to the group.

Although the three have been making music together for about 9 years, they still bring something different to each performance they play.

Recently, DJ Danny V has been a part of their live set; sampling and mixing on his MPC, which helps their sound remain electric/house/lounge simultaneously.

Friday they welcomed saxophonist Jaman Laws who added an additional soothing sound to a few of the songs, and bringing some diversity to the group were hip-hop artists Akil Lewis and local emcee No Sleep, who ended the show on a very energetic tip. I will definitely be looking out for another performance from Lewis, as well as the Long Beach rapper No Sleep.

So while Armchair Generals' spend their time in the studio to create more stellar music and put together an LP, you should spend a few bucks on their EP, because this band is something special and their talent should not be slept on.

You can find purchasing information and much more on their website: www.armchairgeneralsmusic.com. - 562 CityLife

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