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EPIC
Proprium
Featuring the guitars of Stephen Turner and the bass of Jason Navo, Epic strikes a solid groove with their melodic yet cosmic blend of instrumental rock, tempered with a neoclassical music intel. With their solid rhythm section, Epic are slightly reminiscent of the best instrumental prog bands that were once so big in northern Europe in the late '70s. As such, Epic's intriguing Proprium should find a home with fans of guitar based rock fusion instrumentals. www.epicband.net
- Robert Silverstein - 20th Century Guitar Magazine
When I heard the final band, Epic, perform I was reminded of a conversation I had with one of the members of BR band, Black Box.
“Sometimes really great music needs no words.”
The progressive rock group is unique in the fact that in contrast to many of their rock counterparts, the band is an instrumental act. Being an instrumental group, in my opinion is one of the most difficult to be. There aren’t any words to hide behind and the musicians must actually be talented enough to keep the audience actively engaged in their music.
Epic does a great job of captivating the audience with their music. There were very few breaks in their nonstop jam fest and the only words spoken were to notify the audience that they had at least two songs left to play. The transition from song to song was very smooth and it would take a highly attentive person to notice the change.
There is one warning I must issue to attendees of an Epic show; it’s really easy to enter a trance-like state and drift away when they start to play. I closed my eyes many times in their set and was able to visualize a myriad of images. I could envision their music being the background music of some huge war or fight scene.
I think the one thing that would have made their set even better is if they would have had some type of visual effects and, in talking with one of their band members, they are considering visuals for future shows.
It’s plain to see that Epic is beyond talented. They are truly gifted musicians and passionate as well. By the end of their set, the band was drenched in sweat and smiling from ear to ear. Hearing Epic may cause you to write a great novel, song, or even have an epiphany about the meaning of life. In any case this is one band that everyone who claims to be a music enthusiast should hear at least once. It will shake you to the core. - Iris Davis
- Tiger Weekly
Epic: What is it? Math Rock? Prog Metal? A Jam Band?
Trying to pigeonhole this local instrumental outfit into such lackluster categories only takes away from the group's artistry - an art that is found in the noodling instrumentals of other Baton Rouge bands. This quality is observed in Epic's abiltity to journey it's listener through lush soundscapes possessing deep cinematic undertones while maintaining a solid rock sensibility throughout thier offered musical experience.
Collectively, Epic consists of Andrew Gonzalez on keyboards, Jason Navo on bass, Jonathan Alcon on drums, and Stephen Turner on guitar; and for only having four members, they produce a sound as big as a concert hall's percussion ensemble.
Thier innovative use of effects and electronics, coupled with thier flawless skill and timing, pans out into tales capable of being told only through sound. Each musician uses his instrument as a story-telling device by adding his own adaptive style to compliment that of the others.
This banning together of such amazing talent has been going on since late 2003 and is continuing strong with plans of releasing a full-length album by Christmas. The formation of this group didn't go about in the hapless manner characteristic of typical bands, which often make music just because they think they've got something important to say, or as a meal ticket to free drinks and groupies, but rather as pusuit of genuine musical love. Epic strives to give to a listener exactly what he/she seeks from quality music: an experience that carries the audience through various moods and conveys impeccable musicality. Such influence is exuded in thier live shows, which are nothing short of being emotionally jaw dropping and mind blowing.
Going by the band members' personal influences to get an idea of what they sound like would leave you directionless, for what they listen to is as eclectic and diverse as thier own sound. The band cites Victor Wooten as Jesus, and they claim 8-bit video game tunes to be a mainstay in any good playlist. And we couldn't have any substantial talk about music without someone hinting at the almightiness of Wesley Willis. Hip hop, heavy metal, jazz, rock, and the entire world around us - that is what you've got in not-so-much-of-a-nutshell. On a local level, none of the band denied being admirers and supporters of Always the Runner and K-Flux.
What should also be said is that as a local music listener, you don't all leave your homes to go see cover bands whenever you itch for live music. Any connoisseur would just put on a CD. And if you wanted to dance, you'd go to a club. So you would only be doing yourself a huge disservice by not making your way to see a band as original, talented and noteworthy as Epic.
Baton Rouge, bring your ears ... because local rock is now speaking louder and more profoundly than words could ever come close to doing. - Steven Weber - Warning Magazine
Epic lives up to its name on Proprium with windswept compositions that swoop from ethereal high to cataclysmic lows. Eschewing the virtuoso one-upmanship of many instrumental rock outings, the songs unfold as large-scale ensemble pieces, with all members of the band operating in interlaced concentration. "Limitless" begins with an insistent syncopated beat, gradually transmogrifying to baroque, kaleidoscopic passages with seamless dexterity. The lack of vocals make this excellent background music that eventually creeps up to the forefront of your thinking. - Alex V. Cook - 225 Magazine
Epic lives up to its name on Proprium with windswept compositions that swoop from ethereal high to cataclysmic lows. Eschewing the virtuoso one-upmanship of many instrumental rock outings, the songs unfold as large-scale ensemble pieces, with all members of the band operating in interlaced concentration. "Limitless" begins with an insistent syncopated beat, gradually transmogrifying to baroque, kaleidoscopic passages with seamless dexterity. The lack of vocals make this excellent background music that eventually creeps up to the forefront of your thinking. - Alex V. Cook - 225 Magazine
Discography
"Proprium" LP - 2007
1. Omen
2. Centrifuge
3. The hustle
4. Limitless
5. Hades
6. 734
7. Proprium
total running time - 55:22
Epic’s debut album, Proprium (May 2007), is a compilation of their first seven works, each reflective of various stages in self-discovery. The theme and album title were chosen from psychologist Gordon Allport’s seven stages of personal development. His term proprium identifies “the self” and is representative of the final phase of discovery where one realizes his true identity. Epic’s decision to use the term reinforces the psychological undertones in their music and represents the band’s growth and personal achievement of their own identifiable proprium.
more recordings at www.myspace.com/epicband
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Bio
To succeed as an instrumental band, each musician must be talented enough to keep listeners actively engaged in their music. With no lyrics to hide behind, Epic is the epitome of what active engagement is all about.
Epic emerged from Baton Rouge in 2004 out of an unplanned instrumental collaboration between four childhood friends. Classified as melodic progressive/experimental rock, Epic's music carries intense, sometimes dark psychological undertones full of hard-hitting riffs, innovative rhythms and emotionally powered ambient melodies.
Their style mixes the use of electronic effects with ambitious arrangements to provide listeners with a positive emotional experience conveyed in moods achievable only through music. Epic’s sound has been compared to that of The Mars Volta, Dredg, Tool, Liquid Tension Experiment and Pink Floyd.
Each member of Epic is an experimental composer who pays special attention to individual melodic roles. Collectively the band writes “by feel,” without planned structure making their arrangements unique and methodical. Live performances offer an intimate look into their connections with one another, their instruments, their music, and with their listeners.
As melody makers, Epic’s compositions are cohesive and intricate with odd time signatures and tight, inventive rhythms. Capable of carrying hard rock riffs into atmospheric melodies, Epic presents bold arrangements that conjure deep feelings and provide a complete musical experience. With the release of their debut album, Proprium, in 2007, Epic is rapidly gaining exposure and attracting new listeners.
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