Music
Press
By Lindsay Planer
...the primary compositional combo of Zittrain and Burkart weave a fulfilling sonic tapestry of unsheltered emotion and instrumental prowess...The vocal pairing yields an undeniable synchronicity, especially during the chorus of the driving rocker "Matter of Time"... - All Music Guide
By Mick Skidmore
This trio artfully juxtaposes a cool ‘60s vibe with a modern-day sensibility. The band’s self-titled debut is full of startling guitar work and quirky songs with a Dylanesque quality...Not only does the band jam with intensity and vision but it often laces its songs with strong socio-political content. - Relix Magazine
By KyndMusic Editorial Staff
To be compared to Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams in the same breath is pretty impressive. To have Carlos Santana call one of your acoustic duo shows “beautiful” is even more so. And then to be forced to release two albums in a year by your fans clamoring for new music, well that’s just stunning.
Add to that gigs up and down the West Coast, shows at the Fillmore and a new album in the works for release in 2006 and you have a potent recipe for success. With all puns intended, this will not be the last word you hear on Famous Last Words. Watch for them as they break out in 2006. - KyndMusic
By Rachel Curry
For musicians who are accustomed to the magic of electric guitar, it takes some serious balls to make a genuinely captivating acoustic performance, but this is exactly what Zittrain and Burkart did...I was completely entranced by Burkart’s stunning vocals, watching Zittrain woo everyone with improvisation...I could tell the rest of the audience was as charmed as I was...I felt like I had really seen something. - KyndMusic
By Aaron Richardson
Famous Last Words' first CD is out. You should get it...Jeff Zittrain's gruff, heartfelt voice and Kate Burkart's sweet, supple tones flickering over each other like soft flames...their CD bursts with endless vitality...they mark out a great swath of rock and roll territory -- from folk ballads to funky grinds, roots rock to jazzy sizzle, pop to jam -- and claim it as their own. - CD Baby
By Mark Kramer
The song construction in this self-titled album is solid and the vocals have loads of depth and range...Solid lyrics grace the songs effortlessly, striking out of the woodwork to capture the imagination of the audience...flashes of brilliance jump out of the ordinary into the transcendent, pulling you into the moment like only the fiery guitar sound of Zittrain's electric, or Kate Burkart's soul wrenching vocals can. - West Coast Performer Magazine
By Peter Dedman
The band at times sound like a vintage college rock band from mid 1980's Athens, Georgia, summoning up silt and twang in every improvisation... Extended jams like "Faith in the Dark," or the flowing suite "Smells Like Candy" evince a grooving virtuosity, but we equally dig on their shorter, sweeter moments as well, such as the humbler blues instrumental "1928 'Z' Trane. - Hear Music
Kate has a beautiful voice. And Jeff, your songs are so good, why don't you send them to Glenn Campbell? - Jeff's Mom
By Brian Baker
A world class jam band in the best sense of the classification...makes their case with power and grace and a refreshing lack of cliche. - Amplifier Magazine
Discography
Famous Last Words, 2004 (independent release)
Underground Acoustic, 2005 (Round 3 Records)
Photos
Bio
"We Rock. And We're Deeply Sensitive."
Famous Last Words create ragged, transcendent Americana rock that has them plugging in and blazing out crunching jams many say are reminiscent of great power trios and jambands - or stripping down to bare bones acoustic roots that bring to mind Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan.
Their 2004 self-titled debut album received an All Music Guide 4 Stars, a CD Baby Editor’s Pick, was featured on NBC TV and in Relix Magazine and was voted by the staff at KyndMusic as a Top 10 Bands to Watch in ‘06. Their subsequent 2005 Underground Acoustic CD resulted in their being invited to play the 2006 Awareness Benefit in Charlotte, NC.
In addition their song "Banish" is the top-downloaded song off the Voices in the Wilderness Benefit CD on iTunes and they are currently recording a full-length electric studio album for release in Winter 2006.
Having toured extensively up and down the West Coast, Famous Last Words is poised to take their "soulful anthems, lush grooves, daring guitar solos and beautifully blended harmonies" to audiences across the country.
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