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"Off to Villa Borghese With Harmonic Blue"

by Joshua Smotherman 2 Comments and 0 Reactions
Off To Villa Borghese with Harmonic Blue


Hailing from College Park, Maryland comes a powerhouse quartet by the name of Harmonic Blue.

You’re going to like this one.

Villa Borghese is beautiful! — an aural journey through jazz, pop, rock, blues, and r&b guaranteed to lift your spirits and send you flying into a more serene atmosphere.

This music has complexity, depth, profound context, and sounds so sweet you could easily drift off into a very peaceful sleep.

This is similar to what would happen if Van Morrison and Steely Dan teamed up with the Dave Matthews Band to take over the world. Of course, Wilco and John Mayer would be their sidekicks.

The band was conceived in July of 2011 but the’ lives of these gentlemen have been connected for quite some time.

Members include singer-songwriter Zach Field, bassist-producer Gabe Bustos, guitarist-songwriter Anthony Ajluni, and drummer Sam Balcom.

The depth and duration of their personal connections emanates an essence such as “this band was meant to be together”. Each member plays off the other in ways that only compliment, strengthen, and solidify the group’s ability to craft amazing songs.

With a wide range of influences and various degrees of training (or lack thereof), Harmonic Blue will only evolve and continue to stand above the rest as time puts them to the test.


- Middle Tennessee Music


"Off to Villa Borghese With Harmonic Blue"

by Joshua Smotherman 2 Comments and 0 Reactions
Off To Villa Borghese with Harmonic Blue


Hailing from College Park, Maryland comes a powerhouse quartet by the name of Harmonic Blue.

You’re going to like this one.

Villa Borghese is beautiful! — an aural journey through jazz, pop, rock, blues, and r&b guaranteed to lift your spirits and send you flying into a more serene atmosphere.

This music has complexity, depth, profound context, and sounds so sweet you could easily drift off into a very peaceful sleep.

This is similar to what would happen if Van Morrison and Steely Dan teamed up with the Dave Matthews Band to take over the world. Of course, Wilco and John Mayer would be their sidekicks.

The band was conceived in July of 2011 but the’ lives of these gentlemen have been connected for quite some time.

Members include singer-songwriter Zach Field, bassist-producer Gabe Bustos, guitarist-songwriter Anthony Ajluni, and drummer Sam Balcom.

The depth and duration of their personal connections emanates an essence such as “this band was meant to be together”. Each member plays off the other in ways that only compliment, strengthen, and solidify the group’s ability to craft amazing songs.

With a wide range of influences and various degrees of training (or lack thereof), Harmonic Blue will only evolve and continue to stand above the rest as time puts them to the test.


- Middle Tennessee Music


"Harmonic Blue's "Villa Borghese"

The Maryland-based quartet, Harmonic Blue, is an alt-pop, rock, folk, and classical group that is refreshing and amazing in the same vein. Lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, Zach Field, is joined by Anthony Ajluni on guitars, Gabe Bustos on bass, keyboard, and harmonica, and Sam Balcom on drums and percussion. The breezy, "Silver Spoon," is slightly jazzy overall, but not too far removed from alt-pop and folk. Jake Balcom's trumpet solo at the end of the song finishes it off nicely. The jaunty, ambulating "Subreality" is anything but fiction. The lilting guitar and wavering harmonica tones set the stage for an alt-folk composition that opens up into a quasi-rock medley mid-song. "Villa Borghese" opens with a rumbling guitar tune and light percussion that would make Xavier Rudd jealous. The tune finishes with a nice trumpet display. The seven-track release is a heavenly rompy through the world of alt-folk, pop, and rock with a raw, organic performative nature. This is a very fine recording that will please the college crowd, as well as the refined audiophile. ~ Matthew Forss - Inside World Music


"Harmonic Blue's "Villa Borghese"

The Maryland-based quartet, Harmonic Blue, is an alt-pop, rock, folk, and classical group that is refreshing and amazing in the same vein. Lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, Zach Field, is joined by Anthony Ajluni on guitars, Gabe Bustos on bass, keyboard, and harmonica, and Sam Balcom on drums and percussion. The breezy, "Silver Spoon," is slightly jazzy overall, but not too far removed from alt-pop and folk. Jake Balcom's trumpet solo at the end of the song finishes it off nicely. The jaunty, ambulating "Subreality" is anything but fiction. The lilting guitar and wavering harmonica tones set the stage for an alt-folk composition that opens up into a quasi-rock medley mid-song. "Villa Borghese" opens with a rumbling guitar tune and light percussion that would make Xavier Rudd jealous. The tune finishes with a nice trumpet display. The seven-track release is a heavenly rompy through the world of alt-folk, pop, and rock with a raw, organic performative nature. This is a very fine recording that will please the college crowd, as well as the refined audiophile. ~ Matthew Forss - Inside World Music


"Harmonic Blue - Villa Borghese"

Harmonic Blue’s EP release “Villa Borghese” is the perfect example of a young bands first offering into the world of original music. There are some high points, and some growing pains, but over all a solid effort.
The band has a sound that crosses somewhere between jam band, jazz quartet, and singer/songwriter. The arrangements have well defined sections, and the songs have a very nice flow to them, with enough added surprises to keep the listener’s attention.
Lead singer, Zach Field’s voice has the rawness of Jeff Buckley combined with the mysterious vibe of Gotye. On the song “Hey,” his use of dynamics and note placement takes on a rhythmic feel, which plays nicely into the changing drum beat between sections.
NO8DO and Villa Borghese are both instrumental tracks that feature guitarist Anthony Ajluni. NO8DO is a short solo guitar prelude that introduces the rhythmic picked guitar pattern to Villa Borghese. Villa Borghese is four tracks later, but incorporates the same guitar pattern into a full band arrangement, with a nice use of percussion and dynamic contrast.
The stand out track on this EP is Subreality, which starts off with polyrhythmic guitar patterns, and introduces harmonica to give it a “waking up in the country” kind of feel to it. Zach Field’s vocals enter after a long intro to accented full band hits. The arrangement on this tune combines heavier guitar and an open acoustic feel that creates a lot of texture and movement.
While the recording execution and performance are not perfect on “Villa Borghese,” there are enough high points that definitely make it worth checking out. Guitarist Anthony Ajluni shows a skilled display of guitar picking, patterns, and chops; singer Zach Field uses dynamics, rhythm, and articulation to shape the melodies around the music; and the full band uses arrangement, and texture to keep the songs interesting. Harmonic Blue should be put on the radar screen as an up and coming band to keep an eye on. - Mobtown Music Guide


"Harmonic Blue - Villa Borghese"

Harmonic Blue’s EP release “Villa Borghese” is the perfect example of a young bands first offering into the world of original music. There are some high points, and some growing pains, but over all a solid effort.
The band has a sound that crosses somewhere between jam band, jazz quartet, and singer/songwriter. The arrangements have well defined sections, and the songs have a very nice flow to them, with enough added surprises to keep the listener’s attention.
Lead singer, Zach Field’s voice has the rawness of Jeff Buckley combined with the mysterious vibe of Gotye. On the song “Hey,” his use of dynamics and note placement takes on a rhythmic feel, which plays nicely into the changing drum beat between sections.
NO8DO and Villa Borghese are both instrumental tracks that feature guitarist Anthony Ajluni. NO8DO is a short solo guitar prelude that introduces the rhythmic picked guitar pattern to Villa Borghese. Villa Borghese is four tracks later, but incorporates the same guitar pattern into a full band arrangement, with a nice use of percussion and dynamic contrast.
The stand out track on this EP is Subreality, which starts off with polyrhythmic guitar patterns, and introduces harmonica to give it a “waking up in the country” kind of feel to it. Zach Field’s vocals enter after a long intro to accented full band hits. The arrangement on this tune combines heavier guitar and an open acoustic feel that creates a lot of texture and movement.
While the recording execution and performance are not perfect on “Villa Borghese,” there are enough high points that definitely make it worth checking out. Guitarist Anthony Ajluni shows a skilled display of guitar picking, patterns, and chops; singer Zach Field uses dynamics, rhythm, and articulation to shape the melodies around the music; and the full band uses arrangement, and texture to keep the songs interesting. Harmonic Blue should be put on the radar screen as an up and coming band to keep an eye on. - Mobtown Music Guide


"Live DC"

The first band I caught was Harmonic Blue, the Baltimore boys who used the opportunity to debut their very first music video on the giant projection screen at the Fillmore. It turns out that the soft-spoken guys I’d met at Blue Banana are actually glorified blues rockers, comfortably sprawled across the huge stage. While their EP, Villa Borghese, is all quietly complex layers of riffs slowly building and falling beautifully over singer Zach Field’s raspy-but-sometimes-too-James-Morrisony vocals, their live experience is an unhinged gritty transformation. At one point during an absolutely raucous blues anthem, more B.B. King than Morrison, guitarist Anthony Ajluni tango-sprinted across the entire length of the stage while shredding a solo as Field wailed center-stage. Set closer “Subreality” was the other clear highlight, featuring nifty harmonica work and #feelings-inducing post-rock instrumental crescendos reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky. - Brightest Young Things


"Live DC"

The first band I caught was Harmonic Blue, the Baltimore boys who used the opportunity to debut their very first music video on the giant projection screen at the Fillmore. It turns out that the soft-spoken guys I’d met at Blue Banana are actually glorified blues rockers, comfortably sprawled across the huge stage. While their EP, Villa Borghese, is all quietly complex layers of riffs slowly building and falling beautifully over singer Zach Field’s raspy-but-sometimes-too-James-Morrisony vocals, their live experience is an unhinged gritty transformation. At one point during an absolutely raucous blues anthem, more B.B. King than Morrison, guitarist Anthony Ajluni tango-sprinted across the entire length of the stage while shredding a solo as Field wailed center-stage. Set closer “Subreality” was the other clear highlight, featuring nifty harmonica work and #feelings-inducing post-rock instrumental crescendos reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky. - Brightest Young Things


"Kind of Blue, Local band tries to find niche"

"The record(Villa Borghese) touches upon many different musical ideas, which is unsurprising given the group’s diverse list of favorite artists.... The conceptual melting pot is vast and impressive." - The Diamondback


"Kind of Blue, Local band tries to find niche"

"The record(Villa Borghese) touches upon many different musical ideas, which is unsurprising given the group’s diverse list of favorite artists.... The conceptual melting pot is vast and impressive." - The Diamondback


"Kind of Blue, Local band tries to find niche"

"The record(Villa Borghese) touches upon many different musical ideas, which is unsurprising given the group’s diverse list of favorite artists.... The conceptual melting pot is vast and impressive." - The Diamondback


"Kind of Blue, Local band tries to find niche"

"The record(Villa Borghese) touches upon many different musical ideas, which is unsurprising given the group’s diverse list of favorite artists.... The conceptual melting pot is vast and impressive." - The Diamondback


Discography

Silver Spoon - Single, November 2012

Villa Borghese - EP, November 2012

Photos

Bio

Nowadays it’s a rare a feat to match stellar songcraft with stellar musicianship. Rising star quartet Harmonic Blue has labored hard to realize a vision of accessible songwriting delivered with instrumental virtuosity. Through writing and self-producing its own material, and running every element of the day-to-day band admin, the College Park, Maryland four piece has built an impressive profile. Now, the band is proud to announce the breathtaking Villa Borghese debut EP, a gorgeously vibrant video for the stunning track “Silver Spoon,” and a momentous self-booked 15-date summer tour.

Harmonic Blue embraces nuanced jazz sophistication, shimmering folk, the nimble expressiveness of blues, the honeyed grit of R&B, and the concise song structure of pop-rock. The group’s exquisite musicality has garnered favorable comparisons to Jeff Buckley, Dave Matthews Band, Alabama Shakes, Wilco, Steely Dan, John Mayer Trio, and Van Morrison. The quartet has been featured in Mobtown Music Guide, The Deli Magazine, Brightest Young Things, and its music has been played on 98 Rock Noise in the Basement and WTMD’s Baltimore Unsigned. The group has won numerous regional battle of the bands competitions, earning them slots opening for B.o.B., The Dean’s List, Wiz Khalifa, Super Mash Bros, and Breathe Carolina. The Diamondback praises Villa Borghese saying: “The record touches upon many different musical ideas, which is unsurprising given the group’s diverse list of favorite artists…The conceptual melting pot is vast and impressive.” Brightest Young Things says: “While their EP, Villa Borghese, is all quietly complex layers of riffs slowly building and falling beautifully over singer Zach Field’s vocals, their live experience is an unhinged gritty transformation.”

Conceived in July 2011, the band is singer-songwriter Zach Field, bassist-producer Gabe Bustos, guitarist-songwriter Anthony Ajluni, and drummer Sam Balcom. Field’s dynamically soulful vocals span tenderly emotive whispers to soaring highs, recalling Van Morrison, Jeff Buckley, and Robert Plant. Bustos provides a supple and supportive low-end structure with refined chops evoking the melodic approach of Paul McCartney, Sting, Brian Wilson, and Colin Greenwood (Radiohead). Ajluni’s transcendent musicality stretches from otherworldly textures to fluid and crystalline solo excursions, encompassing diverse influences as influences Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Zombies, Bill Frisell, Nels Cline (Wilco), and Robert Randolph (whom which he has shared the stage with). Balcom is the band’s only musically trained member. His chops are studied and precise, but colored by a broadly emotional dynamic palette that points to such diverse masters as Mitch Mitchell, Steve Gadd, Steve Jordan, and Elvin Jones.

Though the band is just two years old, the depth of Harmonic Blue’s connections date back much further. Ajluni met Balcom in kindergarden, Ajluni and Bustos went to school together since second grade, and Bustos met Field the first day of college. The band’s fluid and telepathic creative interplay benefits from this deep, soulful lineage. Field and Ajluni spearhead much of the songwriting work; Bustos frames the musicality with his production expertise; and Balcom provides essential structure and music theory input to focus the group’s compositional style.

“Sam set the pace for us to hone our craft on a serious level. He was out playing with professional session players—we didn’t want to waste his time,” says Ajluni. Each member of the band put in time woodshedding to keep up with Balcom’s accomplished musicality, and reach the standards they set for themselves with their sophisticatedly accessible songcraft.

Harmonic Blue have also greatly benefited from the big picture-perspective of having an in-house producer in bassist Gabe Bustos. From the beginning, they’ve used the studio as a songwriting tool to test out arrangements and musical ideas. This creative asset has helped them grow as musicians and songwriters, enabling them to cohesively fine tune their diverse and rapidly developing aesthetic.

The seven-song Villa Borghese EP is rife with mesmerizing musicality and poetic introspection. Songwriters Field and Ajluni write in a complimentary fashion. “A lot of songs I have conceived are about self-actualization, being honest with oneself,” Field says. His lyrics are vigorously introspective. On “Silver Spoon” he sings: Old Mother look what/you have done, you’ve cast me in stone/Silver wand in your hand/Oh my memories don’t seem to be, keeping me warm/And the air is thin, but my skin’s a bit thinner/Have I been here before? The song’s gorgeously shot video mixes quaintly pastoral city imagery with euphoric and emotive performance footage.

“A lot of my songs are about everyday life and relationships. They compliment Zach’s writing,” Ajluni says. His track “Sturgeon Moon” gracefully unfolds with nimble bluesy guitar and delicate and expansive textures. “That song ha