Hyptonic
Gig Seeker Pro

Hyptonic

| SELF

| SELF
Band R&B Jazz

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


""elements mesh perfectly...""

Lydia Harrell's supremely smooth and impressive vocals, to Scotty Vercoe's equally impressive Fender Rhodes and piano stylings to Brian Verrochi's rock steady bass. The highlight of the album, hands down, is “Wastin' My Time”, where nearly all of the previously mentioned elements mesh perfectly...The beauty of Harrell's voice cannot be overstated, it's incredibly soulful without stealing the blueprints from previous greats... the spacey closing of “When it Rains,” with Vercoe's out-of-tune upright piano accompanying Harrell's wordless crooning, like some ghost juke joint descending upon a rainy midnight. This experimental, atmospheric element of the band's sound sets it apart from many other “funk, jazz, soul” outfits...
–Peter Hanlon - Northeast Performer


""cool and refreshing""

There's an interesting mix of soul, jazz, and trippy acid on this disc, without any clutter or overproduction that might prove distracting for listeners. Maybe the grooviness is due to the healthy use of a Fender Rhodes (and I'm a sucker for that sound – lugging them is another story). But first and foremost you have to contend with Lydia's vocals – and there is nothing wrong with her pipes at all, as she turns on a dime from breathy jazz phrasing to soul queen, hitting all points in between. The title track, which wavers from jazz to a reggae-influenced verse, is a cool number that just seeps out the speakers. If you're looking for something cool and refreshing, try a Hyptonic straight up. - www.nyrock.com


"4 out of 4 stars!!"

Hyptonic is acid jazzy, spacey, atmospheric, and is a band that certainly knows how to play their instruments and knows how to write a good song. They simultaneously remind me of '70s Miles Davis, Portishead's “Dummy,” and P-Funk, all while sounding remarkably original. Good, good stuff. While I don't hear any standout hit singles, I “do” hear a band capable of producing albums, well-produced albums, that merit repeated listenings, and I suspect that they're absolutely outstanding live and are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Mike Baldino - BostonSoundcheck


""soothe away any worries""

'In a city where there seems to be a plethora of indie-rock hipster bands Hyptonic brings a breath of fresh air to what appears to be a heavy, one-genre saturated scene. This band combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop to make a laid-back head-bobbing sound. This can be heard on tracks like "Waterfolk", which is a perfect blend of percussion, vocals and bass. "Waterfolk" has the same feel as Prince's "When Doves Cry" but with a more acid-jazz feel to it.
As a whole this band has many different elements that fit perfectly together. Lead singer Lydia's voice is reminiscent of Amel Larrieux, the former vocalist of Groove Theory, in which she has the type of voice that reaches into the soul of the listener and soothe away any worries. Other highlights of the CD are the spoken word piece "What a Strangeness" and the hip-hop influenced "Moon & Stars" and "Chill with Me." These tracks create flashbacks of back-in-the-day artist Digable Planets. Overall, Hyptonic is definitely a band to keep your eyes out for especially since their brand of funky, trip-hop jazz is few and far between in the Boston scene.
- Tori Weston - YourSound.com, Inc.


""Her voice is so expressive""

Round about the early 70s' there was an ensemble, I can't remember the name of it, that played (ahem) mood music. Each track of each album (no CDs yet) was full of lush strings that would turn a good brain into mush and occasionally featured sappy narrative. Each was built of a theme. A particular favorite was Highway One, which had titles like "Big Sur" and "Sausalito" and "Golden Gate"; you get the picture. I had lived in California for awhile and had all sorts of stories which were interesting if you'd lived in Ohio all of your life, and I was in law school, so if I could get a nubile wench into my quarters, tell her some stories, slap Highway One on the turntable, and, uh, bring out some recreational substances I was usually good to go, as long as the lady was of particular skill as to keep my stiffy from evaporating under the glare of the schmaltzy music.
Well, I thought for just a minute that we were back to those days when I popped open the mail and the Hyptonic CD fell out, what with the name of the CD being "when it rains" and lightning and stuff on the cover and titles like "Waterfolk" and "Moon and Stars" and "Space Love." All that evaporated, however, within the first few seconds of "Listen to Me, Listen" the CD's opening track. This is all good stuff, (almost) from beginning to end.
Hyptonic is just that, a hip tonic of many ingredients, with elements of jazz, Electronica ("Space Love,") funk, and hiphop all mixed in quite nicely. There seem to be half a jillion members, who slip in and out of the proceedings, but the arrangements are never cluttered, as the players are pretty much limited in number to five or six per track. Every one of the players is competent at worst, killer at best, and keyboardist Scotty Vercoe, who leads this aggregation, with vocalist Lydia, does a super job of keeping things on track. Vercoe doesn't show a lot of flash, though he'll step out briefly once in awhile ("Wastin' My Time") just to show he can. He demonstrates, however, that what is not played is often as important as what is. Lydia, doesn't have a lot of range, but she doesn't need it. Her voice is so expressive, and fits the material so perfectly, that pyrotechnics are neither needed or wanted here. On that rare occasion when she does start to strain ("Down") Nate Quinn, alto sax player extraordinaire, jumps in and helps things along. And that's what a band, and a good musician in it, is supposed to do. There are also a couple of jazzy hiphop pieces with guest rappers (Bomshot on "Moon and Stars" and Chill on "Chill with Me") that permit Brian Verrochi to demonstrate his prowess on electric bass.
Hyptonic pretty much limits themselves to their home base of Boston, appearance-wise. IT might be worth a trip there if you're within a few hundred miles of that city just to check them out. In the meantime, check out "when it rains." This CD, and this band, are worthy of far more notice than they've received to date. - music-reviewer.com


Discography

9/9/99: 6-track EP
When It Rains: full-length CD
The Invisible Movie Soundtrack: full-length CD

Photos

Bio

Hyptonic is the brainchild of singer Lydia Harrell and pianist/composer Scotty Vercoe. They met in various Boston-area bands and formed an early version of the group in 1999. Since then, Hyptonic has been writing/recording albums and performing up and down the East Coast for many adoring fans.

At first listen, vocalist Lydia will capture your heart with her expressive sound and harmonic brilliance. A Michigan native, Lydia has been amazing Boston audiences for the greater part of a decade. In addition to Hyptonic, Lydia has performed or recorded with Doob, Kemp Harris, No Static and the Buck Dewey Big Band. Lydia was runner-up in the 2007 Boston Popsearch competition, resulting in a performance with the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall.

Keyboardist Scotty Vercoe co-composes much of the material with Lydia. Scotty also plays with Zen Bastards, Thelonius Griffin, the Vercoe-Mulroy Duo , Impromptu! and Mental Thirst. Scotty works with the National Film Preservation Foundation silent film restoration project, recording three original scores for their upcoming DVD release Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film.