Ideal Way

[encore music]

From Mountains to Shore:
An ‘ideal way’ to travel with song

BY: ADRIAN VARNAM

The mountains of North Carolina can offer so much: breathtaking views from the Blue Ridge Parkway, beautiful foliage in the fall, inspiring hikes and lazy rivers, and an academic haven for granola-centered youth and the bands that love them.

It makes sense with all of the artistic-minded communities, nestled within inspiring surroundings, to give support to enviro-centric private colleges and liberal arts state schools. Of course the kids are surely going to migrate there—and quite often, as seen by the diversity in the age demographic of Asheville, they stay. But it’s usually the schools that draw them in the first place.

The story holds true for the three members of Asheville-based jam band Ideal Way. Bassist Christian Ferri was studying music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and playing with percussionist Caleb Beissert when he met guitarist Brett Dumsha, both students at Western Carolina University in 2005. After some time testing the waters, the trio became a permanent fixture and full-time band a year later.

Since its inception, Ideal Way has continued the tradition of all great jam bands from the last forty years or so. They’re talented players with precise and articulate techniques, armed with improvisational skills that range from the classic jam, to funk, to jazz, all enveloping both a positive vibe and message. It’s what one comes to expect with this genre of music.

While Ideal Way doesn’t break any new ground, they do build their house on that same soil that bears an extremely strong foundation. They’re educated in music theory and dedicated to creating their won great music. Their respect for the craft results in a controlled sonic vision, even in improvisation. It also lays the groundwork that shows both restraint and freedom in making great beats, all the while respecting and honoring the bands that came before them. Experiencing this style of music requires a backbone of danceable, twirl-able, get-lost-in-the-moment sound that fills the air. And Ideal Way delivers and gives the audience what it needs.

Since featured at the Roxaway Music Festival at Lake Toxaway and the Incognito Birthday Bash at Deerfields, Ideal Way had stepped out in the public spotlight and continues to bring their songs from the mountains to whomever wants to listen. Whether it’s a club, house party, festival, or street corner, the trio is happy to share its message with all: it may not be the “ideal” way, but it’s definitely “a” way that’s worth trying out and soaking up.

This weekend the way leads from the mountains to the shore, as the boys from Asheville bring their jam to downtown Wilmington. If crunchy and funky is the music preferred, don’t miss them as they take on Port City Pub, Friday, January 18th. The jam begins at 10 pm.

- Varnam, Adrian. Encore Magazine. 16-21 January 2008. Page 24. - Encore Magazine

"Back to the rhythm section thing — Ideal Way has a great one. As if it wasn’t difficult enough to basically improvise an entire set of music (in this case, an hour or two) it’s even tougher to make the majority of it actually work, and it’s that quality that may eventually separate Ideal Way from much of the tie-dyed jam band pack. There are bassists that groove, and there are bassists that noodle, but in Christian Ferri you get the better elements of both. Positively super-glued to Caleb Beissert’s bass drum, the duo struck the just the right balance of busyness and dynamic interplay in order to give Brett Dumsha’s guitar enough space to cluck, squawk and squeal as needed." - Cooper, Chris. Smoky Mounatin News. 20-26 June 2007. Page 27. - Smoky Mountain News