Madahoochi

Ask anyone who regularly sees music at Cicero's or Magee's or Pop's Blue Moon, and with few exceptions they'll tell you the same thing about Scott Rockwood: He's the best guitarist in town. Within the insular regional jam-band scene, no one can match him, and it is under his lead that Madahoochi has continued to grow musically and thrive in their weekly Monday-night gig at Cicero's (6691 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-862-0009). But they're not just a one-star show. The kicker is that the band has grown and thrived as a whole, as musicians and songwriters. Shawn manages somehow to get even more beautiful every year, and more dexterous on the keyboards. Beto's unstoppable energy on bass is matched only by Joe's unforgiving work behind the drum kit. They even have Nooch on lights, faithfully matching every audible change and progression with a visible one. With a near-obsessive local following and a burgeoning national one thanks to countless appearances on this summer's festival circuit, Madahoochi is set to make a distant memory of the stereotypical noodle and show fans what it means to truly jam. - Riverfront Times - St. Louis, MO

Since 1996, guitarist Scott Rockwood, bassist Beto Moreno, keyboardist Shawn Hartung and drummer Joe Winze have specialized in creating thick roots-rock grooves that develop into improvisational jams. Highly successful as a regional jam band, Madahoochi has focused on tightening its sound and tweaking its onstage interactions to the point of musical telekinesis. The heart of the band is Rockwood, who embraces his guitar like a beloved child and plays it with a prodigious intensity that makes him one of the best young guitarists in St. Louis. The addition of Hartung's distinct soprano, a unique additive in the male-dominated jam-band scene, highlights the vocal harmonies that enliven Madahoochi's songs. Despite having shared stages with jam heavyweights Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams and the Jazz Mandolin Project, Madahoochi remains loyal to its local fans and dedicated to experimentation. Weekly shows at Cicero's often morph into improvisational extravaganzas featuring surprise guest musicians and even poets. - Riverfront Times

On top of St. Louis’s jam band scene right now is the band Madahoochi, who hold a weekly spot at Cicero’s, located in STL’s The Loop. From this weekly gig they released Live in the Loop [independent] to showcase what their live show is all about, and from track one, “Good Time People,” you know you are in for some funky, dancing business.

Madahoochi, while being hailed at St. Louis’s best jam band by The Riverfront Times two years in a row, is something beyond just a jam band. Their music spawns more from the funk genre, ranging into trance and jam band grounds-- but unlike most jam bands, this live CD contains four tracks that run under four minutes. Typically, a song that short is unheard of in this scene, but this is what makes Madahoochi a joy to listen to.

Madahoochi has the ability to make any song, be it twelve or three minutes in length, structured, crisp and focused. Even when their guitar player, Scott Rockwood, and keyboard player, Shawn Hartung, extend their electric playing into more expressive solos and improvisation, the music never seems to stray away from the central groove that makes the song so great in the first place. Where other bands seem to lose sight of the music, this band grasps the song and improves upon every aspect through their impeccable musical timing and intelligence.

Songs like “No Money,” “Must Be Nice,” and “Neptune Squeegee” are what really make this disk sparkle. All of the songs combine and focus on strong lyrical composition as well as instrumental composition, beautiful vocal harmonies, vibrant and funky melodies, as well as hot fresh jamming that could make even the stiffest person bust a move-- or two. - nighttimes.com

Music
Best Jam Band

Madahoochi
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www.madahoochi.com
The jam-band scene may have substantial amounts of hippie DNA, but it nevertheless rewards good old-fashioned hard work. While today's pop stars are born overnight in a manner akin to lottery winners, a successful jam band must evolve over time and prove its mettle onstage night after night, while attempting to build enduring relationships with fans instead of going for the quick score. Ten years ago the members of Madahoochi were just starting out, four nice kids gingerly charting a musical course through a somewhat murky post-Garcia universe. Since then they've released a handful of CDs, spent countless hours refining their craft at weekly gigs like their Monday-night residency at Cicero's (6691 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-862-0009) and logged thousands of miles on the road to festivals and clubs across the nation. Guitarist Scott Rockwood, keyboardist Shawn Hartung, bassist Beto Moreno and drummer Joe Winze have all grown individually as players, even as the band's collective writing and arranging skills have deepened and matured. And as their sound becomes more distinctive and their fan base spreads beyond St. Louis, Madahoochi seem well situated for continued success. It's a Horatio Alger story, clad in tie-dye. - Riverfront Times - St. Louis, MO