NBFB
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NBFB

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"Show Review: NBFB 4/8/05 Harper's Ferry, Boston, MA (Online - Jambands.com)"

NBFB, Live Show Review, The Burren, Somerville, MA – 4/8/05

Chad Berndtson

What hooked me was the unflappable, unruffled ease of it all: Amherst, MA's No Bud for Bisson, better known as NBFB or "NiB FiB," has the hopelessly danceable groove thing down to a science. Tonight's show, for an enthusiastic, generously imbibing crowd as this sweaty little back room in Somerville's Davis Square, was the third time I'd had the pleasure in six months, and each time, this upstart quintet gets a little dirtier, a bit raunchier, a bit more loveably raffish and, seemingly, more assured of itself.

Funk and groove bands, especially in the Boston area or any city with a legitimate nexus of upstart music, form a crowded pool, so why do the basic tenets of effective, y' know, funk and groove, seem so dauntingly elusive sometimes? Answer: cause that sort of thing ain't nearly as simple as it may seem. "Groove" is a product of chemistry, which is in turn a product of individual chops, listening and certain intangibles that can be instantly pegged as fakes if they aren't 100 percent present.

That's how it used to be, anyway, and these days anyone brave enough to start a band with a funk foundation must contend not only with keeping those things in mind, but with avoiding the "formula" funk-isms that have long since permeated the music's original styles and left them shapeless messes, long having relieved those ridiculously supple licks and basslines that dripped from the hands of the Meters, Parliament/Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone of their hard-won purity and endless experimental possibilities. Newer bands blind themselves to the basics – songs, playability, ensemble chemistry – and end up funking their way right back into the walled-in box they came out of.

At present, NBFB has yet to jell a unique musical identity, but they've mastered so many of those crucial fundamentals in a comparatively short period that they will in good time be able attach meteoric gravitas to their specialized "space funk." And know that "space funk" is indeed the specialty of this house of players: where a lot of kindly instrumental but chemistry-deficient funk bands purport to have found the pocket between deep, grimy grooves and bouncy, often heady space flights, there's a lot more to chew on here than mere tension-and-release from the rhythm players – bassist Dan Rehm and drummer Noah Bond -- and meandering solos from the leads, who here include saxophonist and vocalist Bob Moriarty, guitarist Ron Peleg and keyboardist Darby Wolf. They licked those tendencies long ago.

It's a great time to be catching NBFB in concert – they prowl the northeast corridor with regular abandon – because the band itself is at a frustrating crossroads, during which support (pure, unvarnished fan enjoyment) and the ability to "click," will determine the continued strength of its resolve. It's long past the point of deciding whether they were going to make a serious run at the touring game, because by this time, they have three albums in the can, each more artistically successful and professional sounding than the last, they have a rigorous endorsement from the big leagues – Soulive saxman and ubiquitous Boston area sit-in guest Sam Kininger can be counted among their fans and previous on-stage guests – and the word of mouth machine has spread far enough that it isn't just friends, friends of friends and wander-intos that are ballasting their gradually expanding crowds.

Their originals, too, especially the tastily named "Ted Dancin'" and the hip hop-infused "Strictly Revisited," both offered tonight, are meaty and provide enough room for the soloing players to acquit themselves in un-cliched ways. Peleg leans heavy on sidewinding riffage – his playing lands somewhere between the sinewy licks of Soulive's Eric Krasno and the way greasier stuff of a Leo Nocentelli – and Moriarty knows how to paint with his horn, rarely, if ever, devolving into trilly blather or relegating himself to the runs and arpeggiation that scream only "Maceo" with no original twists. Wolf is the group's most invigorating improviser, able to snake organ and Moog melodies around thickets of rhythm section noise, instead of getting lost in shapeless series of blatty notes. Together, the band has enough homegrown tunes to support this musical intellect, including at least one legitimate failsafe, the mighty "Deep Analog," that closed tonight's show.

Obvious cover choices are a necessity at this stage of the game – they draw non-believers in and keep both things moving and them dancing – and NBFB's tonight ran the gamut from a pair of Zeppelin, "Ramble On" in the first set and "What Is and What Should Never Be" in the second, to a Sublime ("Badfish," which bled effectively into "Ramble"), a Stevie Wonder ("Superstition"), and an earnest, riveting take on one of the true bulwarks of any complete fusion-tinged funk band's repertoire, Grant Green's "The Windjammer," t - Jambands.com


"CD Review: NBFB (Glide Magazine)"

One of the best things about the funk-tastic Boston quintet No Bud for Bisson (NBFB) is that it’s just so easy to get into, and that’s probably the best explanation for its budding popularity as a hotshot live act. Part-time Soulive sax man and ubiquitous sit-in guest Sam Kininger is just one big league cat who’s given them his seal of approval, and he’s among several guests appearing on NiBFiB: Confidential, the band’s third full-length.

Spacey funk is the dominant flavor, but the sound also brushes up on hip-hop, steamy, Tosh-ian reggae and the more fusion-y exploits of Sly & the Family Stone, Weather Report and latter-day Maceo Parker. It’s fun as all hell because it still feels raw and fledgling, and the band is coming to a popularity crossroads where that integrity will be tested again and again, so here’s hoping for enough grease and gristle to keep the party going as long as it should, and to keep “Confidential’s” best nuggets – the saucy “Ted Dancin’,” and “UnBelievaBlaze,” the narsty opener “Strictly Revisited” – ever-evolving and noodle-free.

As a worthwhile aside, know that NBFB sax man Bob Moriarty also anchors another sizzling Boston-based act, Audible Mainframe, a hip-hop-based funk troupe that brings hip-hop and rap as convincingly uncompromised to the live setting as any group of the nature since the Roots.

- Glide Magazine - Chad Berndtson


"Songs In the Key of NBFB (Syracuse New Times, Syracuse, NY)"

By Nathan Turk

The best part of any chorus is when stuff explodes. That doesn't just mean cranked-up guitar oomph in the case of Boston act NBFB, whose "Engine Block" also comes with sports utility vehicle pyrotechnics. "I put three shots in his engine block and then we both hit the deck/ I was just in time 'cause I hit the gas line, and the Hummer was a fiery wreck." Not exactly an endorsement for bling-bling.

But aside from pesky SUVs, Beantown realities are different from, say, New York City's, says NBFB (pronounced "nibfib") guitarist Ron Peleg. Fewer folks compete for coveted gigs in less space. It's just that venues aren't always brand names.

"I think there aren't even two clubs here that people go because it's like, 'Oh, they always have good music,'" says Peleg. But when you make it, you've probably done so on your band's name, not a scene's.

NBFB, acronymous for No Bud For Bisson ("An in-joke that's best not put in print," Peleg explains), sound a little like fusion-era Maceo Parker interpreting early Roots on their recent NiBFiB Confidential (Naked Ear). Tight bass-and-drum pockets prop up lithe rhymes, rock guitar and washes of Hammond A-100 fuzz from organist Darby Wolf, who "has every kind of vintage keyboard you can think of," Peleg boasts.

For a group ranging from high-school-age (Wolf) to recent collegians, NBFB think pretty old-school. "Lazer" steps subtly like 1970s-vintage Peter Tosh while vocalist-saxophonist Bob Moriarty's gruff play off the buttery alto of guest Alicia Chakour ("So Cool," "Strictly Revisited") is pure classicist tag-teaming. Says Peleg, who produced the disc, "It was fun to manage a project I was so passionate about. I recruited kids who I knew would be fun to work with."

Choicest among guests' moments is MC Exposition's rap about breaking hip-hop's black-white vision: "Light travels faster than sound/ That's why some people see white until they open their mouths," he rhymes in "Position X." Mostly, NBFB leave songs' impressions to the listener, which is how their instrumentals such as "New Latin" avoid lazy jam-band aftertastes. Their new treks into lyrics and cathartic choruses are imitable, maybe in more ways than one. "A couple weeks after we wrote 'Engine Block,' there were actually reports of people doing that sort of thing in California," says Peleg of the April SUV firebombings in Los Angeles. "It was really, really weird."

Awful Al's, 321 S. Clinton St. hosts this blazing act's gig on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 10 p.m., their first Salt City stop since July's Jazz in the Square. Admission is free; call 472-4427 for more information. And don't forget to wish a happy birthday to NBFB's manager Julie Viscardi, a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University's Music Education program.

--Nathan Turk

- Syracuse New Times


"Cosmic Stew (Seven Days Magazine, Burlington, VT)"

By Casey Rea, Music Editor

Random Notes: 3/30/06

Funk and groove bands are a dime a dozen these days, and not all of 'em are created equal. Massachusetts-based NBFB stand out in an increasingly crowded playing field. A potent blend of chops, soul and chemistry is at the heart of the band's driving "space funk." Sizzling keyboard vamps and slinky horn lines brush up against psychedelic guitars and dub-infused rhythms. When this band clicks, which is often, they leave the competition in the dust. Hear for yourself this Saturday at Nectar's. - Seven Days, Burlington Vermont


"Show Review: NBFB @ Harper's Ferry (10-01-05) (Online: 4TWK.com)"

By Super S

On Saturday October 1st at Harpers Ferry in Allston, MA NBFB treated the town to a super-space-funk throwdown. The former Psychadelic Breakfast, now a slimmed down The Breakfast, opened the show for the NiBFiB fellas. The Breakfast turned out to be quite a surprise for most of us. The Breakfast, also getting their start in the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass rocked the house with some serious grooves, reminiscent of the days when they used to play in the basement of the Butterfield dormitory at UMass.

NBFB took the stage in front of an audience eager for them to get going. They played some crowd favorites, some tracks from their newest album, and raised the bar for themselves in the process. Their usual high energy performance was outdone by this Saturday’s astronomical charisma, and the audience loved every minute of it. There wasn’t a dry, motionless body in the crowd. The band also knows precisely how to play to the crowd, each member in his own way.

Straight from Bob Moriarty’s enthusiasm for Ron Peleg’s intensely impressive jams, back to the rhythm and funk held down by Dan Rehm and Noah, and of course right over to the powerful presence of new keyboardist Sam Gilman! A seriously tight performance; to say the least. Roaming horn player Dan Friedman joined the well-built quintet, adding a layer of whirling brass to the beats and thumps and grooves. The Breakfast guitarist Timmy even joined the stage at one point towards the end of the set for a mighty jam.

The band let loose towards the end, covering some greats like Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall: Part One,” The New Deal’s “Gone, Gone, Gone,” as well as a stellar rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “What is and What Should Never Be.” They even covered Phish’s “Punch You in the Eye,” (by special request for a close friend) and I feel strongly I heard the baseline riff of “Bathtub Gin.” The audience also let loose as the show drew to a close, and Harper’s Ferry security was ordered to the front to prevent enthused fans from jumping on stage to join in on the bands on stage antics. For Those Who Know was representing in full force, Bob was sporting a 4TWK sticker on his chest, giving shout outs -rom the stage, and there was a plethora of logos to be seen on backs and chests bouncing around the dance hall.

Another positive addition to NBFB was Henrik Toncic, the overseer of lights. His display and help enhanced the cosmic effect the boys’ funk creates, and added drama and depth expertly.

Much thanks to NBFB for again taking us to deep space. Definitely check these guys out whenever they come within hours of you…they will bring you light years from whatever your earthly location is, guaranteed.

Visit www.nbfbmusic.com for more info

- 4TWK.com - For Those Who Know


"Caught In Passing (Boston Globe, Boston, MA)"

By Steve Morse

NBFB at Harpers Ferry: If funk-style grooves are your addiction, then NBFB should be on your itinerary. The group's nucleus is former high school friends who came together for the right reason: the sheer love of music. Guitarist Ron Peleg is a monster in the making, and though the vocals need improvement, the zeal is there. Guest singer Alecia Chakour (whose dad, Mitch, is a longtime local musician) really picked things up in that department.

- Boston Globe


"CD Review : NBFB (The Noise: Rock Around Boston)"

CD Reviews
May 2005

NO BUD FOR BISSON
Naked Ear Records
NiBFiB Confidential
10 songs

By: Envious Rocker


No Bud For Bisson? Aw, that sucks, but this band on the other hand does not. They are funk/ jazz in every sense of the word. I am really impressed in the recording of this album. This group of guys knows what sounds good, and that is exactly what is in NiBFiB Confidential. "Lazer" is Marley reggae meets Pink Floyd saxophone, then goes into what they have quoted as "space funk"---their own genre. That's probably a pretty good way to put it. I do like how they take styles here and there then represent them in their own way. That's what makes NBFB so unique. By the way NBFB is their way of abbreviating the name. A really good song to groove out to is "Unbelievablaze." They take the jazz/ funk to a whole other level on this one. They are able to stay so tight throughout this whole song in such a professional way. "So Cool" is a great duo with lead singer/ sax player Bob Moriarty and guest vocalist Alecia Chakour. NiBFiB Confidential is their third CD release to date. No Bud For Bisson will be supporting their new album with a tour this spring, so stay tuned, and keep that funk alive. (Envious Rocker)
- The Noise: Rock Around Boston


"Hot Acts for 2006 (Campus Activities Magazine - National)"

Campus Activities Magazine - Jan. 2006

"Hot Acts for 2006"

NBFB

NBFB is quickly emerging as a premier live act in the Northeast. Between 2000 and 2002, the band headlined a number of shows and supported regional and national acts at Pearl Street Nightclub and the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA, often traveling to Burlington, Vermont to play at Nectar's. Highlights of NBFB’s Fall 2004 schedule included an eight-show residency at Harper's Ferry in Boston as well as co-bills with Sam Kininger, Soulive, Strangefolk, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, and The Benevento/Russo Duo.

Recent accomplishments include a Showcase performance at the 2005 NACA Mid America Conference (October 2005), a Club Showcase at the 2005 NEMO Boston Music Festival (October 2005), a feature article in the October 2005 issue of Campus Activities Magazine as a “Hot Band for 2006”, a live television performance on Boston's Fox 25 Morning News (June 2005), chosen as contestants in the "Cosmic Break Contest" of the 10,000 Lakes Festival (June 2005), chosen as "band-of-the-month" at Progressive Radio 93.9 The River in Northampton, MA (July 2005), performances at popular venues in the Northeast such as The Middle East and Bill's Bar (Boston, MA), Tammany Hall (Worcester, MA), Nectar's (Burlington, VT), The Call (Providence, RI), The Big Easy (Portland, ME), The Lion's Den (New York City), Grape Street (Philadelphia, PA), festivals such as the Jazz in the Square Festival (Syracuse, NY), and the Wormtown Music Festival (Heath, MA), and positive reviews from Jambands.com and Glide Magazine.

NBFB features Ron Peleg on guitar, Sam Gilman and/or Kush Mody on keyboards, Dan Rehm on bass, Noah Bond on drums, and Bob Moriarty on saxophone and vocals. Frequent guests sitting in on NBFB's performances include saxophonists Sam Kininger and Dann Friedman. Combining elements of funk, rock, electronic, reggae, and jazz, the band relies on diverse musical influences to develop its signature “space-funk” sound. In concert, NBFB jams on extended solo sections but grounds itself in creative and ever-changing arrangements. The band’s collective songwriting evolves constantly, producing a deep repertoire of material that can astound even their most dedicated fans.


- Campus Activities Magazine


"MUSIC PREVIEW: NBFB to lay down the groove at Harpers (Patriot Ledger, South Boston, MA)"

It's an exciting time to be members of a band like NBFB, not because there isn't already a sea of young jazz-funk bands, but because theirs is the rare case where talent and songwriting ability match ambition, and when that happens, discerning funk lovers tend to notice, and notice quickly. For a band approaching success in two crowded, difficult-to-crack markets - the local Boston-area scene and the improvisational ‘‘jamband'' scene - that type of word-of-mouth is money in the bank.

The Amherst-based five-piece has evolved, as most funk and groove bands do, from a series of loose jam sessions and fledgling live outings into a tightly focused concert powerhouse, splitting the difference between the classic sounds of Maceo Parker, pop-friendly funk mavens like Stevie Wonder and more-fusion oriented contemporary groups like NYC trio Soulive, along with a healthy dosage of hip-hop and reggae flavors for good measure.

To celebrate the release of ‘‘NiBFiB Confidential'' (Naked Ear), its third major release, the band headlines familiar stomping grounds - Harpers Ferry in Allston - tomorrow.

Ron Peleg, the band's guitarist and principal songwriter, along with one of the primary producers on the new album, said the band hadn't quite anticipated a new album this soon, but with the live shows growing in popularity, the band needed more material to vary its setlists, which in addition to NBFB's saucy originals often includes covers both obvious (soul-funk staples like Donny Hathaway's ‘‘Everything is Everything'') and inspired (the Jeff Beck blister ‘‘Led Boots,'' for one).

‘‘It had been more than a year since our old album and our live shows were starting to lack variety, so we holed up at a house in New Hampshire and went at it,'' he explained. ‘‘I played a lot and also did a lot of the engineering, which was a fun learning experience, and we had a whole team of students to mix it with.''

The students Peleg refers to attend the New England Institute of Art (NEIA), where Peleg is starting his final semester, and whose official label, Naked Ear Records, is releasing ‘‘Confidential.'' Founded in 1996 by a faculty advisor, Barry Marshall, and former audio production chairman Bill Crabtree, Naked Ear is multi-genre operation run by NEIA students, and NBFB joins a proud roster of local and national bands - Stone Soup and Hazie Maze among them - that have taken to its ground-up approach. As both a student and a member of an attached band, Peleg is in a unique position to oversee the process from start to finish.

NBFB, which is an acronym for ‘‘No Bud for Bisson'' (a somewhat risqué in-joke among band members both past and present) and also known by its fans as ‘‘NiB FiB,'' was started by musicians who all came out of the same jazz workshop program in high school. Its current five-man configuration includes new drummer Noah Bond, who recently replaced Dave Bisson, he of the band's moniker, bassist Dan Rehm, keyboardist Darby Wolf, and saxophonist/vocalist Bob Moriarty.

Moriarty, who along with Peleg is a founding member, is also part of another Boston-area up-and-comer, groovy hip-hop outfit Audible Mainframe, which will open tomorrow's show.

In vaulting itself to the forefront of up-and-coming funk bands, NBFB has attracted its fair share of big league interest. That list includes saxophonist extraordinaire Sam Kininger, who along with his own ripping unit, the Sam Kininger Band (itself opening for Steve Kimock at the Middle East on Friday), is a member of the Berklee-bred jazz-fusion collective Lettuce, a part-time member of Soulive and one of the Boston area's most ubiquitous ‘‘sit-in'' presences. Kininger has joined NBFB onstage on several occasions, and also lends his horn to ‘‘Ted Dancin'' on the new album.

‘‘He's someone that I basically went out on a limb to get,'' Peleg explained. ‘‘We had a residency a while back at Harpers Ferry on Sunday nights, so it was really tough night to draw a crowd. I had done some booking for NBFB so in the process I had made friendly with Sam's manager, and I shot him our old CD. He really liked it, and passed it along to Sam, so after a bunch of really persistent E-mails, we were able to build shows with us featuring him.''

The band continues to hone its identity while avoiding the pitfalls of the jamband scene, which in recent years has become polluted, both by an alarming drug culture more prevalent than ever among younger fans and also wannabe groups more concerned with endless, shapeless grooves and spats of noise than actual songcraft or compelling improvisation. NBFB tended toward the raw, groove-heavy sounds in its outset, but with ‘‘Confidential'' has bolstered that sound with confident, projecting improv chops and an arsenal of catchy funk-pop songs.

‘‘Our older albums were a bit more for the discerning listener,'' Peleg said. ‘‘This one has more funky, pop-ish tunes, and we've got a lot of friends and family really proud of it. My parents act - The Patriot Ledger


Discography

NiBFiB Confidential, 2005, Naked Ear Records
No Bud For Bisson, 2004, Self-released
Quantum Sessions, 2002, Self released

Photos

Bio

NBFB is quickly emerging as a premier live act in the Northeast. Combining elements of funk, rock, electronic, reggae, and jazz, the band relies on diverse musical influences to develop its signature “space-funk” sound. In concert, NBFB jams on extended solo sections but grounds itself in creative and ever-changing arrangements. The band’s collective songwriting evolves constantly, producing a deep repertoire of material that can astound even their most dedicated fans.

Recent accolades include the following:

- NACA Mid America Conference 2005

- NEMO Music Festival 2006

- Jambands.com "New Groove of the Month" (July 2006)

- Listed in the January 2006 issue of "Campus Activities Magazine" as the #2 act for the "Hot Acts for 2006"

- Performers on Fox 25 Boston Morning News - 2005

- Contestants in the 10,000 Lakes "Cosmic Break Contest" 2005

- Chosen as "Band-of-the-Month" on Progressive 93.9 Radio in Northampton, MA

- #1 Unsigned Funk Band - February 2006 - on PureVolume.com

- #11 Overall Unsigned Artist on PureVolume.com - February 2005

- PurePick on PureVolume.com for October 2005 and February 2006.

- Featured Artist on Radioiojam.com - August 2005

- Two songs as "Most Requested" songs on Colby College radio - October 2005

- On the cover of "The Groovelink" magazine which covers the Upstate New York area

Recent festival performances include The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival (VT), The Syracuse Jazz Festival in Clinton Square (NY), The Wormtown Music Festival (MA), The Block Island Music Festival (RI), The Valley Arts Festival (MA) and The Secluded Forest Festival (NY).

Notable co-bills include shows with Soulive, DJ Logic, Strangefolk, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, The Sam Kininger Band and The Benevento/Russo Duo.

Please visit www.nbfbmusic.com for more information.