The Great Upset
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
By Kaleb Bronson
Sliding into the Minneapolis music scene with their second shot at a mellow oxygenic approach to simplistic rock is The Great Upset, with their new album “The Coldest Kiss.”
The complete contraption of musicians including Jeromy Darling (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Bart Phillips (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano), Lucas Shogren (cello), Jason Roath (bass), and Matt Terry (drums/percussion) hold together this primitive yet calming album of orthodox acoustic rock. This record forms a one-track mind of nature-esque dreamy sounds to lullaby the children, or make the high school girls weep with bound up love.
Within each track The Great Upset uses a rational sound to keep a solid flow, like riding a escalator at the Mall of America. The basal vocals are gentle and harmonizing, mixed with the most intriguing aspect of the album, Lucas Shogren’s nervine cello playing skills.
The rock-ish beats are appeasing and sedative, an album to have with wine and cheese.
Though the album does have a swashbuckling track that swings the mind within a Tilt-a-Whirl of balmy eurythmics, imagine the wail of a bluegrass rhyme slowed to the pace of a opium den, this is what “The Grave” does for mental stimulation.
What started in 2003 as an effortless friendship of two of the band members, has climbed into a 5-piece band of goodwill. Their second album release proves the friendship has grown since the launch in 2003 into a prosperous alternative folk-rock band with heart and target. - Rift Magazine
"The Great Upset is a Minneapolis five-piece that also fits the alt-country bill, although it brings grander ambitions to the genre…" - Pioneer Press
Discography
Black Sun Rising (under their acoustic alter-ego "ODYC")
The Coldest Kiss
Photos
Bio
After meeting for the first time in the summer of 2003 and then again in the spring of 2004, Bart Phillips and Jeromy Darling started playing and writing music together on a regular basis. What began as friendship developed into musical arrangements rooted in faith and common appreciation of each other’s talent. The band O.D.Y.C. came out of that pairing.
In the summer of 2004, cellist Lucas Shogren, was introduced to Bart and Jeromy through mutual friends. Already touring the world with an award winning group, the Vols Quartet, Lucas brought a trained ear and incredible experience (including a solo with the great Ray Charles) to the band.
Friends and longtime local musicians from diverse musical backgrounds joined to add the backbone to the group: Jason Roath (Dime Theory. Magic Pants, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, et al) on bass guitar brought a solid foundation stemming from touring with rockabilly and funk bands. Matt Terry (Solidarity, Creeping Charlie, Chump, Wee Little Kelly) on drums brought a hardcore punk/alt rock aesthetic that added a unique flavor to their more traditional folk melodies.
Therefore, with new members and new vision, in the Fall of 2005 ‘The Great Upset’ was created out of the O.D.Y.C. genesis. The songs that O.D.Y.C. had been playing as acoustic numbers, were mow more fully fleshed out and ready for recording. Following some unexpected, private donations, The Great Upset completed their first album, ‘Black Sun Rising’. Offering an honest look at the state of humanity, and their place in it all, The Great Upset lyrically waded through their own personal shortcomings, fears and an overarching commitment to truth. The album deftly expressed a new direction in their music.
On April 5th, 2008, The band released their sophomore effort ‘The Coldest Kiss’…wholly original, yet warmly familiar. Layering delicate vocals atop a nest of anarchic rhythm and strings, the songs coalesce around the musical integrity of its membership. As a narrative, the album is a pronounced overture away from post-80’s ironic bombast, with strong hints of a resurgence of melodic neo-grunge.More than just stories, these songs represent an honest discussion between two men, their God, and their life experience.
Outstanding production by Steele Croswhite (Silvercrush) and Darren Jackson (Kid Dakota/The Hopefuls) unifies these disparate elements into a seamless musical experience. The band will be supporting the album by playing various festivals this summer, and by keeping a regular circuit at local bars/clubs around the Twin Cities and the Midwest. Keep your eyes and ears open!
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