The Suex Effect

...the trio tripped into a Live at Pompeii-ish jam that Pink Floyd may have used for a soundcheck - but then again, Roger Waters & Co. were never this danceable. - David Eduardo - Flagpole Magazine

5 free things not to miss during Augusts First Friday :Number 3: The Suex Effect: Eighth street stage.

This high energy band brings a jazz-funk groove to the newly revived eighth street stage. - Verge Magazine

This jazz/funk/groove band promises a high-energy psychedelic show (they already have an impressive touring record with appearances at the House Of Blues and The Georgia Theatre.) Don't miss this free concert provided by Rock Bottom Music and Eighth Street Tobacco. - Verge Magazine

Spastic outbursts of funk, reggae, jazz and rampant psychedelia can be found lurking in the corners of Faces of the Tree, the band's debut....If you covet hazy, psychedelic jams that often get hijacked by slaphappy bass licks, sinewy, slick funk guitar leads and unpredictable atmospheric drums, you'll want to sway - sorry, "suex" - in this direction as proficiently as possible. - Michael Andrews- Flagpole Magazine

The Athens-based Suex Effect (pronounced "sway") employs the traditional power trio template of guitar, bass and drums, but its musical approach is anything but conventional.

"We like to think of ourselves as a psychedelic funk-rock band," says drummer Jon Daniels, who with guitarist Ricky Barnett and bassist Miles Karp will perform tonight at the Caledonia Lounge.

"The benefit of playing in a trio is that it allows the maximum amount of freedom to go wherever you want to go, as long as everyone's on the same page," he says. "The drawbacks are that there's less inspiration to draw from, because there aren't as many people or as many ideas, but in general, the dynamic works for us because of the freedom it allows."

The Suex Effect has been together for some two years, and six months before the trio was established, Daniels and Karp were creating the recipe from which the band cooks.

"We started as a bass-and-drum duo, laying down a fundamental funk groove," says Daniels. "The guitar adds a melodic texture."

Karp's inventive bass is out in front of a number of Suex Effect songs - which can be heard on the band's 2007 debut "Faces of the Tree" and on a Georgia Theatre concert recording found on the trio's Web site (www.thesuex effect.com). And when he, Daniels and Barnett are in sync, it offers listeners whole new ideas about the muscle a power trio can generate.

While the three enjoy ascending into the improvisational stratum, they don't think of themselves as a jam band.

"There's an exploratory nature to our approach," assents Karp. "We're definitely a band that jams, but I don't think we play jam-band music."

The Suex Effect recorded "Faces of the Tree" in its home studio on a farm in Madison County (the group has since moved back to Athens and is, as Savannah native Karp says, "Rocking it out in Five Points"). The album not only offers healthy helpings of what the trio is capable of, but it also served as a critical exercise in teamwork.

"All artists are probably critical of their work when they finish something," says Barnett, who grew up in the Augusta area with Daniels. "But we're all very happy with the way the album turned out. It was a new experience for us, and at that time it was a bonding and learning experience."

The band is in the midst of a 17-date tour. A crowd pleaser in clubs throughout the state, the band is looking forward to having the opportunity to broaden its reach.

"We're an adventurous band," says Daniels. "We want to see the reaction to what we're doing. Our songs are pretty different every time we play them anyway, so we like to go into new environments and see how that manifests itself in the music." - The Athens Banner-Herald