MEDIA ADDICTS

I saw the Media Addicts, one of my favorite local acts, perform again last night at the Eagles Club in Saint Paul. For those not in the know, they are a very tight jazz & prog. rock fusion quartet. There chemistry is alluring as they can stop and change moods on a dime. Switching between his baritone and hollowbody, guitarist Billy Graczyk generates Tool-inspired solos & lead lines in addition to warm piano-sounding comping. The band doesn't get into Bitches Brew territory, but the sum of their parts is a fresh sound and a unique blend of two familiar styles.

Oddly enough, Steve and I had a nice chat with Media Addicts bassist Brent Wallace toward the end of the night about the future of media. Brent mentioned likely futility of the "First Click Free Initiative" Google unveiled recently, while I rambled on about the possibility of the Darknet becoming so large (with the anonymous trading of everything from social security numbers to Pentagon floor plans to music & movies) that the government deems it a national security threat and cracks down on internet usage in a major way (i.e. a 100% non-anonymous internet).

At any rate check out this video (for free and anonymously) that I shot the last time Media Addicts came to the Eagles Club. You can catch them at the Artists' Quarter in downtown Saint Paul on March 12 & 13.