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WHOOPGNASH

Jazz Rock/Fusion • United States


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Whoopgnash picture
Whoopgnash biography
"As far as a bio, I hate bios and nothing bores me more than trying to come up with my own. Don't take that the wrong way.". So at John Erickson request WHOOPGNASH's biography here is kept to a minimum and in John's own words, (however, much more at WHOOPGNASH's own website.).

[QUOTE]
WHOOPGNASH was formed by John Erickson and Bill Paul over 10 years ago, give or take a decade. Jeff Jarrard became a member upon birth, but went through a rigorous 30 year audition before he was allowed in the band's beer fridge. We currently reside in Minneapolis, but seeing as you're more than likely reading this from somewhere else I guess that that doesn't really matter. We all grew up on a steady diet of meat and corn, with plenty of music for dessert. We play instrumental fusion with a blend of comedy. I've also been told we do "crowd control", as putting on our music is sure to clear any party of unwanted guests. We have 3 cd's and a live in-studio dvd currently out and available for purchase on our website, www.whoopgnash.com.

THIS IS NOT A TOY. DO NOT HOLD IN HAND. DO NOT PUT IN MOUTH. LIGHT FUSE AND IMMEDIATELY GET AWAY.
[QUOTE]

Only one thing to add to the above:
1. The band's name refers to an unwanted noise amps can make - but definitely not to their music.


The eponymous first album is a great place to start. John Erickson's guitarwork has undoubted Holdsworthian elements, but John has the level of aggression which makes WHOOPGNASH's music here fast, furious and rarely letting up. The rhythm section, reminds more of those great free playing rhythm sections of Wayne Krantz's groups of the last decade.

"Full Scape" is more reflective, and undergoes a bass-player change.

"A Lack Of Education" is return to the aggressive trio playing, with Erickson perhaps more modal than before.



Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :
An excellent independent jazz rock band, that should known beyond the limits of Minnesota and the jazz rock fraternity.



Discography:
"Whoopgnash" (CD, 1999 independent label) studio recording
"Full Scrape" (CD, 2002 independent label) studio recording
"Unclear Channel Live 2004" (DVD, 2004 independent label) live recording
"Lack Of Education" (CD, 2007 independent label) studio recording

WHOOPGNASH Videos (YouTube and more)


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WHOOPGNASH discography


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WHOOPGNASH top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 4 ratings
Whoopgnash
1999
4.00 | 3 ratings
Full Scrape
2002
4.08 | 6 ratings
Lack of Education
2007

WHOOPGNASH Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

WHOOPGNASH Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

WHOOPGNASH Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

WHOOPGNASH Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

WHOOPGNASH Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Full Scrape by WHOOPGNASH album cover Studio Album, 2002
4.00 | 3 ratings

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Full Scrape
Whoopgnash Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by JazzFusionGuy

4 stars Whoopgnash's second release, Full Scrape, offers fusion rock fans another solid offering of virtuosity in axe. John Erickson continues this outing with a cascading flurry of Holdsworth-ian, dreamy, chordal escapades -- spiced with superb legato chops I find pleasantly Bill Connors-like.

Erickson's voicings of solos and effects treatments was more like Eric Wollman and Carl Roa of Magic Elf. This reverbed, delay echoes created that "in the next room" essence -- thereby rendering most solos as coming from a "distance" vs. an "in your face" attack's powerful presence. Don't get me wrong here -- the chops are solid and satisfy but lacked that immediate "headspace" present in most all the chordal passages. So I was left with this release being biased in its impact residing mainly in chords and roll-picking arpeggios song to song. Soloing, (my favorite section of fusion), took a more subtle "backseat" sonically speaking. Track six, "Eine" was more to my tastes mix-wise in its Connors' Assembler type of pushing the solo to the forefront of the mix with a "punching out" and therefore assailing the listener with more note-phatness, power & glory. "In Memory Of" held spectacular solo section riffage that really shined but was too mixed down & faraway -- "burning up off in echo land" -- to fully deliver all the umph it held.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a solid fusion release but I found the mix not to my taste as I wanted to hear Erickson's superb soloing more than distant callings or echoes of the chordal cries.

 Whoopgnash by WHOOPGNASH album cover Studio Album, 1999
4.00 | 4 ratings

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Whoopgnash
Whoopgnash Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by JazzFusionGuy

4 stars Well, the endless axe adventures of Allan Holdsworth, down through his helter-skelter career has left dents in the brains of many a guitarist, (mine included). Whoopgnash's John Erickson is severely dented by the Holdsworthian monolithic guitar benchmark. Erickson is no copycat but has caught the drift of what happens in a Holdsworth tune perfectly. His band; Bill Paul on drums, Drum KAT/synth and Keith Norton on bass follow along easily at breakneck speeds, stop-n-go time sigs, and accentuate unison jams, rim- shot tight. Erickson's attacks on solos are clean, expressively driven and fly along at legato phrasings that will make most fusion fans drool.

If you have dug Holdsworth for years, then enjoy this Erickson cat skittering all over that I.O.U./ Metal Fatigue era sound. Bass work and drum lines are fine too with Erickson interweaving intricate finger rolls and subdued backing soundscapes in Texan, Eric Johnson's style. We tone down the fusion-fueled, frenzy on "Reunions" and my mind is cast into dreamworlds of chordal ascension to the stairway lit by heaven's portals. Erickson's emotive lead is precisely voiced like a soul crying out for answers to life's myriad of set backs. Wonderful cut! A wealthy amount of exactly the type fusion that typifies the best to be heard is right here folks. And executed with pizazz. Get this CD and help one more unknown fusion group make it big time. Don't believe me? Just sample "Sissy- Boy Slap Party"! You'll see the light too. Highest of recommendations.

 Lack of Education by WHOOPGNASH album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.08 | 6 ratings

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Lack of Education
Whoopgnash Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by JazzFusionGuy

4 stars Whoopgnash's Lack of Education, has that intensity and frantic, frenzied fusion rock in so many cuts that just making me listen has me breaking into sweat. But that's good ~ as the drive in Erickson's guitar work is brilliant versus brawn alone. Everyone in the group is killer tight and on the money top-shelf playing. A beautiful outro dedication to the late Shawn Lane closes this fine CD.

I notice too that this recording is mastered, mixed and produced excellently with fun channel pans and crystalline separation. This is a wide-open, headroom maxed CD. Signal to noise ratio is ~ 100 to 0 if ya know what I mean. Compositions & voicings are varied enough to easily avoid that typical fusion rock rut of every song being too narrow in the spectrum of sonicland.

For those needing places to anchor their heads as to what this Whoopgnash band is all about, try and figure this description out: Allan Holdsworth, in his I.O.U era was given a dose of Scott McGill's eclectic rock heaviness and kink ~ mixed in with a healthy swig of Ohm's Chris Poland ferocity and then the bpm is cranked way up. In a word, exhilarating!

Whoopgnash has really matured over their three-CD span of releases and this one shows them coming into their own trademark sound. I give this high-octane, fusion rock a solid 10 and highly recommend it for your collection. So buy it now! That's how fusion survives.

 Lack of Education by WHOOPGNASH album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.08 | 6 ratings

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Lack of Education
Whoopgnash Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Ovidiu

4 stars This band has something to say in today's music and even the title of the album proves the good attitude that this extremelly talented musicians had about what's in today's world...both politically and musically!Musically speaking ,they prove that even if you are not a signed band you can produce a high quality album,without the help of media or any other ways to make you popular!Being tired of musical compromises,WHOOPGNASH are already at their third album,defnitelly the most mature and elaborated to date!Fans of ALLAN HOLDSWORTH,guitar player and mastermind JOHN ERICKSON pushes even further the sense of the words virtuosity and musicianship!Not being professional musicians,the 3 guys in WHOOPGNASH are really breathtaking in this pretentioius and difficult musical style!WHOOPGNASH's music is so technically that sometimes we have the feeling thet the guys are from other planet!It's hardcore fusion,in the vein of HOLLDSWORTH...sometimes PAT METHENEY...SCOTT HENDERSON HALLEBEEK ...and even SHAWN LANE style...or influenced,but with a more dense and frenzy approach!Great and diverse,the ferocious style of JOHN ERICKSON is very,very impressive!The other two "partners in crime" are very competent and efficient too,especially Bill on drums is astonishing!This is music made for the ones who don't like the easy way of fusion,au contraire,is for die hard practicians,for those who guitar is a religion and an instrument where talent is not enough to be an accomplished musician!It's like Hendrix sayed...but changing a litthe his quotation...1 % inspiration and 99 % sweat!!!All our respect to this kind of bands,devoted and commited to pure art,and with the will to perform at such high standards!ITrully impressive!!! 4.5 STARS for the determination and passion!
 Whoopgnash by WHOOPGNASH album cover Studio Album, 1999
4.00 | 4 ratings

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Whoopgnash
Whoopgnash Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Dick Heath
Special Collaborator Jazz-Rock Specialist

4 stars

I don't think John Erickson, WHOOPGNASH's guitarist would mind me calling his playing Holdsworthian, with the legato and fast runs, but he steers well clear of the Holdsworth-clone pigeonhole. (There are a number of professional jazz guitarists who are happy to be known to playing in the style of Wes Montgomery without being slavish, so let's avoid any hassle when somebody adopts and adapts a Holdsworthian approach?) This album is a much more exuberant, extrovert album than recent albums by Holdsworth - who IMHO has been more cerebral/intellectual with his jazz fusion output through the 90's. Whoopgnash as a listening experience, has to be taken as a work by all three members of the band, not simply that of an excellent guitarist. The drums and bass are a real treat, adding synergistically to the whole, sounding unlike any Holdsworth rhythm section I remember, while giving an energy similar to that heard with Wayne Krantz's rhythm section on Greenwich Means. One nice bonus, is in that I've found myself whistling several of the main themes of tunes on this album - and I can't remember doing that for a long time!!! Check out my favourite track 'Too Hammered To Be Legit' for where the Holdsworth similarities start and finish.

An excellent debut album. A most strongly recommended album.

Thanks to dick heath for the artist addition.

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