Artist Detailed Info: Dissonati

Seattle based trio, ft Guitarist Ron Rutherford,Male Vocals,,Drums&Sax.

I’ve known sax man John Hagelbarger for quite some time in the Portland, OR area so it was quite a surprise to find that he had found some musicians in the Seattle area to get together with on a regular basis. Dissonati is his band’s name and quite clearly they are the Pacific Northwest’s best kept secret weapon opposite Dennis Rea’s Moraine (Moonjune artist who appeared at Nearfest). The trio is led primarily by the compositions of guitarist Ron Rutherford whose varied style is one of the strengths of the recording. Knowing Hagelbarger’s heavy tendencies toward Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Thinking Plague, it’s not a quantum leap that prominent ReR based influences crop up in the two bookend epics, “Can You Hear Me” and “The Sleeper”. The opening cut is also a slice of neo-prog in the vein of the Tangent, The Enid or mid-period Echolyn. Rutherford’s guitar playing is fairly restrained across the disc preferring to emphasize the symphonic gist of most of compositions. Hagelbarger’s lone songwriting contribution is a straightforward ode to Henry Cow until the aggressive middle 8. It’s sung by the woodwinds player but I can clearly hear Dagmar in my head on this one. The best track on the disc is Senescence that showcases the diverse elements of the band. While the lead vocal at times is an acquired taste, both song delivery and arrangements present the best of what the trio has to offer for this fledgling unit. Sound-wise, the overall mix of the album is quite good with a definite separation between stringed instruments, synths and cymbals. Here’s to hoping they can get some local gigs and play out in the near future.

Lee Henderson / Prognaut

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