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September 9, 2010

Capital Zen: Not the cookie-cutter brand of jam

By GARRET K. WOODWARD Contributing Writer

Bouncing out of Albany like a rubber ball violently chucked at the world, prankster prog-rockers Capital Zen leave one confused and curious over what exactly is radiating out of the speakers.

The melodic slackers' self-titled release is an outcry against the usual young adult fears — responsibility, government mind control and the end of mankind in 2012.

Whiplash transitions. Kick-you-in-the-crotch percussion. Cat-scratch guitar riffs. Swampy bass hooks. It's all there. The ideal recipe for a progressive jam entree.

And yet, they don't sound like Umphrey's McGee. They don't sound like Phish. They don't sound like moe. But it's that mere fact that keeps the listener's attention.

They aren't like the top-of-the-crop touring acts. They have added a few extra ingredients (hip-hop rhyming, friendly nods to nu-metal and a hard rock edge) that separate them from innumerable other acts diluting the scene with a cookie-cutter brand of jam.

It seems there is potential within the confines of Capital Zen. Yes, the road is long and arduous, but, with a little bit of hard work, luck and a keen sense of what's waiting for them if they give up (a job), Zen is heading in the right direction — even if we can't really decipher what that is at this current juncture.

Capital Zen will perform at noon Saturday during Backwoods Pondfest at Twin Ponds Campground in Peru.

Learn more about Pondfest, set for Friday and Saturday, at: www.backwoodspondfest.com; or check out Capital Zen's website, www.Capi talZenMusic.com.

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