Press for Lorenzo Goetz's Allure

From: In Music We Trust Magazine 9.03
By: Alex Steininger
Crunchy, guitar-driven rock 'n' roll with a space-y vibe and a penchant for shaking things up, the funky, dynamic rock of Lorenzo Goetz is powerful and soothing, calculated and careless, a record that is well thought but also free form. Lorenzo Goetz pull off such contradictions time and time again by making each song as jarring as possible, but also reserved and timid, depending on the time and mood. Allure, their debut EP, offers up a band that is coming into form and will keep on hitting you in the future until the big bang comes and they make a name for themselves outside of their local region (Champagne, IL).

 

From: Playback St. Louis
by Kevin Renick
Lorenzo Goetz is a four-piece band from Champaign who have just released a six-song mini-album entitled Allure. It's quite a surprising little disc, actually. Someone on their label's Web site, www.innocentwords.com, is quoted as saying they're like "the Beatles meet Beck." That might be a bit over the top, but there is indeed a Beck-like eclecticism at work.

The quartet-Larry Gates on guitars/vocals, Josh Miethe on guitars/backing vocals, Eric Fisher on bass, and Kevin Colravy on drums-are almost in that league with funksnappy tracks like "Serenade," which boasts a very cool arrangement; the psychedelic "Need Words Now," distinguished by Fisher's steady bass playing, a musical bit that sounds like a sitar (even though none is credited on the sleeve), and a superior mix that makes each element, including Gates' relaxed vocals, stand out; and the charming Afro-reggae stylings of "Mesh," on which the band aim for a curious hybrid sound and pull it off brilliantly.

Gates sounds like a very confident young man, much more concerned with making appealing music than serving his own ego, like too many bands do early in their career. He leaves plenty of space in each song for the other players to be heard, and they are, impressively so. The band even succeeds in pulling off a Spanish-flavored oddity called "Never Look Directly Into a Disco Ball," which begins with someone whistling, leisurely coasts on the warmth of Gates' smooth vocals and strummed flamenco-style chords, and ends with wacky lyrics like "Though we never found a spaceship/We found a kind man dressed in white/He took us in and made us pancakes/Which we chased with pills and red wine," sung in unison by the band and a small choir. Turns out the song is about two cult members trying to reach a UFO landing in Toronto, but getting waylaid by another cult leader. Endearing stuff, for sure.

Brett Sanderson is credited as recording, mixing, and mastering four of the tracks while Josh Miethe mixed that last track and "Need Words Now." It's worth mentioning these things sometimes because the mix/mastering element of a record can make it or break it, and in this case both men should take a bow, 'cause they've done an exemplary job. Lorenzo Goetz are at work on a full-length, and on the strength of this debut, there's every reason to believe it'll be a piece of work to look forward to. Great job, lads-ya done yourselves proud!

From: IMPACTpress.com 8/9.03
This Champaign, Illinois quartet suffers from an identity crisis, ADD, or possibly both. Their songs are all over the place stylistically, but who the hell cares when they're this catchy? From indie rock to bouncy, grooving pop to reggae, Lorenzo Goetz seems to know no boundaries. As well, they put their unique stamp on everything they do, giving this diverse album a very natural feel. The songs flow seamlessly despite their differences, making this a truly enjoyable listen.

From: www.OpeningBands.com 6.19.03
Review #1 - Chris Earnhart
Lorenzo Goetz describes themselves as one of Champaign's hardest working bands on their website, and they prove it with their new EP, Allure. My only problem with the album is that the vocals are a little hard to hear on "Allure," and I like that song's lyrics. Other than that, this is a well-made and well-thought out album. Allure is a journey from the catchy guitar riffs that open up the album to a trip-hop "Serenade" (one of my favorites), to the middle-eastern, heavy-bass sound of "Need Words Now," to an old song revisted and a "Mesh" of poppier folk/alt-rock, ending in another journey of two cult members and their path to Toronto. I wish that I could mention all of the songs, but I can;t single out even one. That's because from "Allure" to "Never Look Directly into a Disco Ball," one would be hard pressed to find a flaw in the flow and dynamics of this album. Not too short, not too long. Fast, then slow. And all with the great musicianship one would expect from LG. It is important to note how far the band has come from their first album with "Horse Drawn Redeux," a remake of an earlier song. If you hear LG's earlier stuff and didn't like it, then this song proves that have changed enough for you to try a second listen.

So in the end, if you are into poppy-folk, trip-hop, or just plain fun music, then Allure is a must have. I have taken a lot of people out to LG shows, without worrying about their tastes, and everyone from hardcore fans to hip-hop fans has enjoyed their unique flavoring. So check them out at www.lorenzogoetz.com and www.innocentwords.com. And remember, never, ever look directly into a disco ball.

Review #2 - Jeff Philippe
This is the second release from local band Lorenzo Goetz, the first being the full-length Slowly. Slowly documents the band at their very beginnings, and Allure shows just how far they've come. The extremely laid-back groovy feel has been replaced by harder rock, biting funk, and realized white-boy hip hop.

What's great about this ep is how far it takes the listener with only six songs. The band takes us from hard rock on the opening track Allure, through Soul Coughing-style spacey drums and far-eastern droning on Need Words now, countrified electric guitar leads and Sublime-style rapping on Mesh, and a bizarre unearthly choir that ends the album.

Throughout the disc, the band and producer Brett Sanderson bring in excellent auxiliarly percussion which can't be underestimated in terms of what it does for the feel of the album and at times it even takes center stage at points for funky percussion breaks. Perhaps my favorite moment on the disc comes near the end of Mesh where singer Larry Gates briskly raps over a bouncy groove while the back-up singing bobs and weaves between his words. While their influences come through strongly, Lorenzo Goetz manages to always sound like them themselves. While this disc does go in a lot of different directions, it still manages to sound cohesive. This is a really great piece of work by a rapidly developing local band. Check it out!

From: Splendid E-Zine 9.22.03
By: Ryan Smith
"Spring clean the velveteen / Clockwork for in-between / My time." It might not mean much to anyone but the boys in the band, but damn, is it smooth -- and smooth appears to be the modus operandi for Champaign-Urbana's Lorenzo Goetz. Ranging wide across the musical map, Lorenzo Goetz mix stream-of-conscious lyrics with funky grooves, and their disaffected charm is damn near hypnotic.

Forget all the current media hype. This is true NYC cool -- nailed, ironically by a bunch of guys from downstate Illinois, their hipster swagger and stylistic diversity unleashing a singular and arresting sound. Hip urban blues takes the forefront on "Mesh", mixing G. Love suave with Sublime's mellower white boy ragga bop and Barenaked Ladies' lilywhite rap. The Goetz even go as far as to name-check a few of their influences: "Thinking about the times of packing bowls / Listening to Sublime at 123 helluva time". Despite borderline-sophomoric lyrics and questionable influences, the undeniably strong groove wins the day, giving the song a captivating flair. Opener "Allure" is even more likely to lodge in your head -- it melds cocksure '70s soul and grunge-inspired riffage to a Beatlesque hook.

The mildly psychedelic "Need Words Now" once again asserts a Beatles influence, but it's hidden beneath a rocking seventies-style soul sound more reminiscent of Brad's Shame. Thing you have the band pegged yet? Give up. Closer "Never Look Directly into a Disco Ball" is a mellow flamenco rumination on the divine effect of drug use -- it sounds like a citified version of Calexico.

Leaning heavily on a cocktail of seventies funk and soul, the Goetz are a formidable counter to the legion of garage rock revivalists. You might not always understand exactly what Lorenzo Goetz are talking about, or precisely why they fascinate you, but you'll be damn happy you're along for the ride.

From: The Buzz 6.12.03
One truly strange journey
By Brian Mertz
It has been a strange journey for local band Lorenzo Goetz since their founding in January of 2001 to the release of their new album Allure on June 17.

"Knock on wood, so far so good," Gates said of his group's acceptance of the diverse range of influences he brings to the songwriting process. "It is almost like natural selection. If a song is not doing well you can tell because there will be a lack of energy between the four of us. So far they haven't vetoed me or tried to overthrow me."

The potential revolutionaries are Gates' bandmates guitarist Josh Miethe, bassist Eric Fisher and drummer Kevin Colravy. All of the members of Lorenzo Goetz have contributed in some degree to writing the six songs that make up Allure.

"When you are writing songs, I as an individual might write a song and bring it to the table where everyone is going to add their own spices to it," Gates said.

Also contributing to the album was the experience of performing nearly all of the songs in a live setting for about a year.

"As you play a song out, you're going to say, 'Oh this part works better.' It will start to take a shape of its own," Gates said. "It really helps sharpen the edges on the songs."

"And then when you go in to record it then you have a better idea of what you want. It is more focused and you can attack it from the right angle."

Only the Middle Eastern vibe meets Western folk track "Need Words Now" and the decidely quirky "Never Look Directly into a Disco Ball" were written in the studio.

"It is sometimes dangerous to write a song and then immediately record it without road testing it first," Gates said. "We have been fortunate that the two songs we wrote in the studio have been really good to us live since recording."

The process of recording was also good to Lorenzo Goetz. While prior releases by the band somehow missed capturing the energy and musicianship of their live shows, Allure accurately reflects the band's true sound.

Gates credits producer Brett Sanderson, who is also a member of local bands Triple Whip and Absinthe Blind, for getting the sound right.

"It was an unbelievable experience to work with someone who has the track record that he does," Gates said. "Not only does he know his gear, but he is a multi-instrumentalist and with his treatments of everything we did, there was never a case where he suggested something that I didn't agree with."

From the crystal-clear crunch of electric guitars on the title track to the light flicks of the high hat on "Horse Drawn Redux," the production shines. The quality is even more apparent when listening to "Horse Drawn Redux," which appeared on Lorenzo Goetz's debut release.

"In my meager career, I have never really been able to capture the sound like this before," Gates said. "I have always been in bands that are on a time crunch with no budget and you end up with a half-ass recording down in someone's basement with minimal equipment. Having Brett at the helm solved all those issues for us."

Gates may call his music career meager, but music has always been a part of his life - even if it was hard for him to initially get to the music.

"My passion for music when I was younger didn't seem to be harvested well," Gates said.

"I always loved music and I was always around it. But I grew up in the middle of a forest in Indiana, kinda like Swiss Family Robinson."

The only possible musical influence for Gates in that forest was a cover band that stuck to mostly hair metal.

"That was like it," Gates said. "No one else owned a guitar or anything."

Then an event happened on Christmas 1983. A few of Gates's older cousins had been to dance clubs and witnessed the hip-hop phenomenon that was making its way from New York across the country, even into the forests of Indiana.

"From that moment on, I was just in love with that whole scene and dabbled in some of the elements," Gates said. "My hip-hop collection was just huge. That is how it started, well before I picked up a guitar."

When he finally did pick up a guitar at the age of 21, Gates didn't abandon his hip-hop influences. In fact, he carries them into Lorenzo Goetz on songs like "Mesh" which features a fun MC flow with Miethe over a deep bass groove.

It is this kind of diversity that makes Gates proud of Allure.

"I'm a huge music fan and one of my favorite things on our record is when you listen to record by a band that has an established sound and there is that one quirky song at the end of the album . Those are always my favorite songs," Gates said. "So this album is kind of a mixtape of all of those cool and unique songs. The influences are all over the place."

But not content with just collecting quirky sounds, Lorenzo Goetz has written one of their own quirky songs, "Never Look Directly at a Disco Ball."

Completed in a single Sunday afternoon, it is a tale that tells the journey of two cult members trying to reach a spaceship in Toronto only to miss it and get picked up by a different cult leader who convinces them to become part of a suicide pact.

The track features "Tex-Mex" guitar lines, a whistling intro and a chorus of 11 people singing a somber but catchy hook.

"It was Josh's idea to have the choir at the end," Gates said. "Which is interesting in itself because the war had just broken out, like 10 minutes into the war when we recorded. It was a real somber mood. There were 11 of us standing in a horseshoe form around a microphone singing this very dark chorus over and over again. It really did the song justice."

Gates said he was inspired by the Ralien cult cloning controversy for the story and the story telling structure of the Beastie Boys's "Paul Revere."

"I had never written a song that told a story in the form of a journey," Gates said. 'Paul Revere' was a great journey song. We got to see him go across the desert and meet Mike D and stick everybody up. It was great."

While the next immediate stop on their journey will be a CD release party at Mike n' Molly's on Friday with the Daily Bridge Club and DJ Spinnerty providing support, only time can tell what Larry Gates and Lorenzo Goetz's ultimate destinations will be.

"From now until the end of the game, whether I'm writing about it or playing little coffee shops or anything bigger and anything beyond, music will always be there," Gates said.

"I just can't wait to see comes next as we as a band continue to morph and experiment with writing and bring everyone's ideas to the table. Stay tuned and see what else happens."

From OpeningBands.com 6.19.03
Lorenzo Goetz - An Interview with Larry Gates
by Jeff Philippe
Lorenzo Goetz is releasing a new EP on Innocent words on the 17th and had a big CD release show on the 13th. I sat down at Za's with singer/guitarist Larry Gates to discuss what's new with Lorenzo Goetz.

Jeff Philippe: So what's been going on since the last time you spoke with Openingbands, which I believe was in October?

Larry Gates: Yeah, it was the fall. At that time I think we had hoped to put a record together by the end of the year, which we were smoking crack to think that that was going to happen because there wasn't nearly enough time. But since then we ended 2002 on a really good note, had some really strong shows, and had gathered some funds and made preparations to begin working on an album which we started in January with Brett Sanderson - now of Absinthe Blind fame and he plays drums in Triple Whip, label mates. So we got to record the album from January to March and began the process of packaging and all the dealings with Troy, we signed onto the label and have continued to play some shows - had some really strong shows this year, really started expanding the fan base, and really started breaking into areas like we hadn't really focused on this campus much. We played some shows in Urbana, the Canopy -

JP: Where did you focus instead?

LG: Well, we ended up with some offers, like late last fall we had the opportunity to play the Triangle, which isn't anything we pursued, just the opportunity came up. But it was huge for us. That's where we met some of the fine folks from Openingbands who saw us for the first time and started showing up at shows after that. And had the opportunity to play in the Budweiser competition, which allowed us to play in front of more people. Band Jam...Higher profile shows in this campus area. With a different approach to advertising and a different market. It's a lot different than, say, playing downtown at a Mike and Molly's show or something like that. Or playing out of town, because either one of those diverts...or at least your path doesn't run directly to the campus when you're trying to promote it all the time. So, put the album together and reached a whole bunch of new people, and now it's just been putting all the ducks in a row to attack this thing full throttle next month.

JP: The new album is really different than Slowly.

LG: Very!

JP: It seems to be some kind of quantum leap in your ideas and the band's progression. Would you say it's more, you know, more of your realized artistic vision, or would you say that about Slowly too, and this is just a different kind of thing...?

LG: This is the closest I've ever been to being happy, with anything thing that I've ever-

JP: So this is what you wanted.

LG: This is the first step towards getting where I want to go - I feel. In Slowly, there were so many problems in, you know, there was actually a band member which we parted with during the making of that. Josh who's now on guitar was on bass at the time. We had very, very limited funds. And then a recording situation that didn't allow us to get any work done in any healthy amounts of time. We were limited to a couple of Sundays a month. I could go work on it. Old songs that I had in my pocket from years ago that I just wanted to get down. Just all sorts of rushed issues, and lessons well learned. After that transition we played as a three piece for a while before Eric Fischer was brought in on bass and Josh moved to guitar. That takes a while - adding a new member or switching instruments, anything like that can take a little bit to settle in. And we really grew during that time. And it seemed like the whole thing was going to hold together and float, so then it was time to start focusing on the artistic aspect. So start throwing in the ideas of what we wanted this thing to be and start collaborating a lot more on the material. So now you've got more of a direction, different players, more of a budget, and more discipline in the studio.

JP: And those are the main reasons why you think this sounds -

LG: In addition to the year's experience in between- I think that's why. Those albums are night and day. Anyone who's got their hands on Allure already has just - hold the two of them next to each other and from front to back it's a whole different experience.

JP: So what was the recording like this time around?

LG: Oh, it was unbelievable. Brett lives four blocks from me. So when we started it - from the work 'go' in January, it was almost everyday for about three - three and a half weeks, I think it was. Solid, just in there every night working on it. Brett is so familiar with the tools he's working with, so getting anything done was short and sweet. We're both a little bit of perfectionists so we'd get to a point and have a mix down and I would listen to it non-stop and come in with my list of things we need to attack and do it, and being able to stay in that spot psychologically for that long of a period...that's the way it worked for us on this record. Brett's input was unbelievable. His experience with recording, you know, since his days back in Jove, April Crash, and then he did the house record with his roommate, and now Absinthe Blind and Triple Whip - all those experiences, how to use sound and what works in a studio and everything - it was phenomenal.

JP: He had a lot to say as far as production goes.

LG: Oh yeah, but he never stepped out of bounds, or stepped on anybody's toes, but I was often asking for his opinion and ear on things and just trusted him knowing his experience and his tastes and there was never a disappointing moment where I asked his advice and wasn't pleased with the outcome.

JP: What do you like best about the new record?

LG: Well Serenade, the second track, was the song that we had recorded kind of primarily and submitted it to the Innocent Words sampler, and got a lot of positive feedback, but we changed it up a lot. It was sort of a fun experience. We laid down the basic tracks and then all brain stormed, and anyone who was in the studio that night picked up something and played percussion.

JP: Yeah, there's a ton of percussion stuff in the album that I really dug. Both Larry and I say "yeah" a whole bunch of times.

LG: We'd have to have a fifth member to pull that stuff off live, but I believe that a studio experience and a live experience can be two very different things. And it's amazing when a band like Radiohead pulls off their studio sound like, but we're not Radiohead and don't try to be...if you come to our shows we're going to jump around and try to put a smile on your face. And if you want a listening experience you can take the disc home and enjoy some more, uh, sonic luxuries we'll call them...

JP: Most importantly, who's the hot chick on the cover of the album? And where can I meet her? Both laugh like idiots.

LG: Well, I'm hoping she'll come to the CD release show, because I've invited her.

JP: Really, she exists?

LG: She is an Ohio resident. She is an artist- a photographer that Troy had stumbled across.

JP: Troy has this weird way with women.

LG: Doesn't he? He should start holding seminars. So Troy had stumbled across Zoie, Zoie Conrad and her art, and had posted some of it on the Innocent Words site. And the first time I was going through and saw that picture, the actual picture title is "Torn," I was very taken by the image, surprisingly in a non-sexual way, at least at first. We had just started coming up with concepts and ideas for the album artwork, and instantly I called Troy first and said "what do you think the odds are of us getting that for our album cover?" and he went to work. The second call was to Josh, who was in charge of the album's art design and I told him to hold off on the cover because I thought I had something - I didn't want to step on his toes because he had already started to come up with some things. But he had the same reaction.

JP: So the spaceship and the Toronto picture and everything was him?

LG: Yeah, all that stuff was Josh.

JP: So since you have a different approach, how has the live show changed in accordance with this?

LG: More and more and more energy, more fun. Um-

JP: More rock, less talk?

LG: We're trying to get a little more professional about our approach. And you know this as well as I do - every night is different, different room, different crowd, different lineup, and different levels of drunkenness when you take the stage. Everyone's unique so it's hard to be militant and act like its Broadway where you've got to go out and do it step for step the same every night...For those who know me, it's no secret that I worship at the altar of Johnny Socko when it comes to live shows. They're a band I've been watching for probably the last nine years - I don't know how many shows - well into the 200 mark of how many times I've gone and gotten sweaty with those guys. And I mean by watching the show...I don't want to go ripping them off, but the idea is that if you come and see us, we'll try to give you the audio as well as the visual.