Consider the Source announces a tour of intimate, seated performances in support of their recently released Acoustic/Electric Hybrid Album. For the first time ever, the band will be taking out their collection of acoustic instruments from around the world in addition to their signature axes to perform the album in full plus more. Many of these instruments will be new sights and sounds for western crowds. CTS cites Central Asia as an influence on this album in addition to the Eastern European, Turkish and Indian music they have been exploring their whole career. Be sure to secure your tickets in advance for this one of a kind live musical experience.
More about CTS & the Hybrid album…
Sci-fi fusion trio Consider the Source began in the underbelly of NYC performing improvisational heavy sets soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles. Once the band realized they had something truly original they decided to take it on the road leading to 15 years of touring the U.S. in addition to Israel, Germany, Turkey and a trip to India. Their studio catalog has evolved into a wide range of progressive rock, classical, jazz and Eastern European music mixed with many other styles from around the world. The band’s sound is always evolving and has led them to constantly chase something new and exciting.
Consider the Source is living a purpose, a life together, having fun and creating art. Their most recent release is titled Hybrid Vol. 1 | Such As A Mule, a reference to the mix of electric and acoustic tracks. The album brings the full CTS exploration, with an additional host of instruments – Uyghur Dutar, Banjo Bass, Dabuka, Dombra, Ukulele Bass, Djembe and more. It’s a strange thing to bring in a term like ‘Post-World Music’, but perhaps it is the best way to describe what is happening here. Consider the Source is not a world music band playing eastern European or Middle Eastern music, they are students of music and culture respecting the vast tradition and taking it into the 21st Century and beyond. This cultural fusion might also be a good descriptor, but in the end these terms fall short in describing the power and creativity at play here.
Sci-fi fusion trio Consider the Source defy easy categorization. If intergalactic energy beings, upon their initiation into an order of whirling dervishes, built a pan-dimensional booty-shaking engine powered by psychedelic math…it would sound like a cut-rate CTS cover band. With their blend of progressive rock and improvisatory jazz, soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles, CTS blends disparate elements into an utterly original whole. A relentless touring schedule has earned them a fervent following around the world, with fans ranging from jam-band hippies to corpse-painted headbangers.
Their latest album, You Are Literally a Metaphor, is the culmination of a fifteen-year musical journey. Packed with the same fury and dazzling virtuosity of their previous work, Metaphor is also a portrait of three musicians reaching new levels of maturity.
From the bluesy swing of “When You’ve Loved and Lost Like Frankie Has” to the ethereal electro-synths of “Sketches From a Blind Man”, CTS’s minimalist pop instincts stand shoulder-to-shoulder with progressive metal and freewheeling improvisation in a true expression of their omnivorous musicality. Three of Metaphor’s nine songs are Eastern European traditionals, but could easily be mistaken for the band’s original tunes, so singular has their sound become. CTS retain their signature fiery maximalism while pushing the hooky, anthemic songwriting to the forefront. Bassist John Ferrara’s new Taurus bass pedals and guitarist Gabriel Marin’s new custom Vigier double-neck guitar add new dimensions to the band’s already diverse sound.
This is an album born of comfort and growth. In the five years since World War Trio, the band has toured extensively, Marin and Ferrara have released side projects, and drummer/percussionist Jeff Mann has gone from a relative newcomer to a road-hardened veteran. After all this time, CTS knows how to create space for each other, how to finish each other’s musical thoughts and sentences, how to think as three individuals but speak with one voice. You Are Literally a Metaphor is a statement of confidence, an assertion of identity from a band with no reservations and nothing to prove.
CTS have performed in a half-dozen countries across three continents. They have shared the stage with a wide variety of artists, including: Victor Wooten, King Crimson Projekt, Wyclef Jean, Ozric Tentacles, Soulive, The Disco Biscuits, Papadosio, Turkuaz, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Wayne Krantz and many others. They have performed at festivals and events including: Electric Forest, Peach Fest, Gathering of the Vibes, Resonance, Summercamp, Shakori Hills, ProgDay, and Progtober.