JUST ADDED!! VIDEO FOR "PEOPLE SAVING PEOPLE".... CLICK HERE.

"At the five-minute mark Jerry Garcia really digs in, emphasizing a cry in his tone with judicious use of guitar effects, and the whole band catches fire."
Steve Silberman Grateful Dead Road Trips October '77

These contraptions--musical instruments, recording gear, effect pedals--come engineered out of the creative impulse: human ingenuity cries for a medium of expression, and with our hands that can build so much, contraptions take form. As they are passed around, what they can do is collectively discovered and shared. Sculptors display their statues, painters hang their canvases, musicians play their tunes. People gather, learn, assess, judge, try their hands at it, abandon or embrace. One of these art forms I definitely embraced.

I remember being in the audience at my first musicals, plays, and concerts, and being in awe at what could be done on the stage. I also remember many years later my first tape machine and what could be recorded, how difficult and consuming it was. Both enthralled me--performing and recording.

One quickly learns when pursuing a time-honed craft how deeply its path has already been taken, and it can suddenly become daunting, all consuming. Too much humanity has come and gone for such crafts to be without stupendous achievements. But isn't the innocence of discovery sometimes what we're looking for in art? Aren't we very often drawn to what's new, what's fresh, what's innovating? Though it is said old habits die hard, I can't believe that old habits cannot accommodate new additions. What has in all likelihood already been considerably explored by many who came before can still be made fresh and be a place where discovery is a promise. This is, in a sense, what the Keeley effect embodies. It's borne out of tradition and yet is a take at something new.

I showed up a little too late to know first hand, but I have heard it said that at one time in rock 'n' roll's history, obscure or unknown artists and albums were backed by producers and others who found what they heard interesting and worth recording, and so they'd make sure to see that what needed to happen happened. As I took the tracks of The Keeley Effect to various places for various reasons, when it was discovered that the album was backed, if only somewhat modestly by major label comparisons, the invariable response was, "What!!??" Apparently the people I ran into haven't seen a backed album for a very long time.

So for those who may be tempted to regard The Keeley Effect as some tacky shtick to increase corporate revenue and to shamelessly promote Keeley kit, let me be the first to acknowledge your concern. Plain and simple, it isn't. I named this album The Keeley Effect for many reasons. Surely, it has something to do with the pedals. Of course it does. I spent enough time playing through them and reamping other instruments through them using Radial Engineering X-Amps not to think in terms of the album's eventual title. And yet it has so much more to it than that. The Keeley Effect was named as such in homage to a truly remarkable guy. Robert Keeley is a young fella, for the most part, yet his belief in music is as old-fashioned as anyone's. You have to see his collection of CDs, for one thing, to get at what I'm talking about. Secondly, if there's anyone I've met who would like to see today's music taken back by musicians and played and recorded from the heart and soul, it's Robert. How do I know this? Well.... that, too, is the Keeley effect. And for his company and his employees, Robert's effect goes beyond the call of duty. Twenty-five-plus employees have benefits, receive tuition reimbursement, learn new skills and get to test their Myxolidian scales through each and every pedal they build. All of this is provided by the president of Keeley Electronics, Robert Keeley. And if you show up to work in a car that breaks down or has a flat, who is out there helping jack it up or paying for it to be towed to the mechanics' shop? You guessed. The Keeley Effect is about old-fashioned benevolence and a supercharged spirit that may seem plain out of place in the 21st Century. So, the homily is over: this album is about doing good and helping others and loving your job and the music that's made because of it. No dilettante would bother. (As for making money, any one who thinks CDs make THAT anymore ... never mind!)

So... on to what made The Keeley Effect.

In December of 2006, an idea was launched that may well change the relationship between artists and boutique pedal makers for years to come. Let's make an album! was the gist of the idea. And though there's nothing new in that, the "Let's make an album" turned into "Let's make an album featuring Keeley Electronics world-class boutique modified and custom pedals, no limits, no agenda--just musicians and their collective creativity. Let's see what a trumpet sounds like through a Mello Wah; let's reamp a kick drum through a four-knob compressor; let's send a vocal track through a modified Ibanez AD-9 delay...." And of course, "let's serve the guitar up on a silver platter backed by some of the coolest musicians that we can find...."

After the first few moments of playing, I knew I was in good company. As a trio, they're psychic!--as individual musicians, they're all seasoned, first-call, incredible players. It was an honor to work with each of them. The Maudite and pizza were good, too. So, three sessions later, the baseline of the Keeley Effect was defined.

Keyboardist Chris Codish has most recently played with Hiram Bullock, Johnnie Bassett, Perry Hughes, David McMurray, Larry Fratangelo, Thornetta Davis, and many others.

James Simonson is co-founder/co-leader of The Brothers Groove, and he's often the first call for Detroit's legitimate bass needs. James performs and records with many of the city's award winning funk, jazz, and soul groups. He has also been seen with The Detroit Symphony and is currently on the road with The Lion King.

Skeeto Valdez has played for Trey Anastasio's 70 Volt Parade tour in 2005, Dave Matthews, The Neville Brothers, the jazz-great Charles Earland, the Dirty Dozen Brass, and more.

Then during the second of three sessions, the subject of horns came up, which then led to a, "well, wouldn't it be nice to have horns on this...?" Out came the cell-phones, numbers were exchanged, and a few weeks later, after session three, the Motor City Horns appeared in the house that was still for sale. (Yes, this album was made in the heart of the major housing slump that many of us are all too familiar with. Interesting times, these.)

When they showed up to record, I didn't know any of them personally, but I'd seen Keith on stage with the Brothers Groove more than once. They instantly showed themselves to be professional, first-class guys. What's more, they had just come off the road with Bob Seger--I mean, literally a day or two after they finished up at Cobo Hall--and were decompressing. I could feel the charge they carried in them from being on the road. And I know that energy made its way onto the album. They were excited to participate on this project, and am I ever glad they did!

After the Motor City Horns worked their collective magic, Mark Byerly then completed some other tracks in his home studio. He and I began collaborating on Magic Stew and People Saving People. Mark tracked some amazing lines over these pieces. While working on People Saving People we recorded some of the storm that was stewing outside just for good measure. (That's a relaxed Michigan rain in the background throughout the whole of track six, which I think sums up the vibe of that particular number as only nature can.)

The Motor City Horns took this album to another level. I'd gladly collaborate with them again... and again. And again.