Juan Prophet Organization

Juan Prophet Organization, Murfreesboro’s transplanted Louisiana Dixieland meets thrash orchestra & theatrical ensemble will be stopping in Chattanooga as their nationwide tour embarks. I’m thinking The residents, combined with Bertholdt Brecht & Frank Zappa, but with a more benign and melodic lilt for the most part, before breaking off into some rough edged metal once in a while. Obviously serious music craft, and finally, some real creativity to lift us out of the pop/rock routine most of us have been chugging along in.
Please listen to their sound clips at www.myspace.com/juanprophetorganization .
The melodic and complex sounds from their previously released Full Length CD titled “Carrot & Stick” convinced me to bring this Art-Rock unit to town. The recent 6 song E.P. released in 2007 seems to take a rougher, more contemporary approach combined with lilting vocals and explosive but complex guitar and orchestration. Instrumentation consists of , but is not limited to, guitar, bass, drums, violin, viola, piano, vocals, accordian, banjo, trumpet, cornet, clarinet, glockenspiel, percussion and other noises. The new E.P. plays like a miniature rock opera about Factory work and truck drivers as well as birthday mortality realizations.

~R.

Some Press Juan Prophet Organization has received.

House band at the end of the world, these Murfreesboro minstrels are far more cabaret than rock ‘n’ roll - right down to the Vaudevillian costumes and avant-garde stage act. There are rock precedents here, mostly in the Waits-like Carney music, early Camper Van Beethoven gypsy polkas, Devotchka fandangos, and Dresden Dolls burlesque. But with all those violin, viola, Wurlitzer, accordion, banjo, trumpet, cornet, clarinet and glockenspiel accents, you could just as easily be transported to Weimar Germany in the 20s.

The NY shows (April 2007,) have been amazing. here's a quote from a bartender at the Knitting Factory, "The music is amazing but the best thing is that you look around the room when this band is playing and EVERYONE is smiling, i've never seen that."
Galapagos Tech Director " The perfect respite from the barage of NYC indie rock, this vaudevillian rock band is much more than a sideshow." - Austin Duggan "The band's members act as tour guides in a wild ride through countless musical genres with grace and style...” Christopher Magan, Sidelines.

“Murfreesboro's bizarro-pop stalwarts Juan Prophet Organization play-act morbid lullabies with stunning Tom Waits abstraction…….It's a kaleidoscopic grab bag of Dixieland jazz, chamber pop, vaudeville and an anything goes dictum pureed to perfection."..... Joey Hood, Nashville Scene.

Chattanooga’s own Moscow Theater Siege
will open for Juan Prophet Organization with one of their heavy, melodic metal &  psychedelic instrumental  performances.  They were recently tapped to play this year's Riverbend festival and their style is just right for the big sound systems at Riverbend. This band has been playing diligently in the small venues around town, polishing their sound and just waiting for that opportunity to show their power on the big stage that their music was ultimately designed for.   The last performance of theirs I caught about a month ago was definitely showing a lot of progress in their sound & execution since I first started watching this local band. www.myspace.com/moscowtheatresiege

"Bent Symphony" with Harlan Smith & Cody Blaine
Regional songwriter and performing artist Cody Blaine is back in town with part of his new band. Cody will be performing as a duet this time around with banjo player Harlan Smith while waiting for their drummer to return from a European tour as sound tech for Ben Folds. Sure to be creative and darkly quirky this electrified Waits/Verlaine tinged sound invasion already has curiosity stirred among those who keep a close eye on the regional music. www.Myspace.com/codyblaine

Stan Francisco
One of local visual artist & musician Tony Mraz’s many stage personas. People who have been out and seen the current wave of local Chattanooga music have been entertained by Tony’s very memorable and funny songwriting. The kind of stuff that’ll have You repeating the lyrics to friends after the first listen.
www.myspace.com/stanfrisco