Gregory Uhlmann: "Odd Job" video

LA based guitarist and singer Gregory Uhlmann is a prolific musician. He is a member of experimental math rock band Fell Runner and the leader of jazz trio Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters. Somehow he found the time to record his first soft-spoken solo album, Odd Job, which will be released in January 18th via Dog Legs.

Tim Carr, the Fell Runner drummer, directed the video for the title track. Dreamy vocals and the great tone of a bass clarinet set the tone for a melancholic avant-folk song about a clown trying to make a living.

Gregory Uhlmann: guitar, voice, piano
Cari Stevens: voice
Lauren Baba: viola, violin
Andrew Conrad: bass clarinet

» gregoryuhlmannmusic.com

HCTF review of Fell Runner.
HCTF review of Typical Sisters.

Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters: Typical Sisters

BEST OF 2016
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HCTF

Can you cut an album in one day? Chicago based progressive improv jazz trio Greg Uhlmann's Typical Sisters pulled it off, setting up shop in a basement studio, armed with a few more or less finished compositions and chord progressions to work with. In order for such a scheme to work, all those involved must have an instant rapport and logged countless hours of performing together.

Typical Sisters has shards of progressive rock (After Thought is the prime example), straight up jazz and freak-out avant-garde. The abstract, adventurous textural explorations will be appreciated by jazz buffs, while their tidbits of more accessible noodlings might seduce less advanced listeners to step into their sonic maze. Uhlmann's muso-friendly glorious guitar tone gets properly challenged by Sommer's and Carroll's flawless command of shifting time signatures.

Fell Runner: Dream Catching

photo: Lisa Hagen Glynn

LA band Fell Runner pulled off a rare feat on their self-titled debut album, cooking up a spicy mix of African rhythms, New Wave guitar a la Television and XTC plus s sprinkling of West Coast vocal harmonies. Their new single Dream Catching sees them digging a little deeper with a colourful patchwork of guitar interaction and the rhythm section playing catch. It may sound like things are falling apart, but it's actually carefully planned spontaneity by four smart music students.

Dream Catching was recorded and mixed with Theo Karon at Hotel Earth in LA. The band is working on the songs for their next album and will try out the new stuff at their Monday night residency at the Bootleg Theater.

Gregory Uhlmann: It's Not Your Fault

LA based guitarist, improviser, composer, and songwriter Gregory Uhlmann made a name for himself as a creator of orignal chamber music and recently came to the fore as a member of Fell Runner, an art rock band with a soft sport for African rhythms.

His single It's Not Your Fault is his first outing as a solo artist. It starts out as a basic singer-songwriter ditty and evolves slowly into a multi-layered pop extravaganza. RIYL Jordan Galland and Eric Margan & The Red Lions.

The track was produced by Fell Runner drummer Tim Carr.

Gregory Uhlmann: guitar, bass, voice
Cari Stevens: voice
Lauren Baba: viola and violin
Andrew Conrad: bass clarinet
Tim Carr: percussion, drums, and voice

» gregoryuhlmannmusic.com

HCTF review of Fell Runner.

Fell Runner: Fell Runner

Lock up four music students in a recording studio and changes are that it will turn into a game of one-upmanship and a stack of overstuffed songs that go nowhere. LA band Fell Runner, who met at the California Institute of the Arts, sidestepped those pitfalls on their self-titled debut. It is a heady mix of West African rhythms and New Wave hooks a la XTC and Television. And being from California they couldn't resist adding Beach Boys harmonies every now and then.

Listeners won't need a degree to digest the fragmented build-up of the bulk of their material, but having ability to handle unusual time signatures is essential. Fell Over is a band foregoing flowing notes - the production is as dry as Desert Valley. Their quirky, jagged songs earned them the sign of approval from Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, who wrote an insightful essay for the liner notes. This is a band that can seamlessly blend world music with post-punk and create a sound that is truly their own.