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01 Awakenings 2:270:00/2:27
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0:00/4:32
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0:00/5:41
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04 Carrie Fisher 4:210:00/4:21
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0:00/5:54
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06 Ain't Life Grand 4:310:00/4:31
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07 Grindstone Blues 3:380:00/3:38
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08 Running North 3:560:00/3:56
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09 Best Friends 3:380:00/3:38
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10 Molina 3:300:00/3:30
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0:00/2:09
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12 Blue Eyes 4:140:00/4:14
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13 I AM AS I 8:150:00/8:15
From stints in bands like Junior Bruce and Vegan Butcher, noted axeman Nate Jones has long been a card-carrying and distinguished member of the Orlando metal scene.
His new solo vehicle IAMASI (pronounced “I am as I”), however, is anything but heavy.
Of IAMASI, Jones says the project is a “place I like to visit to keep my mind clear.”
Fitting then that IAMASI’s full-length debut is clarity embodied. The newly released Ain’t Life Grand is a 13-track expanse of crystal post-rock waters free of all feedback and filter. Entirely instrumental and acoustic, the tenor is decidedly serene. What it’s not, though, is sonic wallpaper or open-ended meandering.
Rather than just hovering in the ether, these songs unfold with a clear sense of voyage in Jones’ transporting guitar play. Furthermore, while the album maintains a halcyon wavelength, there’s constant motion between Jones’ guitar lines and the rhythmic foil of drummer Matt Schmidt, Jones’ Vegan Butcher bandmate.
Ain’t Life Grand was conceived to be a portal for solitary journeying. Whether that trek is out on a trail or inside your mind with headphones on, it works that design with gentle dynamism. The album now streams on all major platforms.
Bao Le-Huu - Music columnist @ OrlandoWeekly.com
The IAMASI Anti-Shred team players:
- Nate Jones - Guitar
- Adam Phillips - Guitar
- Darrius Amendolia - Guitar
- Matt Schmidt - Percussion
- Dave Wade - Bass