Artist History December 1999 saw the release of Al Rose's third album, Pigeon's Throat, following his critically- acclaimed second album, Naked In A Trailer, and his debut, Information Overload. The musicians include the Transcendos and guests such as violinist Steve Gibons, mandolinist Stuart Rosenberg, cellist Diana Parmeter and occasional Transcendo, organist Carter Luke. Critics have always had a difficult time adequately describing Al Rose's music, ranging from "soulful-country- dada-gospel" to the less musical but accurate description, "caffeinated madness." Texture and time signatures change in new ways and the lyrics are meant to wash over the listener and be absorbed. Great musicianship and ideas abound within the framework of a tightly-constructed song. This new album, as with the previous one, really captures the interplay, the mesmerizing qualities that are found in any of his live performances. In concert, Al Rose sometimes presents his music as an acoustic solo, sometimes with just a bassist, as a trio, as a rockin' quartet and sometimes with the large band he calls The Transcendos. His father was a local bassist and violinist in the 40's but his parents selected the flute as Al's first instrument. Although he had learned to read and play in various school ensembles he lost interest during high school. "One rainy day I picked up an old Sears Silvertone with only three strings left that was around the house. I became obsessed, not as a guitarist but as a singer. I started writing songs right away." With cowboy-chord proficiency, the early Dylan songbook and the Washburn guitar he still plays, "I was trying to be the ‘profound social-singer guy'. I no longer play any of those songs." After playing coffeehouses while in high school, he developed major musical partnerships when he arrived at college in Champaign, Illinois. He formed a band with Dave Kay and Maury Smith called Three Story Brownstone. Changing personnel, and a relocation to Chicago, resulted in a name change to Buffalo Trout. By now Al was regularly using a Strat and had also taken up the alto sax. After ten years and several bands, Dave and Al had an amicable split. "I was looking for musicians who could take my music and ‘transcend' what I had written." The Transcendos were envisioned as a large, versatile band. Early line-ups included pedal steel and keyboard players. The current musicians are all active throughout the Chicago music community. There is a stable core the to Transcendos: Drummer Heath Chappell, bassist Steve Hashimoto, guitarist Victor Sanders and vocalist Laura Blye. Former Three Story Brownstone guitarist Maury Smith (now residing in Madison) is considered a full member of the Transcendos. At first Al performed exclusively with the full entourage but he also wanted to explore the acoustic aspects of his music. The revivification of the coffeehouse as forum for intriguing music has served him well. Fittingly, there's a song, "Cuptigo," on the Uncommon Ground Coffeehouse Sampler disc plus a spoken word performance. "It's a real organic process. The songs are the same but the players dictate what sound you get that night, but it's always me and my songs." All of the Transcendos appear on his three discs. Touring for his first album brought him outside of his Midwestern base from New York to Nashville to Atlanta to Boulder. The second album had him being invited to industry showcases in Boston, New Orleans, Cleveland, St. Louis and return engagements in New York and elsewhere. He has played in Bali and in Paris, but is as likely to take his brush and watercolors with him as take a guitar. His artwork has been shown in galleries, including some solo exhibitions. It's another creative outlet but is definitely is secondary to his music. The cover to Naked is graced by a detail from one of Al's travel paintings. Describing Al Rose's music may always be a difficult task but now there are three brilliant compact discs for your reference and enjoyment

Group Members Al Rose - lead vocals, guitar, flute, harmonica Laura Blye - backing vocals Steve Hashimoto - bass Carter Luke - keyboards Maury Smith - guitar Steve Doyle - lead guitar Sarah Allen - drums, percussion

Instruments Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, drums, bass, mandolin, violin, cello, organ, keyboards, baritone sax, pedal steel guitar, dobro, banjo, bagpipes, shenai, accordion

Albums Information Overload (WH-2, 1994, Whitehouse Records); Naked In A Trailer (WH-9, 1996, Whitehouse Records), Pigeon's Throat (WM-9906, 1999, Waterdog Music)

Press Reviews Al Rose Press Quotes "Al Rose is certainly one of the best songwriters of his time...[Pigeon's Throat is] an album that contains some of the finest instrumental, vocal, lyrical and original content that well deserves international attention." -Downeast Reviews "...a platinum wordsmith who specializes in stacking realities one on top of another. His sublimely incoherent rant and roll sends images splattering like paint on a Jackson Pollack canvas." -Manhattan Mirror "Overall, Naked is hypnotic, swelling and receding like the tide. It's influenced by folk, jazz, psychedelic rock, blues, county, gospel, and music from the Far East, but it sounds like nothing else. Rose is a talent to watch." -Swing "Naked In A Trailer is one audaciously entertaining ride. He scores with moments of surreal insight and a bemused outsider's wit. Oddly charming melodies emerge from a varied bed of settings, incorporating everything from gospel to progressive jazz." -Chicago Tribune "The lyric refuses to cohere into a simple sense, yet remains sensible. Rose can also support an extended voyage into the heart of his challenging musical and lyrical universe. His music is a strange, sometimes dissonant, melange of folk and rock, but the main attraction is his perverse talent for molding assemblages of twisted lyrical cliches into surprising new configurations." -Crossroads "He once again proves himself a poet, creating strong images with meanings that are not literal. Trying to label the music leads only to furrowed brows and complexity. Rose knows well what it means for form to follow function." -Strong Coffee "Rose has managed to keep true with his musical views. The tunes are very earthy, organic and, at times, hypnotic. There is a sense of darkness to all of Rose's songs. But that's what gives the music its charm." -Deseret News (Salt Lake City) "...an irreverent stream of consciousness that plays off the rhythm of words as much as their meaning..." -Chicago Tribune "The tunes on this collection are engaging and fun, and illustrative of Rose's quirky style of songwriting...off-kilter viewpoints, creatively delivered by Rose's rough-and-tumble voice in a variety of musical styles ranging from rock and country to reggae and soul." -Illinois Entertainer "A jazzy explosion of musical inventiveness." -Windy City Times, Chicago "...a meaty blend of bleak Midwestern desperation and spoken-word folk." -New City, Chicago "With a pungent, bemused view of the world that translates into some really great songs, Rose manages to convey the possibility of hope without denying the gritty reality of right now. And he's groovy as hell; he'll make you dance your pants off." -Chicago Magazine "Rose's imagination does not end with his lyrics...the arrangements on his songs are phenomenal." -River Cities Reader "A funky, jazzy and rocking romp...this album is a blast..." -Rock Central, Madison, Wisconsin "[On] Information Overload Rose mixes the sounds of jazz, rock, and Latin and Caribbean rhythms. The result is simply mesmerizing." -The Observer, Augustana College, Rock Island "This upbeat release almost sounds like a gospel Midnight Oil." -Tail Spins, Chicago "His honest, poetic lyrics paint an often too vivid picture of our society. But...Rose's calm, trusted voice soars above the words and assures you everything's really going to be alright." -The Argus, Illinois Wesleyan College "Like a caffeine buzz, this disc is humming with energy." -Rock Island Argus "...a compelling brew of folk-jazz..." -Chicago Sun-Times "If folkie Al Rose led a heavy metal band, he would truly be dangerous. Rose writes lyrics like a deranged mental patient wandering down the street spouting epithets that either fascinate passers-by or makes them recoil in horror." -O

Additional Info "Cuptigo", spoken word piece - on "Uncommon Ground Sampler" (UCG-1, 1994)

Location Chicago, IL - USA

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