Onoffon - "Surrender Now"
(Self-Released, 1997 CD)

From California, Onoffon is a difficult to define jazz, pop, blues, progressive trio consisting of Don Lake on guitar, vocals, and harmonica, Von Babasin on bass, and Dave Goode on drums. Much of the music is jazz influenced pop rock, but the blandness that such a description implies is not the case with Onoffon. The musicianship is topnotch, the playing tight, and the music is embellished by creative instrumental passages. Songs like "Surrender Now" and "Rock Garden" feature Don Lake's soulful vocals and bluesy harmonica and are characteristic of this side of Onoffon.

The band displays a harder rocking edge on other tracks. "Your Reality" is like Cream meets the Red Hot Chile Peppers and features some spacey guitar from Lake. "I Don't Give No" also has that Chile Peppers feel but is much funkier and oddly metered. Great percussion competes with the guitar for center stage giving the tune a welcome intensity.

Other tunes, however, feature a more adventurous side of the band. My favorite track on the disc is "Weekend In Montreal", which after the first few songs took me completely by surprise. With Glen Garrett guesting on tenor sax the band strays into more off the wall jazz and avant rock territory. This wonderfully schizophrenic tune shifts abruptly between manic and melodic playing. This was probably my favorite track and left me aching for more sax on subsequent tracks.

"The Gift Must Always Move" has a great acoustic/electric guitar combination and great rhythms that bring this song well beyond the "light jazz" impression only a cursory listen might leave. About half way through the song the band begins to rock out and Lakes guitar takes on a subtle spacey quality. My other favorite track is "Remember Only". About half of the song's twelve minutes is an orchestral spacey piece that between the guitar and percussion has a Middle Eastern feel to it. Vocals are eventually introduced and the whole thing has a laid back feel.

In summary, Onoffon has a variety of influences that make them of interest to prog rockers. The lighter tunes may put off some proggers, but I would encourage attentive listening as the band's inventive instrumental passages will reveal themselves. Personally I'd love to hear more tunes like "Weekend In Montreal". These guys can really cook. Contact Onoffon at their web site.

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