Astrogin Dreams and Other Disasters Last Beat Records by David Pilot
	Ever heard Fleetwood Mac guitars drive Barracudas through The Wall? I hadn't either before this trip. Funky, hard-to-label crew, this Dallas band called Astrogin. The pieces of the band and production crew behind this debut disc have been in the business for years, from Big D's Deep Ellum district to worldwide prominence with Pink Floyd. At first listen Dreams and Other Disasters sounds like maybe they all remember where they came from just a bit too well, but a second or third serving reveals a cohesive unit with their own definitive sound and musical direction dead in the sights. Definitely influenced by some of the greats, but aiming to take their place somewhere in the rock and roll pantheon, Astrogin unleashes their first CD on Last Beat Records. Here's what you need to know. For starters, they're smart. Guitarist Caron Barrett owns the label that released the disc. That should cut down on some of the costs incurred by your average hey-I've-got-a-guitar-and-your-singing-ain't-that-bad startup band. Which these guys and gals decidedly are not. Second, they know how to pick a producer. I dare you to name another debut band/album on an indie label produced out of the chute by a name like Nick Griffiths (Pink Floyd, Richard Thompson, Joy Divison, Roger Waters). And third, they've got a vocalist with some pipes, Shelli Bridette, who draws on a long association with Barrett in the Dallas music scene as background material for their songwriting ventures. Half of the band used to comprise the bulk of Flux, a hard-rock outfit I've never heard but that must have sounded okay given the musicianship on display here. Flux vets Michael Ferguson and Keith Long teamed with Barrett to form Astrogin, handling drums and bass respectively. Renee Balka came onboard for keyboards and Paul Quigg was added to bring a second guitar into the mix. Dreams and Other Disasters is a decidedly ethereal style of rock, influenced heavily by Griffiths' Floyd work and led by Bridette's Wilsonesque vocals. Since she used to front a Heart cover band, she does that thang quite well. Look for "Barracuda"-era vocal stylings and walls of sound rolling over muted percussion; look for background silence employed as a seventh instrument. Toss in Balka's space-age keyboards and you've got one hell of an interesting mix. This sounds a lot like a prog rock album with a grrrrrl attitude, and it works. Ms. Bridette displays a startling vocal control and emotional range, disappearing into the framework of each successive cut and drawing the listener with her only to emerge as the focal point and purpose for the song. Music as a vehicle, there's a concept that's been forgotten for too long. The songs themselves cover much of the traditional rock and roll territory, from "Time Ticks" and its lost-in-the-moment nostalgia/urgency to the "dammit it's broke and I can't ever fix it or get it back" sentiment of "What Could I Do." Then there are the introspective (female?) tracks like "Red Tape," which explore the myriad ways a relationship can sap the last drop of lifeforce from a soul that still must give because it is simply in love. "The Same" mines the same fertile soil, as does "Why Do I Call" and its focus on the pieces left when that relationship finally does fall to pieces. Not songs a guy would write, but not songs a guy will walk away from either. Caron and Shelli apparently draw on some real and sometimes still raw experiences for these cuts, and they find a way to make them relevant without falling into the sap pit that sucks up (literally) most pop/rock bands these days. You let me down you disconnect Leave me hanging on Why do I call? Maybe to see if I matter at all. . .   Dreams and Other Disasters is an appropriately titled disc, covering the range of life's little explosions with a head-on grit and raw, sometimes-disheartened but never defeated defiance. Plenty of sound checks, concrete, back rooms and dead phone lines went into this venture. Barrett obviously learned her lessons along the way and created her own label to gain some musical control. Astrogin's debut disc falls in step with that attitude. Word is the live shows are a bit more hardcore than this, which is a sound you should check out if they're in your town. Otherwise, your copy of Dreams and Other Disasters will find a comfy spot in the CD rotation - - I promise you there are cold hard evenings where this disc will be the only thing you'll want to hear. Check out the band and the label here: www.astrogin.com www.lastbeatrecords.com You can contact David Pilot at: tailgunner-at-rockzilla.net

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