Great Red Spots: Animal Spirits and Far Away Places

Guest Post by: Sewer Pirate
The first thing I should tell you about Great Red Spots is that you never put a "The" In front of their name, because they really hate that. 

That XMas Snoopy has been to more shows than you will ever know.

Great Red Spots are a two piece band out of Erial, New Jersey, with Joe Musciano on guitar and vocals and Sean Sacks on drums. If you haven't heard them yet, please go to Great Red Spots  right now and download their free EP, "Choose Your Animal." Then listen to them as I recount when I went to one of their many excellent shows, which I think will embody my feelings about the kind of work these guys do.

I was running late getting there...it was this show at a place called Sampson Farms, this massive open field in the middle of nowhere. My ears have almost been conditioned to instantly recognize the guitar and vocal work from Joey, a unique style that goes well with Sean's precise and superb drumming. The end result is a sound that's very easy on the ears while still maintaining it's inherent complexity. It almost feels like it comes from an emotional depth that isn't easily understood or appreciated, but the layers make themselves apparent the longer you listen.

Their music echoed out into the overcast night sky, and the overall beauty of the sound itself always makes me just stop where I stand for second to take it all in. It was raining on and off quite a bit, but if you are familiar with the former exploits of these two dedicated musicians, you know that's not something that would ever stop them. The delicate electronics were protected by a makeshift canopy of tarps, their cords running like wild veins across the ramshackle stage, and you could tell immediately that Joey and Sean were in their element. You can feel their passion from a distance, you can hear their emotions in every measure, and the overall impression is uniquely positive and contagious.

Friends laughed with friends, hugs and handshakes were exchanged, and ridiculous dancing was done while the rain started coming down heavy. If you fell, someone would extend their arm and help you up, and just for a few brief moments could really let yourself go and enjoy the phenomenal sounds of Great Red Spots.

My three favorite tracks: Ghost Invertebrates, White Dwarf, and Inspirace. But they're all amazing, even Full Moon Puppeteering, but which easier to appreciate if you understand Joey's quirky fascination with interludes.

 Unearthly animalistic, their core emotions interwoven into every track, and a metric fuckton of technical expertise, Great Red Spots are a force of nature not worth missing out on.

They're on Facebook too, go like them and they will love you forever.

Thanks for reading, keep yourself involved in your local music scene, it does make a difference!

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