“The best psychedelic '60s-sounding cult band to come out of the new millennium"
-The Phoenix New Times
“Now Mike Dillon has his own crew whose debut, Battery Milk, is both rough-hewn and debonair. The disc is a groove-y Twilight Zone where hearty jazz improvisations twist with dabs of metallic Sabbath- slabs over vigorous fatback-funk grooves."
- San Francisco Weekly
Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle are riding high on the initial success of their debut album, Battery Milk, on HYENA Records. They'll embark on the second leg of a North American tour in April 2007. The 15-city tour will launch in Kansas City and wind its way to the East Coast, including a date in New York City at The Green Apple Festival on April 20th. They will then head south for a string of late night shows in Mike Dillon's new hometown of New Orleans during Jazzfest.
Joining vibraphonist and percussionist Mike Dillon in the Go-Go Jungle will be bassist JJ “Jungle" Richards and drummer “Go-Go" Ray. The trio, who formed in 2006, are often augmented by special guests in each city. Musically, the Go-Go Jungle walks a fine line between old school big beat grooves and Frank Zappa irreverence. On Battery Milk, they splendidly showcase a penchant for musical unpredictability hop-scotching from Meters-influenced funk like that of “Go-Go's Theme" to the black comedy-tinged “The Voyeur." And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are moments of punk jazz mania such as the tongue-in-cheek “Stupid Americans" and straight-up improvisational fireworks like the Eddie Harris-inspired “Harris Country."
“I wanted to write some blues heads like Milt Jackson might have written had he grown up listening to Led Zeppelin, and play them over a go-go groove," explains Dillon of the Go-Go Jungle's sound. “Having a drummer who comes from the P-Funk tradition keeps everything locked in. And J.J. on bass is great at taking up the slack and filling out the sound. I get three layers of vibes by putting a pick-up on each bar and running it through a Fender Twin (amplifier), then micing both the amp and the instrument with an overhead. The third layer comes from the direct signal, and I also use pedals for distortion."
Mike Dillon was born and raised in Houston. He was the founder of the pivotal Texas bands Billy Goat and Hairy Apes BMX. He's performed with acclaimed experimental and improvisational bands like The Malachy Papers, Critters Buggin and Garage A Trois. Dillon's reputation for boundless energy and acute musical chops has led to high profile collaborations with the likes of MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Secret Chiefs 3, Polyphonic Spree and Sex Mob. To this day, he remains a key member of both Les Claypool's Frog Brigade and Ani DiFranco's touring band. A percussionist by trade, Dillon re-discovered the vibraphone while battling drug addiction. After a six month morphine binge, he was penniless and looking for a fix. Having no more gear to pawn except his vibes, he kicked drugs cold turkey and began learning Thelonious Monk's “Well You Needn't."
Battery Milk by Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle is available now on HYENA Records.
Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle upcoming tour dates are:
April 10 / Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club / Kansas City, MO
April 11 / Mojo's / Columbia, MO
April 12 / Vaudeville Mews / Des Moines, IA
April 13 / Yacht Club / Iowa City, IA
April 14 / Subterranean / Chicago, IL
April 15 / The Grog Shop / Cleveland, OH
April 17 / Vassar College / Poughkeepsie, NY
April 18 / The Stone Church / Newmarket, NH
April 20 / The Knitting Factory / New York, NY (Green Apple Festival)
April 21 / The Fire / Philadelphia, PA
April 23 / The Jewish Mother / Virginia Beach, VA
April 24 / The Pour House / Raleigh, NC
April 25 / The Five Spot / Atlanta, GA
April 26 / Bottle Tree / Birmingham, AL
April 27 / Le Bon Temps Roulet / New Orleans, LA
April 28 / Chickie Wah Wah / New Orleans, LA
May 1 / Louisiana Music Factory / New Orleans, LA (In-Store)
For more information contact All About Jazz.
