room3 "Bill's Garden" Album Review
Review by: Alex May, Musician @bittahprophetmn
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @melodicnoisemedia
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What’s that? What year is it? I don’t know. I forgot where I am! I was listening to Bill’s Garden by room3. Bill’s Garden just dropped in April, but you’d be forgiven for assuming it is a treasured classic. You’d also be correct.
Every track is a gem. 11 gems. Am I overreacting? You be the judge! From the opening literal salvo no holds are barred. This band has been honing their set for more than two years, all over the twin cities scene, and it shows. Their passion for celebrating the creative spirit of jazz fusion through their own personal concoction of sugar, spice, and everything nice is in full bloom on this record. I highly recommend that any fans of DOMi and JD Beck, Casiopea, Soichi Terada, and/or Herbie Hancock listen to it as soon as reasonable!
I first encountered room3 as a trio at The White Squirrel in St. Paul, where they IMMEDIATELY stood out. Their blend of distinctive styles caught my attention, fileted it, and mounted the carcass on the mantle.
Since then I have made an effort to see them as often as I can. Room3 is a musical collective, so the roster is somewhat flexible. However, they typically perform with two percussionists, keyboard, electric bass, and sax
Each member of the lineup is simultaneously a master and student of their craft. They bring their passion to every note and are never afraid to push their limits to the max - especially Colin “RAWTWHYLAH” Mitchell, the most enthusiastic drummer this writer has ever encountered. Hearing him play is an absolute blast. His song “ANGST” is a voyage through turbulent emotion, and positively chronic riffs.
The album is also full of tremendous local features. Several high-caliber musicians lend their skills. Check out the tracklist (or better yet the album cover) to see them all! In particular, Jada Lynn and Alex Browne weave a sonic palette of nostalgia on “Don’t Forget 2 Breathe” that pulls me in and whisks me away to another place and time…
As I said before - 11 gems. “Port-au-Pluto” is a personal favorite of mine… the way that it wanders from full-thrust jams, through non-euclidean grooves, and into an interstellar outro that should be legally classified as a hallucinogen is right up my alley. But, ask me on any given day and I might put “Common Ground” or “Moqueca” in the number one spot. I often find phrases from all over the record jamming merciless through my head on repeat. I have been enjoying many of these tunes live since 2023, and via live recordings from venues such as the Turf Club and Indeed Brewing. Naturally, I was beyond excited to hear them executed in the studio.
Recording at the legendary Legacy Building in Minneapolis, engineers Keston Wright and Eric Martin did a phenomenal job in harnessing the numerous facets of the room3 sound and wrangling them into physical form. There are many moving parts in a room3 performance. Their live sets are explosive, but Bill’s Garden manages to capture the magic like lightning in a bottle.
While most of the songs are instrumental, the lyrical pieces evoke themes of reflection, passion, forging a new path, and self-care. The music is deft and impressive, while the words are vulnerable and encouraging. There is a beautiful balance on this record - I commend the pacing and arrangement!
To me, there is honestly not a weak moment. I love all of the tunes more and more, listen after listen. The 67 minute runtime is overflowing with character, loving articulation, and laugh-out-loud witty moments (looking at you, end of Weekdayz…). Just when you think things can’t get any cooler, Bill drops you in the freezer and slams the door.
I cannot wait to hear what is next from room3. They are already bringing out new original material in their shows, and I am eager for my next opportunity to catch them live. Until then, I am grateful just to wander the starry rows of Bill’s Garden.
