Since 2005, a two-man group from Providence called Jeffs Trippin Out claims to be “Independently Rockin Rhode Island.” The band consists of Jeff, the band’s front man, and Jim who plays guitar and occasionally sings back up vocals. Recently, a new member has joined the band, Youssef, who also plays guitar. The band frequents Providence venues like Jerky's Bar and AS220. They also played at Boston’s own Hempfest in 2010. Catering to the Psychedelic Rock genre, with Ska and Blues influences, the group focuses on a freestyle approach and has a habit of changing their pace mid-song, along with the general tone of the lyrics.
Much of JTO’s material follows a similar pattern. The guitar generally is prominent over the vocals, which are sung calmly. In fact, it can be hard to hear the lead vocalist some of the time, due to him speaking so quietly at these points. Much of the music’s messages revolve around casual drug and hallucinogenic use, past relationships with girls, and reflections on life. One striking feature of the band is their unique pacing. Many of their works will change from slow to fast (and vise versa) mid song, creating a sudden rush of lyrics. This is particularly noticeable in singles such as “Heavens of Our Minds,” “Smoking Cigarettes,” “Counting All the Cussings,” and at the beginning and later parts of “Forget How To Breathe.” That’s not to say all of their material has this jerking tendency, as some of their music comes off as a much more level pace, such as “Black Ball,” “Glowne,” and most of ”Shine or Rain.”
JTO has a lot of potential to spread through the psychedelic genre, despite some shortcomings. The most prominent issue with their material is that it can feel reused for some of their songs. Their fan base would most likely be described as already avid listeners of psychedelic music. If you enjoy this genre, or have been a casual listener, I would recommend listening to them. If this isn’t your style of music, there is nothing new here to sway you.
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