The Pillbugs regret to inform their fans of the tragic passing of their bass player/singer/songwriter/brother, Mark Kelley. Mark battled cancer for 9 years before his life was abruptly ended on Saturday May 3, 2008. He was 45. Please keep his wife Karen, his children and other surviving family members, as well as his bandmates, in your thoughts and prayers. He will be laid to rest On Wednesday May 7, 2008.
We love you and will miss you Mark Kelley.
R.I.P.
10/28/62 - 5/3/2008
Be sure to check us out/rate us and hear 4 tracks from "Buzz For Aldrin" here:
Link to: The Pillbugs
Reviews from Progressive.homestead.com:
Proverus Rec.The Pillbugs : The 3-dimensional in-popcycle dream (US,2003)
Usually I don't check many neo-sixties groups, but when I lately had the opportunity to check and listen to some, this group came to the fore. Usually I'm much more of an early 70's music fan, but like many collectors I also have my favourite 60's items : July, Music Emporium, Gandalf, Love's second, Pretty Things (S.F. Sorrow), and maybe Pussy, with White Noise first as my favourite late 60's album, but that one's already more avant garde than usual. But of course also these days there's a possibility that some groups of nowadays still have such a sound in a spontanuous way. My favourite neo/new 60's band so far is The Living Room whose first album contained mostly psych folk pop with a 60's edge.
I wonder how they evolved I think The Pillbugs appealed to me, from the tracks I heard, especially with its perfect sound, its psychedelic feel and lots of acoustic elements, and a beautiful organ, fine arrangements and warm vocal harmonies.
This particular CD came with a viewmaster and a three dimensional view of this 5-piece group with bubblegum psych coloured illustrations. These look very beautiful and original. A gadget idea intended to make people buy original cd's instead of copying illegally. First three tracks are very fine Beatle-esque songs with beautiful arrangements including the unmistakable organ, cello, and orchestral arrangements with a perfectionism in production, something which was also another Beatles trademark. The three tracks following are ok too, but are more like inspirations after covering other 60's groups. It has a more easy sound, still played with obvious pleasure. Many of the tracks that follow have really perfect arrangements and compositions. "Friend for the day" is a fine and beautiful sitar psych song. "Saturday Morning Cartoons" is a very funny little track with a 60's folk psych sound. "Girl on a laser beam" is funny too, played in a Beatle-esque way. "Feet first" has beautiful vocal harmonies and sparse spacey effects. Also "Liquid Bob" has very fine and pleasant arrangements, going beyond any usual psych. The "3D Theme" is an appealing instrumental with orchestral arrangements, and some electric guitars improvisations, piano and very beautiful vocal arrangements, and some psych organ / keyboards, professionally mixed and arranged. To be followed are a couple of not so inspired tracks until "Charlie Blue Car" which has a more up tempo beat track including some sitar. Also "The cat who dropped the bomb" and the following tracks have a somewhat stronger sound, although most of them have a neo- and remember-the Beatles- feel in it, where some of the earlier tracks did have a much more spontaneously fitting just-like-the-60's-sound, created tastefully. "Popcycle Island" is a beautiful closer, with the group at its most perfect again. In general the group is clearly talented. But when they work has been put into the arrangements the band really succeeds giving listening pleasure as appealing as the best 60's psych bands.
Proverus Rec.The Pillbugs (US,1998)
The earliest tracks of this double album album go beyond the (neo-) sixties psych styles, and includes late 60's, early 70's influences. Also this release contains arrangements close to perfection. First 7 tracks sounds as one track with a lot of changes and ideas. First track "Thou doth warm me (like the sun)" sounds like a Beatle-esque track from around the White album era, but with more psychedelic effects. Further on the tracks become more late 60's early 70's in style. "Black sombrero" even is a flamenco prog rock track with electric guitar and organ solo's. "Undecided" with distorted voice and backing vocals rocks even much more, with fine hard (prog) rock guitars. "We are the orange sky people" which follows is somewhat in the back-in-the-60's style, but at the same time is produced much more modernly, with various prog touches and instrumentation and orchestral bits. All fantastic. "Comburda" after that, has strong contrasting arrangements, again in late 60's styles. Last two tracks of these seven are more driven by a beautiful warm sound, with nice and crafty late 60's arrangements, sounding incredibly fresh. After that it will give a further continuity often in an improved Beatle-esque style, without any weak moments. Not all tracks are as arranged, some of them are even more common. Although in general all tracks are highly enjoyable on this double CD, I still would have preferred a shorter album with all the heavily arranged tracks together. The group itself plays on the CD together more than 20 instruments. It's especially in the refined arrangements that we can hear them. This leaves us with 7 more talented session musicians (playing cello, sax, violins, double bass, pedal steel guitar, or trumpet). The first disk contains 19 tracks, disk two 13. Together these 32 pieces provide a rewarding listen.
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