After almost 15 years of friendship, guitarist, songwriter and producer Keaton Simons (Gnarls Barkley,Snoop Dogg, Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde) and experimental drummer, songwriter and producer Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta, Bosnian Rainbows, T-Bone Burnett, John Cale of The Velvet Underground) have finally come together to form their newest project, Best Revenge.
“Brother Blue” kicks off with the peculiar menace of a 80s film score. It soon devolves into a sneering rockabilly track, lacerating the listener with both a swaggering guitar and bold, vocal machismo. The lyrics convey wisdom through hurt, and Parks’ drums throb with the pulse of reckoning. This is an accessible song with an authentic blues rock mentality… You don’t hear a new track like this often. — INDIE SHUFFLE
Best Revenge mixes modern and old school sounds for a down-home dirty, raw rock ‘n roll vibe with a modern, technological spin. Keaton sings and plays guitar (including electric and acoustic guitars, as well as baritone and fretless), and Deantoni plays drums while he simultaneously live samples Keaton’s voice and plays it on the keyboard through a series of computerized effects – note: there are no loops in Best Revenge. The result is thoughtful music that excites and feels damn good. With a massive sound coming from just the two artists, this new project calls upon the adage “seeing is believing.”
Deemed “a triple threat” by his hometown’s Los Angeles Times, Keaton Simons has been captivating audiences for years with his raw, gritty voice, soul-baring songwriting, and incomparable, sought-after electric and acoustic guitar work. He’s been brought on as a guitarist, as well as bassist, singer, writer and musical director for such notable acts as Gnarls Barkley, Snoop Dogg, and Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde. With his own solo project, Keaton has co-produced and released records on major labels, licensed hundreds of songs for TV and film, toured nationally and internationally, and performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Last Call with Carson Daly.
Hailing form Newnan, Georgia, Deantoni Parks is a new wave/avant-garde experimental drummer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He has written, toured and collaborated with T-Bone Burnett, Bosnian Rainbows, The Mars Volta, Meshell Ndegeocello, John Cale of The Velvet Underground, Yoko Ono, Moby, Basement Jaxx, and Cody Chesnutt. Additionally, Deantoni wrote and played drums for the Grand Theft Auto 5 original soundtrack, and is co-founder of Dark Angels alongside producer and keyboardist Nicci Kasper, as well as a member of KUDU.
Listen: Best Revenge – “Brother Blue”
After meeting almost 15 years ago through jazz/funk trio Soulive, Keaton Simons and Deantoni Parks have not only been close friends, but true admirers of each other’s respective work. Best Revenge is the first of what they hope will be many collaborative projects. Fans will have the opportunity to catch them live in Austin, Texas this week at SXSW. (See schedule below.)
LIVE AT SXSW //
FRI 3/14 @ Austin Ale House – 3PM
301 W 6th Street, All Ages, No Cover
FRI 3/14 @ Listening Room At Winflo – 6:30PM
1315 W 6th Street, All Ages, No Cover
SAT 3/15 @ Quantum Collective Southwest Invasion, Whole Foods Rooftop – 7PM
525 N Lamar Blvd, All Ages, No Cover
http://qc2014.eventbrite.com
Musically Amusing 