On a magical night at Nectar’s, in Burlington, VT, in December of 2018, three musical masters — Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger and Ray Paczkowski — came together with alchemical synthesis, and created a fresh, so-tight-it's-free sound, permeated with technical prowess and a deep-pocket punch. The packed house fortunate enough to be in attendance that night witnessed the birth of something very special: LaMP.
Metzger, described by The Village Voice as “…an ace guitarist of a thousand styles,” and a full-time member of the beloved Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, tested the decades-strong synergy between Lawton and Paczkowski, forged from their time playing with Trey Anastasio Band and their duo project Soule Monde. The melodic and harmonic interplay of Paczkowski’s swirling organ and clavinet dancing with Metzger’s acrobatic melodies on telecaster, both driven by Lawton's unflappable backbeat, produces music that is immediate and irresistible.
It's the chemistry that drives LaMP's newest studio album, "One Of Us," which arrived on March 21 via Royal Potato Family. The trio previewed the record with the lead single, “Jasper’s World.”
"One of Us" follows LaMP’s 2024 release, "Live At Nectar’s," captured at the famed Burlington club where the band formed. The new studio effort — cut at Ben Collette’s Tank Recording Studio in Burlington — marks the trio’s first since releasing their 2020 self-titled debut album.
“This record has more of a gritty, edgy sound to it compared to our first one,” Metzger said of "One Of Us." “The first album felt clean and smooth. 'One Of Us' has more attitude. It still emphasizes melody, groove, and accessibility like the first record, but this one feels like we’ve got some more miles under our belt, which makes sense since 2024 was a big year for our little band.
“Most of these tunes started from beats Russ sent around, and Ray or I would put down a harmonic or melodic idea we thought captured the mood of the groove,” Metzger added.
“LaMP definitely started with a sound right from the first show and it continues to grow as we write new songs,” Lawton said. “Someone will come in with a song — or I’ll pass along a rhythmic concept — and we’ll build from there.”
“It’s the next sounds of three musicians who are playing what they feel, and feeling it as one,” Paczkowski added. “The album is called One Of Us, but if there is a theme to this record, it might be ‘three of us.’ We’re all writers in the sense of courting some kind of inspiration, a melody, a rhythm, a vibe; feeling some kind of spark and bringing it to the band. The goal was to get a fire going.”
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Beninghove's Hangmen
Multi-instrumentalist Bryan Beninghove's guitar-driven surf-noir ensemble. Twists, turns, grooves, and smoke baby.
Bryan Beninghove - sax/keys
Dane Johnson - guitar
Eyal Maoz - guitar
Rick Parker - trombone/fx
Ezra Gale - bass
Christian Coleman -drums
