Reviews
Americana Highways Magazine
Gabriel Mas – Hav3 A Good Trip
This is a difficult call. I was a big aficionado of progressive rock 100 years ago. This unit rises from the ashes of Chicago’s Gabriel Bondage from the ’70s. There are still bits & pieces of ideas scattered around this new effort, an evolution – with sonic special effects, a Laurie Anderson-type narrative voice, jazz-fusion interludes, spacious lead vocals with a Beat poetry lyrical bite interspersed with sitar sounds & good percussion. All tossed into an instrumental cauldron of “Cave of the Tenderthals” captured with good recording quality. The instruments are heavy & display their “progressive” intricacies. But the word “progressive” today is a little loose.
This isn’t King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van der Graaf Generator, Amon Duul, McDonald & Giles, Planet P, Yes or ELP. It has tendrils in a more avant-garde cum jazz fusion proclivity. Closer to Carla Bley, Paul Winter, Banco, Passport & sometimes early Weather Report. The compositions are indeed ambitious, but far more spacey than progressive rock. The vocals aren’t commanding like Greg Lake, Dave Cousins, Peter Hammill or even Gary Brooker.
11 pieces make up the evolution of Hav3 A Good Trip (Drops July 3/Deep Dog Records/58:38), produced, arranged & performed by Chicago’s Gabriel Mas. Musically, “Self” is a well-performed number. Progressive rock was never an easy genre. You either had to dazzle with vocals or musically embellish with intensity. Some tunes have good ideas but don’t always connect with formidable work. It borders on a word I hate – pretentious. Not because of any bombastic performances, it’s not clear what’s being talked about. It sounds like it’s mostly fantasy or phantasmagoria. (“The Causeless Seed”). No idea.
The musicians always play well. The themes & topics are heavy. Tracks are long & attempt to capture a Vangelis form (“Albedo 0.39”) but never quite do. “No Solid Ground” is the best tune, but the synth notes would have been better served by the excellent drums with a sax. The conclusion is cool like Dead Can Dance. It’s not pompous; the playing is too good for that, but the intensity isn’t high-octane. It meanders. It doesn’t have the musical color of Triumvirate (“Illusions On a Double Dimple”). But “Perfect Weather” comes closer.
This arrangement is tight & well-conceived, not inventive; the backup vocals are, however, cheesy for progressive rock. Ask yourself, would Robert Fripp do this? Attempts at Vangeli-sizing do come closer with “Mara” – not bad. Exceptional drums; the drama is laid on a bit thick, but they do lay down a good groove & this should’ve been the opening song to the album. The musicians assert themselves well. It just needs a better concept, in my opinion.
Highlights –
“Self,”
“No Solid Ground,”
“Perfect Weather,”
“Mara,”
“Common Ground,”
& “Rain (Cold Tears)Vía del Agua .”
CD @ https://gabrielmasmusic.com/
Song Premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2026/06/15/song-premiere-gabriel-mas-tivoy-the-immense-vastness-of-yesterday/
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Americana Highways brings you this premiere of GABRIEL MÁS “Hav3 a Good Trip” was produced, mixed and mastered by Rich Reardin,
and co-produced by Rex Bundy.
Gabriel Más is duo Rich Reardin &
Rex Bundy – (founder of the original 70’s prog-rock band Gabriel Bondage).
This songs are trippy and entertaining and beckons for all of us to peer into the universe far beyond the concerns that far too often sidetrack us. It invites us to consider more ultimate philosophical questions and meanings. Heavy, intense, complex and thoughtful all at the same time, Gabriel Más does King Crimson proud.
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Rich Wilburn in Sacramento, CA
I took in Reardin’s video again this morning with well rested sober eyes and ears. Musically it sounds like ’70s Euro-prog rock ala’ Pink Floyd meets Kraftwerk (the subtitles for the buried dialog is much appreciated). The “immersive” virtual mind-meld of visuals almost distracts from the questioning lyrics of God’s cruel carbon cycle of life. I’m intrigued by the Buddhist point of view, and I think he encapsulates it beautifully with this work of art. However, I still can’t bring myself to fully appreciate the use of AI as opposed to the human touch. Is my curmudgeon anachronism showing? Thanks again for the link. Very cool stuff.
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Lance Taber in Sacramento, CA
“Both the songs and the video are quite interesting. It’s nice to hear there are artists still making music off the beaten popular path.”
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Barbara Bergin in Austin, TX.a
“That is a cool song and video. Fusion of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and something like Iron Butterfly and AC/DC. Of course they used AI to create the video, but it’s intriguingly amazing. I love past, present, future imagery. Rich really knows how to use AI! I dig it, even though I don’t believe it is original creation. But who cares as long as it’s entertaining?”
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Bob Cheevers in Austin, TX
IT’S FUCKING AMAZING.
The drum sound kills. The guitar/guitars are outrageous. The arrangementis from another world and the lyric and vocal sound all push the buttons of tomorrow into the labyrinth of never never land.
The video is unbelievable and must have been done using Ai? I’m sold.
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John Keane – Minneapolis, MN
It’s great having the lyrics available on the website while following the musical adventure along as 98.6% of most things I hear these days sound like Charlie Brown’s Teacher!
Lots of fun authoritative musical snippets, too…