Middle Rhythm Session

January 2006

Middle Rhythm Session's been a tough group to label. The 3-year old band fearlessly rips through a repertoire few can rival: reggae, funk, jazz, bluegrass, world beat, and hip-hop. Since moving to Florida from the Midwest, these multi-talented musicians have honed their sound through practice at their Pasco County studio. With tours and independent-film soundtracks to their credit, recording with a major label could be next. "I wanted us to start as big as I want us to finish," said singer and songwriter Jake Hunter. Look for them at trendy venues such as Fresco's Waterfront Bistro in St. Petersburg, St. Bart's Island House in Tampa and Elite Jazz Bar in Clearwater.
- Palm Beach Media Group

March 30, 2005

LET'S GET STARTED: The band, which labels its music as "roots fusion" - funk, reggae, rock, blues, bluegrass, and hip-hop intertwined - first played in 2003. Jake Hunter, 28, jump-started the band through people he met at school, studios, and parties in the Midwest, then moved to Tampa. " If we were going to be in debt and poor, at least we were going to be warm," he said. Blake Yeager,24, Joe Cosas, 26, Eric Struve, 25, and Phil Pressler, 31, make up the rest.
MUSIC IS DEFINITELY UNIQUE: Every song is based on roots style and extrapolated to meet the mind's ear. MRS says they are refining their style by making an intelligent sound for the masses. Like a "free your mind and your butt will follow," said Hunter.
WHO LISTENS?: Every show is different - from kids and teens to middle-agers and older - and the band plays enough styled to please every one. MRS is also happy to say no one has thrown anything at them - yet.
NAME ROOTS: MRS was the name of Hunter's solo album. There is a distinct and curious vibe coming out of the Midwest and its music and the name emulates that.
SIMILAR: Every band, they say from the Beatles and Pink Floyd to Phish. One guy told them they were the best Molly Hatchet cover band he'd ever seen.
BEST THING EVER TO HAVE HAPPENED TO MRS: Being asked by the American Airlines Arena to entertain the parking lot crowd at Phish shows. The band has also played in more than 10 states - not bad for a 2-year-old.
CATCH THE DISCS: The band says it is proud of its two demos and both are different. One is an ambitious unique composition; the other has more of a groove music beat. Impressively, the CDs were tracked and mixed in less than 72 hours.
UPCOMMING DATES: Party on the band's 70-acre property on Friday (4/1). Visit www.middlerhythmsession.com for details. At Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg, the band, among others, is playing on Saturday (4/2). Gates open at 7:00 PM and the concert is free to the public.
DOWNLOADS: Visit Middle's Web site for a 2005 Gasparilla Night Parade music video and other clips.

Matt Nelson - nelson@tampabay.com
- St. Petersburg Times (TBT)

June 2005
Jeff's Digable Beats

Middle Rhythm Session is a well put together group with a touch of bluegrass, jazz, fusion, and a little rock. This is not your normal "turn up the volume so you can't really tell what we sound like" type of band. Volume is not usually blaring, but the harmonies are. The originality and freshness they provide is worth hearing. While they are young guys, don't let that fool you. These are professionals at their finest. Don't miss them!
- Tampa Bay Gold

November 10, 2004

Judging by this description of their music I found on Middle Rhythm Session's website, the band is earnest. Maybe they take themselves a little too seriously:

"Roots fusion...

1. The blending of fundamental musical traditions
2. The deliberate confluence of musical idioms.
3. Primal grooves.
4. Rock and roll for this time, ever changing and proud of its influences."

Malarky? Who am I to judge? It doesn't matter what they say because they played good music at The Dragon's Den Wednesday night. The Tampa, FL, rock quartet turned out positive rock full of grooves and hooks. It'd be easy to label them as a jam band. They looked the part, and they played unthreatening music with a progressive tilt. Still, they were better than that. Their hummable melodies were centered around song structures that were complex but that never lost me. I was confident the chorus would come around soon enough, and it did. The music was too driving to be regular jam stuff. Just enough Skynyrd thrown in their Phish tea.
Their pianist, Joe Cosas, was the shining star. Most of the solos went to him, and he dazzled with his organ playing. He also turned out some ragtime swing during one number. That's what was also great about this band--they played ragtime or reggae convincingly. The only problem with the reggae part was that the drummer was too busy and the bass wasn't fat enough. Steel Pulse's bass player probably would have laughed at the puny bass sound. Actually, the drummer was too busy throughout everything. He never threw his whole weight into the more rocking parts, and he seemed to be playing one too many notes. Drummers should stay out of the way.
With all their equipment, the band seemed very professional. They had tower Bose speakers, effects pedals galore, recording equipment, samplers, and humans. A projectionist and a soundman travel with the band. Too bad the cool, morphing projection was at too high an angle. It didn't really make a dent into the experience. The fifteen or so people on hand gave much applause to the band. They impressed The Dragon's Den's talent booker, so he's gonna try to get the band back for Jazzfest.
I think they would go over well. They play good music.

Jason of Live New Orleans - jason@liveneworleans.com
- liveneworleans.com

January 13, 2004

...After the show, I checked out the "Green Room" at the back of the venue, where local band Middle Rhythm Session was holding court for the after show party. Alex Hymer of Albuquerque handed me one of their CDs, and then proceeded to rave about Vida Blue. "They are so much better with the Spam Allstars," he said, "I love the horns, the arrangements, and the whole vibe. They remind me of Alpha Blondy's old bands, with the large group sounding as one instrument at times." Will Bartholomew of Tampa told me, "I LOVED the whole show. The Jazz Mandolin Project set was great, but it seemed a little quick. But to see Vida Blue do all that great music, and then end with 'Strange Design' and 'Cars, Trucks, Buses' made my night."
Hymer also raved about Middle Rhythm Session, who clearly have a local following, as the dancing floor in front of them was full of local hippies and lovelies grooving to their "session." One piece had some nice, aggressive changes that the band stormed through, powered by their drummer; another song moved from a gentle rhythm, to that sort of "Blue Sky" meets "Franklin's Tower" feel that the Allman Brothers have been dabbling with quite a bit lately. Their version of the old classic "Don't Do It" caught my attention. This song has been covered by many groups since Marvin Gaye recorded it as "Baby Don't You Do It" some forty years ago (the versions by The Band, The Who and Bruce Hornsby are my favorites), and MRS gave it a nice jamband workout centered around the guitar work of the blonde dreadlocked Blake Yeager. The band has potential, but they are clearly searching for their own voice, which they may find will ultimately spring from the versatile keyboardist Joe Cosas. Cosas even stood up to lead the band with a trombone solo.

Rob Turner - JamBase.com