The Goatbox Rebels

This raspy, gritty and wonderful blues rocker with hints of his roots in Bluegrass shining through is coming all the way from Toronto, Ontario. Thank you Ivan!! His music is available on Northern Assembly Recordings label.

Take a listen to some of his top sounds while you are there. Mom and Dad, your little ones might not dig his sound, but if you and your teens dig some down and dirty rockin' blues do not miss this musical Rebel!!!! Just listen to the long guitar highlight in, "Promised Land"....oh YEAH! - ecaair.org (04/20/2014)

Had a good time cranking debut CD (EP) of “The Goatbox Rebel”. Dirty and raw Blues Rock from Central Canada. Fairly heavy in spots and with a touch of grind and gravel “The Goatbox Rebel” is going for something and not playing it safe. You can hear those old fashioned blues licks that remind me of Delta Blues and the imperfect scratchy vocals more reminiscent of the original tenant farmers then the blue-eyed schmaltz of suburban blues. This will be sure to alienate the massive gelatinous establishment that makes up many so-called Blues fans that prefer their Blues polished as their silverware. If you are not offended by “Clutch” or “Jack White” when they play the Blues Rock, then you are more likely to enjoy “The Goatbox Rebel”.

The first track “401″ is probably the most divisive giving me the impression of a busking Rob Zombie channeling Robert Johnson. I enjoyed “401″ on repeat listens especially the lyrics but my first impression was to skip to more immediately endearing tracks like “Promised Land” and “Born With A Tail”. The inclusion of a live track of “Promised Land” was a nice touch.

The CD sound good on my mp3 player, my laptop and my 5.1 computer sound system so I have no complaints there. On my classic analog Technics system the vocals seemed to sit atop the mix on “401″ and the percussion on “Born With A Tail” sounded more like a click track then anything else. If anyone noticed the same issue with an analog system please include a comment. or tweet @crushwb

Gritty, dirty and back to basics Blues Rock. You know where you stand with “The Goatbox Rebel” and if you are offended then its more an issue of you walking into the wrong bar at wrong end of town. - CrushWB Promotions & Productions (Vancouver,BC)

The Goatbox Rebel has constructed a thoroughly post-modern take on the blues. Transplanted into the 21st century, the music fuses analog crunch and buzz with digital thrum to create a compelling and fascinating re-casting of one of the foundational sources of rock and roll, given a new electrical tension from the fusion of man and machine.Classic blues themes are re-invigorated and explored from new angles, stitched together with ghostly electronics to create a new variation on the form, one that shimmers and thumps with all the frequencies of the current planet.

“401” opens the album with a classic driving song, marrying crunchy modal riffs with an inhumanly insistent groove. Growling away in search of answers, the song propels straight away into a journey through fractured blues imagery and snapping strings. The concept of forward motion, of continual discovery, runs through the veins of the song like a cold chill.

“Ne’er-Do-Wells” explores another side of traditional blues storytelling. Over scraping slide licks and a simple punchy drum, The Goatbox Rebel reveals his mythological tale of splitting town for a life in music, complete with the hero’s journey into hardship and eventual triumph. The blues, like all forms, demands its sacrifice and in the end the only real option is obvious. If you are possessed to make music, the impulse is irresistible.

In the end, we’re all destined for “The Promised Land“. This song crawls in a sinister and creepy way, like a depraved man begging for entrance into the temple. Over an ostinato groove, The Goatbox Rebel unleashes a torrent of howling licks while the beat lurches toward epiphany. The price of entrance is experience, and you can’t hide when the ghosts decide to haunt you.

A song about a deceitful, evil woman, “Born With A Tail” unfolds with a kind of threatening tenderness, belying the seductiveness of the subject. Attracted and repelled at the same time, the gently thrumming acoustic and sparse percussion give a texture and sense of space. “That serpent grin will be the death of me,” he warns, reminding that all that is beautiful does not always contain peace.

“My Home, My Coffin” is an acoustic prayer, spiraling out from a lonely slide guitar into a reverberated rain storm. Sand whips the air and cleanses the eyes, and droplets hang suspended, mocking the passage of time.

The Goatbox Rebel has re-made the haunted world of blues melodies and symbols in his own image. Enjoy this endless reincarnation and feel the collision of the ancient and futuristic. - Audio Reckoning