Album Review - Leisure Suit by Organ Fairchild
Album Review - Leisure Suit by Organ Fairchild
Listen to the Buffalo trio's new album now!
Formed in 2020, the instrumental trio Organ Fairchild is comprised of Joe Bellanti (keyboards), Dave Ruch (guitars), and Corey Kertzie (drums). Longtime musical collaborators who first played together in Grateful Dead cover band Wild Knights almost 40 years ago, the Buffalo natives have really broken into the scene in the last few years with their fluid grooves and precise instrumentation.
Stylistically, Organ Fairchild has a little bit of everything – there are jazzy riffs and turns, a heavy dose of funk – and, of course, a lot of jam. Any music lover would be hard-pressed to resist dancing along to their infectious sound.
I first discovered the group during the final Summer Camp Music Festival earlier this year, where they played a whopping four sets – absolutely blowing me away from the first notes.
Ruch noted that their first album, Brewed in Buffalo, was recorded in Kertzie’s basement back in 2021, so they were ecstatic to be able to work with producer Justin Guip (Hot Tuna, Levon Helm) in New York’s Hudson Valley at the beginning of this year.
“We really behaved ourselves,” notes Ruch. “Songs than can stretch to ten minutes or more when played live are nicely condensed here for a super-fun listening experience.”
Leisure Suit is available now wherever you get your music and can be purchased on CD and vinyl from the band’s website or Bandcamp. Read on for a track-by-track breakdown of the release!
The title track leads off with a clean guitar riff reminiscent of the Grateful Dead’s “Eyes of the World,” mixed with a nice Caribbean vibe. Ruch is at the forefront of this track throughout, infusing breezy breakdowns with some swanky wah work as Bellanti and Kertzie keep the rhythm locked down.
“Chamelonious Monk,” the first single released back in June, is a Ruch-penned track he describes as an “instrumental funk powerhouse” – but then again, the whole album is! Kertzie really digs into the groove out of the gate as Bellanti immediately asserts himself with more of a leading role. It’s your classic power-organ funk groove!
The jazz influence comes through loud and clear on “Morning Coffee,” written by Kertzie, as Bellanti utilizes piano for the first time on the album. It’s here the listener needs to take a second to appreciate the incredible keyboard skill on display, as he plays synth bass with his left hand and dazzles the ivories with his right. Ruch unleashes a beautiful and melodic guitar solo, making me really want to see this one live at Borderland next weekend!
The lone cover on the album, “He’s Gone,” could not be more different than how Garcia and Hunter imagined the song. While the Dead took to playing it slowly and almost dirge-like, Organ Fairchild energizes it with all the funk you could ever want. Twisting and turning around the vocal melody with Ruch’s strong lead guitar, Bellanti and Kertzie counterpoint it with a lockstep rhythm as the fast funk dissolves into a half-time bluesy breakdown for the bridge.
One of the trio’s first songs comes next with “Bobby Pins,” heavy on the hi-hat. The propulsive nature is only accentuated by the dual-melody lead work of Bellanti and Ruch. The two instrumentalists trade brief solos amid the groovy riffs, ending with a nice slowed-down and jazzy outro.
“Glad You’re Here,” written by Kertzie, begins with a bright melody that feels like a departure from the band’s usual style before the “Eyes of the World”-like groove from earlier in the album returns, this time with Bellanti at the helm on some bright organ. A beautiful juxtaposition comes with a dark interlude and thick guitar from Ruch, the opposite of what we’ve been used to so far on the record and being an excellent change of pace. The moody vibe flips back to bright with Bellanti introducing a clean and powerful synthesizer solo that soars through some island-vibe breakdowns while Kertzie pounds away at his toms.
“The Woodturner” begins with no drums; just a mellow vibe that’s heavy on the guitar. Ruch cites Mark Knopfler, Bill Frisell, Warren Haynes, and Keith Richards as big influences on this track – evident by the strong “guitar player” sound. His distorted tone calls to mind classic rock and the real “breather” of the album – though that doesn’t last. It’s almost like a “Dear Prudence” chord progression as the intensity gradually ramps up before crescendoing into a conclusion via floaty organ.
“Over the Handlebars” feels almost like “Samson and Delilah” or “Not Fade Away” at first, giving a real party vibe with its thumping beat. The band members trade quick solos and breakdowns through this number penned by Ruch after a bicycle accident left him with a broken elbow – an ode to the crash itself comes at 2:59! This moment also comes with a big shift in style from maximalist party grooving to a jazzier beat spurred on by Kertzie, though the jam takes on a dissonant quality that’s the biggest hint at the trio’s live improvisation on the record.
The final song of Leisure Suit, “Rusty Barge,” was an on-the-fly studio composition credited to all three band members plus engineer Justin Guip, who roamed around the space tweaking their effects pedals on the fly during the live take. It begins with a wash of reverbed-out guitar, and the rest of the band enters in a beautiful and psychedelic Pink Floyd-esque space that’s incredibly dark and moody. Bellanti absolutely crushes the bass for this segment, adding in layers of synth textures as well that feels unlike anything else we’ve heard from them across the amazing album. The Floyd vibe bleeds into something akin to “Tomorrow Never Knows” as the layers and layers of textures reach a fever pitch before ending the album on an unexpectedly wild note.
Leisure Suit is an absolute triumph for Organ Fairchild and will undoubtedly bring them legions of new fans as they continue to tour with their incredible live show. Coming off of an impressive slate of summer gigs, both festivals and otherwise, they are primed for a big slot at Borderland Festival near Buffalo next weekend – and you’ll find me telling everyone I know not to miss it!
