I had the distinct honor of playing guitar for Territory Games, the self-titled debut of Nathan Hubbard’s new cross-border quintet, out today from Castor&Pollux.
Nathan’s most frequently cited sonic reference for this band is 70s Miles Davis. After the rest of the group tracked the bulk of the album live, Nathan brought me on under the auspices of playing some Pete Cosey/early John McLaughlin leads, an opportunity I obviously would never refuse.* But don’t go into this record expecting some sort of Bitches Brew rehash; this album is definitely its own beast, running the gamut from dissonant noise rock-adjacent jams to slow, airy ballads. Aside from Hubbard, the band comprises Ivan Trujillo on trumpet, Jose Solares on tenor, Kyle Bayquen on bass and apparently me on guitar. Two tunes feature poetry readings by Adrian Arancibia and the title track (the big single!) features vocals by Lauren Leigh.
I recorded my parts with Hubbard at his place without an amp but did get to use several of my most obnoxious pedals, including the Gonkulator and the Rainbow Machine. The latter came up when Hubbard asked if I had some subtle modulation to help differentiate the guitar part from the bassline I was doubling. “I hate that pedal,” was his response, so naturally it stayed on the record.
And I keep repeating it, but if you’re in town this Saturday you can hear us play the entire record front to back at the Jazz Lounge:
* What I ended up playing on this album doesn’t sound much like either of those reference points. I did track a wild Sonny Sharrock via Neil Young solo over the first tune but it was decided it took the album in a bit too aggressive a direction. Maybe you’ll hear it on the 25th anniversary reissue when Hubbard turns 75.
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