Scott's Song by Song #16-- Andy Toomey and The Stick Men: Perseus Calling

 Originally posted to Facebook on December 23, 2024

Link to post:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BwNUQQhq7/

Welcome to issue #16 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here: https://www.facebook.com/share/Gc2VkwHQWGLdeaDd/?mibextid=oFDknk

Today, I’ll be doing something a bit different. I was contacted by the artist on today’s review on Facebook recently to review his new EP, called “Perseus Calling,” which he recorded with “Stick Men” ( a trio consisting of– among other things– King Crimson legends Tony Levin, Pat Mastelloto, and Markus Reuter –KC adjacent in his case). I was intrigued as to who Andy Toomey was to be able to have such a legendary prog trio accompanying him on this EP. Upon requesting his background, he emailed me with his resume’ of sorts. He has a BFA in music composition & classical guitar at U Mass Dartmouth, has worked for Voyetra Technologies (a synth and sequencer company), and pursued a MFA from SUNY-Purchase. Since being signed to indie label Musikus in 1995, he has written and recorded over 300 songs. Additionally he has written 2 books, available on Amazon. He has studied with Jon Herington (Steely Dan), Steve Kahn (Weather Report) and Jeff Andrews (Bass, Yellowjackets). Furthermore, he has played guitar in an eponymous blues band, The Andy Toomey Trio, bass in a jazz piano trio, toured Spain in a Spanish Metal band, sang in U2 tribute Bonomania and played drums in Led Zeppelin Tribute Wearing & Tearing. During the pandemic, he reached out to his friend, Peter Levin to see if he and his brother Tony would be interested in collaborating, along with drummer Jerry Merotta. They were interested. and have thus far released two albums–”Budget Soul,” and “Paper Heart,”-- and have a third– “Left of the Best Western,” due out in 2025. Today’s review was recorded during a break in Stick Men’s touring schedule. For full disclosure, the only compensation I received for this review is a code to download the album for free on Bandcamp. I told Andy I will be using my usual process and call it as I hear it.

So now that we know who Andy Toomey is, let's give “Perseus Calling” a listen.

Track 1 - Dada

It begins with a snare hit and nice clean guitar. Toomey’s voice is strong and clear. Excellent harmonies on the word “dada.” I like the wordplay in the lyrics. There are changing meters as Mastelloto plays a complex drum part. The guitar solo at around 1:10 almost sounded like a soprano sax at first. This seems to be primarily in 7-8. Cool track, I like it. Great sound on this. The press release for the EP says it was engineered by Rick Grice.

Track 2 - Everclear

This one is a bit more riff-oriented. The rhythms are very tricky and the meter shifts frequently. They smooth out as he sings the title of the song. Levin’s bass is marvelous, as one would expect. Nice rhythmically oriented prog! Just a bit short at 3:12. I was getting a handle on it as it ended.

Track 3 - Perseus Calling

The title track begins with a chord rhythm pattern and tom-toms. The verse is in a syncopated 4-4 that doesn’t feel like 4 until you count it out.. It has a slight 80s new-wave vibe to it. The words “once upon a time” are in a slower 6-8 groove. The pre-choruses have a different meter. There are “mission control,” space launch sound effects interspersed. Toomey’s voice reminds me a bit of Peter Gabriel and Fish (Marillion/solo). I like the different layers of sound. I believe this is Reuter’s touch guitar soloing at around 4 minutes. Levin and Mastelloto are playing some brilliant fills together. Well done!

Track 4 - Deny the Lie

We are in 7-8 as this one begins. I like Toomeys lyrics. This one has a bit of a Zappa feel, as in the beginning rhythm of “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.” Reuter’s touch guitar is playing countermelodies throughout. This one is very short at under 3 minutes. Very cool track, it had my head boppin’.

Track 5 - Hater

The intro on this one had me immediately thinking of King Crimson, in its sinister tone (particularly “Dinosaur”). Not surprising, considering the players, but what is surprising is that this is the first time I have gotten that feeling. Much of this one is in 7 as well. I like the accents around 30 seconds. Excellent sustained harmonies on the title name at around 55 seconds. After another verse cycle, the sustained harmonies return, but slightly modified. I like how those sustained notes are on major chords, yet the rest of the song is in a minor key. This is great! One track left, but, so far this is my favorite track.

Track 6 - The Vampire King

The rhythm section hits sustained accents while the guitar plays a walking riff. The verse concludes in long notes. As has been the case, there are interesting rhythm shifts. Great layering of melodies again. Toomey has a creepy tone at the end, as if playing a character. Cool, but short track.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I now know who Andy Toomey is! He is an under-recognized talent in the prog world. This is a great EP! Fans of 90s and beyond KC will undoubtedly enjoy this. And anyone who is looking for something off the beaten track should check it out on bandcamp.com . While the musicians involved are certainly celebrated virtuosos, they serve the songs, the songs don’t exist to serve them. I thank Andy Toomey for reaching out to me, as I might not have known about this otherwise. I intend to explore some of his other releases as well. For more information on this project see this press release:https://andytoomey.blogspot.com/?m=1 I will give this a solid 4.5 out of 5! I only wish the songs were longer and even more developed, although I understand that the circumstances regarding the recording limited the time available. Thanks again for reading!