Carl Weingarten - Local Journeys

Carl Weingarten electric slide guitars, dobro, ebow, efx
Brian Knave drums, percussion, found objects, electric percussion guitar (2)
Michael Manring acoustic and electric bass, ebow
Robin Bonnell cello (1, 8, 11)
Marcie Brown cello (7, 9)
Jessica Ivry cello (6)
John Baker piano, synthesizer (5, 8, 10)
George Gousis keyboard, samples (6)

Track Listing:
01. SleepTalk 5:25
02. Gravity Steps 5:21
03. Local Journeys 4:18
04. Rendezvous 2:47
05. Cafe Timba 5:31
06. How Many Doors? 6:03
07. Mourning Star 5:07
08. Night Is The Light 5:41
09. The Far Turn 4:04
10. Cassini's Blues 5:08
11. Dust Covers The Sky 5:30

REVIEW:
Carl Weingarten may not be a household name; he's even practically
unknown in most prog circles. Even so, this California guitarist has
managed to put out over a dozen albums in a career that began in the
early 80s. I've heard a few of them and own a copy of his 1992 release
Pandora's Garage, so I was quite pleased when a copy of his new CD
arrived on my desk recently.

On Local Journeys, Carl enlists the help of renowned bassist Michael
Manring and percussionist Brian Knave. Also making guest appearances on
the album are cellists Robin Bonnell, Marcie Brown and Jessica Ivry and
keyboardists John Baker and George Gousis. Weingarten plays slide
guitar, dobro, ebow and uses a wide range of effects on the disc.

When I first heard the opening track "SleepTalk" I immediately thought
the melody sounded like the theme from the TV show Twin Peaks. The more
times I listened to the song though, the more I realized the influence
of the famous instrumental track "Sleepwalk" which makes a little more
sense here due to the name. That's the story with a lot of this album;
on the surface you'll hear one thing but when you dig deeper there's
another experience waiting for you. For instance, at first I thought
the album had a predominantly world/new age feel but after several
plays I have an entirely different view of the music. The atmosphere is
soothing and exotic but Weingarten's vision is so unique it's almost
impossible to categorize.

Manring's fretless bass deftly compliments Weingarten's guitar work and
while Brian Knave's percussion is rather understated, he's always there
providing a sturdy backdrop to the proceedings. Carl multi-tracks his
slide guitar and dobro on most tracks but he's such a talented player
that you might guess it was two separate people.

These Local Journeys are not only beautiful and relaxing excursions on
the surface but also quite stimulating and intricate when you examine
them closer. This is the perfect chance to discover this talented
guitarist and if you're already familiar with his work, a great
opportunity to get reacquainted." --Progressive Ears