Usuario:Stelamo/Taller

Beev Rations

Beev Rations is a spanish indie rock band that, within the genres roots rock and alternative, often feautures a blend of country rock, blues, rythm & blues, and folk rock with merseybeat, California sound, doo wop and psychedelia, in differents gradations and always with some experimental or even progressive rock touch. As a one-man-band, Beev Rations is the natural expresion of his creator, Alan James (Santander, north Spain), who is songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist, also producing Beev Rations’ records, videos and art. The band's debut was a double single containing the songs "What's that?" and "The one I love", in november 2016. The first EP, tittled "Just try them" (december, 2017) featured four songs: "Good Wood", "Why don't you", "The Bigger Tricker" and a cover from a Gram Parsons song, "Hot burrito #1 (I'm your toy)".

Alan James and his music

While Alan has been described as having "a loving flair for psych-tinged, country & western flavoured folk jams"​, that's just a side of his music. And though deeply influenced by root-styles of rock, showing vintage air or retro sound, Beev Rations music can be rightly considered current and genuine, thanks to the original -simple but subtle- way to synthesize, craft and perform it, for the sake of a growing audience that currently loves and asks for more rooted flavour music​.

Sometimes sounding kind of grieveous, others sort of outrageous, Alan's music finds its natural place precisely in median tempos, as suggestive as relaxing, oniric and hypnotic. This leads to consider the psychedelic aspect of Beev Rations music, which lies not only in certain sounds, patterns, arrangements or effects. Indeed is arguable that listening to those songs can drive indeed to soft altered states of councioussness. This become obvious when one listens to the end of "Mushrooms #8", though everything starts right from the firts note.

For the rest, Alan often leaves several winks in his songs, sometimes sprinkled with brushstrokes of peculiar humor, while in others he goes directly to the soul of the listener, throungh his warm and captivating voice, all in songs that rarely arrive at 3 minutes. “No line between the coarse and the sublime”, a motto emanating from Alan’s musical project, called Sunntones, may be a good general description of the art displayed at Beev Rations.

The Beatles in Madrid (Spain, 1965). Their influence in Beev Rations music is always perceptible.

Dion and the Belmonts, one of the best doo wop groups of all time. That style is among the most beloved ones, for Alan James.

However (or perhaps due to) this non-mainstream peculiarity and the natural limitations of this type of indie project, Beev Rations is tagged in Hype Machine​, having its songs been able to catch the atention of reputed review sites and radio programs of indie music, such as Adobe and Teardrops, Barry Gruff, It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, Andys Attic, The Mike Cast or Pola Retradio.

The genius Brian Wilson (in the middle), leader of The Beach Boys, also a major influence in Beev Rations' music.

"Mystic lover" is probably the most regarded theme of Beev Rations till this date. The renown irish reviewer Barry Gruff wrote about the song: "it waltzing its way into your heart with an old-word charm and rootsy blend of Doo Wop, Blues and Country. Filled with warmth, the vocals (and indeed the song itself) swoons with joy as the clip-clop percussion meanders through Everly Brothers-esque heavenly harmonies as guitars twang, shimmer and sparkle. There is something extremely familiar but different and original, brought no doubt by James’ unique and peculiar touch. ‘Mystic Lover’ is warm, charming and hard to resist – an incredibly heartfelt bundle of joy!".​

"The Spritles" is the name of his second EP (march 2019), which features six songs: "Your inner sprite", "Something about love", "Mushrooms #8", "Still the same", "The way I like", "We can have fun".The Spritles is also a virtual band created by Alan James as an alter-ego group from Beev Rations. The Press note says: "the lore says about The Spritles that these fabulous creatures, who can modulate their voices and appearances at will, come from the coster town of Loverpool (where else) and they are, in fact, beach sprites (no kidding). So, I mean, come on... who could ask for more?".​

Quotes

"Why don't you?" closes us out with some classic rock'n'roll and unrequited love -- the best combination since peanut butter and jelly". Rachel Cholst - Adobe & Teardrops

“Oh my gosh, I nearly spit out my coffee, this is brilliant!”. JoeyCal - SoundCloud

“The haunting vocals and the interesting lyrics keeps the listener fully engaged in the song. The nuanced instrumentals with the percussion and twanging guitar keep the attention of the audience”. ReverbNation Crowd Review

As far as introductions go, you couldn’t ask for more from recent single ‘The Bigger Tricker’. A kaleidoscopic musical mosaic, it serves up a rather special brew of psych flavoured country & americana, rootsy folk and just a lot of off-kilter magic as it clip-clops along its merry way, like many a pioneer heading west out upon the plains. It’s warm, sunkissed and a wee bit weird but most importantly it is incredibly infectious and a joyous listen. Barry Gruff - barrygruff.com

Discography

EPs and Singles

• What's that? / The One I love (Double single, 2016)
• Hot burrito #1 (I'm your toy) (Single, 2017)
• Good Wood (Single, 2017)
• Why don't You? (Single, 2017)
• The Bigger Tricker (Single, 2017)
• Just Try Them (EP, 2017)
• Mushrooms (Single, 2018)
• Mystic Lover (Single, 2018)
• Darth Father (Some parts of me) (Single, 2018)
• The Way I Like (Single, 2018)
• Still the Same (Single, 2018)
• The Spritles (EP, 2019)
• Ajnaj Floroj (Single, 2019)

Gram Parsons, one of the Alan James's musical heroes. His labor with The Byrds and then with Flying Burrito Brothers was essential to define country rock in the late sixties.

Unreleased demos and free songs

• Dance with me (Demo, 2018)
• Melted love (Demo, 2018)
• That You (Demo, 2018)
• Bowling Green (Cover demo, 2018)
• Here Comes the Sunshine (Free single, 2018)

Links

• Beev Rations site
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Spotify
• iTunes
• SoundCloud
• ReverbNation
• Bandcamp
• CD Baby