ONOFFON/SURRENDER NOW (Self Released NFN31921)

ONOFFON is a California band that’s hard to put into any one musical category. I guess they’d best be described as progressive-jazz but they also cross over into several other genres. The band consists of Don Lake on guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Von Babasin on bass and keyboards, and Dave Goode on drums and percussion. They’re also supplemented by other musicians, as needed, on some tracks.

The band covers a lot of ground on this release. "Weekend In Montreal", which features guest saxophonist Glen Garrett, is a magnificent flowing piece of jazz with just a small touch of progressive styling. "Rock Garden" has more of a guitar-driven progressive rock feel to it. "Please Baby Please" is an interesting track that features bluejeans, a fannypack, a newspaper, and fingersnaps as credited instruments. "The Gift Must Always Move" is a great progressive instrumental, and another of the many highlights here. "Letter Received" is another interesting track that takes a humorous jazzy look at receiving a letter from the Internal Revenue Service.

Overall, ONOFFON has a lot to offer and does so in interesting ways. The band’s very talented instrumentally and smart enough to realize when they need to supplement their own sound with an outside musician. "Weekend In Montreal" couldn’t have been pulled off without the guest saxophonist. The band knew that and did something about it. There’s a certain maturity to the creative process here and it shows. ONOFFON has a lot to offer and I look forward to hearing more from them.