Animal Liberation Orchestra
Encyclopedia
Animal Liberation Orchestra (also known by the initialism ALO) is an American musical group, currently signed on Jack Johnson
's Brushfire Records
label. They have released three full length albums. They have also released several EPs and independent albums, including Time Expander.
(California
), the band calling themselves Django consisted of Zach Gill
(Keys/Accordion/Ukulele/Vocals), Steve Adams
(Bass Guitar/Vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Guitars/Percussion/Vocals) and Dave Brogan (Drums/Vocals).
Changing names and drummers repeatedly, and evolving into a nine-piece ensemble featuring a brass
section, the eventual Animal Liberation Orchestra began drawing enormous attention in the Santa Barbara area with their rousing stage shows. When Zach, Dan and Steve returned to their hometown Saratoga, they stripped back down to a quartet, playing with a wide variety of different drummers, including Shree Shyam Das, Matt Butler, and Adam Goodhue. In 2002, the core trio reunited with drummer/songwriter David Brogan (with whom they had previously played in college) and the current version of ALO was solidified.
Zach Gill, the keyboard player, went to college with the popular singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson
, and has recently provided piano for Jack Johnson's band, adding a new flavor to the live performances. Jack has in turn appeared frequently and without notice at ALO shows to play his music with ALO as his backup band, and his celebrity helped to promote the band to a wider audience.
ALO had already released several albums independently, the last of which was Fly Between Falls. This album includes another version of the track, "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down", originally commissioned for the raw, funky soundtrack to their friend Matt Powers' neo-silent, monochromatic epic art film One Size Fits All, back in 1999. This time, the track featured Jack Johnson, who provided guitar and vocals. The new version of the track was wildly successful, and Jack Johnson took the opportunity to sign the band to his label Brushfire Records, which then re-released Fly Between Falls with worldwide distribution.
In 2005, ALO toured in support of Jack Johnson, along with Matt Costa
, all across Europe, including United Kingdom, France and Spain, with two dates in mid-April 2006 supporting Jack Johnson in Brazil. In June, they opened for Dave Matthews Band
at concerts in upstate New York and North Carolina. On October 14, 2006, they sold out their first headlining concert at the venerated Fillmore Auditorium
in San Francisco. Dubbed "The Abnormal Formal," this show included supporting acts Mojow and the Vibration Army, Honeycut and Blue Turtle Seduction, and featured ALO playing with special guests including Brett Dennen
and Jack Johnson. ALO performed an opening set on New Year's Eve at the Sea of Dreams event in San Francisco, then boarded a cruise ship to participate in the celebrated Jam Cruise 5 from January 2–7, 2007.
On May 1, 2007, ALO released their first album recorded for Brushfire, entitled "Roses & Clover". Consistent with their gradual transition from experimental college music to radio-friendly popular music, the band took a much more mainstream approach in the writing and preparation for this release. Recording in a barn nestled in the foothills of Santa Barbara, the band took 2 weeks to work on about 40 songs that were in various stages of completion, many of which had not even been performed live. Eventually, ten songs were chosen for the final cut. These songs were all performed live at the cd release party on May 5, 2007, again at the Fillmore, which again, was sold out.
2007 has seen ALO playing at such events as the Wakarusa Music Festival, Harmony Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Nedfest, and Earthdance, as well as playing with acts such as Brett Dennen and New Monsoon
. The group has also reunited with Matt Powers to produce three music videos to promote the new album; all are available on YouTube
. Tour plans for the rest of the year include a visit to Europe in September, a fall tour that winds from the Northeast through the South and to the Midwest, then the Monterey Music Summit and the Tortugas Dance of the Dead festivals in October.
ALO also played in the "Mostra Festival AlmaSurf" in November 2007 on an 11 day tour through Brazil along with G. Love
, Donavon Frankenreiter
, Matt Costa
and artist/photographer Jay Alders
. They then came home to the Bay Area for a three night NYE stand at the Independent in San Francisco. In addition, several side projects continued as Zach toured with Jack Johnson, and Steve and Dan tour with Brett Dennen.
In 2008, Tour d'Amour II. Zach and Dave released solo albums. Dan and Steve worked on several side projects, including independent rock band Big Light
. Outside Lands festival in August. Tortugas in October. New Year's Eve in San Francisco.
In 2009, ALO returned to Jam Cruise
, which traveled to Belize City and Costa Maya, Mexico. Tour d'Amour III had 3 shows in Southern California in February.
In 2010, Jack Johnson
's world tour To the Sea
has ALO listed as an opening act. This publicized their name to thousands of people each day.
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
's Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
label. They have released three full length albums. They have also released several EPs and independent albums, including Time Expander.
Biography
Born from a friendship nurtured during their days at Saratoga High SchoolSaratoga High School
Saratoga High School is a high school in Saratoga, California, United States, part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. The school is jointly accredited by the California Department of Education and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Student enrollment averages...
(California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), the band calling themselves Django consisted of Zach Gill
Zach Gill
Zach Gill is a multi instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/member of the rock band ALO and a member of Jack Johnson's band. He also performs regularly as a solo artist.- History :...
(Keys/Accordion/Ukulele/Vocals), Steve Adams
Steve Adams (musician)
Steven Rue Adams is a California-based American bassist and co-founder of San Francisco rock/pop/jamband Animal Liberation Orchestra . In addition to his work with ALO, Steve has toured and recorded with many other musicians. Recording credits include Forest Sun, Tim Bluhm, Nicki Bluhm, Zach Gill...
(Bass Guitar/Vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Guitars/Percussion/Vocals) and Dave Brogan (Drums/Vocals).
Changing names and drummers repeatedly, and evolving into a nine-piece ensemble featuring a brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
section, the eventual Animal Liberation Orchestra began drawing enormous attention in the Santa Barbara area with their rousing stage shows. When Zach, Dan and Steve returned to their hometown Saratoga, they stripped back down to a quartet, playing with a wide variety of different drummers, including Shree Shyam Das, Matt Butler, and Adam Goodhue. In 2002, the core trio reunited with drummer/songwriter David Brogan (with whom they had previously played in college) and the current version of ALO was solidified.
Zach Gill, the keyboard player, went to college with the popular singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
, and has recently provided piano for Jack Johnson's band, adding a new flavor to the live performances. Jack has in turn appeared frequently and without notice at ALO shows to play his music with ALO as his backup band, and his celebrity helped to promote the band to a wider audience.
ALO had already released several albums independently, the last of which was Fly Between Falls. This album includes another version of the track, "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down", originally commissioned for the raw, funky soundtrack to their friend Matt Powers' neo-silent, monochromatic epic art film One Size Fits All, back in 1999. This time, the track featured Jack Johnson, who provided guitar and vocals. The new version of the track was wildly successful, and Jack Johnson took the opportunity to sign the band to his label Brushfire Records, which then re-released Fly Between Falls with worldwide distribution.
In 2005, ALO toured in support of Jack Johnson, along with Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
, all across Europe, including United Kingdom, France and Spain, with two dates in mid-April 2006 supporting Jack Johnson in Brazil. In June, they opened for Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
at concerts in upstate New York and North Carolina. On October 14, 2006, they sold out their first headlining concert at the venerated Fillmore Auditorium
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco. Dubbed "The Abnormal Formal," this show included supporting acts Mojow and the Vibration Army, Honeycut and Blue Turtle Seduction, and featured ALO playing with special guests including Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen is a folk/pop singer and songwriter from Northern California.-Biography:Brett Dennen attended UC Santa Cruz from 2000–2004, where he was a student at Kresge College....
and Jack Johnson. ALO performed an opening set on New Year's Eve at the Sea of Dreams event in San Francisco, then boarded a cruise ship to participate in the celebrated Jam Cruise 5 from January 2–7, 2007.
On May 1, 2007, ALO released their first album recorded for Brushfire, entitled "Roses & Clover". Consistent with their gradual transition from experimental college music to radio-friendly popular music, the band took a much more mainstream approach in the writing and preparation for this release. Recording in a barn nestled in the foothills of Santa Barbara, the band took 2 weeks to work on about 40 songs that were in various stages of completion, many of which had not even been performed live. Eventually, ten songs were chosen for the final cut. These songs were all performed live at the cd release party on May 5, 2007, again at the Fillmore, which again, was sold out.
2007 has seen ALO playing at such events as the Wakarusa Music Festival, Harmony Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Nedfest, and Earthdance, as well as playing with acts such as Brett Dennen and New Monsoon
New Monsoon
New Monsoon is at its core a rock jam band that is based in the San Francisco, CA area that was founded in 1998 by Penn State classmates Bo Carper and Jeff Miller.-History:...
. The group has also reunited with Matt Powers to produce three music videos to promote the new album; all are available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Tour plans for the rest of the year include a visit to Europe in September, a fall tour that winds from the Northeast through the South and to the Midwest, then the Monterey Music Summit and the Tortugas Dance of the Dead festivals in October.
ALO also played in the "Mostra Festival AlmaSurf" in November 2007 on an 11 day tour through Brazil along with G. Love
G. Love
Garrett Dutton , better known as G. Love, is the frontman for the band G. Love & Special Sauce.-Biography:Dutton, the son of a banking lawyer, was born in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, and began playing guitar at age eight. He wrote his first song by the time he was in the ninth...
, Donavon Frankenreiter
Donavon Frankenreiter
Donavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...
, Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
and artist/photographer Jay Alders
Jay Alders
Jay Alders is an American fine artist, photographer and graphic designer. He is best known for his original surf art paintings, and is a well-known profile in surf culture for his work with musicians, artists and cause organizations.-Background:...
. They then came home to the Bay Area for a three night NYE stand at the Independent in San Francisco. In addition, several side projects continued as Zach toured with Jack Johnson, and Steve and Dan tour with Brett Dennen.
In 2008, Tour d'Amour II. Zach and Dave released solo albums. Dan and Steve worked on several side projects, including independent rock band Big Light
Big Light
Big Light is an independent rock and roll band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 2007, the band originally consisted of Fred Torphy , Steve Adams from ALO, Bradly Bifulco , and Colin Hoops . In addition to writing their own material, the band also covers songs by modern American...
. Outside Lands festival in August. Tortugas in October. New Year's Eve in San Francisco.
In 2009, ALO returned to Jam Cruise
Jam Cruise
Held annually in January, Jam Cruise is a music festival on a cruise ship. It features artists of the jam band genre playing at multiple venues aboard the vessel...
, which traveled to Belize City and Costa Maya, Mexico. Tour d'Amour III had 3 shows in Southern California in February.
In 2010, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
's world tour To the Sea
To the Sea
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"...
has ALO listed as an opening act. This publicized their name to thousands of people each day.
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Animal Liberation Orchestra & The Free Range Horns Vs. L.A.G. |
Lagmusic |
| 2005 | Fly Between Falls Fly Between Falls -Personnel:Animal Liberation Orchestra*Steve Adams – bass, acoustic upright bass, lead vocals on track 8, backing vocals on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and "Possibly Drown", pennywhistle on track 2, wood flute on track 2, production... |
Lagmusic |
| 2006 | Fly Between Falls (Re-Issue) | Brushfire Brushfire Records Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and... |
| 2007 | Roses & Clover Roses & Clover -Personnel:Animal Liberation Orchestra*Steve Adams – bass, vocals, production*Dave Brogan – drums, percussion, piano, wurlitzer, synthesizer, vocals, production... |
Brushfire |
| 2010 | Man of the World | Brushfire |
EPs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Live Mix | Lagmusic |
| 2002 | Time Expander | Lagmusic |
Soundtracks
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | One Size Fits All | Lagmusic |
Samplers & Guest Appearances (partial list)
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | SF2000 Time Capsule | Unknown |
| 2005 | Acoustic Trippin | Unknown |
| 2005 | Grand Gallery Presents: Surf Time | Unknown |
| 2005 | Pure Hemp Presents: One Love Volume 1 | Unknown |
| 2006 | Brushfire Records Winter 2006 Music Sampler | Brushfire |
External links
- ALO at YahooGroups - discussion
- Animal Liberation Orchestra's official website
- ALO on archive.org's Live Music Archive
- ALO at Myspace
- Brushfire Records
- ALO at Tribe - discussion
- ALO Finds Their Comfort Zone by Tim Newby, from honesttune.com, 6/30/07.