Athens group, Sassafraz, will return to The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St., with hopes of releasing a new album before the show after being delayed for several months.
“At this point I’ve invested enough money where I really don’t care when it comes out; I just want it to be right,” said Jack Gould, saxophonist and manager for the band.
Gould said he is exceptionally excited for the album, Time Will Tell, because it was recorded in Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, one of the best recording studios in the world with clients like Whitney Houston, Drake, Justin Bieber and The Beastie Boys to back the claim.
The last big recording venture the group embarked on was as The First Street Heat almost three years ago. Many of the same members are still in Sassafraz, but Gould said they have grown a lot in those three years.
“We made half of our last album in a closet in our house and (Time Will Tell) was made in one of the best studios in the world,” Gould said. “I told them to mix it like it’s a Kanye West track, and you can tell because it sounds huge. The drums are really fat and everything sounds crystal clear.”
Funk and soul groups Uptowne Buddha and up-and-coming Columbus band Forest & The Evergreens will also join the bill Friday.
Uptowne Buddha performed at the Athens Hallowe en Block Party last year and has performed alongside Sassafraz at many shows across Ohio because the two connect well in musical style, Gould said.
Sam Terkel, guitarist for the group, said they are a hip-hop group at the core, but definitely mix in funk and soul, which makes them compatible with the other acts on the bill.
“We play the same style of music, but with a totally different attitude,” Terkel said. “(Sassafraz) is total goofballs on stage. … We’re a bit more soul and they are more funk.”
Gould said Forest & The Evergreens have been blowing up the Columbus music scene after being named in Columbus Alive’s 2013 Bands to Watch. The band will also join the 11Fest lineup alongside national acts Kendrick Lamar and Steve Aoki.
Mike Twice, drummer for the band, said they pride themselves on having a different sound that’s unique and stands out among a crowd of other funk, soul or rock groups in the area.
“They’re awesome and people are going to love them,” Gould said. “I’m sure they are going to be coming back to Athens a lot, so people need to know that name.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
