Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Dr. K Project - Theme From A Winter Place
 | With a heavy nod to the Ventures, but with liberal borrowing from many genres, the Dr. K Project pay homage to the winter holiday season. This is a splendid break from the usual sounds of the season. |
Picks: Theme From A Winter Place, Winter Holidays, Snowbird, The Christmas Medley, The Christmas Song, Here Comes Santa Claus, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, A Holiday Of The Santa Claus, Plink Plank Plunk, ArabiChristmas, Lamplight, 108 Bells, Jingle Bells, When You Wish Upon A Star
Track by Track Review
Theme From A Winter Place Guitar Duet (Instrumental)
This is a lovely and fluid guitar duet with a gentle and inviting sound. Very pretty in a slightly sad kind of way!
Surf (Instrumental)
Pumped up Ventures holiday rock'n'roll with heavy reverbed second guitar. Pulsing with muted reverb, traveling forward with beautifully played guitar. The bumpin' bass and drums give it real punch. Very cool!
Country (Instrumental)
It was a bit of a stretch to imagine how "Snowbird" was going to come out, but transmuted to country instrumental form with an infectious rhythmic energy and a Nashville flavor answered the question. Simply fun!
Country Surf (Instrumental)
"White Christmas" opens the medley with deliberate pacing and extremely clean drums, giving it great character. "Joy To The World" is fuzzy and jazzy in an almost Johnny Smith or Chet Atkins style. "I Saw Mammy Kissing Santa Claus" laughs and grooves in a light country vein. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" opens with the drums playing a riff from "Jingle Bells" before the heavy muted reverb comes dominantly in for an extremely cool Yule ride.
Yule Tide (Instrumental)
"The Christmas Song" is just a very pretty rendering that brings a gentle satisfaction and suggest a glowing hearth. Really nice.
Country (Instrumental)
A bit of country charm and bounce and liquid guitar lines, along with some really fun little transitional fills, make "Here Comes Santa Claus" an inescapably grin-generating track!
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Reggae Surf (Instrumental)
Imagine surf and reggae and holly... "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" is a wonderful example of genre bending and fun. Wonderfully warm and engaging.
A Holiday Of The Santa Claus Country (Instrumental)
This is a light journey into a holiday living room somewhere in the outskirts of a Southern town. Imaginative, gentle, and very nice!
Rock (Instrumental)
Very much in the Ventures' mold, "Plink Plank Plunk" rocks and rolls like a rock instro should. A great melody line bounces above a solid backtrack.
Surf (Instrumental)
Wow, this is one cool track. As you might guess, there's Arabic influences a la "Caravan," great muted surf rhythms, warm and round leads, and a near-polka beat. This is highly imaginative and pure fun. Superb!
Country (Instrumental)
"Lamplight" moves slowly across a midnight sky, backlit by a full moon peaking through a high fog. It's not cold, just misty. It suggest hot chocolate and red velvet.
Prog Surf (Instrumental)
Mysterious, exotic, percussive, and jazzy, with a gentle flow in the way some prog instros of the late seventies moved along, but with much more interesting guitar tone. Totally cool!
Country Surf (Instrumental)
"Jingle Bells" is country, surf, and fun. Played a bit like a minuet at times, like a back porch ballad at others, and featuring final well wishes from the ultra fun Petty Booka, it's truly an adventure. Some guitar lines remind me Buddy Merrill.
When You Wish Upon A Star Surf (Instrumental)
Lots of spunk and rockin' coolness as the Dr. K Project move effortlessly between rock and surf rhythm and a Ventures style. Warm and very cool!