The Motor Primitives
Be The Engine
© 2006 Pam Barrett (825576881927)
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You want jangly guitar rock? Then you want Be The Engine. It's melodic rock that makes your head bob and your toes tap. This ep will make you roll down the window and turn up the volume.
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The Motor Primitives formed in 2003 and have developed a devoted following. During live performances, the Motor Primitives lead their audiences through sets that span high energy dance inducing tunes to mid tempo head bobbers to warm grooving melodic songs. The atmosphere is always friendly and encourages interaction between the band members and audience. Be The Engine strives to capture that live show energy!
Singer-songwriter Pam Barrett has a dreamy yet direct voice, Kat Spring rips elegant and driving solos, Matthew Sanborn play a frisky bass and Robin Davies beats the hell out of his drums. Together the Motor Primitives play melodic rock with sophisticated arrangements.
During a recent radio interview, the band members were jokingly referred to as the songwriter, the tweaker, the punk-rock drummer and the Canadian.
The Songwriter
Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Pam Barrett is the chief songwriter who employs a throaty, quavering vocal style. The music she writes is direct and poetic, inspired by her passions and politics. She's confident onstage, has charisma, and a boatload of catchy songs.
The Tweaker
Matthew Sanborn is a fine solo artist in his own right who lends his talents as the Motor Primitives’ bassist and principle arranger. His ability to weave seamless and complementary riffs and fills as a song unfolds encourages the listener to, rewind, and listen again.
The Punk-Drummer
The Motor Primitives rhythm section is expertly filled out by the drumming of Robin Davies. A veteran musician (the Tar Babies), he lends a driving, clean rhythm to each song. His style is fun to both hear and watch as he intensely listens and “feels” for the ebb and flow of the music.
The Canadian
The Motor Primitives line up is rounded out by Kat Spring on lead guitar. She brings a catalog of riffs to each show that is astounding. At first glance, one sees a pleasant, unassuming young woman on stage. However, at first note, one hears tonally expressive melodies that seem to flow effortlessly from her Strat.
CD Review: The Motor Primitives: Be the Engine (Boat)
Tom Laskin, The Isthmus, 2/16/6
The Motor Primitives crisp pop-rock seems to spring from another era.
Singer-guitarist Pam Barrett's lulling melancholy vocals sometimes
recall Chrissie Hynde, but the bands song writing and arrangements owe
more to classic '60s scribes like Del Shannon and Roy Orbison.
Barrett's vibrato delivery on the albums moody closer "Sundown,"
brings chills; so does Matthew Sanborn's lowdown, cowboy-music
inspired bass part on the artfully roped-in folk-rocker "Canopy."
With a running time of under 20 minutes, Be the Engine is quite short.
In fact , it feels more like an EP. On the upside, the Motor
Primitives are a very economical band, and hardly a note is wasted.
reviews
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The guitar tones are sweet and the melody infectious.
author: Rick Tvedt, Rick's Cafe, March 2006Last summer's debut CD by the Motor Primitives was one of the year's highlights; singer Pam Barrett crooned and snarled her way through twelve tightly constructed rock tunes. Be The Engine is a five-song EP cut over a single weekend at Coney Island Studios just before Christmas. Be the Engine follows somewhat closely on the heels of the debut album which received glowing reviews. These could be songs left over from the first disc or brand-new ones but either way it's another fine collection of confident performances and the growth in the band is measurable, even if the blue-print is similar. The move to Coney was a good one; the guitars shimmer and the rhythm section packs much more punch. The first release was also a bit over-compressed and Be the Engine sounds freer and more open. Given the limited time to record, the EP doesn't have much in the way of vocal harmonies; Barrett's singular voice plays through much of the material. "Sundown" is another story, however, a gorgeous piece of minimalist Americana. Barrett's vibrato fits the pulse of the song and there is a very cool backing vocal track. The guitar tones are sweet and the melody infectious - a great piece of music. Guitarist Kat Spring gets a bit more daring on these songs as well, turning in a gutsy solo at the end of the opening track. She comes up with several nice parts to augment Barrett's rhythm guitar, especially on "Canopy," another strong song. The title track is "Be the Engine, Part 1," a cool acoustic guitar statement that is driven home by relentless rhythm and a thick bottom end. "Part 1" begs the question of whether there is a "part 2" in the making and either a full-length that may include some of these songs, or a continuation of the band's evolution in the form of all-new material. My bet is on the latter as this band is far too confident about what they have to offer to look back.
The Motor Primitives crisp pop-rock seems to spring from another era.
author: Tom Laskin, The IsthmusThe Motor Primitives: Be the Engine (Boat) The Motor Primitives crisp pop-rock seems to spring from another era. Singer-guitarist Pam Barrett's lulling melancholy vocals sometimes recall Chrissie Hynde, but the bands song writing and arrangements owe more to classic '60s scribes like Del Shannon and Roy Orbison. Barrett's vibrato delivery on the albums moody closer "Sundown," brings chills; so does Matthew Sanborn's lowdown, cowboy-music inspired bass part on the artfully roped-in folk-rocker "Canopy." With a running time of under 20 minutes, Be the Engine is quite short. In fact , it feels more like an EP. On the upside, the Motor Primitives are a very economical band, and hardly a note is wasted. -T.L.