I had been familiar with the work that Jeff Elbel had done in the past with Farewell To Juliet and had enjoyed it sufficiently enough to check out this debut project by his new band Ping. They had a tune on the Daniel Amos tribute disc, so I kind of knew what to expect. I can honestly say that this is a thoroughly enjoyable album. From what I understand, this is somewhat of a teaser for a fully electric project called Meet Your Maker, which is to be released sometime in the hopefully not too distant future. It was also recorded as a vehicle to raise money for the Gene Eugene Memorial Fund. Primarily an acoustic disc this album is chock full of great hooks, excellent licks and hot riffs. If these guys are this good unplugged I can't wait to hear them full power. This is one of the few albums that I have heard recently that have used the harmonica as a lead instrument outside of a blues context and Eric Sanford can really blow that harp. He could give Darrell Mansfield a run for his money any day of the week. The more I listen to this disc the more I get drawn in and find myself looking forward to the next one.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Brian A. SmithJeff Elbel has been around. As a member of Farewell to Juliet, he has played the New Band Showcase stage at Cornerstone twice. He has done session work with Blackball and LSU. He has written and recorded with Sunny Day Roses and EDL. He has produced Thee Spivies, Officer Negative, Mike Knott, Brian Healy, and the Hopescope. Now, he has formed another band, Ping, and released an acoustic project…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Dave KerschbaumIt started out simple enough: record an EP to have ready at a benefit concert. However, band personnel changes forced Jeff Elbel (formerly of Farewell to Juliet and Sunny Day Roses) to postpone the project. Long story short, the four-song EP that Elbel and friends planned to have ready for last September's concert to benefit Gene Eugene never materialized. Instead, Elbel and his heavily-populated…Similar sounding releases
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