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How Columbia Got Its Groove Back

9•20•2007

The jam rock group Perpetual Groove doesn’t just talk about change. During the past four years the group’s popularity has steadily risen. Its sound has gone from funk-laced neo-psychedelic to a more structured rock tone. Although the sound may have gotten a little harder, the group has never abandoned its tree-hugging tendencies. The band comes to The Blue Note Sept. 25 in support of its latest release, LiveLoveDie, which was produced entirely with renewable energy. “The band showed an interest a long time ago in wanting to be as environmentally friendly as we could be without being preachy from the stage,” says keyboardist Matt McDonald. “If you feel strongly about something, then let your actions speak for it.” The Athens, Georgia-based group, which includes McDonald, Adam Perry (bass), Brock Butler (guitar and vocals) and Albert Suttle (drums), points to its record label, Tree Leaf Music, and Tree Sound Studios, as being instrumental in making its green-friendly philosophy a reality. The studio receives 50 percent of its energy from a methane gas-producing landfill while the other 50 percent is purchased through renewable energy sources. Packaging is made from 100 percent recycled papers printed with soy ink and no plastic casing. While touring, the band teams with Sustainable Waves and Green Mountain Energy to counteract its carbon output. “We can look at the band’s entire tour and figure out how much carbon dioxide they’re causing through their bus travel as well as any flights they take,” says Mark McLarry, co-founder of Sustainable Waves. “Basically we look at the entire carbon footprint of the tour, and from there, Perpetual Groove purchases renewable energy from Green Mountain to offset those emissions, so it’s carbon neutral.” Sustainable Waves also provides solar-powered stages and sound systems. For its fourth and latest release, LiveLoveDie, the group incorporates a more traditional rock feel to its sound. “Each year we get maybe a little darker or a little heavier with subject matter and with songwriting,” explains McDonald. “It seems to be a good snapshot of where we decided to go, (with) a lot more structure.” The band, however, has by no means abandoned the spontaneity that earned the group its core fans. McDonald says that the jam element is still a priority. “Some songs have sections … left open for more improvisation.” McDonald says Perpetual Groove’s message is personal responsibility. “It’s not as overwhelming to get involved as people talk about. We kind of show them and hope they follow our lead.”

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Band Puts Its Energy To Good Use

9•20•2007

Tonight you can listen to some cool music by the popular Athens, Ga.-based jam rock group Perpetual Groove - and make a positive impact on the Earth. The group is on "The Serious Business Tour," powered by Green Mountain Energy Co., and performs tonight at Crossroads. P-Groove also has partnered with Tree Sound Studios and Sustainable Waves to help fight environmental threats such as global warming. "The band and the label both feel strongly about doing things to help the environment," keyboard player Matt McDonald said in a phone interview. "As a band, someone in our profession produces a lot of emissions. We burn a lot of gas on tour and use a lot of energy to power up our lights and instruments. We calculated it for our fall tour, and it was shocking the amount of energy we use daily for hotels and gas." McDonald said the band is looking to get a bus that uses biodiesel fuel, but they're hard to come by because there are still only a few biodiesel stations nationwide. But to help offset its emissions, P-Groove partnered with begreennow.com, which for a fee helps reduce your emissions and contributes to "green" companies that use solar and wind power with renewable energy credits. P-Groove printed promotional materials and album covers with recycled materials and will plant a tree for every ticket bought through the band's Web site, pgroove.com. "Green Mountain Energy has been around for a while," McDonald said. "There are a lot of startup green companies, and you have to be careful. They purchase more solar and wind power, and while that might not impact us in Georgia or the Southeast, you have to have a global mentality. It might not necessarily affect your county, but it will affect the movement." P-Groove is just as passionate about its music. A celebrated international touring act for more than four years, P-Groove has built a reputation on intense, emotional music that fans call "trance arena rock." The guys are veterans of Bonnaroo and play a funky blend of jazz-rock, neo-psychedelia, R&B, "trance electronica" and progressive rock. Their most recent album, "LIVELOVEDIE," released in March, has a stronger focus on lyrics and heavier overall sound.

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