A wildly adventurous improvisational collective,
Garage A Trois are known for their exploratory, groove-oriented mix of jazz, electric funk, and avant-garde rock. Originally showcasing guitarist
Charlie Hunter, saxophonist
Skerik, and drummer
Stanton Moore, the group emerged to buzz with their 1999 debut EP, Mysteryfunk. They have continued to develop their sound, dipping into dark-toned psych-funk and atmospheric jazz on albums like 2003's
Emphasizer (with percussionist
Mike Dillon) and 2009's
Power Patriot (with keyboardist
Marco Benevento). In 2021, the original trio reunited for Calm Down Cologne.
Formed in 1999,
Garage A Trois first started as a side project that grew out of the sessions for
Moore's album All Kooked Out! Discovering their shared chemistry, the group -- drummer
Moore, guitarist
Hunter, and saxophonist
Skerik -- debuted the same year with the darkly atmospheric Mysteryfunk EP. Initially only released on vinyl, the album seemed like it would remain a one-off. However, in 2003
Garage A Trois delivered their first full-length album,
Emphasizer. Along with contributions by percussionist/vibraphonist
Mike Dillon, the record also found
Skerik playing both saxophone and keyboards.
In 2005, the same lineup released their second full-length set, Outre Mer. Recorded live and completely acoustic, the album was ostensibly intended as the soundtrack to French director Klaus Tontine's unreleased film of the same name. In 2009,
Garage A Trois returned with
Power Patriot, which found keyboardist
Marco Benevento taking over for guitarist
Hunter.
Benevento was also on board for 2011's
Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil.
Following a four-year hiatus, the original lineup of
Hunter,
Moore, and
Skerik reunited for several live shows. They also hit the studio, recording at
Stone Gossard's Studio Litho in Seattle. The resulting Calm Down Cologne arrived in April 2021 and found the trio returning to a stripped-down, groove-based funk and avant-garde jazz sound. ~ Matt Collar