PRESS
LIVE REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS:
San Francisco Bay Guardian - Pick of the Week (March 2008)
Chico News & Review - Interview (October 2007)
Wiretap Music (San Francisco, Feb 2010): "really enjoyed the hell out of their show... how many bands have the chops to lay down some intriguingly transcendent instrumental rock while also being unafraid to bust out instrumental cover versions of Beyonce and Lady Gaga? Not many.."
San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, June 2009): "...your favorite math rock tape played at high speed or like a seizure with perfect timing... despite the spastic tempos, there's no lack of head-noddable hooks. One warning to aspiring musicians: after seeing We Be the Echo, you may feel like going home and hanging yourself..."
Daily Sundial (Los Angeles, Feb 2009): "...an infectious blend of progressive rock and experimental metal... intricate parts that ranged from clean melodies to heavy riffs...elaborate style of music with a fashion that only hard working musicians could do..."
Grand Street News (New York City, Feb 2008): "...Their set started out thick and heavy. They play very loud, but not just for the sake of it. There is an urgency to go all out and match their intensity as I watched them from the back of the room. Before I knew it I had left my post holding up the back wall of The Cake Shop, and I was right in front of the stage to witness the assault. My ears hurt and I wished I had remembered my plugs, but I couldn't forfeit my new spot. You might get hurt trying to keep up with these guys. They continued to raise stakes as their set built sonic momentum. By the end of the show, I looked around and made eye contact with other people in the crowd. People were screaming, but the shrieks were lost in the feedback..."
SFismyhome (San Francisco, Oct 2007): "...very entertaining... [and] very worrying live. Potential injuries aside, I do really like their music, and judging from the size of the crowd I'm not the only one. It is no small feat to pack Bottom of the Hill... We Be The Echo is a real band..."
ALBUM REVIEWS:
Soundshock UK: "they’re about to fire a technicolour missile set straight for the heart of your expectations... a whole heap of exuberance here... if you need something different to jazz up your otherwise dull life, pick this slice of high spirited fun."
30music: "... even more enigmatic than their name might suggest. Fully instrumental and impressively technical... a prime example of music as art and technique rather than flat out entertainment... this trio creates a thick blanket of sound that the majority of larger bands could not ever hope to achieve even with layers and layers of studio tracks...what three very talented musicians can come up with when not worrying about marketing or classifying their music...the kind of disc that makes musicians jealous and average listeners say, 'What the hell is this?'..."
The Owl Mag: "... these fellas possess outstanding skills on their instruments, and they relish in swift, unexpected genre flippages. But beyond the dazzle factor, there is a hypnotic quality evident straight away in the astonishing music they create as a disciplined unit...The bass is all dynamic lines pulsating and rolling under the drummer's Elvin Jones-like sheets of rhythm....theres heavy soul here as well...We be the Echo is an instrumentally expressive musical force... "
Exclaim!: "... a whirlwind of instrumental noise... layered and innovative, this trio are built around maddening talent and the urge to explore and expand... Although relying heavily on math rock and resulting in chaotic time signatures, We Be the Echo still manage to make this album accessible, probably thanks to the hint of jazz and deep grooves that seeps through certain pockets of sound..."
The Silent Ballet: "... the individual talent and creativity of the musicians involved create a dense, melodic, and at times chaotic listening experience... an impressive debut... a band to watch for in this ever evolving scene."
KSZU 90.1FM: "... instrumental madness... tight musicianship with a rhythm section that maintains something like a groove underneath all the time changes and fast picking. Intense."
Shoot Me Again (Belgium): "All-Star Destroyers porte bien son nom. Les références sont multiples et trouvent leurs origines chez différents maîtres de lignées diverses. Le tout est régurgité dans un style propre au groupe de San Francisco. 6 titres efficaces donc qui méritent de nombreux qualificatifs mais qui convergent vers un mélange opérant."
Punk Planet: "... math rock that's worth putting into your calculator."
Splendid: "... a maddening array of time signature mayhem informed by math rock, jazz, Zappa and a smidgen of dub sensibility... talented crew make bass, guitar and drums sound like an orchestra, their smokin' beat instrumentals bridging groovy rhythm section with the cerebal directive of the avant garde."
ArtRevCult: "angular instrumentals filled with jerky rhythms, jazzy runs, and tasteful metallic grooves... frenetic pacing, complex song structures, and non-standard time signatures. And while you can't exactly tap your toe to it, there are plenty of little hooks and interesting melodies to hold your attention...although these guys are obviously skilled musicians, they demonstrate considerable restraint... songs are intricately wrought, but they are so concise that they temper any sense of pretension...
Razorcake: "Artsy fartsy instrumental music that would serve well as the soundtrack to some movie about college kids being hip and cool and smoking cigarettes while contemplating jazz and crappy, artsy fartsy instrumental music."
San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, June 2009): "...your favorite math rock tape played at high speed or like a seizure with perfect timing... despite the spastic tempos, there's no lack of head-noddable hooks. One warning to aspiring musicians: after seeing We Be the Echo, you may feel like going home and hanging yourself..."
Daily Sundial (Los Angeles, Feb 2009): "...an infectious blend of progressive rock and experimental metal... intricate parts that ranged from clean melodies to heavy riffs...elaborate style of music with a fashion that only hard working musicians could do..."
Grand Street News (New York City, Feb 2008): "...Their set started out thick and heavy. They play very loud, but not just for the sake of it. There is an urgency to go all out and match their intensity as I watched them from the back of the room. Before I knew it I had left my post holding up the back wall of The Cake Shop, and I was right in front of the stage to witness the assault. My ears hurt and I wished I had remembered my plugs, but I couldn't forfeit my new spot. You might get hurt trying to keep up with these guys. They continued to raise stakes as their set built sonic momentum. By the end of the show, I looked around and made eye contact with other people in the crowd. People were screaming, but the shrieks were lost in the feedback..."
SFismyhome (San Francisco, Oct 2007): "...very entertaining... [and] very worrying live. Potential injuries aside, I do really like their music, and judging from the size of the crowd I'm not the only one. It is no small feat to pack Bottom of the Hill... We Be The Echo is a real band..."
ALBUM REVIEWS:
Soundshock UK: "they’re about to fire a technicolour missile set straight for the heart of your expectations... a whole heap of exuberance here... if you need something different to jazz up your otherwise dull life, pick this slice of high spirited fun."
30music: "... even more enigmatic than their name might suggest. Fully instrumental and impressively technical... a prime example of music as art and technique rather than flat out entertainment... this trio creates a thick blanket of sound that the majority of larger bands could not ever hope to achieve even with layers and layers of studio tracks...what three very talented musicians can come up with when not worrying about marketing or classifying their music...the kind of disc that makes musicians jealous and average listeners say, 'What the hell is this?'..."
The Owl Mag: "... these fellas possess outstanding skills on their instruments, and they relish in swift, unexpected genre flippages. But beyond the dazzle factor, there is a hypnotic quality evident straight away in the astonishing music they create as a disciplined unit...The bass is all dynamic lines pulsating and rolling under the drummer's Elvin Jones-like sheets of rhythm....theres heavy soul here as well...We be the Echo is an instrumentally expressive musical force... "
Exclaim!: "... a whirlwind of instrumental noise... layered and innovative, this trio are built around maddening talent and the urge to explore and expand... Although relying heavily on math rock and resulting in chaotic time signatures, We Be the Echo still manage to make this album accessible, probably thanks to the hint of jazz and deep grooves that seeps through certain pockets of sound..."
The Silent Ballet: "... the individual talent and creativity of the musicians involved create a dense, melodic, and at times chaotic listening experience... an impressive debut... a band to watch for in this ever evolving scene."
KSZU 90.1FM: "... instrumental madness... tight musicianship with a rhythm section that maintains something like a groove underneath all the time changes and fast picking. Intense."
Shoot Me Again (Belgium): "All-Star Destroyers porte bien son nom. Les références sont multiples et trouvent leurs origines chez différents maîtres de lignées diverses. Le tout est régurgité dans un style propre au groupe de San Francisco. 6 titres efficaces donc qui méritent de nombreux qualificatifs mais qui convergent vers un mélange opérant."
Punk Planet: "... math rock that's worth putting into your calculator."
Splendid: "... a maddening array of time signature mayhem informed by math rock, jazz, Zappa and a smidgen of dub sensibility... talented crew make bass, guitar and drums sound like an orchestra, their smokin' beat instrumentals bridging groovy rhythm section with the cerebal directive of the avant garde."
ArtRevCult: "angular instrumentals filled with jerky rhythms, jazzy runs, and tasteful metallic grooves... frenetic pacing, complex song structures, and non-standard time signatures. And while you can't exactly tap your toe to it, there are plenty of little hooks and interesting melodies to hold your attention...although these guys are obviously skilled musicians, they demonstrate considerable restraint... songs are intricately wrought, but they are so concise that they temper any sense of pretension...
Razorcake: "Artsy fartsy instrumental music that would serve well as the soundtrack to some movie about college kids being hip and cool and smoking cigarettes while contemplating jazz and crappy, artsy fartsy instrumental music."
