Gamache, Marak & Rondini’s ‘HardKnox Redux’ Is A Deep Dive Into the Past

by Adam Bailey

Gamache, Marak and Rondini have teamed up for their latest album ‘Hardknox Redux’ in which they reflect back on their own feel-good classic rock and grungy rock ‘n’ roll through a contemporary lens.

With extended electric guitar solos and energetic percussion arrangements, their songs take a swift stroll down memory lane to the raucous, sentimental days of the sixties, seventies and eighties.

With a little bit of bluster but a whole lot more vulnerability, the trio is not messing around with their sound here. ‘I’m In Love’ is one such track from their CD that could easily have belonged to a setlist by Queen or Aerosmith but their effort is not imitative; it’s respectful, original and ultimately bittersweet.

A vast majority of the tunes are set to infectious, meticulous guitar riffs, lyrics and melodies that will transport you right back to roaring, simpler times. It details the first infatuations accompanying the feelings of first love but along with focusing on the lyrics and melodies, you can’t help but immerse yourself into the nostalgic stylings of the instrumentation. Whereas ‘I’m In Love’ has some sensitive aspects to it, ‘After The Show’ is just about the grimy lifestyle of the rock ‘n’ rollers. In addition, "So In Love” captures the musical influences of Tom Petty and the Traveling Wilburys,  "Midnight Fantasy" indulges in the Blues/Rock influences of Robin Trower, Gary Moore & Joe Bonamassa, and  "Only You" features musical & vocal glimpses of The Byrds, Eagles & Jackson Brown. The obvious influences of the seventies emerge the strongest, but we’re thinking that these original songs would do as well in venues today as they might have in arenas and stadiums forty years ago. Gamache, Marak, and Rondini excel at structuring their songs in a way that competently balances their vocal work with the cracking instrumentation that recurs throughout their songs. 

At an age in which most artists lead with their voices and not much else, these artists are harking back on the good old days in which the lyrics and instruments are of equal priority. The group’s reworked original songs are fresh and infectious and thus should appeal to an entirely new generation of listeners. The songs are just reworked enough to make folks reminisce about the old times but also be in awe of the level of talent being demonstrated at each and every note of the song. There are occasionally jazz and blues flavours coming through at various points in the album, showing us that trio is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to paying homage to classic music.

About:

Wayne and Tom put together the first iteration of the CT band HardKnox. Tony joined and became a core member.  After 7 years playing, recording demos, singles and an EP of original material, they decided to call it a day. Now, Tony, Tom and Wayne prove Thomas Wolfe wrong as they “go home again” with the Gamache-Marak-Rondini CD "HardKnox-Redux" with updated and reworked versions of original songs.Mixed by Jeff Cannata at Oxford Circus, Hamden, CT. Produced by Wayne Gamache, Tom Marak & Tony Rondini. Recorded at Origin Recording Ltd and One Brick Wall Recording. This 15 song CD includes a mixture of Rock, Pop Rock, and Jazz/Blues Rock.

Find more information here: http://hardknoxredux.com

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Adam Bailey
Author: Adam Bailey
Adam is a regular contributor for established press release distribution website Release-News.com. He writes on a wide range of topics including music.