Erik Garcia: “Interstellar Ascension” (2023) CD Review

Recently I saw John McDuffie sit in on pedal steel with Cryptical Development, a band that was covering mostly Grateful Dead and New Riders Of The Purple Sage songs, and during a break between sets he told me about another project he had worked on, Erik Garcia’s Interstellar Ascension. I’ve mentioned this before, but John McDuffie is one of those musicians whose involvement is enough to get me interested in a project. Another musician that I feel that way about is Carl Byron, and it turns out that he too plays on this album. And if those two weren’t enough, three musicians from I See Hawks In L.A., one of my favorite bands, play on this album (actually, four members, because former drummer Shawn Nourse plays drums on this release). By the time John McDuffie told me that, I was slapping myself for not already being aware of this album, for not already owning it. How could an album with all of these musicians be anything less than fantastic? And this is Erik Garcia’s debut album (can that be true?). Crazy! Erik Garcia provides the vocals, and plays 12-string acoustic guitar and dobro acoustic guitar. He also wrote all of the songs, and did the cover art with Allison Bell. Shawn Nourse, in addition to playing drums, produced and mixed the album.

The album opens with “Supersonic-25,” which has a bit of a Doors vibe as it begins, making me think of “Moonlight Drive.” Partly it’s the songs opening lines, and the way they’re delivered: “Let’s ride a zephyr to the/Castle in the sky/Let’s smoke pink ether in/Syncopated time.” This song’s lyrics also contain a reference to Rimbaud’s A Season In Hell, and the song has a cool psychedelic vibe. It’s been quite a while since I’ve dropped acid, but these days some of the edibles that are available take me to similar places and states. Erik Garcia urges us at the end, repeating, “Take supersonic-25.” That’s followed by “Quicksilver Thoughts.” The song’s title and first line bring to mind another psychedelic band, Quicksilver Messenger Service (I love those old concert posters of The Quick and The Dead). Check out this line: “Ripped up from the roots for a harlot’s honest bed.” Erik Garcia creates some interesting and unusual images. And John McDuffie’s pedal steel work is excellent here. This track features some cool, trippy guitar work in the middle.

On “Sunshine State,” guitarist Paul Lacques plays lap steel, Jason Chesney (from First National Band and Old Californio) is on bass, and Rob Waller and Debra Tala provide backing vocals. And don’t worry, I don’t think this song has anything to do with Florida, but rather a state of mind. It has a relaxed pace and vibe. This is the track on which Erik Garcia plays dobro acoustic guitar. Check out these lyrics: “And I know what you expected/Is more than you’ve achieved/But life is like a fire/Cracklin’ in your heart/You’re gonna have to struggle/To light what’s in the dark.” How are those for some true lyrics? Jason Chesney also plays bass on “Blue Skies.” These lines surprised me, and they are delivered with a sort of howl that is effective: “I want to see you full of lust again, again/I want to pin you down in the forest again, again/For my blood is wild as the wild geese in the west, in the west/For my head is full of confusion and unrest, unrest.” And that line about “wild geese in the west” of course makes me think of “I Know You Rider.”

Then Erik Garcia gives us “Trip At The Zoo.” Not a trip to the zoo, but a trip at a zoo. For me, that would probably not be a good trip, for I would feel compelled to free all the animals. But the song is a lot of fun. It’s a lively number, featuring a groovy bass line by Paul Marshall and some delicious work on organ from Carl Byron. On this one, Paul Lacques plays 12-string electric guitar, delivering some wonderful work. That’s followed by “Lost Illusion Canyon,” with Rob Waller providing backing vocal work on the song’s chorus: “Echo back the wavy trap/To Lost Illusion Canyon/To Lost Illusion Canyon,” and on the line “The bears march over seeds,” a line that calls to mind an image associated with the Grateful Dead (we all call them dancing bears, but originally they were seen as marching bears). This track has a great laid-back feel, and features more great stuff on pedal steel. Erik Garcia includes a sort of spoken word section in the middle.

“You Got To Love One Another” is a sweet country number that has a bit of a Neil Young vibe in the vocal work. “The fireplace roared while the band played/We called each other sweetheart and then we kissed/Our apparitions from the foggy white mist/You got to love all your virtues/You got to love all your sins/You got to love everything that you’ve been.” This track includes some wonderfully expressive work on pedal steel, plus some really nice stuff by Carl Byron on piano. That’s followed by “Hippie Girl, Hippie Wave.” What is this, a psychedelic country surf song? You bet! And it contains some of the lingo, heard in lines like “And she is wild as the surf/Shootin’ the curl, startin’ to swerve.” I particularly dig the drum work on this track. Then in “One Fine Day,” a great, laid-back country sound is established at the beginning, and a Neil Young influence can be heard in the vocal delivery at times. And of course there is something tremendously appealing in these lines: “I’ll drink your kerosene/But not your poison fear/I’m a rebel at heart/And we’re outlasting everything.”

D.B. Cooper was the name given to a man who hijacked an airplane in 1971, escaped with a parachute, and was never caught or even identified. It’s kind of a crazy story, and Erik Garcia’s “D.B. Cooper’s Letter” is told from that man’s perspective. “And that’s all I want forever/That’s what I decided and then I leaped/That’s my deserving/And that’s what’s owed to me from life/I’ll bid you goodbye so gracefully.” This track features some good work on organ and electric guitar. That’s followed by the album’s title track, “Interstellar Ascension,” a song with a strong, prominent rhythm. I love plays with language, and Erik Garcia does a bit of that here, combining two lines, two thoughts: “I’m coming in/Terstellar ascension.” There is a surprising spoken word section early in the song: “We are reaching the earth now/And we’ve brought psychedelic treats/Let our advancements be revealed/And let the cannibals die.” There is a second spoken work section a little later. This song also mentions Timothy Leary and his “Turn on, tune in and drop out” phrase. The album then concludes with “I Am Going To The Lordy, Hallelujah,” which begins with more of a folk vibe, with some nice work on harmonica. It then kicks in on the chorus, when it has more of a rock feel. And check out these lyrics: “Well, in the frames of the museums/I’ll be a shy, reclusive figure/My spirit in gleaming glass/Full of brilliant, fearless splendor.”

CD Track List

1. Supersonic-25
2. Quicksilver Thoughts
3. Sunshine State
4. Blue Skies
5. Trip At The Zoo
6. Lost Illusion Canyon
7. You Got To Love One Another
8. Hippie Girl, Hippie Wave
9. One Fine Day
10. D.B. Cooper’s Letter
11. Interstellar Ascension
12. I Am Going To The Lordy, Hallelujah

Interstellar Ascension was released on March 20, 2023. A second album is in the works.