Celebrity Look-Alikes - Celebrity Look-Alikes

Celebrity Look-Alikes

Celebrity Look-Alikes​
self-released; 2015

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

The four-piece band Celebrity Look-Alikes comprised of Jeremy Bernstein (guitar), Bobby Butler (keys/organ), Jonathan Chapman (bass) and Will Edmundson (drums) met at Berklee College of Music in 2014. Since then the funky, psychedelic band that has clear jam band tendencies recorded a three-song self-titled EP Celebrity Look-Alikes.

The EP is impressive but the music they make clearly feels like it's meant to be experienced live. From the pure dance-ability to the jam session you can imagine an intoxicated group of space hippies dancing to their crunchy grooves.

The band kicks things off with “Gargoyle” which mixes ‘70s funk and jam band style freak out sessions. Right off the bat you will notice a similarity to the singing style between the lead singer and Trey Anastasio of Phish. The entire band is technical wizards but do tend to rely on tropes, which are quite predictable in the jam band arena. That being said the song is still fun and as I mentioned earlier probably sounds great live with a couple of cocktails in you.

The next track “5 O'Clock” is a slow moving, subdued jam. There is a good amount of bluesy lead guitar that is backed by slap bass and tight drumming. As it progresses the song turns into a jam session that fans of bands like The String Cheese Incident and Moe will embrace.

The lead singer’s appreciation of Trey Anastasio seems undeniable on the last song “Revolving Door.” It’s hard to deny his singing style and delivery sounds very similar to Phish’s lead singer. The song contains some solid jam sessions where the band flexes their technical muscles to their fullest extent.

After spending some time with Celebrity Look-Alikes it seems like they should just avoid the euphemisms and call themselves a jam band. They have all the staples and criteria in place so why not just own it. It’s obvious the band has some serious talent but they may just fall into the ether of the jam band scene if they can’t find some differentiating factors in their music. Their self-titled EP is a good start but I hope to hear them really develop a signature sound on their next release.

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