Onoffon

The music of Southern Californian band Onoffon is hard to categorize, but easy to listen to (which is not to say this is easy listening by any means). Their brand of rock combines elements of progressive rock with straight jazz. You can hear the influence of the cool jazz of the '50s West Coast players in their music, as well as the complexity of bands such as Gentle Giant and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, influences to which the band will readily admit. Von Babasin (bass, vocals, keyboards; son of the '40s and '50s jazz bassist/cellist Harry Babasin, whose Nocturne Records contributed significantly to West Coast jazz) and Dave Goode (drums, percussion) had played together for over a decade before meeting Don Lake (guitars, vocals, harmonica) and forming Onoffon around 1996. The band is, in essence, a musician-owned production company whose primary means of distribution is through their website (www.onoffon.com). Everything about their music, from composing to playing to pressing the CD, is controlled by the band. Their first album, Surrender Now, was released in 1997 and earned the band excellent reviews on many fronts for the strong musicianship. They released their second album at the beginning of 1999.