INVISIBLE LION REVIEW
VICTORY MUSIC - ACOUSTIC MUSIC MAGAZINE JANUARY 2012
Recorded in Portland with self-penned tunes, this soothing piece of work is a nice find for sitting back and simply having a listen to an artist that illuminates his work through lyrics that speak to simpler times. Melodically Gandzjuk joins a long line of artists that just lay back and allow it all to happen through a mixture of instrumentation and great stories.
Gabriel Gandzjuk’s vocal style though understated becomes very effective with his choice of lyrical images, which he weaves throughout the twelve selections chosen for this package, as well as the choice of production. At times Gandzjuk appears to more comfortable with a old time feel or style, but the lyrical content shows another side to this artist, who is involved in the changes of now more than then.
What I find so soothing with the recording is his use of familiar country or folksy styling as a vehicle to share romantic introverted insights of self and sociological observations that are relevant to us all. If he is tipping his hat to anyone or anything it’s Americana and the romanticism that only a young man can recall. If these modern times has affected this writer he’s not allowing much other than positive vibes like cream to rise to the top.
Gandzjuk uses some great players on the recording with his co producer, Nathan Junior on lead guitar, piano and organ. Jesse Bates works pedal steel and mandolin while Chris Beck holds it all down with a nice bass and joins in on guitar backings as well as some keyboard work. Ryan Spellman was of great assistance on the recording with drums and percussion. Cory Gray sprinkles it all with horns to great affect. The production and mix are also great complements to the ease and feel of the product, which his producer/engineer Beau Raymond employs with a gentleness that allows the artist his vision. The tunes and the mixing/production are as much apart of the songs as are the musicians that supported the work.
Overall a great effort with little illumination to influences past or present, mainly a writer riding on his own coat tail with heart on sleeve and a vision of how he wants his music to be presented. What I like most about the work is the ease of flow, the low but effective messages Gandzjuk sings and writes about.
This is a solid project that is well worth a listen. Perfect for someone looking for something new and yet familiar.
Christopher Anderson
INVISIBLE LION REVIEW
SONGS ILLINOIS
Gabriel Gandzjuk is probably not a stage name. I’ve read Gabriel’s bio and I don’t have a sense of where his family is from but with a name like that and songs like these it’s hard not to hear a bit of European influence in his jazzy folk tunes. His main instrument and the most compelling artifact on his new record Invisible Lion is his silky smooth voice. You’ll hear what you like in his vocals, but I heard Tom Brousseau, Steve Forbert, and a little Brett Dennen.
INVISIBLE LION REVIEW & INTERVIEW
MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY
A few years ago, Gabriel Gandzjuk followed his dream girl from California to North Carolina.
“Fate brought us together when she was tearing out of town and I followed her,” he says. “I needed a break from California at that time in my life and it worked out. She’s now my wife.”
In addition to finding his true love, Gandzjuk found living in the south a refreshing source of inspiration that helped shape his full-length debut, Invisible Lion. “When I lived in North Carolina, I’d venture into Tennessee and Georgia often,” he says. “Savannah was a favorite and inspired the song ‘Southern Brass.’”
In it, Gandzjuk sings in a breathy voice reminiscent of the The Strokes and Little Joy’s Fabrizio Moretti while a soft melody peals through a haunting pedal steel in the distance. Gandzjuk – also an avid photographer and artist – says hearing family stories and observing people also inspires his songwriting. “I take my own experiences and make sense of them through song,” he says. “And the multiple creative things I do seem to inspire each other.”
Though the young musician just released his debut LP, he’s already written more than 20 new songs and is eager to get back into the studio this winter and begin work on his next record, which he expects to complete in the spring of 2012.