Guys and gals, let me lay one on ya! I found 3rd Zen on ReverbNation the other day, thanks to the friendly suggestion of Sue (wife of one of the members of 3rd Zen). Let me just go ahead and thank her, right now!

3rd Zen are a west coast act getting ready to set out on a summer tour. They describe themselves as “Northern Rock.” That’s a new one on me, but their publicist goes on to compare them to Black Sabbath, Carlos Santana, and Bob Marley. Ok, if I had read all that before I hit play, I would not have know what to think.

Let me add Molly Hatchet and The Band to that list. In other words, these guys cover a lot of ground, and I expect that’s what they’ll do on the tour (not just literally).

I just love the Allman Bro.s influenced “Always Sometimes” it’s  a laid-back groover with sparkly acoustic guitars and sweet harmonies to a smiling lyric. They lay it down with a cool, loose, live vibe and it really stands out!

Don’t rest on this one, though. 3rd Zen can go from happy-bouncy to dissonant-creepy in a matter of a few seconds. They really have done a great job of blending classic Southern Rock, Metal, and Folk to make a blend of music that will surely keep their audiences thoroughly entertained.

There a millions of indie music acts that claim to “do our own thing, we aren’t any genre in particular.” 3rd Zen are one of the few that can pull it off without losing the interest of the listener, in a way that I can only call “Zen.”