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Aqueduct Pocket : Coachella
Re:Generator Magazine
With the release of Coachella, Aqueduct Pocket has shown that they are one of the most versatile bands in the valley. Blending and mixing genres of their liking, they create something foreign...Elements of Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Reggae harmoniously coexist on the record. And the all contribute to the funky-fresh vibe the songs discharge upon your ears. Catch their songs on a local radio station, or see them playing at a bar. Their buzz around the valley is increasing in potency. Soon we'll all be intoxicated by the sounds of Aqueduct Pocket and lose all hand eye coordination.
Aqueduct Pocket
Desert Post Weekly, Tracy Dietlin
In between the rage and the passe comes this funky, cool groove band from the sands of the desert called Aqueduct Pocket.
Blending a soundscape of such bands as Sugar Ray, Sublime and Dave Mathews, Aqueduct pocket brands its own flavor of laid back, sunroof down, cool textured tunes for anyone's listening pleasure.
Headed by Kurt Spurgin on guitar, Micah Stark on bass, Dominic Torres on drums and Steve Robbins on guitar, Aqueduct Pocket is not restricted to playing a particular kind of music, which makes them a great party band.
Rising Star Spotlight
The WORKS Magazine
"Known for their cool grooves and hip songs, Aqueduct Pocket has a charm and a style that draws in the local crowds. "
Indio quartet has the beat
Desert Sun
In the topsy turvy world of the desert music scene, it ain't every day that a local group makes good and is henceforth rewarded with an appropriately lavish CD-release party.
Such is the case for Aqueduct Pocket, an Indio quartet who's anti-hip approach to rock 'n roll has earned them rave reviews and a spot in M99.5's "Rising Star Showcase.
With members ranging in age from 20-something to 50-something, AP may not look the part, but they'll no doubt change the tune of any doubters as they take the stage tonight at the Ale House stage in Palm Springs for an evening of tight beats and compelling grooves.
Get your fill of Ale with Aqueduct Pocket
The Desert Sun
That old story of local band makes good comes to fruition once again with Aqueduct Pocket's highly anticipated CD release party, slated for this Saturday at the Ale House in Palm Springs.
Possessing neither the look nor sound of your average band, this Indio quartet specializes in danceable grooves and tight beats, resulting in a compelling fusion of funk, rock, blues, jazz, and reggae.
And as surly veterans of both M99.5's "Rising Stars Showcase" and several "Battle of the Bands" competitions, Aqueduct Pocket definitely knows how to rock.
Celebrating Music
Press Enterprise
Coachella Valley's Aqueduct Pocket will celebrate its new CD "Coachella" with a party in Palm Springs this weekend.
The party and performance will take place at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Ale House in Palm Springs.
Founder and singer/guitarist Kurt Spurgin, drummer Dominic Torres, bassist Micah Stark and guitarist Steve Robbins will play cuts off the album, which features funk, reggae, rock and ska.
The group is performing with the power pop, rock and funk act Conjob, and reggae, blues and soul act Modern Day Moonshine.
Spurgin, who works as a chiropractor in Indio, said he played in a variety of bands before moving to the Coachella Valley in late 1998. The 35-year-old La Quinta resident said putting together a band in the desert was not easy.
"It's very difficult to find musicians that have a similar taste in music or musical ability," he said. "One guy would play Christian death metal and not have the same ideas. Or there would be guys with a similar taste in music but not very talented."
Spurgin eventually decided to develop his songwriting abilities, play the music himself and record it. Aqueduct Pocket was formed in late 2002 after Spurgin recorded nine tracks in 2000 and 2001 and used them to recruit future band members.
The new band had to learn the music and later would adapt the sound to their individual playing styles.
"When you jam out, that idea evolves and then you add your own flair and flavor," he said. "It starts a seed and grows, and the band develops."
Spurgin said he has not had formal music training.
"I just kind of do what comes naturally," he said. "That's true for the rest of the band. We try to not have any preconceived notions of what it sounds like."
At the concert, Aqueduct Pocket's "Coachella" CD will be sold for $10 and T-shirts for $15. There will also be CD and T-shirt giveaways.
Aqueduct Pocket introduces "Coachella" to the rest of the valley
Desert Post Weekly
Kurt Spurgin admits that the boys in his band, Aqueduct Pocket, don't look the part of rock stars. No tattoos, no dangling cigarettes, no long hair.
The four musicians, ranging in age from their early 20's to early 50's don't even look like members of the band. But when they play it's easy to forget that.
"We don't all dress the same, we don't look like we come from the same generation,"says Spurgin, lead singer and guitarist. "But when we all work together as a band we're compelling."
Aqueduct Pocket doesn't sound guite like anyone else in the valley either. With breezy guitar vamps, reggae rhythms, and funky breaks, the quartet's music brings to mind the serene beaches of Orange County nore than the harsh desert sun.
Still, they've played alongside some of the valley's heaviest-sounding groups, like Wiseman and Conspiracy of Thought, and competed in local battle of the bands events.
Little by little, Spurgin and the boys have generated a respectable fan base, all while playing with bands that sound nothing like them.
On Saturday, July 23, they celebrate the release of their debut CD, Coachella at the Ale House inPalm Springs. Spurgin says this is farther than he ever expected the band to go.
"When I forst wrote these songs, I thought I'd be playing them for my wife and my friends, "he laughs.
When Aqueduct Pocket performs at the Ale House, they'll be joined by Conjob, from Huntington Beach and Modern Day Moonshine from Sand Diego, two bands whom Spurgin says will compliment Aqueduct Pocket nicely.
"When people first walk in, if they don't know us, they may say 'who are these guys?" Spurgin jokes, "but we'll get people up and get them dancing."
Battle of the Bands
Desert Sun, Bruce Fessier
"Aqueduct Pocket has... a tight ensemble sound, but a freedom to explore instrumental ideas within that sound that makes me want to hear more from them."
Review of "gold digger"
Henry Correy, 2003 Winner of Sydney Blues Society Annual Award
“The vocalist is very good, as are the lyrics, melody, arrangement and musicianship! Well done!”
