10 East is the highway that leaves Los Angeles toward the cities of the desert and 'Extraterrestial Highway? is the soundtrack/homage that have created this four veterans musicians of the of Coachella Valley scene: Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Oddio Gasser), Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson, Orquesta del Desierto), Brant Bjork (Kyuss, The Bros) and Bill Stinson (Chuck Dukowski Sextet).
Four of the most productive, interesting and introverts musicians of the present scene that don't need introduction for anyone who's been on the track of what happened in rock music in the last 10 or 15 years.
Not just because Gary Arce and Mario Lalli commanded the desert scene (from which Kyuss would arise) with bands like Across The River, Yawning Man or Sort Of Quartet but for all their implication with the punk/alternative movement that was created and fed by SST in the 80's with bands like Black Flag or Saccharine Trust and that served of quarry and inspiration to many 90's key bands, from Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Queens of The Stone Age, passing thru Sonic Youth, Jane's Adicction or Soundgarden.
And the fact is that while Brant Bjork conquered the heavy rock of the 90's with the already legendary Kyuss, Gary Arce, Mario Lalli and Bill Stinson they were tanned in jams with musicians of the size of Greg Ginn, Mike Watt, Nels Cline or Chuck Dukowski and they learned listening to albums by Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Thelonius Monk or Sonny Sharrock.
All this gave as a result an infinity of projects that are synthesized now, someway, in Ten East. Where the four musicians are shown relaxed and they leave us to make out a little of all those influences, transmitting the unique feeling of spontaneity and ease of a jazz quartet.
Because Ten East offer something that seems forgot nowadays, the feeling of a real album, full of alive music, without contrivances of study neither months of recording.
Four musicians that gather to create something special just being based in their talent and whose only goal is the creation of sincere and honest music. Something as evident and difficult to find nowadays.