I first met Michael Ferentino, founder of "Amazing Meet Project" and co-founder of former band "Love In Reverse," about 3 years ago in a telephone interview. I was very impressed by the unique sound LIR created, as well as with Michael, in my interview. A few months later, on one of their extensive U.S. tours with Republica, I finally had a chance to see the band live and meet all of it's members. After the live gig I was even more impressed with this talented trio. Touring continued with Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills and Ian Astbury in support of the album "I Was Here" during much of '96 -'97.

Childhood friends Michael Ferentino and Andres Karu formed their first band as a duo named "Dog" in the small town of Whiting, NJ in 1988. After playing the local scene for several years, drummer David Halpern was added in 1995 and the name of the band became "Love In Reverse," a title taken from one of the first songs Ferentino and Karu wrote. The self-described trio called their band alterna/space/rock, and their sound was a refreshing change from what other alternative bands were doing at the time.

After an e-mail was sent to Reprise label President Howie Klein, who enjoyed the attached sound bytes included so much he flew out to hear the band live, LIR was signed to Reprise shortly after. LIR soon released their first EP, "I Was Dog," a five song cross-section of their talented style of psychedelic, spacey rock and always interesting lyrics. July, 1996 saw the band release their first LP, "I Was Here," co-produced with pop/rock legend Russ Titleman (Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Rickie Lee Jones), which garnered a good response on college radio and many loyal fans. The band was also featured on a February, 1997 episode of ABC's "Turning Point: So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star," showing how a small band from New Jersey got to the big time and hopefully success.

Their second LP, "Words Become Worms" was produced in the band's own studio, built " . . . to capture the essence of the ever-evolving sound, and produced by the band themselves to have as much control over every element as possible," says Ferentino. This release was welcomed by fans, and showed a progression in the musical and lyrical development of the band. Released with much critical acclaim, the album spent three weeks at #3 on the National Music Critics Association's Top Ten, and was heralded by many critics as a breakthrough in modern rock. "Words Become Worms," a much darker album, both musically and lyrically, brought the band more national attention, but having fulfilled their contract with Reprise, by mutual agreement the band left the label and parted company in September, '98.

Michael Ferentino (lead vocalist) started a solo project shortly after, joined by Andres Karu (bass, guitar, percussion), and by November, '98 things were headed in a whole new direction. Abandoning the spacey electronic style of "Love In Reverse," the music became more acoustic, more psychedelic and most of all more mature. As the solo project progressed, more musicians became part of the sound and a new band formed, "Amazing Meet Project." Kathy Johnson (backing vocals) was discovered by a friend at a Karaoke bar, and he knew she was perfect for the new sound being developed, so he gave her a business card. She approached Michael and Andres for an audition - and was hired on the spot.

As the sound for the new group began to meld, Joie (bongos, hand percussion), a friend and dancer for the band from their "Dog" days, reappeared with a new talent. Always interested in African drums, she bought bongos and taught herself to play with the help of "Graceland" and her favorite, "Rhythm Of the Saints," albums by Paul Simon. She started jamming with the rest of the growing "Amazing Meet Project," things worked well, and she currently plays several hand percussion instruments for AMP, as well as adding her tribal sound to Johnny Crisis and Andres on drums.

The final piece of the puzzle turned out to be Johnny Crisis (snare drums, cymbals, and a number of different and exotic hand percussion instruments). In 1991, Michael was working at 7-11. Johnny worked for his father's company, and would come to the 7-11 and have lunch with Michael to talk about music. Johnny and Michael stayed friends, and Johnny always wanted to be involved in the music business, but didn't play an instrument. Originally he was supposed to be the road manager for "Amazing Meet Project," but at practices he was given hand percussion instruments to play around with, then moved on to drumming. It turned out he was a natural. He's no longer the road manager, but a part of the band.

Although Andres mainly plays bass and guitar for AMP, he also joins the percussion section on occasion in a most unusual way. Sitting down to play bass, he's also playing bass drum and high hat with his foot at the same time.

Michael continues to do the exclusive songwriting and lead vocals. Although the music is moving in a different direction, shades of LIR still pop up because it's his writing style that launched all the previous bands and albums.

The early intention was for "Amazing Meet Project" to self-produce and distribute their album without being signed to a label. Again an old friend stepped in, this time one that had recently left the label he was working for to start his own label, Gig Records. When he was given a demo of the new project from Michael and Andres, Indian, president of Gig Records, fell in love with it and wanted to sign AMP right away. Since the label is very artist oriented, the band has both creative control and a say in the business end of things, and has the full support of the label for publicity, tours and album distribution. "Amazing Meet Project" signed with Gig Records, and their first album on Gig, scheduled for release in mid-June, is reviewed below.

AMP are never short on interesting musical combinations and unexpected surprises. From start to finish, "Undrugged" is a unique album, and "Amazing Meet Project" is the band to start a new millennium of music. The first track, "Stupid Of Me," has been described as Everlast type hip-hop meets Brit-pop. I'm not sure that's what I'd call it, but it is a catchy tune, and a good lead in to the next few tracks. The use of a prominent down beat, and various types of percussion, backing a solid melody line and some unique guitar work, all of which enhance the vocals, make this song one of the top picks for the first single off the album.

Moving into acoustic mode is "Thing Ghost Girl," which is much more mellow than the previous song. This is sort of a folk rock number with lots of chimes and hand percussion backing the vocals. "It's the thing I do/ Ghost I raise/ And the girl I love. . .Thing/ Ghost/ Girl. . ." is the chorus, carried through in a different key and pace than the verses. The next track, "Milk," has some good acoustic guitar accompanied by a number of hand percussion instruments and a haunting backing vocal from Kathy Harrison to balance Michael's lead. There are several pace changes during the song, along with an electric guitar bridge that really stands out. This song is about motherhood and it's importance.

"Victory Is No One's" picks the pace up again, and is the perfect song to tap your toes, or your fingers on the steering wheel to, in time with the music. This one gets MY vote for first single, because it's got a great sound without being overwhelming. My CD is already worn from playing this song again and again. A good beat, with a strong bass line and percussion, along with some key changes in the melody, make this one of the more interesting songs. There are some fairly serious lyrics here, but the addition of several "doo-doo-doos" and "La-la-la-la-las" make it sound pretty cheerful overall.

Slowing things down and moving back to acoustic again is "Same Thing," with Michael's strong vocals carrying this one along. This serious ballad just oozes emotion in both the vocals and lyrics. The chorus "It's the same thing/ It's the same thing/ That I feel/ That I feel/ It's the same thing that I feel," and is about the breakup of a relationship. "Martini" is a rockin' song with lots of hand percussion and harmonizing vocals. "Six martini mornin' leave me on the floor . . ." is the repeated chorus, and I think it more than gets the point across! This is a short, fun song - as long as you're not the one experiencing the hangover.

Starting with a very deliberate beat/off beat intro, with just an acoustic finger pick guitar backing the first verse is "Formaldehyde." This song has a rather interesting premise in the lyrics ". . .You've got to preserve all my love for you/ You've got to preserve all your love darling/ Please carry me home when I die/ Keep me inside. . ." and a chorus of ". . .Carry me home when I die/ Keep me alive . . ." There's some interesting guitar and percussion during the bridge that carry things along to the final chorus.

A faster acoustic strum introduces "Dead And Gone," a kind of dreamy, ballad with the power of the acoustic sound backing it up, although the lyrics aren't quite what you'd call "ballad" material. After the first verse, the rest of the instruments join in with the melancholy melody line and backing sound and vocals. This is probably the song I liked the least on the album, but it's still a good one.

Next up is a very clever and satirical look at the Vegan lifestyle called "Vegetarian Blues." This one picks up the pace again with a real steady rock beat and Michael's lyric vocals playing off Kathy's bluesy sounds on backup - the not quite words that can sound so fantastic. Michael admits this song is poking fun at himself for a rather serious lack of nutrition when he lived in the south, since the kind of food he needed wasn't available. There are a lot of strange/interesting sounds coming from the instruments, while Kathy carries on the blues in mid-song. When Michael's vocal returns, you hear ". . . This is no place for a vegetarian. . ." - meaning the south. Another catchy song that is right up there, in my opinion, for a single release off the album.

"There You Are" is my favorite song on "Undrugged" hands down. Maybe because I like something a little romantic once in a while. As Michael told me, " . . .It was influenced by T-Rex from the 70's . . . It's a sappy love song." That it may be, but it's still a beautiful song that makes you feel good, and the lyrics are basically how things are "supposed" to be in a good relationship. I love this lyric: "There you are/ Like a Mini Star/ With your attitude/ Keep me in the mood/ Everywhere I go/ You'll be there I know/ 'Cause I never lie/ And I always grow. . ." With Michael and Kathy harmonizing on pretty much the whole song, including the bridge, this one flows around you and wraps you up in this warm, fuzzy feeling. They certainly emote on this one!

The music and lyrics on "Obsessive/Compulsive" actually create a feeling of this condition in the way they're performed. This is one of the few songs that uses electric guitar, and the strange sounds it can make, for emphasis. The actual vocals are accompanied by an acoustic guitar, but the bridges kind of bring in everything, and the transitions between the two types of sound really ARE obsessive/compulsive! Have an anti-depressant anyone?

The final song on the album, "Owls And Weeping Willows," starts out with strictly a guitar strum that takes about 25 seconds before any kind of melody kicks in. This is another really beautiful song, with a melancholy edge. "Blue on my pillow/ Blue for you like owls and weeping willows. . ." is the haunting chorus. Then mention of "blue" pretty much all the way through the song explain the minor key melody line, and, although some of the lyrics don't quite get the point across, the overall feeling is pretty expressive.

The only reason I didn't give this album 5 stars is because of a few little nit-picks, like some song lyrics that are very obscure in their meaning, and a couple songs that didn't reach their full potential in my opinion. There's still room for growth and maturity in this band that's only been together for 6 months, so I expect the next album will probably be a 5+ star CD.

To wrap this up, I've watched/listened/talked to Michael Ferentino and Andres Karu for the past three years, from the start of "Love In Reverse," to it's demise, and the Phoenix rising from the ashes called "Amazing Meet Project." Personally, I've liked pretty much every song Michael has written and recorded - at least what's been released to date. These guys are always a couple years ahead of their time, and it would really be rotten if they don't get the radio exposure they deserve for their latest endeavor, "Amazing Meet Project." They're doing the 1999 version of alternative music, while all those alternative bands from a few years ago have gone mainstream and claim they're "rock" bands. Don't get me wrong, this is a rock band too. But they're so far above and beyond what other bands are getting bogged down in right now (like a zillion drum and bass with rap over groups), you'll just have to take my word for it and give this album a chance. I promise it will be a refreshing change from the copy-cat stuff coming down the pike from everyone else!