Ettie Street Project Releases New Album THE SIMPLEST POSSIBLE SETUP

For three years, one of Northern California's most respected contemporary guitarists, Tom Lattanand, has been fine-tuning his eclectic band, Ettie Street Project (ESP), in live performances throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Now ESP's unique blend of alternative rock, jazz and hypnotica is available to fans everywhere, thanks to the group's debut album, "The Simplest Possible Setup" (Jazzcubed Records). The ambitious project, which was mastered by Stephen Barncard (producer of Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" and David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name"), features 12 tracks that combine a 1970s psychedelic feel with a 21st century edge.

Named after the street in Oakland where the band originated, Ettie Street Project incorporates elements of raw funk, ambient rock and electronica to create bold melodies that are alternately energy-inducing and soothing. In live performances, the band is noted for the surprisingly big sound that emanates from Lattanand and his musical partners, Rob Gwin (bass) and Damon Hope (drums). For the album, Lattanand enlisted creative support from several guest singers and musicians

"This album is a culmination of years of an evolving process," Lattanand said. "We started out playing as an atmospheric psychedelic rock trio, and later added the thicker instrumentation and great vocalists, which brought the expressiveness of the music to another level. We feel lucky to have such amazing players on this album."

On the album, vocalist Rashida Clendening (aka Audio Angel) sets a dreamy tone, singing the opening track "Broke the Seal" with the seductive soulfulness that has made her a Bay Area mainstay for over 15 years. Her second song on the album, "The Edge," begins with an electrifying jolt and morphs into a dizzying tenor and alto-sax composition that ends as abruptly as it begins, leaving the listener wanting more.

"Timeline" and "Lost in Flight" feature the vocals of Tom Lattanand and Artemis, whose own albums "Orbits" (2007), "Gravity" (2005) and "Undone" (2001) have garnered praise in such publications as the New York Times, Remix, Electronic Musician andKeyboard. "Capsule," with vocals by Emily Rich, alternates between pulsating hypnotica and hard-driving rock. On the song "Lucid," Lattanand sings over a dark groove with lyrics that paint a surrealistic dreamscape. http://youtu.be/9O-rAexM8kA

Other guest performers appearing on "The Simplest Possible Setup" include Micah McClain (drums), Jorgen Stensson (drums), John Merrill (percussion), Bill Witter (tabla), Sylvain Carton (bari and alto sax), Mitch Marcus (tenor and alto sax), Henry Hung (trumpet), Cornelius Boots (bari and alto sax), Liz Larson (trombone) and Joey Chang (cello).

Lattanand, who is of Thai descent, draws from a variety of musical influences, having lived in different parts of the U.S. and studying music composition at Washington University in St. Louis before settling in Oakland. When not performing live, he produces other Bay Area artists and scores soundtracks for television and film in his Oakland studio. In 2011, he released his first solo guitar album, "Stone Seat View."

Lattanand and his partners have been recognized as among the cutting-edge musicians in the Bay Area music scene for more than a decade. Lattanand was a founding member of the acclaimed jazz/fusion/funk group Mood Food, which included Vince Welnick, the late Grateful Dead keyboardist. He also performs solo guitar, and works with a long list of collaborators. Rob Gwin is a member of Bay Area party band Planet Booty.

"The Simplest Possible Setup" by Ettie Street Project is available on iTunes. Information about Ettie Street Project is available at EttieStreetProject.com.