101 Crustaceans

Ed Pastorini is an underground legend in New York City, where his brilliant, off the map compositions have drawn praise from writers and musicians alike in a career that began in the late 1980s. Train Bolt Roller features six songs, covering a progression from birth to removal. It sinks in slow, and benefits from repeated listens. Ed's songs are helmed here by Indigo Street (guitar), Oren Bloedow (bass) and Ben Perowsky (drums). Guests include Jim Thirlwell (Foetus, Manorexia), classical violist Nadia Sirota, and bassoon player Clair de Brunner.

"Ed Pastorini has been an almost mythical figure on the New York music scene — a reclusive genius whose songs are brilliant, and quietly subversive. Full of unexpected chord changes and an emotive quality that creeps up on you, they seem to come from several traditions at once – or none at all. The only problem with Ed's music has been that so few people know it. Now, finally, that will change." — John Schaefer, NPR

"Train Bolt Roller is both an incredibly beautiful piece of work and a picture of utter hell at the same time ... I often heard myths about Ed Pastorini and 101 Crustaceans long before I experienced the music. The music, whether soft or loud, demands that one pay attention — and if you choose to do so, you will experience a serious adventure into the soul — seriously — highest recommendation my friends." — Hal Willner

Pastorini, who studied as a young man with Lennie Tristano, one of jazz's stranger visionaries, makes blistering post-punk of a deeply complex, ambitious persuasion. He sings in a reedy but gristly voice, with a filthy scream and a clear falsetto both in easy reach, and while you could be forgiven for occasionally thinking that he's singing out of tune, if you listen carefully, you'll often find that he's actually hitting a note that's a perfect half-step away from the one you expect to hear. His music is bristling with odd dissonances, but also contains moments of consonance made all the more precious by the twisted, tortuous paths by which they are arrived at. — Thomas Bartlett, Salon.com

"This is not a simple rock record. This music grabs you by the ears and insists that you pay attention. There are layers here. Peel slowly." — Perfect Sound Forever

"Ed is one of my favorite musicians of all time. The music he makes is visionary. It is feral funk. It is saucy, mercurial and absolutely precise. He is an expert marksman swinging angular bullets your way. Train Bolt Roller is a tried and true salve for me. It gets my bones high." — Joan as Police Woman

"Your ears and your spirit have grown ten sizes. Favorite living songwriter. Period. Train Bolt Roller is a bruiser of a record, and a great introduction to the brilliant treasure chest that is Ed's (mostly unrecorded!) song catalogue." — Jennifer Charles, Elysian Fields