Jonathan Segel: Honey

While Jonathan Segel’s best known as the fiddler/multi-instrumentalist from Camper Van Beethoven, his solo CD mostly features him playing a crunchy electric guitar that easily may be mistaken for the wild sounds of that other California studio gee-tar wizard, Frank Zappa. On songs like the pounding rock of “Greedy” or the 12-plus minutes of space music of “Interstitial Undertow”, Segel lets his axe venture into places most other guitarists avoid, lest they become overcome by the feedback and noise. Segel’s sense of humor also recalls Zappa. The title “Greedy” sounds like a Mother’s critique of modern America and the punning of “Instititial Undertow” (re: “the prog rock classic “Intersteller Overdrive”) fits Zappa’s tradition of poking holes in pretentious rawk. Segel is ably joined by former Van Beethoven mate Victor Krummenacher on bass, and at times the two become one in a pounding pulse of energy that leaves the listener in the dust.