LaMP

Telepathic improvisers LaMP features Vermont-based Russ Lawton (drums) and Ray Paczkowski (Hammond B3, Clavinet, Rhodes), alongside Brooklynite Scott Metzger (guitar). On 2nd studio album, ONE OF US, the group distills singular, road-honed improv instincts into taut, instrumental epics of kaleidoscopic interplay and shifting grooves.

While each member has extensive experience — Lawton and Paczkowski with the Trey Anastasio Band and Metzger in projects such as Joe Russo’s Almost Dead — LaMP has hewed its own path.

With ONE OF US, the trio delivers its cleanest distillation of the LaMP sound yet, a mission statement of improvisational groupthink and compositional chops.

“Cosmo” sets the stage with a slow, smoky build before dropping into a propulsive groove. Paczkowski and Metzger out-riff each other while Lawton pushes the band deeper with his crackling beat. The title track continues to ride this cresting wave of funk before a spiraling entry into a psychedelic wormhole.

“Nice Girl (Walks Loud)” and “Jasper’s World” showcase a muscular Zeppelin stomp, steamed into a humid shuffle.

The album’s backend unfolds stately and elegant, highlighted by the blue-hour strut of “Ulterior Motives” and closer “Clipse O,” where Metzger’s fluid lines dance alongside Paczkowski’s vibrant keys and Lawton’s inexhaustible beat.

ONE OF US presents the myriad flavors LaMP brings to the table, working both as deep headphone immersion or a packable party custom-tailored to deliver the jams.