Pocket Protection, the new project featuring members of The Revivalists, Pretty Lights Live, Deltaphonic, and Cha Wa, has released its debut EP, Volume 1, via Color Red. The New Orleans-based instrumental project will also celebrate the occasion with a livestream tonight, Tuesday, May 4th, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The group first come together when New Orleans staples George Gekas (bass, The Revivalists), Alvin Ford Jr, (drums, Ed O’Brien, Pretty Lights Live), Andriu Yanovski (keyboards, Cha Wa), and Paul Provosty (guitarist, Deltaphonic) linked up for a late-night jam session at the famous Maple Leaf Bar. The chemistry onstage for the impromptu gig was so immense that the group took it to New Orleans’s Neutral Ground Studios, where Pocket Protection was officially born.
The album’s first track, “Alvin’s Camaro”, premiered via Live For Live Music back in October of 2019. After pandemic-imposed shutdowns stalled the EP’s preparation process, the promotion of Pocket Protection Volume 1 resumed with official lead single/final track, “Paul P. Sure“, a Provosty original that pays homage to the Derek Trucks Band tune “Kickin’ Back” and fuses together stylistic elements of jam scene forefathers like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band.
“Gekas Toast Crunch” is an impromptu studio jam that morphed into an album track with the name coming from studio engineer, Andrew Block, who proclaimed the track was “super crunchy.” “Herbert Handcuff” emits ’70s psychedelic fusion vibes and serves as an ode to Herbie Hancock.
The playful song titles and nature of the project itself showcase both the individual talents of each band member while serving the greater good of the music. “We relied on intuition and each other to continue to move the music forward. It felt right when we first performed together, made sense in the studio, and will continue to as a collective idea,” says Gekas of the project.
Stream the debut EP from Pocket Protection on the platform of your choice here or listen via the player below.
Pocket Protection – Volume 1 – Full EP
In honor of the long-awaited Pocket Protection EP release, the band will gather tonight, May 4th, at New Orleans’s Esplanade Studios for a free livestream performance featuring “new tracks,” “live debuts,” and “good times.” Tune in via the Pocket Protection, Live For Live Music, and Color Red Facebook and YouTube channels. Tune in below and subscribe to the Live For Live Music YouTube channel for more live music.
Pocket Protection – Live From Esplanade Studios [Livestream]