SONS OF RA: Chicago-Based Progressive/Jazz Fusion Trio Signs With Free Electric Sound; Debut LP Due In 2025

photos by Vacant Era Photography

Free Electric Sound, the instrumental subdivision of The Lasers Edge Group, welcomes Chicago, Illinois-based SONS OF RA, signing the band for the release of their impending debut full-length.

The eclectic SONS OF RA ensemble draws inspiration from avantgarde music, classic jazz fusion with post-progressive sensibilities, infusing their compositions with cosmic vibrations and experimental fervor. Drummer Michael Rataj (Arbogast, Mine Collapse) lays an energetic and ever-shifting rhythmic framework for tenor saxophonist/bassist Keith Wakefield (Jan King & Medicine Ball) and guitarist Erik Oldman (Mare Crisium) to weave angular, contrapuntal melodies with ethereal textures augmented by loops and synthesizer explorations. More than a band, they are sonic sorcerers, weaving spells of experimental brilliance that transcend the boundaries of traditional genres.

The band has released several EPs and singles, including the critically lauded Tropic Of Cancer EP earlier this year, a six-part suite which drew incredible response from critics and fans alike, and saw the band take their touring to the next level across the Midwest and into the Eastern half of the US. Now, the band will unveil their intense full-length debut album, Standard Deviation, through Free Electric Sound.

The Lasers Edge Group owner Ken Golden issues of the signing, “Jazz rock and fusion are a longtime passion of mine. SONS OF RA have a reverential view of the classic style but present it in a contemporary fashion. The future is wide open for the trio and I’m anxious to see where they go.”

The band states, “This is the start of a new chapter for SONS OF RA in our decade-long journey. We are extremely happy and humbled to announce our signing with the Free Electric Sound label. Thanks to Ken Golden everyone from the Lasers Edge Group to help us get to this point in our musical journey. Special thanks go to our fans, friends, and family who have supported us throughout the years.”

Watch for info on SONS OF RA’s Standard Deviation LP to be issued early next year.

In the meantime, SONS OF RA has shows in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Hamtramck over the next few weeks, with additional performances being booked for early next year.

SONS OF RA Live:
11/20/2024 Jazz Fusion Fest @ Burlington Bar – Chicago, IL w/ Kevin King Regime, Wave Cage [info]
12/05/2024 Government Center – Pittsburgh, PA w/ Hardac, The Media Prophet [info]
12/06/2024 Ruba Club – Philadelphia, PA w/ Zaku, Power Over Ethernet, Close To Good [info]
12/07/2024 Ghost Light Bar – Hamtramck, MI w/ Sozen, Flood The Desert, Belling The Tiger [info]

Find SONS OF RA’s Tropic Of Cancer on 12” vinyl, CD, and digitally via Bandcamp HERE and streaming at digital services HERE, and watch multiple videos for the EP at YouTube HERE.

“The six-part suite on Tropic Of Cancer has avant-garde leanings but remains warm and accessible—its lush instrumental soundscapes are a great place to let your imagination run wild.” – Chicago Reader

“…Tropic Of Cancer is immersive and engaging… Whereas rock and metal sometimes incorporate jazz elements into their song structure or contain the occasional saxophone feature, and jazz sporadically ventures into darker themes with heavier instrumentation, SONS OF RA are very comfortable exploring both worlds fully. In that sense they truly are a fusion, creating something freshly novel out of seemingly disparate parts.” – Everything Is Noise

“There’s a reason that SONS OF RA remains a staple in the heavier side of Chicago’s music scene, often sharing bills with doom metal — they’re heavy in a way nobody else here is. On the spectrum of jazz to metal, SONS OF RA skew heavily toward jazz, but they incorporate their heavier influences in a way that feels natural. Whereas a lot of ‘jazz metal’ music is either primarily metal with jazz as a texture, or just sounds like someone tossing a bucket of nails down a staircase, the trio make heavy tones and distortion feel at home against tightly syncopated grooves and expressive, unusual tonalities. They fill post-metal’s airy soundscapes with tight, but complicated motifs that layer and build into fascinating superpositions.” – Invisible Oranges

“A six-part instrumental suite that puts the stellar musicianship of each member on display, Tropic Of Cancer blends Mahavishnu-esque technical prowess with tangentially metallic rock via Gordian Knot (RIP Sean Malone) and some vaguely Mars Volta style progressive tendencies, minus a lot of the overtly Latin flair. While improvisation is always the name of the game in jazz, when the three of them are locked into a groove, it is about as tight as tight gets.” – Nine Circles

“…we are hit by intensity and energy, first all at unison, and then the three members play their parts taking their own roads, but reaching moments of convergence. The sound is a great blend of prog with jazz with no boundaries…” – The Rocktologist

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