Cold Duck Complex, a live funk/jazz/hip-hop staple of the Amherst scene for nearly a decade, was, according to Joey Freshwater (a.k.a. Joe Cardozo), running out of steam when he essentially commissioned his mates to make one more recording, calling it Cold Duck Complex Presents Freshwater: Bad Love. Cardozo penned most of the instrumental music on the CD, with lyrical duties falling to the band's emcee, Platypus Complex. Though time and distance considerations have made it difficult for the band to stay permanently together as a local live or touring entity, Freshwater will (as Cardozo puts it) "be the vehicle for [me] to continue to produce, perform, and record in collaboration with PC, Mak [drummer Makya McCraven], Jeff [D'Antona, keyboardist], and Darby [Wolf, keyboardist] as well as other musicians, emcees and vocalists, while still keeping the Cold Duck Complex collective intact."
The music is certainly worthy of Cardozo's description, "epic instrumental landscapes." Freshwater is never afraid to pin the level meters with screeching feedback or, conversely, launch into a piano waltz. Keyboards play a big part in the mix, and the recording makes fantastic use of ringing acoustic pianos and washy, atmospheric organ and synth sounds. The guitarist (brother Mike Cardozo) has clearly ingested his share of Hendrix (perhaps via John Frusciante). Some songs get loud and fuzz-boxy like old Chili Peppers or Rage Against the Machine, and sometimes the group of obviously schooled musicians ventures into jazz, gospel, classical and even occasional Gregorian chant. The instrumental sections of "She Knows Her Name," for example, verge on a frantic, amphetamine-flavored 1970-ish Emerson, Lake and Palmer aesthetic that might even have been called "fusion" in the '80s.
The rhythms and cadences of the vocals waver between simple Beastie Boys-type proto-rap to smoother, more strung-out rhymes a la Arrested Development or Black-Eyed Peas; unlike many hip-hop vocalists who claim to have "dope skills" on the mic, Platypus Complex never stumbles on an awkward cadence, and never settles for a cheap rhyme. The lyrics roam a wide spectrum of subject matter, from standard gangsta rap/street trash talk to Springsteen-esque social commentary, and even stagger at times into the shameless free association zone of Zappa-style absurdism. There is a hint of '60s-'70s urban protest vibe that recalls Gil Scott Heron and the Last Poets.
"Platinum," short and sweet as it is, may be the best lyrical cut on the album, a cynical four-minute anti-anthem that pulls no punches in calling out everything from armchair social activism to commercial consumerism and rap/rock sell-outs like Kid Rock: "a bad muthafucka holdin' rap for ransom/ in a pickup truck pumpin' arena rock anthems/ a teeny-bop tantrum/ my second-hand emotion's all/ covered in concealer and banana hand lotion…"
Valley Advocate: Is this a Cold Duck Complex record or is this intended to be a whole different thing?
Joey Freshwater: Freshwater is a new project, but this record was made with support and musical contributions from all members of Cold Duck Complex, especially Platypus Complex, of course, who is the main lyricist and vocalist throughout the record, as he is on all CDC records. Freshwater focuses on my production and musical composition while collaborating with others—it's something I've wanted to do for a long time and I appreciate the dudes supporting me on this debut.
Who does all the backing female vocals?
Our friend Alecia Chakour is singing all the female vocals.
You mentioned that the band has dispersed to all corners of the country; where exactly is everybody?
Makaya is in Chicago; I am in New York, though I basically split my time between there and Western Mass. because of two other projects, Show of Cards and The Beautiful Frightening, that are based up there; Platypus Complex, Jeff, Darby, and Mike [Cardozo, guitar and vocals on the album] are all in the Amherst/Northampton area.
How will this affect any sort of touring efforts to support the release?
We will be touring as Freshwater, which leaves us open to working with other musicians when members of Cold Duck are unavailable—Cold Duck will continue to be a rare event, as it has been the last few years. We had initially discussed playing Cold Duck shows with other drummers when Mak couldn't make it out, but it seemed disrespectful to our history and his contribution to the band.
Do you and Platypus Complex live together in New York City?
No, we used to. He moved back to Amherst for grad school.
Do you also have aspirations as a producer? Have you been producing other artists in New York?
Yes. I have produced one other album for folk-rock band Show of Cards, a band led by my sister Karen Cardozo, also featuring my brother Mike on guitar, which will come out in September on M.I.T.E!. I am currently co-producing two other albums for bands that I am in—U.AM (post-punk-dance-thrash duo from NYC) and The Beautiful Frightening (avant garde rock trio from Western Mass—the band name is still tentative).
You seem to be part of something called "Mite Music." What is that?
M.I.T.E! is the record label I recently started to release and promote the work I am doing with various bands, as well as hopefully help out my friends, who are very, very talented people.
What's the goal of this album?
Before I proposed the idea of this album to the CDC crew, my goal was to manifest something that had been burning inside me—a story of struggle and awakening I wanted to tell, but didn't know how because I had never been a lyricist. I felt that if I could produce an album of my music with Platypus Complex, one of the great lyricists of our time, that it would begin to tell that story—I completely feel that this album lives up to my expectations, and I hope people are as moved by it as I am.
Is there a future for Freshwater and/or Cold Duck Complex, and if so, what does it look like?
Absolutely. Freshwater will continue to allow me to develop as a composer while collaborating with PC, all of Cold Duck, other musicians, other vocalists—I intend to get a band together that is ready to tour this music full-time and take it to every corner of the globe. Cold Duck Complex will continue to lay low for the time being, but I hope that when we have the time and resources we can again harness our collective energy and write and record a new album. We're a very powerful force when we work together.
Check out Freshwater/Cold Duck's CD release party July 24, 10 p.m. at the Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton, (413) 586-8686, www.iheg.com or listen at www.mitemusic.com.
