Chris Rael CHURCH OF BETTY

1994, Ponk Records: Upon returning from extended travels in India, Rael formed a new band with old mates Ed Pastorini of 101 Crustaceans and Jan Kotik of the Mommyheads, and the rhythm section of The Round Band: Jonathan Feinberg and Joe Quigley. Jon and Joe would play with Betty for the better part of a decade. Rael's compositions are patterned directly on South Asian songs; the group took them so far into the stratosphere that the source influences are virtually unrecognizable. This ferociously progressive album earned the group passage to Europe, where they played in Weiner Festwochen's Contemporary Indian Music Festival with many of the world's greatest Indian music stars. DOWNLOAD HERE