Scott Liss & the Sixty-Six- The Blackpool LettersLiss and his crew are poster boys for risk here, blending many expansive musical influences and scoring big on “ The Blackpool Letters. I admired the skill and patience displayed in selecting the sounds and sculpting the flytrap arrangements on this CD. As Scott says, “seeing it take shape through the songs and production is the best part. I love the creative process the most. I could spend days, weeks, in the studio doing nothing but writing and recording, experimenting with sounds and techniques. » Produced by Liss in collaboration with Paul Ritchie (Parlor Mob), the record owes its dark, edgy sound in part to Scott's penchant for alternative tunings, notably the use of an open D (primarily for tone color) as this allows him to focus on the movement of the internal melody and gives him greater control over chord development. The CD was recorded at John Noll's Retromedia Studios in Red Bank as well as Joey DeMaio's Shore Fire in Long Branch. Enlist the help of friends like Nicole Atkins and Dave Rosen and you really can't go wrong. “The Blackpool Letters” jumps right out of the gate with “Shotgun.” Deeply reverbed (slightly detuned) piano and understated synths roll gently before waking you up with heavy double drum hits and big, roughly chopped guitar licks. Alternative by nature, this is my favorite rocker on the record. The highlight of the performance is when the last vocal note of Scott's chorus lingers to blend brilliantly into the first two bars of the bridge before fading out. And even though Liss is nothing like Ozzy, Dave Rosen's main work comes out of left field with the tonal qualities of Randy Rhoades. Synthetic frenetic and expressively manic, its Hungarian minor mode (harmonic)...... middle of paper ......Captain James and the Pain, Joe Harvard, Colie Brice and others. On Saturday, artists were present on the main beach stage. New Jersey artists such as Bob Polding with Gary Oleyar (Loggins and Messina) performed a set of their own unique blend of American rock and roll, and Sean Cox had a set before giving way to the very popular River City Extension .Seaside Music Festival 2010 was better than the last two years combined, but they still have a large audience to have fun with on the boardwalk. Don't write them off just yet because, as this festival weekend proved, with constant vendor participation, events built to scale, and great music, new people are coming in and joining in. this alternative entertainment by the sea. And it's the ticket that could transform this small festival into a major New Jersey event. For more information, visit the website at: www.seasidemusicfest.com