The Insect Trust

One of the more interesting one-shot bands in rock & roll, the Insect Trust's most famous member was writer/critic/ethnomusicologist Robert Palmer, who played alto sax and clarinet. Less famous, but still a notable member, was guitarist/songwriter Luke Faust, who went on to add creative input for <a href="spotify:artist:5ZjKW4JhcFuOXLpuJrr8wJ">the Holy Modal Rounders</a>' string of wonderful early- to mid-'70s records. The Insect Trust released two albums, their self-titled 1968 debut on Capitol, and their second and final LP, Hoboken Saturday Night. Along with the loose-limbed music, Hoboken Saturday Night features musical contributions by heavy hitters (no pun intended) such as drummers <a href="spotify:artist:4dUMhhUjQ2YcNTvab29hYF">Elvin Jones</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0v0wFiHWFaKEEAwlDtDiRT">Bernard "Pretty" Purdie</a>, guitarist Hugh McCracken, and novelist Thomas Pynchon. The music ranges from surreal folk-rock (à la <a href="spotify:artist:5ZjKW4JhcFuOXLpuJrr8wJ">the Holy Modal Rounders</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4tMcZ6q43cH5AbKk3mrdSi">Fugs</a>), to Booker T.-like pop-soul, to flat-out free jazz. Decades after its release, Hoboken Saturday Night sounds a bit dated, but its charm is irresistible, especially when Nancy Jefferies sings and the band cranks up its raucous onslaught of reeds and percussion. Never intended to be a traditional pop act, the Insect Trust should be best remembered for extending rock's boundaries and taking the genre to a much hipper level without resorting to a lot of banal technique. Good luck locating their records. ~ John Dougan, Rovi