FLAGPOLE - 28. June 2006 by Will Brooks
I think the reaction of nearly every person in the Caledonia Lounge on Saturday had to be about the same when they heard Ané Diaz first belt out long-held notes that overpowered the music and echoed through the room. You can choose your own expletive, but the basic emotion was amazement. Here was this nearly operatic voice matched with some of the best musicians in town: Frank McDonnell, arguably the best guitarist in town; Creston Spiers, former percussion major and Harvey Milk vocalist, on drums; and former Star Room Boy Philip McArdle holding his own on bass (not usually his instrument of choice) in very esteemed company. The result of all that is a band able to very precisely control the rise and fall of sometimes very complicated songs. The sweltering heat of the club went well with the intensity of the songs, and the crowd just became more tightly packed as the set went on. For good measure, the band, riding the buzz from a strong Flagpole Athens Music Awards performance, threw in a wonderfully executed cover of The Glands’ “Pretty Merrina” - and it takes a lot to cover a Glands song and make it sound good. The last time I saw Producto was with a completely different lineup. It’s grown into one of the best bands in Athens, without a doubt.

 

Links

FLAGPOLE December 7, 2005 by Chris Hassiotis
Athens’ Producto, centers around the magnetic stage presence of vocalist Ané Diaz and the jaw-dropping guitar work of Frank MacDonell, though bassists Andy Baker and Nick Bielli and drummer Aaron Wegelin join in. The band plays an entrancing, dramatic blend of intense rock meshed with heartbroken siren songs and traditional Venezuelan numbers.

 

FLAGPOLE - Club Notes -August 31, 2005 by Ben Gerrard
Relief comes in a potent dose at the hands of local band Producto playing at the Caledonia Lounge. I ask someone at the bar what she knows about the band and she says, "A friend told me that sometimes they sound like Blue Öyster Cult and sometimes they don't sound like Blue Öyster Cult, at all, but they rock!" So far her friend has been right on all counts. The powerfully languid vocals of Ané Diaz are at the forefront of this band, but at its core is the aggressively industrial and darkly stirring guitar work of Frank MacDonell, who achieves some of his isolating soundscapes by playing his guitar with a bow through a range of effects pedals. Diaz is now interspersing fiercely angular Athens rock with a laid-back Venezuelan folk song that sways to a gently waltzing rhythm.

When the dark indie rock returns, I also become very aware of the heavily pulsating basslines of Andy Baker, as Producto's next song rocks out with a post-new-wave-punk groove. As Diaz & Co. continue their stylistic twists and turns, they take on a country-meets-Debbie Harry vocal feel before cruising into a comfortable Laura Morgan cover. With its diverse range of styles and extreme musicianship, Producto is all the non-conforming confrontation and melodic power that I could have hoped for.

 

GAINESVILLE SUN - Scene Magazine - Sound Check: “Producto Delivers the Goods ”. Friday , April 12, 2002 BY Douglas Jordan

Whenever a new band emerges, there’s a tendency to conjure up reference points- usually bands people are familiar with- to describe it. Perhaps nobody is more guilty of this than those of us who write about music in the press.

Trouble is, every once in a while, one comes along with a sound so unique that such shorthand comparisons are difficult. Producto, a foursome playing the Common Grounds Saturday night, is one such band.

But, if I were forced to attempt to reference this group, I’d say it’s a little like Siouxie and Banshess meets the Sugar Cubes, but with a blues-rock foundation, Of course. There’s much more to Producto than that.

Fronting the group is a face that should be familiar to those who followed the local music scene over the years. Ane Diaz, You might remember Diaz as part of The Causey Way or further back, Sumac and Ndolphin. Her mysterious beauty, captivating stage presence and haunting voice have charmed audiences for years. Diaz sings and plays bass fro Producto…

Diaz stresses that even though many of the ideas originate with her, the group’s music a joint effort. “Music is always a collaboration” says the Venezuelan–born Diaz. …

We always make the final call together. I do have a specific sound I go for, but all of us go there very naturally”…

 

MODERN FIX - February 2001
…”The bass player aside from being captivating with her devilish “ oh I could hurt you” grin has an amazing voice…howling in this amazing almost operatic tone. Impressive enough to get extra amount of applause from the crowd…


MAGNET 04/01
“… chanteuse wails trance-like over minor key electronic-pop..”

"My friend Ane's band Producto came down from Athens and did a fantastic set of music that ranged from soothing to operatic and many points in between and around…and beyond." Ken Stringfellow. Posies on a Tallahassee show at FSU

SKRATCH #45
“vocals are pretty trippy and innovating-sort of like Annie Lennox and Nina Hagen.”

FILTER Magazine ( Filter 8)
"Fables and Reconstructions R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe on the state of everything" by Gregg LaGambina
MICHAEL STIPE SAYS: " I think is really exciting time for art and for music right now. I would challange anyone who says that is not."
We say, "OK. prove it."
Hovering over a stack of CDs armed with an iPod on the fritz, Stipe sifts through his collection.
" I have actually laid off all these CDs just so I that I can throw off names to you and some stuff that I 've put on my iPod. This is stuff that I am really excited about."
.... "Another local band Producto. It's my friend Ane who's part of the Florida-comes to Athens gang. She's got a beautiful voice, like Sinead O' Connor."

Articles online: (click links below to read)
FLAGPOLE - ABC Pick by Deirdre Sugiuchi
GAINESVILLE SUN - Sound Check - "Art of the Second Round" by Conor Mitchell