"City of God by Outgrabe is a CD of punchy pop songs which showcases the band's commitment to melodic singing and evocative lyrics. The lively instrumentation includes cello, flute, bozouki, didgeridoo, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, drums, and bass. The songs are wide-ranging in topic: love, loss, god, sex, guns, driving, witches, and transcendence. Outgrabe has developed a sound with an emphasis on hooky, lyrical songs, and melodic singing."
Accent on Tampa, St. Petersburg, FL
"It's understandable why Outgrabe is popular on university radio stations. It has a sound that holds to that experimental college credo: slightly bizarre and resisting pigeonholes with fervor. A strange blend of punk, new age, and metal collides with sometimes folky vocal harmonies.
Reminscent of Stevie Nicks, vocalist Chloe Calaveras is the female half of the dueling vocal team backed by an intricate twisting guitar. The lyrics are heavy handed, but the sound is an intriguing, if confusing, mix of hard-driving rock and new age Celtic. The highlight of the album, "We Like Angels Never Weep," retains the weighty lyrics but is guided by a quieter plucked melody. Outgrabe is an unusual fusion of punked-out sounds combined with exotic instruments like the electric dulcimer. Who knew such a thing could work?"
SF Weekly, San Francisco, CA
"Outgrabe's release entitled City of God features seven incredibly new and original songs. The band features prominently the vocal talents of both male and female - Christopher St. John, who, along with vocals displays his talent with an acoustic guitar and Chloe Calaveras, who reminds me of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. Both vocalists take a new approach with each song, singing both duets and taking the lead individually.
The original sound of Outgrabe is emphasized by their choice in instruments. Calaveras supplements her musical talent with the flute while St. John performs unusual instruments like the electric dulcimer and didgeridoo. What, you may ask? Some research into the world of music reveals that a didgeridoo is an instrument made of Australian wood native of the Aborigines. An authentic instrument gives an authentic sound to Outgrabe.
Aside from their original sound, original lyrics also play an important role in Outgrabe's music. Songs like "Witching Hour" call to the Seven Sisters constellation (and Calaveras adds a Stevie Nicks-like witchy sound as she takes the lead). And "Tequila Mockingbird" plays on the words of the famous novel.
There is no other band similar enough to Outgrabe for comparison. The solo songs of Stevie Nicks could encompass some of the sound when Calaveras takes lead vocal and a little more trembling voice of Jack Johnson could begin to describe the sounds of St. John. Aside from small comparisons, though, Outgrabe presents their audience with a unique and original sound not found anywhere else."
Rampway Online, Atlanta, GA
"City of God, Outgrabe's new album, opens up with beautiful haunting vocals backed by acoustic guitar. When I first put this CD on, I was impressed with the lush music and vocal harmonies between Chloe Calaveras and Christopher St. John, the San Francisco duo that is Outgrabe. Their sound is mostly pleasant folk- rock with other elements, like violin and organ, bozouki and percussion, provided by studio musicians. All seven songs on City of God are very polished-sounding and well put together but the opening title track is a definite highlight- a feel good tune to lift your spirits.
Fantasy and mystical themes run through their songs, with titles like 'Witching Hour' and 'Wasteland.' While Outgrabe's music does have some darker elements, like the song 'Tequila Mockingbird' (which makes reference to Christopher St. John's alcoholic father), overall the music pulsates with positive energy from the lush, glistening instrumentation and vocal harmonies."
Indie-Music.com, Cary, NC