TOTEM is a 5 piece rock band hailing from Norwell, MA.

Gary Alex: Guitar/Voice/Words

Dave Kaslauskas: Voice/Words

Lee Alex: Bass

Mark Matta: Guitar

Doug Reilly: Drums

“Psychedelic five-piece modern rock band with a decidedly global beat” is a hell of a concept to type out, much less to actually process. But Norwell, Mass.’ Totem borrows a thing or two from their namesake and creates a layered tower of sound that flows effortlessly from quasi-folk anthems to a papercraft Jefferson Airplane. The band returns to its frequent chanting grounds of Church to celebrate the arcane rites of the EP release, including the Mystic Gathering of Somewhat Similar Local Talent and the Ancient Invocation of How Great Our Fans Are, Seriously, You Guys Are Why We Do It."

-The Weekly Dig

"TOTEM's "Grateful" doesn't come barging in like the cops on a drug raid, all bashing down the door and shouting at you. On the other hand, it doesn't worm its way into your foyer or front hallway or what-have-you with the empty, false smile of someone who is selling something. "Grateful" is, instead, a charismatically honest piece of musicry that has actual substance to it.

That's right, this song is like a nice refreshing Snapple on a hot day. There is bona fide Stuff in this song, that ingratiates itself to the palate. The principle ingredient in TOTEM's sonic concoction is a fresh and full-sounding chord progression on the acoustic guitar. It is this pleasingly chunky sound that ushers us through "Grateful."

The chord progression is the principle motif of the song; everything falls into step behind its lead. The warmly humming of the lead electric guitar provide a single-note translation of the motif, while the vocal line gives a de-chunkified performance of the same theme. All in all, "Grateful" seems to be an appropriately-named track, as its sheer goodness conquers all, like sunshine or graham crackers or something else that is just nice and good. Like Snapple."

-C.D. On Songs (Boston Band Crush)

"Okay, TOTEM is different and very cool. The track “Song For George” is this anthemic instrumental that reminds me of the sonic grandeur of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. Really great track. Stylistically the music is all over the place, but it works. There are Russian rhythms, and well placed flutes, strings and piano lines mixed throughout a dark blend of bluesy, folkish rock. It can get pretty sublime at times, like a campfire sing along, but it also builds and spirals to great peaks too. The track “Wish” ends with a really creepy musical box intro/outro and some odd three part harmony singing between the boys. You can’t help but shiver when you hear it."

-The Noise

"TOTEM, a Norwell based, five piece band, might have been one of those cool underground attractions in late ‘60s Los Angeles or San Francisco. The local band’s trippy, eclectic brand of modern rock owes more than a passing nod to the legendary psychedelic California club scene of that era. Echoes from the early Grateful Dead and Steve Miller Band, L.A.’s Spirit and the Jefferson Airplane’s notoriously freaky “After Bathing at Baxter’s” album to early, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd abound. But in keeping with rock’s current nature, TOTEM just as fervently applies modern rock’s DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic to these influences, in recording, production and word

of mouth promotion."

-The South Look

"When we think of totem poles, we think of vertical structures with multiple levels. The totem pole tells a vertical story, and "Some Things Missing" is a musical story of sorts, built on a rising chord progression that builds up systematically: I. II. III. IV. Repeat as desired. "Some Things Missing" is not a simple repetition of four chords. The real trick to TOTEM's "Some Things Missing" is the build-up. The song begins rising directly at the onset, never straying away from the

step-up chord progression. The beginning of the song is very subdued; the bass "announced" the progression and the scratchy vocals pop up in the right speaker like a dormouse popping out of a

teapot with a tiny megaphone in his hand. A mid-level guitar joins in, rattling off the chords an octave up and the climb continues. Each layer of sound in "Some Things Missing" is given its own

introductory measure or two, and the construction continues on and on with the first palpable explosion coming around the 2:02 mark, when the song finds its crescendo, the vocals hitting the high tonic of the key and finally exploding for a glorious finale. Is Something actually Missing? Not from this track."

-Boston Band Crush