Catch It Live!

Ed Hale and Transcendence touch down this week with a CD-release party for their new Rise and Shine. Atlanta transplant Hale first appeared on the Miami scene as one of the Broken Spectacles. When the Specs broke for good in 1994, Hale hit the road for two years, traveling the world and picking up French, Spanish, Hebrew, and a slew of musical styles along the way. Now he and his bandmates (Jon Rose on keyboards, Duane Allen on guitar, Ricardo Mazzi on drums, and Stroman on bass) offer what they call "planet music" — a dynamic mix of Brazilian grooves, Latin rock, and mostly English-language lyrics. Hale's smooth vocals range over guitar riffs, hip-hop blasts, and trance/techno beats. In the words of one of the Transcendence's latest tunes: "tres cool."