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Anthony Garone — OK, But Why?
(Moonjune MJR142, 2026, CD / 2LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-06-03

OK, But Why? Cover art

Anyone who’s been paying attention to the world of progressive rock in the last few years is likely to be aware that Anthony Garone is a guitarist with a great amount of technical skill and determination, as well as the ability to talk about music in a way that is both knowledgeable and personable. With OK, But Why? he shows what he’s capable of beyond learning Robert Fripp’s most difficult parts. The album includes fourteen tracks covering a wide variety of music, some of which is devilishly complicated and some of which is melodically quite accessible. He kicks off with “Binge,” a tasty odd-meter workout in the general King Crimson / Stick Men wheelhouse featuring the all-star backing band of Morgan Ågren (drums), Michael Manring (bass), and Steve Ball (guitar) — though on this track, as on all the others, the guest musicians are more than just support, but fully creative collaborators. Elsewhere you’ll find bassists John Landy, Andy West, Rob Müller, and Robbie Mangano; drummers Owen Dueck, Sebastian Lanser, and Rob Müller; guitarists Jan Zehrfeld, Tom Monda, and Gretchen Menn; and other contributions from Gabe Garone (piano), Paul Hanson (bassoon), Tony Garone (vocals), Daniel Shin (piano), Chris Misterek (vocals), Grace Guthrie (violin), Jake Ineck (vocals), and Adam Strand (keyboards). On the guitar side, it’s often the guest who takes the solo rather than Garone himself. As for the vocals, it’s not till track 7, “My Garden,” that we hear them, and each of the three singers only does one song, so the album really is primarily instrumental. In addition to the tricky Crimsonian math-rock, Garone includes three pieces by other composers: Robert Fripp’s “Erudite Eyes,” which dates from the Giles, Giles and Fripp days, and two movements from J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe (BVW 1060) arranged in a very inventive way. The long and short of it is that OK, But Why? is a fascinating and entertaining album from start to finish, and one of the highlights of the year so far.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Michael Manring, Morgan Ågren, Andy West, Paul Hanson, Anthony Garone

More info
http://anthonygarone-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/ok-but-why

 

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