JUST CRUISIN'. 58 Belvedere recently released their new album called, "Vista Cruiser". (Photos via Shifting Paradigm's website)

Back in the ’70s, Eric Forman and the gang had many “high” adventures in a famous Vista Cruiser. Now a new Vista Cruiser has emerged. This one is no station wagon; it’s the new album from 58 Belvedere.

58 Belvedere is composed of Dean Granros, Pat Keen, and Dave Power. The trio is based in Minneapolis but has deep Eau Claire connections, having played numerous times in the Chippewa Valley over its 10 years.

On the guitar is Granros, a “visionary oddball” according to the New York Times. Keen brings the bass, vast experience, and education from the New England Conservatory. Power is on the drums, where he’s contributed to projects by The Staves, Justin Vernon, and Adelyn Rose.

Vista Cruiser is the band’s sophomore album. It brings improvisational jazz with hip-hop and electronic flavors mixed in. According to a press release from Shifting Paradigm Records, “The horizon is wide as you journey from fragments of the smoky downtown basement jazz clubs of yore to the cosmic reaches of experimental cowboy jazz.” It is funky, experimental, and rich.

The album is the brainchild of Keen and Dex Wolfe (the album’s engineer and producer). The tracks were improvised, performed, and recorded in one day and then subjected to some post-production creative sorcery.

“Vista Cruiser manages to feel free, improvised, and liberated from traditional expectations, while also embracing them through shapes and structures that bring the album back into abstract conversation with hip-hop, the blues, and electronic music,” the release continues. “It’s a cosmic vehicle meant to carry the listener through urban jungles, dusty back roads, and into the stars.”

Vista Cruiser was released on Feb. 24 and is available for purchase or streaming on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and all the usual streaming platforms.