It was the summer of '87, I just turned 17 and my big brother was about to turn me on to something that would change my life forever. He was bringing me to Alpine Valley to see my first Grateful Dead show. We met up with some of his friends on the north shore and started taking the trek. On the way, I was turned on to some live Dead like I have never heard before. Sure, I was exposed to the stuff we all heard - Truckin', Fire On The Mountain and I remember loving Alabama Get Away when I was a little boy but, what I was hearing now was not at all what I expected. The one that stuck hard in my head was Feel Like a Stranger, not sure why but, I really liked it. It was right around then, that we saw some guy heading up to the show on his motorcycle with a big back-pack. Without knowing him, we threw it in the back seat for him so he could have a more comfortable ride. This was my first taste of "Strangers stopping strangers just to shake shake their hand" and 30 years later, I still remember it fondly
We get to Alpine and after a walk around the parking lot for pre-show festivities, we headed in. It was a scene filled with all types- Bikers,hippies, yuppies, college kids, high school kids, freaks,....the whole gamut. It's getting closer to show time and the energy was thick. I don't know how to explain it but it was there and it was real. All of a sudden, I see this mop of grey moving behind the large PA on the stage- this grey mop of hair was so iconic there was no doubt as to whose it was. The band had a quick sit down to talk, the crowd lit up even more and the biker dude next to me screams "SING THE BLUES TO ME!" This was going down and I was home.
After a little tuning, I heard them start to play the one song that I had just been turned on to hours earlier, Feel Like a Stranger. They went through a great first set and then came back for a much more trippy second set followed by some stuff that I was very familiar with- All Along The Watchtower and Gimme Some Lovin'. Musically my mind was blown. Spiritually, I was hooked. This scene, this music, this band forever changed my life. All of a sudden, I was a pickle and I could never be a cucumber again. Yes, I have had times that I was sick of it and needed to get some "strange" but the Grateful Dead are the foundation of my musical experience.
Through the next 8 years, I spent a ton of time with the Dead. They opened me up musically to the best of Americana. They were larger than just this. Shit, they created a whole frickin genre that many of the best touring bands of today give credit to.
While Jerry Garcia was adamant that he was not the leader of the Grateful Dead and I buy it, he was the biggest personality and frankly a musical genius. I was lucky to be there for some of the good times and for his unfortunate self destruction. I caught the last 8 years of his life as a deadhead. My ears and my heart opened to many of the influences of Jerry and the Dead. I learned about Blue Grass, flat picking, jazz/fusion, R&B, Soul and one of my biggest passions FUNK. In the scene I got to travel my country and learn to be kind. It really wasn't about drugs for me, as a matter of fact the majority of the time, I was sober. It was about a musical experience and a human experience. I am torn between saying how much I miss those summer nights (even when it was winter in San Francisco) and how grateful I am to have been there for them. These words by the Garcia/Hunter team sum up my feelings on the 22nd anniversary of Jerry's passing "Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell. Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul"
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Thursday, April 30, 2015
New Orleans: 26 hours of goodness
New Orleans: 26 hours of goodness
Sitting down on a wooden bench on the St. Charles street car listening to strangers laugh and joke with strangers, I started to reflect. I have been here for 26 hours and have had more highlights than most have on vacation in a week. It's not because I am so special; it is just New Orleans. Many think of New Orleans as getting drunk on Bourbon St.- I say what a waste. The music, the food and the history is what this town is about at it's best; poverty, violence, corruption and morons getting drunk on Bourbon St. at it's worst.
Stacey and I got in to our hotel and headed over to Mr B's for our favorite dish anywhere in the world. Mr B's BBQ Shrimp. I will say that before, I had shrimp in NO, I only though I had shrimp. This is an experience not to be missed. The "BBQ sauce" is not really BBQ, it is butter and herbs and they bring you a loaf of crusty bread to mop the sauce with. The shrimp are served head on and I prefer to suck on the heads (like crawfish) when I pull them off as you can get extra flavor. We also had bacon wrapped shrimp n' grits and an amazing smoked artichoke with lump crab in a lemon sauce. After walking off some of the dinner, we decided to get in line for the 8:00 Preservation Hall show. This is an old room that gets filled with an audience of less than 100 for a 40 minute set. A traditional jazz band comes out with a local great leading them for a few months at a time. This was lead by drumming great Shannon Powell, "The King of Treme". Off to Cafe Du Monde for late night beignets and cafe au lait. Though, I usually can't sleep here, I was beat and had to go to bed.
Wednesday morning after a 6 mile run, it was off for another favorite. My favorite breakfast. There is a little dive called Oceana right in the French Quarter. While it looks like a tourist trap dive, the secret is a dish called Eggs Melinzana (SP?). I didn't see it on the menu but the waitress let me know that they can still make it for me. Poached eggs on top of shaved European ham, on top of a grilled tomato sitting on top of fried eggplant and covered with.....wait for it.........loads of hollandaise sauce. Yes, I might die but I will die happy.
Off to the Oak Street Block party in the NO uptown neighborhood. This was a free block party like no other. We walk in past the gates and The Heard (a local Chicago funk band) is playing on one end. They sounded amazing. The block party was separated into two stages each two blocks from each other on Oak St. We walked down to the other end and The Nth Power (a super group founded in New Orleans two years ago and touring the country on the rise) was getting ready to jam. Jam they did! After about a half hour of their own tunes they started playing Steely Dan covers that were amazing. As we looked up in the sky on this sunny day, a sky writer was making smiley faces and messages such as "coexist".
It was time to eat. Right on Oak St is another one of our favorite restaurants, Jacque-Imo's. We went on in. After some corn muffins with mild garlic butter (savory and sweet heaven) we started with rabbit in sauce picuante served over grits (appetizer). The rabbit was fall of the bone tender and the sauce was amazing. Not Stacey's favorite....more for me! After a small spinach and sesame salad with a fried oyster we split a the Softshell Crab Godzilla Meets Fried Green Tomatoes.
Back outside, Leftover Salmon a modern electric bluegrass jam band from Colorado was going hard. I noticed on stage that one of my favorite artists, Frenchie, was painting while they were playing. Frenchie is a New Orleans music artist that keeps his studio on Oak St. So cool to watch him dance and create! After about 5 songs we decided to get some water and see what was happening on the other stage.
The band at the other stage playing funk music was filled with some of the greatest funk musicians on the scene today...all but one member of Lettuce, Mo Brown and Kofi Burbidge from Tedeschi Trucks, Otiel Burbidge from The Alman Brothers, Jennifer Hartswick from Trey Anastasio Band a few others that I didn't know. This was a two hour amazing jam session!!!
We decided to take the street car back-- such charm. The ride back to Canal St goes up St Charles where there are beautiful mansions, Tulane campus buildings and giant trees. On the trees are the most amazing flowers- beads. Beads everywhere reminding everyone of Mardi Gras. This isn't a gimmick, just like the street car is not a gimmick. It's just New Orleans and I love it.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Fat No More Part 1
Taking a diversion off of live music to use the to talk about a my latest dive into my health.
At 31 years old, after losing my best friend in the World Trade Center, loosing all of my money due to mismanagement, immaturity and just generally crashing, I fell into a depression. A little over 7 years later I found myself at 331 Lbs having gained 110+ Lbs. By then (after the 7 years), I had a great wife and children and a rebirth of my career. However, deep down, I knew this couldn't last; I was convinced, I only had 2 years to live....tops. The co-morbidities related to my obesity were weighing me down- physical laziness, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, overwhelming fear & insecurity and the list goes on.
Enough was enough and I was able to make some changes that started me on the path to weight loss. After rapid weight loss, I plateaued. The weight loss was not going to be sustainable without some more changes. So I found a great personal trainer and started to get in better shape. This wasn't about looking better or having the body of Adonis, it was about my health. Health in my eyes was (at this time) just about making sure that I could feel good in my own skin, have some physical capabilities, endurance and lastly, doing all I could to increase the chance for a longer more comfortable life.
The moderate approach has never been for me. Through the web, I found obstacle races and in particular The Spartan Race. The Spartan Race is a run of varying lengths with varying obstacles (i.e. crawling under barbed wire in mud, hopping over 6-8' walls, carrying heavy weights for a distance etc..) I decided that this was for me. I don't understand why I was drawn to it? It is a masochistic way to love myself. Some say it is about the journey rather than the destination but if that was the case, I could just pick up my working out around the neighborhood and gym.
I decided to make a public commitment to complete a Super Spartan (8+ Miles/ 20+ obstacles) and topped it off with a charitable commitment to The Roots of Music. Now if I back out, I don't just let me down, I let the kids at The Roots down. The training has been picked up. The philosophy has been to "get comfortable being uncomfortable". The destination has made the journey more enjoyable and more intense. I am transferring into an athletic middle aged man...this is the journey. Instead of becoming complacent and aging, I am out fighting.
While training for the Super Spartan, I found that about 2 hours away in Milwaukee, there would be a Spartan Sprint (3+ mile race with 15+ obstacles.) and signed up. I did this with the encouragement of some Spartan racers online, friends and even had my buddy Greg say he would do it with me.
Greg and I got to Milwaukee and found all types of people, many fit, some older and some heavier. I decide to feel comfortable with this part of my journey. I couldn't be in my 20s nor could I take back the fact that I was 4 years off of morbid obesity. My journey has me at 43 having gone from 331 to 245...on my way down to 205 (the same weight I was at 14). I am getting stronger, more athletic and more determined.
Without going into the details of the race itself, I completed it. When I crossed the finish line, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Over that 1:26 minutes, I found out about myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I broke though boundaries and found some comradery. The Spartan Race "journey" has been exactly what I needed.
Here are some pictures of my journey:
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At 31 years old, after losing my best friend in the World Trade Center, loosing all of my money due to mismanagement, immaturity and just generally crashing, I fell into a depression. A little over 7 years later I found myself at 331 Lbs having gained 110+ Lbs. By then (after the 7 years), I had a great wife and children and a rebirth of my career. However, deep down, I knew this couldn't last; I was convinced, I only had 2 years to live....tops. The co-morbidities related to my obesity were weighing me down- physical laziness, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, overwhelming fear & insecurity and the list goes on.
Enough was enough and I was able to make some changes that started me on the path to weight loss. After rapid weight loss, I plateaued. The weight loss was not going to be sustainable without some more changes. So I found a great personal trainer and started to get in better shape. This wasn't about looking better or having the body of Adonis, it was about my health. Health in my eyes was (at this time) just about making sure that I could feel good in my own skin, have some physical capabilities, endurance and lastly, doing all I could to increase the chance for a longer more comfortable life.
The moderate approach has never been for me. Through the web, I found obstacle races and in particular The Spartan Race. The Spartan Race is a run of varying lengths with varying obstacles (i.e. crawling under barbed wire in mud, hopping over 6-8' walls, carrying heavy weights for a distance etc..) I decided that this was for me. I don't understand why I was drawn to it? It is a masochistic way to love myself. Some say it is about the journey rather than the destination but if that was the case, I could just pick up my working out around the neighborhood and gym.
I decided to make a public commitment to complete a Super Spartan (8+ Miles/ 20+ obstacles) and topped it off with a charitable commitment to The Roots of Music. Now if I back out, I don't just let me down, I let the kids at The Roots down. The training has been picked up. The philosophy has been to "get comfortable being uncomfortable". The destination has made the journey more enjoyable and more intense. I am transferring into an athletic middle aged man...this is the journey. Instead of becoming complacent and aging, I am out fighting.
While training for the Super Spartan, I found that about 2 hours away in Milwaukee, there would be a Spartan Sprint (3+ mile race with 15+ obstacles.) and signed up. I did this with the encouragement of some Spartan racers online, friends and even had my buddy Greg say he would do it with me.
Greg and I got to Milwaukee and found all types of people, many fit, some older and some heavier. I decide to feel comfortable with this part of my journey. I couldn't be in my 20s nor could I take back the fact that I was 4 years off of morbid obesity. My journey has me at 43 having gone from 331 to 245...on my way down to 205 (the same weight I was at 14). I am getting stronger, more athletic and more determined.
Without going into the details of the race itself, I completed it. When I crossed the finish line, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Over that 1:26 minutes, I found out about myself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I broke though boundaries and found some comradery. The Spartan Race "journey" has been exactly what I needed.
Here are some pictures of my journey:
Me about a year before I started to loose weight
Greg and me before the race
Weighted jump rope in the Spartan Race
Cargo nets in the Spartan Race
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We did it!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Galactic with David Shaw (and other rants)
We need to start by setting the stage.
Galactic rolled into town for a much anticipated show with The Nigel Hall Band opening. Nigel is one of my favorite vocalists today playing with Lettuce, Soulive and touring with Warren Haynes Band. He is the perfect combination of Stevie Wonder with Donny Hathaway and plays the keys well to boot. Nigel's band was what appeared to be a no brainer combination of Erick Coomes (Lettuce), Adam "Schmeenz" Smirnoff (Lettuce) and Jermal Watson (respected NOLA percussionist). I might create a number of enemies by saying that The Nigel Hall Band opener didn't do what I had hoped. It almost seemed like they were restraining themselves out of respect for the headliner. They weren't bad but they were most deftly nothing more than an opener. It was either an off night or lack of chemistry.
When Galactic came out, they sounded good with their NOLA Funk & Jazz, Hip Hop vibe with hints of the middle east rolled into it. While they were good, they weren't making my head spin for the first few songs. (Side note: it may have been the audience as well. A SHOW IS NOT A PLACE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND EXPRESS HOW DRUNK YOU ARE!!! Go to a bar with your buddies, buy a case and stay home to enjoy each other's company but when one is at a concert...STFU!!!) Then out came David Shaw from the Revivalists taking on the role of lead vocals tonight. This is a spot that usually seems to be filled by Corey Glover of Living Colour (who is back on tour). David was the difference maker. This man's stage presence brought the show to the next level. Showmanship is not a difference maker with me; and David is not up there with shtick. He has a stage presence and energy that this show needed. Galactic then turned it up a notch for the rest of the night fueled by David's energy. Other highlights were Robert Mercurios' solo stage bass lead (I do love me some nasty bass) and then they put an exclamation point on this night closing with Led Zeppelin's The Levee's Gonna Break
On to the important message about David Shaw. Before this I have seen David perform as a guest with Dragon Smoke for one song and that's it. After seeing him I did some research on line and got to know his band The Revivalists. I can safely say that The Revivalists are the most exciting new (around since 2007) rock band I have heard in years. They are giving us a taste of Rock and Roll that is possibly the most refreshing thing to happen to rock since Nirvana. Get to see these guys (or David in whatever carnation you can) while you can, they may just be the next big thing. The band is fantastic and David is a charismatic, energetic and talented stage leader
Here's a little taste of The Revivalists:
Galactic rolled into town for a much anticipated show with The Nigel Hall Band opening. Nigel is one of my favorite vocalists today playing with Lettuce, Soulive and touring with Warren Haynes Band. He is the perfect combination of Stevie Wonder with Donny Hathaway and plays the keys well to boot. Nigel's band was what appeared to be a no brainer combination of Erick Coomes (Lettuce), Adam "Schmeenz" Smirnoff (Lettuce) and Jermal Watson (respected NOLA percussionist). I might create a number of enemies by saying that The Nigel Hall Band opener didn't do what I had hoped. It almost seemed like they were restraining themselves out of respect for the headliner. They weren't bad but they were most deftly nothing more than an opener. It was either an off night or lack of chemistry.
When Galactic came out, they sounded good with their NOLA Funk & Jazz, Hip Hop vibe with hints of the middle east rolled into it. While they were good, they weren't making my head spin for the first few songs. (Side note: it may have been the audience as well. A SHOW IS NOT A PLACE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND EXPRESS HOW DRUNK YOU ARE!!! Go to a bar with your buddies, buy a case and stay home to enjoy each other's company but when one is at a concert...STFU!!!) Then out came David Shaw from the Revivalists taking on the role of lead vocals tonight. This is a spot that usually seems to be filled by Corey Glover of Living Colour (who is back on tour). David was the difference maker. This man's stage presence brought the show to the next level. Showmanship is not a difference maker with me; and David is not up there with shtick. He has a stage presence and energy that this show needed. Galactic then turned it up a notch for the rest of the night fueled by David's energy. Other highlights were Robert Mercurios' solo stage bass lead (I do love me some nasty bass) and then they put an exclamation point on this night closing with Led Zeppelin's The Levee's Gonna Break
On to the important message about David Shaw. Before this I have seen David perform as a guest with Dragon Smoke for one song and that's it. After seeing him I did some research on line and got to know his band The Revivalists. I can safely say that The Revivalists are the most exciting new (around since 2007) rock band I have heard in years. They are giving us a taste of Rock and Roll that is possibly the most refreshing thing to happen to rock since Nirvana. Get to see these guys (or David in whatever carnation you can) while you can, they may just be the next big thing. The band is fantastic and David is a charismatic, energetic and talented stage leader
Here's a little taste of The Revivalists:
Monday, November 5, 2012
TAKE ME BACK!!!
In my late 30s Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble at "The Barn" re-lit the fire, GOVT Mule and Widespread Panic stoked the fire but New Orleans (the city and all that goes with it) ran a tanker truck filled with gasoline right into that fire and it exploded into an insatiable desire for Good Ol' Funky Music!!! Upon leaving New Orleans in May, I knew that I had to be back a few times per year. In the meantime, I fed my jones for music by hitting more concerts this summer than many professional musicians (at one point I had a 10 day stretch with 7 shows). The summer has ended with a pilgrimage back to NOLA. This time, it was with my brother and two friends for the last weekend in September. The others allowed me to create the itinerary with a few requirements such as make sure we get to hear some jazz and get reservations at Clancy's.
We rolled in on Thursday, dropped our bags off and headed over to Coop's Place for some of the real deal NOLA grub. Red Fish Meuniere, Red Beans and Rice, Fried Chicken, Fried Crawfish and of course Gumbo was just what we needed to get it started. Everything about it was right...comfort food with that extra bit of funk. We topped it off with a walk down the street to have Beignets and Frozen Coffee from Cafe Du Monde (no apologies for being a tourist). What a way to get the engine started.
As late afternoon approached, it was time to get our funk on. On the agenda for the evening was a trip to Armstrong Park for a free concert then, Kermit Ruffins at Vaughan's and finally off to the Maple Leaf for the Trio. Armstrong Park was a last minute addition and I was nervous that the rest of the guys wouldn't like the lineup of The Stooges Brass Band, Jason Neville with Russell Batiste and Friends with the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The Stooges got up and played there asses off. Like the best of young New Orleans, they combined Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop and Rock. In NOLA, it is not about the style of music, it is just a matter of whether or not it is good. Russell Batiste followed suit and brought on a funky arrangement with Jason Neville (son of Aaron Neville) on vocals. The real treat was seeing the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Mardi Gras Indians, get on stage and perform classics like Meet the Boys on the Battlefront. We got the night started right.
Being a bit tired and hungry, we called an audible, skipped Vaughan's and went to Jacque-Imo's for dinner before seeing The Trio at the Maple Leaf. The Trio is an act that has a rotating cast but almost always includes New Orleans beat poet, character and solid drummer Johnny Vidacovich. This night Johnny Sansone was joining Johnny V on stage to sing, play harp and play accordion. This combination of musicians hadn't played together before and they kept the music pretty simple. While I enjoyed myself, this wasn't the hot nasty funk we came to New Orleans for. The other guys really didn't like The Trio so we called it a night after about 4-5 songs.
These three days were a binge.....nasty, funky and flavorful. I knew before I left that I would eat like I was facing the electric chair and get about as much sleep as if I was studying for finals. We ate at restaurants like Boucherie (where after saying "OH MY GOD!" so many times, the statement was made "there are no atheists at Boucherie"), Couchon, Dante's Kitchen and Clancy's. The next night started with a trip to Preservation Hall to listen to some traditional New Orleans Jazz led by Leroy Jones. Then off to get some funk with the New Orleans Suspects at The Maple Leaf. The Suspects are comprised of members of The Neville Brothers Band ("Mean" Willie Green-Drums), James Brown Band (Jeff Watkins-Sax), Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Jake Eckert-Guitar) and the Radiators (Reggie Scanlan-Bass). These men lit it up, covering the classic dirty NOLA sound with originals and covers. They bring a synergy of sound that is both the combination of all their previous projects but also something that is their own being rounded off with keys and vocals by CR Gruver. Watch for their star to rise in the New Orleans scene.
The highlight of the weekend was going to Tipitina's for Fess' House Party New Orleans Style- A benefit to preserve and renovate the boyhood home of Henry Roeland Byrd AKA Professor Longhair or Fess. Tipitina's -which is a bar named after one of Fess' songs- had New Orleans legendary bass player George Porter Jr (founding member of The Meters, 7 Walkers, Runnin' Pardners and countless studio sessions and sit ins) as the musical director. George recruited his most recent project The Runin' Pardners as the house band. The first set was a tribute to Fess and the boogie-woogie meets rhythm & blues sound that many associate with New Orleans....some may even call this sound the foundation of Rock & Roll. After a few tunes, George called Ed "Zeke" Volker of the Radiators out of retirement and on stage to play some of Fess' music. Zeke also played his tribute to Fess called Long Hard Journey Home. Then it was time for John Cleary (Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Bonnie Raitt and John Scofield) to take over on the keys. John's sound is so purely New Orleans that it's hard to believe he is actually as English as the queen herself. Tip's was on fire and it was time to chill out a bit so George called up Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of the Marsalis family to play the piano on a few Jazz tunes. As Marsalis walked off the stage George screamed "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE!!!!?" Sure enough, there was. The next generation of Professor Longhair sound is embodied in Mac "Dr John" Rebennack. Dr John took the stage and the piano with all the attitude that a musician of his stature should. He sat right down and went into a smoking cover of Tipitina. This is the one that made the trip all worth it. If it was just this highlight for the weekend, I would have called it a success. If you have read my blog before, I have defined a high point where the band and audience come together for a climactic experience that I call "the moment"...this was "the moment". After about 5 tunes and calling John Cleary back on stage the set was over.
For those that aren't familiar with Fess, here is a little clip from a party that was thrown by Paul and Linda McCartney in 1978:
George let us know not to go anywhere, that he would be back for some "Tie -Die"; his way of telling us that he was going to get funky on the next set. George put a legendary set together with his Runnin Pardners. They played Runnin Pardners originals, Meters tunes and a few New Orleans classics such as Oop Poo Pah Doo.
The show had to come to an end but the rest of my middle aged raging friends and I were not ready. So we hopped a cab back to The Maple Leaf and caught the end of the 2nd night for the New Orleans Suspects. One early morning meal, a two hour nap and back to the airport for home. For many this is where they would say that they had their fill and need a rest. Well, this 9 course degustation of pure NOLA goodness just fanned the fire of my funk appetite......TAKE ME BACK!!!!
We rolled in on Thursday, dropped our bags off and headed over to Coop's Place for some of the real deal NOLA grub. Red Fish Meuniere, Red Beans and Rice, Fried Chicken, Fried Crawfish and of course Gumbo was just what we needed to get it started. Everything about it was right...comfort food with that extra bit of funk. We topped it off with a walk down the street to have Beignets and Frozen Coffee from Cafe Du Monde (no apologies for being a tourist). What a way to get the engine started.
As late afternoon approached, it was time to get our funk on. On the agenda for the evening was a trip to Armstrong Park for a free concert then, Kermit Ruffins at Vaughan's and finally off to the Maple Leaf for the Trio. Armstrong Park was a last minute addition and I was nervous that the rest of the guys wouldn't like the lineup of The Stooges Brass Band, Jason Neville with Russell Batiste and Friends with the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The Stooges got up and played there asses off. Like the best of young New Orleans, they combined Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop and Rock. In NOLA, it is not about the style of music, it is just a matter of whether or not it is good. Russell Batiste followed suit and brought on a funky arrangement with Jason Neville (son of Aaron Neville) on vocals. The real treat was seeing the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Mardi Gras Indians, get on stage and perform classics like Meet the Boys on the Battlefront. We got the night started right.
Being a bit tired and hungry, we called an audible, skipped Vaughan's and went to Jacque-Imo's for dinner before seeing The Trio at the Maple Leaf. The Trio is an act that has a rotating cast but almost always includes New Orleans beat poet, character and solid drummer Johnny Vidacovich. This night Johnny Sansone was joining Johnny V on stage to sing, play harp and play accordion. This combination of musicians hadn't played together before and they kept the music pretty simple. While I enjoyed myself, this wasn't the hot nasty funk we came to New Orleans for. The other guys really didn't like The Trio so we called it a night after about 4-5 songs.
These three days were a binge.....nasty, funky and flavorful. I knew before I left that I would eat like I was facing the electric chair and get about as much sleep as if I was studying for finals. We ate at restaurants like Boucherie (where after saying "OH MY GOD!" so many times, the statement was made "there are no atheists at Boucherie"), Couchon, Dante's Kitchen and Clancy's. The next night started with a trip to Preservation Hall to listen to some traditional New Orleans Jazz led by Leroy Jones. Then off to get some funk with the New Orleans Suspects at The Maple Leaf. The Suspects are comprised of members of The Neville Brothers Band ("Mean" Willie Green-Drums), James Brown Band (Jeff Watkins-Sax), Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Jake Eckert-Guitar) and the Radiators (Reggie Scanlan-Bass). These men lit it up, covering the classic dirty NOLA sound with originals and covers. They bring a synergy of sound that is both the combination of all their previous projects but also something that is their own being rounded off with keys and vocals by CR Gruver. Watch for their star to rise in the New Orleans scene.
The highlight of the weekend was going to Tipitina's for Fess' House Party New Orleans Style- A benefit to preserve and renovate the boyhood home of Henry Roeland Byrd AKA Professor Longhair or Fess. Tipitina's -which is a bar named after one of Fess' songs- had New Orleans legendary bass player George Porter Jr (founding member of The Meters, 7 Walkers, Runnin' Pardners and countless studio sessions and sit ins) as the musical director. George recruited his most recent project The Runin' Pardners as the house band. The first set was a tribute to Fess and the boogie-woogie meets rhythm & blues sound that many associate with New Orleans....some may even call this sound the foundation of Rock & Roll. After a few tunes, George called Ed "Zeke" Volker of the Radiators out of retirement and on stage to play some of Fess' music. Zeke also played his tribute to Fess called Long Hard Journey Home. Then it was time for John Cleary (Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Bonnie Raitt and John Scofield) to take over on the keys. John's sound is so purely New Orleans that it's hard to believe he is actually as English as the queen herself. Tip's was on fire and it was time to chill out a bit so George called up Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of the Marsalis family to play the piano on a few Jazz tunes. As Marsalis walked off the stage George screamed "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE!!!!?" Sure enough, there was. The next generation of Professor Longhair sound is embodied in Mac "Dr John" Rebennack. Dr John took the stage and the piano with all the attitude that a musician of his stature should. He sat right down and went into a smoking cover of Tipitina. This is the one that made the trip all worth it. If it was just this highlight for the weekend, I would have called it a success. If you have read my blog before, I have defined a high point where the band and audience come together for a climactic experience that I call "the moment"...this was "the moment". After about 5 tunes and calling John Cleary back on stage the set was over.
For those that aren't familiar with Fess, here is a little clip from a party that was thrown by Paul and Linda McCartney in 1978:
George let us know not to go anywhere, that he would be back for some "Tie -Die"; his way of telling us that he was going to get funky on the next set. George put a legendary set together with his Runnin Pardners. They played Runnin Pardners originals, Meters tunes and a few New Orleans classics such as Oop Poo Pah Doo.
The show had to come to an end but the rest of my middle aged raging friends and I were not ready. So we hopped a cab back to The Maple Leaf and caught the end of the 2nd night for the New Orleans Suspects. One early morning meal, a two hour nap and back to the airport for home. For many this is where they would say that they had their fill and need a rest. Well, this 9 course degustation of pure NOLA goodness just fanned the fire of my funk appetite......TAKE ME BACK!!!!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Jazz Fest 2012 2nd Weekend, Night 1-
STARTING THE TRIP
Words cant describe the excitement that I felt going to New Orleans for the first time in my life at 41 years old (but I am going to attempt it). I have planned this trip for months. I have interviewed friends about the fest, the food, the town and even about the music....the music that I have loved for years. I first got turned on to the sounds of New Orleans with The Grateful Dead's covers of Hey Pocky Way and Aiki-Aikio and their smoking hot collaboration with the Neville Brothers for a show back in 1987 (heard tapes/wasn't there). Later on my brother and I checked out The Funky Meters at a little New Orleans themed bar (I think it was called The Gulf Coast) on Lincoln Avenue. We were sold on what in my opinion is the single hottest band in history......these guys cooked (more on them later). That opened the door to The Radiators, The Subdudes, Dr John and a whole host of funky New Orleans goodness. Even with this love of New Orleans, I never went there.
Stacey (my wife) and I were planning a trip to Puerto Rico. The routine for our trip in Spring has been my employer flies us somewhere and pays for 3 days at a fancy hotel and we go a few days early or late to spend time on our own without the other employees. As we were in the middle of planning, I realized that I am not the guy that will sit by the beach or pool and just relax.....I don't enjoy relaxing. I want to rage, to go places, do stuff and take it in....music, food and culture is what I need. So, I took a look at flying from PR to New Orleans after the reward trip and going to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Within an hour of the thought, Stacey was sold and I had a room booked and our minds were made up. I couldn't believe it. This was going to happen JAZZFEST!!!!! I was going to get to see people like George Porter Jr (bass player for the Meters) in his element. Stacey was happy about seeing bands like the Zach Brown Band and the Eagles (who were scheduled for our weekend).I studied the restaurants, the music venues and jazzfest. I looked at all the options and schedules. Like peanut butter and chocolate, this made perfect sense. I just needed to be connected with this place.
We got into our hotel around 1:30 and grabbed a bite to eat at K-Paul (Chef Paul Prudhome's signature restaurant). Of course this being New Orleans, we ordered Gumbo and a Shrimp Po' Boy. After a little walk around the French Quarter and an attempt to nap, we grabbed dinner with my friend (and ex step father) Bob at NOLA (one of Emeril Lagasse's three New Orleans restaurants). I started with Gumbo and then Shrimp 'n Grits. Great meal/ great company! On to the music!
BRING ON THE MUSIC- NIGHT 1
We hopped a cab across town to the Maple Leaf to see The Johnny Vidocovich Trio (Johnny Vidocovich, George Porter Jr and June Yamagishi) with Special Guest Ivan Neville. When I jumped out of the cab at the Leaf, George Porter Jr, was right there outside. Is this real? This is one of the inventors of funk music (along with fellow Meters, Art Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste and Leo Nocentelli) and the father of "funky-ass bass." I threw all of my desire to be cool away and managed to say "George, can I get a picture with you?" There I was standing next to the man, who 20 years ago funkified my life back in Chicago. He handles himself like the statesman he is. After the picture, George went off to the Sushi place next door and Stacey and I went and checked out the Maple Leaf.
The Leaf is a small dive bar with a small music area, about half the size of a basketball court. The stage looks crowded without the musicians on stage. At the back of the music area there is an outdoor patio where we went to hang out. This was a very cozy little place, with friendly people. After some conversation with other music lovers, we went in to grab our spot about 10 people back from the stage. Some tune up and Johnny Vidocovich starts to form a beat on his kit. This groove was completely organic, not forced at all. All of a sudden Johny starts into his beat poet routine with a rap "havin' fun.....beatin' on my drums." George Picks up the groove and away we go. About a song or two in and Ivan Neville comes on stage to take on the keys. It is not a grand entrance, it is just another guy making it to his jam session. This band was hot. They didn't play a single song I have ever heard before but that is not what it is about. This is improvisational give and take.
We were really getting in a grove when Stacey, tapped me on the shoulder to say "I need to go outside, I am really hot" (Stacey has been on meds that have caused heat flashes for the last month.) She was going to go out back and I would catch up with her at the set break. She started to say something incomprehensible and then passed out cold. I grabbed her before she hit the floor and pulled her our of the show using my back to push people out of the way (as politely as possible). We went back to the hotel together and she looked much better. She explained to me that she wouldn't feel good about me staying in with her when all the music is going on out there (did I mention, Stacey is the coolest wife on earth?) I got a text from my friend Steve saying that he was leaving the Leaf to see The Bear Creek All Stars at One Eyed Jacks. I knew nothing about them but was told George Porter Jr was showing up later. So I went ahead and walked down the street to One Eyed Jack's( on Stacey's insistence.)
One Eyed Jacks was small bar with a back room that looked like a capacity of about 300. When I walked in, I was blown away by what was happening on stage. There was Eddie Roberts (of The New Mastersounds) on guitar, Robert Walter (of the Greyboy All Stars) on organ, Nikki Gillespie (now with Dumpstaphunk) on drums. I didn't know the brass section but they were great -Natalie Cressman on Trombone, Jennifer Hartswick on Trumpet, Joe Cohen on Sax and a tuba player whose name I don't know . The Bear Creek All Stars were laying down some serious old school funk, no vocals just hot jazzy funk. This went on for about an hour and a half. I noticed that the back and side stage was starting to fill up with musicians. It was like word got out around town that this was the place to be. Each one was impressed and each one was impressive. This was quickly turning into a Jam session for the ages.
After a short break and some stagehands plugging in a new amp, another set started but this time, it was led by the grand statesman of the funky-ass bass, George Porter Jr.
At points through the night different musicians took the stage without any pomp and ceremony.....they were just as excited to get up there and jam as we were to see them
Here is a line up of who came out (along with the previously mentioned musicians)- It's a virtual "whose who" of modern funk:
Terrence Higgins from The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Warren Haynes Band-Drums
Alan Evans- Soulive-Drums
Adam Deitch-Lettuce, Dr Klaw, Break Science, 50cent, John Schofield-Drums
Neal Evans-Soulive, Lettuce - Keys and Tambourine
Roosevelt Collier- Lee Boys- Lap Steel (A stand-up version of pedal steel)
Mike Wooten-Guitar
Ivan Neville- Dumpstaphunk, Dr Klaw, Keith Richards- Keys
Alicia Chakour-Warren Haynes Band, Nigel Hall Band- Vocals
Nigel Hall- Warren Haynes Band, Nigel Hall Band- Vocals, Keys, Tambourine
Eric Krasno- Lettuce, Soulive, Chapter Two, Dr. Klaw- -Guitar
Will Bernard- guitar
Ryan Zoidis- Lettuce, Shady Horns- Sax
James Casey- Sax
Eric Blooom- Trumpet
There were still a few more whose names I do not know.
The jam went on for another 2 hours. Just the first night of jazzfest and I was in the most intense musical bliss of my life. No musical experience that I have ever had has compared to this. It was improvisational funk without being pretentious. This was not jamming to screw with my mind, far from it....we were part of this.....all on the same page, performers and crowd alike. It's hard to think of music as "inclusive" but that might be the best word to describe it. We were jamming with the musicians. They were digging each other and bringing out the best of all of us. When 5:00am rolled around, I was ruined. It was Thursday morning, and we had 4 days of music in front of us. New Orleans didn't hold back. It dropped the gauntlet and then kicked my ass in the first round. It " let me know that all that I had done up until this point was kid's stuff. I turned to my friend Steve and said "now what?" on the way out; to which he replied with a big smile "It's Jazzfest!"
Here is a nice clip from One Eyed Jack's (George Porter, Eddie Roberts, Nigel Hall, Nikki Gillespie, James Casey, Eric Krasno)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCt7_V4a88w
Stay tuned for Friday, my first day on the fairgrounds
Words cant describe the excitement that I felt going to New Orleans for the first time in my life at 41 years old (but I am going to attempt it). I have planned this trip for months. I have interviewed friends about the fest, the food, the town and even about the music....the music that I have loved for years. I first got turned on to the sounds of New Orleans with The Grateful Dead's covers of Hey Pocky Way and Aiki-Aikio and their smoking hot collaboration with the Neville Brothers for a show back in 1987 (heard tapes/wasn't there). Later on my brother and I checked out The Funky Meters at a little New Orleans themed bar (I think it was called The Gulf Coast) on Lincoln Avenue. We were sold on what in my opinion is the single hottest band in history......these guys cooked (more on them later). That opened the door to The Radiators, The Subdudes, Dr John and a whole host of funky New Orleans goodness. Even with this love of New Orleans, I never went there.
Stacey (my wife) and I were planning a trip to Puerto Rico. The routine for our trip in Spring has been my employer flies us somewhere and pays for 3 days at a fancy hotel and we go a few days early or late to spend time on our own without the other employees. As we were in the middle of planning, I realized that I am not the guy that will sit by the beach or pool and just relax.....I don't enjoy relaxing. I want to rage, to go places, do stuff and take it in....music, food and culture is what I need. So, I took a look at flying from PR to New Orleans after the reward trip and going to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Within an hour of the thought, Stacey was sold and I had a room booked and our minds were made up. I couldn't believe it. This was going to happen JAZZFEST!!!!! I was going to get to see people like George Porter Jr (bass player for the Meters) in his element. Stacey was happy about seeing bands like the Zach Brown Band and the Eagles (who were scheduled for our weekend).I studied the restaurants, the music venues and jazzfest. I looked at all the options and schedules. Like peanut butter and chocolate, this made perfect sense. I just needed to be connected with this place.
We got into our hotel around 1:30 and grabbed a bite to eat at K-Paul (Chef Paul Prudhome's signature restaurant). Of course this being New Orleans, we ordered Gumbo and a Shrimp Po' Boy. After a little walk around the French Quarter and an attempt to nap, we grabbed dinner with my friend (and ex step father) Bob at NOLA (one of Emeril Lagasse's three New Orleans restaurants). I started with Gumbo and then Shrimp 'n Grits. Great meal/ great company! On to the music!
BRING ON THE MUSIC- NIGHT 1
We hopped a cab across town to the Maple Leaf to see The Johnny Vidocovich Trio (Johnny Vidocovich, George Porter Jr and June Yamagishi) with Special Guest Ivan Neville. When I jumped out of the cab at the Leaf, George Porter Jr, was right there outside. Is this real? This is one of the inventors of funk music (along with fellow Meters, Art Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste and Leo Nocentelli) and the father of "funky-ass bass." I threw all of my desire to be cool away and managed to say "George, can I get a picture with you?" There I was standing next to the man, who 20 years ago funkified my life back in Chicago. He handles himself like the statesman he is. After the picture, George went off to the Sushi place next door and Stacey and I went and checked out the Maple Leaf.
The Leaf is a small dive bar with a small music area, about half the size of a basketball court. The stage looks crowded without the musicians on stage. At the back of the music area there is an outdoor patio where we went to hang out. This was a very cozy little place, with friendly people. After some conversation with other music lovers, we went in to grab our spot about 10 people back from the stage. Some tune up and Johnny Vidocovich starts to form a beat on his kit. This groove was completely organic, not forced at all. All of a sudden Johny starts into his beat poet routine with a rap "havin' fun.....beatin' on my drums." George Picks up the groove and away we go. About a song or two in and Ivan Neville comes on stage to take on the keys. It is not a grand entrance, it is just another guy making it to his jam session. This band was hot. They didn't play a single song I have ever heard before but that is not what it is about. This is improvisational give and take.
We were really getting in a grove when Stacey, tapped me on the shoulder to say "I need to go outside, I am really hot" (Stacey has been on meds that have caused heat flashes for the last month.) She was going to go out back and I would catch up with her at the set break. She started to say something incomprehensible and then passed out cold. I grabbed her before she hit the floor and pulled her our of the show using my back to push people out of the way (as politely as possible). We went back to the hotel together and she looked much better. She explained to me that she wouldn't feel good about me staying in with her when all the music is going on out there (did I mention, Stacey is the coolest wife on earth?) I got a text from my friend Steve saying that he was leaving the Leaf to see The Bear Creek All Stars at One Eyed Jacks. I knew nothing about them but was told George Porter Jr was showing up later. So I went ahead and walked down the street to One Eyed Jack's( on Stacey's insistence.)
One Eyed Jacks was small bar with a back room that looked like a capacity of about 300. When I walked in, I was blown away by what was happening on stage. There was Eddie Roberts (of The New Mastersounds) on guitar, Robert Walter (of the Greyboy All Stars) on organ, Nikki Gillespie (now with Dumpstaphunk) on drums. I didn't know the brass section but they were great -Natalie Cressman on Trombone, Jennifer Hartswick on Trumpet, Joe Cohen on Sax and a tuba player whose name I don't know . The Bear Creek All Stars were laying down some serious old school funk, no vocals just hot jazzy funk. This went on for about an hour and a half. I noticed that the back and side stage was starting to fill up with musicians. It was like word got out around town that this was the place to be. Each one was impressed and each one was impressive. This was quickly turning into a Jam session for the ages.
After a short break and some stagehands plugging in a new amp, another set started but this time, it was led by the grand statesman of the funky-ass bass, George Porter Jr.
At points through the night different musicians took the stage without any pomp and ceremony.....they were just as excited to get up there and jam as we were to see them
Here is a line up of who came out (along with the previously mentioned musicians)- It's a virtual "whose who" of modern funk:
Terrence Higgins from The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Warren Haynes Band-Drums
Alan Evans- Soulive-Drums
Adam Deitch-Lettuce, Dr Klaw, Break Science, 50cent, John Schofield-Drums
Neal Evans-Soulive, Lettuce - Keys and Tambourine
Roosevelt Collier- Lee Boys- Lap Steel (A stand-up version of pedal steel)
Mike Wooten-Guitar
Ivan Neville- Dumpstaphunk, Dr Klaw, Keith Richards- Keys
Alicia Chakour-Warren Haynes Band, Nigel Hall Band- Vocals
Nigel Hall- Warren Haynes Band, Nigel Hall Band- Vocals, Keys, Tambourine
Eric Krasno- Lettuce, Soulive, Chapter Two, Dr. Klaw- -Guitar
Will Bernard- guitar
Ryan Zoidis- Lettuce, Shady Horns- Sax
James Casey- Sax
Eric Blooom- Trumpet
There were still a few more whose names I do not know.
The jam went on for another 2 hours. Just the first night of jazzfest and I was in the most intense musical bliss of my life. No musical experience that I have ever had has compared to this. It was improvisational funk without being pretentious. This was not jamming to screw with my mind, far from it....we were part of this.....all on the same page, performers and crowd alike. It's hard to think of music as "inclusive" but that might be the best word to describe it. We were jamming with the musicians. They were digging each other and bringing out the best of all of us. When 5:00am rolled around, I was ruined. It was Thursday morning, and we had 4 days of music in front of us. New Orleans didn't hold back. It dropped the gauntlet and then kicked my ass in the first round. It " let me know that all that I had done up until this point was kid's stuff. I turned to my friend Steve and said "now what?" on the way out; to which he replied with a big smile "It's Jazzfest!"
Here is a nice clip from One Eyed Jack's (George Porter, Eddie Roberts, Nigel Hall, Nikki Gillespie, James Casey, Eric Krasno)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCt7_V4a88w
Stay tuned for Friday, my first day on the fairgrounds
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Trying to define "The Moment" with two days of Widespread Panic
Intro
I want to write about reliving the irresponsible days of my youth while traveling on the road having the best time of my life because it sounds romantic and exciting. In reality, I am living the best time of my life right now; furthermore, the story of my youth is not that of a hardcore free-spirited road warrior. While by the time I was almost 19, you might say I had too much too fast, I was given a second chance at life. Once I got comfortable with my second phase of life, I was able get back into my passion for live shows and getting on the road to see them. I felt alive and comfortable in the live music scene. When I was younger the scene revolved around the Grateful Dead. I would take long weekends from work and go see two or three shows in towns such as Oakland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Buffalo, DC and Hamilton to name a few. In every town, there were familiar faces and I was one of them. We were all there for our own purposes and we were all insiders but at the same time we were all checking each other out. My dirty little secret...I was just a regular guy in my early 20s. At work the secret was that I was into this dirty dead-head lifestyle and when I was on the road the secret was that I was an ambitious, competitive and driven professional.
At shows I was chasing what I will call "The Moment". For me "The Moment"was not about how I could save the planet or get messed up enough to actually see that dragon with matches that Jerry Garcia sang about. "The Moment" for me was a musical high point. This is the moment that is built up between the audience and the band. I have heard the Grateful Dead talk of it in terms of an exchange of energy. Sometimes, you can feel it coming before the show. The crowd is ready for something special and gets the band going. The band reacts with something special and it goes back and forth until you get to "The Moment". Although the band is all in line during this moment, it doesn't mean that they are playing tight nor is it sloppy. It is at that moment that the audience becomes possessed. People are screaming, jaws are dropping and yes, I have even cried (kind of cheesy!).
Rebirth-
Fast forward 15-20 years. I am a happily married father of 4 living in the suburbs. I have no dirty secrets and no apologies. I still love "The Moment" and pursue it with the same passion. The Grateful Dead is gone and now I have bands like The Levon Helm Band, Govt Mule, Furthur, The Warren Haynes Band, Tedeschi Trucks, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and WideSpread Panic.
WS(MF)P!!!
I first got turned on to Widespread Panic (WSP) in October of '92. My brother, Greg, and I went to see them at The Riviera . They were the opening act for Blues Traveler who we didn't really have an interest in. We wanted to see this Jam Band from Athens (the term Jam Band really hadn't been used much at that time) after reading a newspaper article about them. They were fantastic. Their music was both familiar in style and unfamiliar in content. As time went on I went to see them a few more times and then Jerry Garcia died. While it may sound weird to talk about the death of Jerry Garcia while writing about WSP but, it is significant. Jerry Garcia's death brought the Jam Band scene to life.
Fast forward to 1999. In '99, Greg flew in from NYC to see The Funky Meters with me at the UIC Pavilion but when he did, The Funky Meters were the opening act for WSP. This is the same band that was an opening act at The Riviera (capacity 2300) and now they are headlining The UIC Pavilion (capacity about 11,000) 7 years later. Bands like WSP were filling the void that was left when Jerry died. For the hardcore "spreadheads" (term used to speak of followers of WSP) out there, this is not to say that WSP has no merit on their own. This is about taking lemons and making lemonade....and some fantastic lemonade at that!!!!
Fast forward to 2011. This weekend, I caught WSP at The Chicago Theatre Friday and Saturday. They are an exciting show for me because their tunes are still unfamiliar even after seeing them about 15 times. They have a distinctive sound with the raspy voice of John "JB" Bell at the helm. They have one of the best rhythm sections in modern Rock and Roll lead by Dave Schools on Bass. While Schools is solid on the basics that create the pulse of this band, he lays down some of the funkiest bass beats I have heard. He moves the band from dark heavy metal and muddy blues on to trips to the 70s with dance beats that John Travolta would be thrilled to gyrate to. Schools is far from being retro, his bass work would not be out of place at a rave today. On kit drums is Todd Nance who is rock solid but the complex percussion work goes to Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz. You can see Sunny playing conga with his right hand while playing steel drum with his left, I am guessing his only wish would be to have been born with more limbs. On lead guitar is Jam Band regular Jimmy Herring. Jimmy has been around this scene forever playing with bands like The Other Ones, The Dead and The Allman Brothers Band and he is right at home with WSP. Jimmy replaces original lead guitar player and founding member Michael Houser who passed away from cancer in 2002. Rounding it off is John "Jo Jo" Herman on Keyboards and Vocals. Jo Jo adds some fun New Orleans flair to the band (even thought he is from New York.) The influence of New Orleans legend Professor Longhair and The Band's organ player Garth Hudson can be heard in Jo Jo. His music adds the fun playful element that rounds WSP off.
WSP gave me "The Moment" many times over the last two nights. First set of the first night rocked hard, while they played the familiar Walking, part of the excitement for me was the lack of familiarity of the whole set. I am not able to anticipate this band's every move so they just lead me around by the figurative leash while I submitted to their musical whims. For me it was really Dave Schools that I got caught up in. He laid down the tracks that Jimmy would color. When you really listen, it is Schools that was getting the audience moving to Jimmy's jams. Second set was even better with an incredible tune called Stop and Go. Stop and Go is spacey, funky with a flavor that is very close to The Grateful Dead's Fire On The Mountain. After some great jamming, in out of various tunes, Jimmy led us into the JJ Cale classic Ride Me High. This is sung by Jo Jo with tons of audience interaction which is always fun but more importantly, it brings on "The Moment". Schools, Jimmy and Jo Jo all got a piece of this moment. They encored night one with the folk classic Baby Let Me Follow You Down (popularized by Bob Dylan), Baby, Please Don't Go (recorded by many and popularized by Alvin Lee and AC/DC) and WSP's own Makes Sense to Me.
Night two gave me an extra experience. Due to a number of friends' change of plans, I went to the show solo and really enjoyed it....only my own agenda and total anonymity. Tonight it seems that back stage the band may may have said something to the extent of ' we are in Chicago, let's do some blues'. This first set was full of muddy and sometimes dark sounding blues opening up with JB at his deepest and raspiest for Going Out West. Jo Jo sang the American classic Stagger Lee as arranged by Professor Long Hair. They got out of the blues and mixed in a funky tune that I liked called Little Lilly. First set was good but second set blew my mind. It was like they stacked up so many of those incredible moments that it was one big intense high point that lasted for 83 minutes. In a set built of many high points, I was particularly impressed by Greta which is another fun tune by Jo Jo into the hard rocking Fishwater. They jammed through to my highpoint of the weekend, Arleen. This is probably my favorite song by WSP. It is hard rock, reggae, funk and loads of fun! At WSP shows, you almost never see anyone sitting in their seats but for this Arleen, there wasn't a person that wasn't shaking from their heads down to their toes. It was so intense and lively, every time I heard the lines "I CANT STAND IT! NO!!" It became a very personal and meaningful experience. This was "The Moment" of moments. They brought it back to Fishwater and left us begging for more. Quadruple Encore was the Doors' Peace Frog into;Blue Sunday and then End of the Show (by Bloodkin) and lastly they ended the weekend with the song and message Ain't Life Grand? This was a poetic way end to an incredible weekend of music.
There is no longer any conflict. I am a suburban dad that loves music. I got turned on to the good stuff as a kid and am able to know it when I hear it as an adult. This isn't for everyone but for me, I can't picture my life without chasing "The Moment"
I want to write about reliving the irresponsible days of my youth while traveling on the road having the best time of my life because it sounds romantic and exciting. In reality, I am living the best time of my life right now; furthermore, the story of my youth is not that of a hardcore free-spirited road warrior. While by the time I was almost 19, you might say I had too much too fast, I was given a second chance at life. Once I got comfortable with my second phase of life, I was able get back into my passion for live shows and getting on the road to see them. I felt alive and comfortable in the live music scene. When I was younger the scene revolved around the Grateful Dead. I would take long weekends from work and go see two or three shows in towns such as Oakland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Buffalo, DC and Hamilton to name a few. In every town, there were familiar faces and I was one of them. We were all there for our own purposes and we were all insiders but at the same time we were all checking each other out. My dirty little secret...I was just a regular guy in my early 20s. At work the secret was that I was into this dirty dead-head lifestyle and when I was on the road the secret was that I was an ambitious, competitive and driven professional.
At shows I was chasing what I will call "The Moment". For me "The Moment"was not about how I could save the planet or get messed up enough to actually see that dragon with matches that Jerry Garcia sang about. "The Moment" for me was a musical high point. This is the moment that is built up between the audience and the band. I have heard the Grateful Dead talk of it in terms of an exchange of energy. Sometimes, you can feel it coming before the show. The crowd is ready for something special and gets the band going. The band reacts with something special and it goes back and forth until you get to "The Moment". Although the band is all in line during this moment, it doesn't mean that they are playing tight nor is it sloppy. It is at that moment that the audience becomes possessed. People are screaming, jaws are dropping and yes, I have even cried (kind of cheesy!).
Rebirth-
Fast forward 15-20 years. I am a happily married father of 4 living in the suburbs. I have no dirty secrets and no apologies. I still love "The Moment" and pursue it with the same passion. The Grateful Dead is gone and now I have bands like The Levon Helm Band, Govt Mule, Furthur, The Warren Haynes Band, Tedeschi Trucks, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and WideSpread Panic.
WS(MF)P!!!
I first got turned on to Widespread Panic (WSP) in October of '92. My brother, Greg, and I went to see them at The Riviera . They were the opening act for Blues Traveler who we didn't really have an interest in. We wanted to see this Jam Band from Athens (the term Jam Band really hadn't been used much at that time) after reading a newspaper article about them. They were fantastic. Their music was both familiar in style and unfamiliar in content. As time went on I went to see them a few more times and then Jerry Garcia died. While it may sound weird to talk about the death of Jerry Garcia while writing about WSP but, it is significant. Jerry Garcia's death brought the Jam Band scene to life.
Fast forward to 1999. In '99, Greg flew in from NYC to see The Funky Meters with me at the UIC Pavilion but when he did, The Funky Meters were the opening act for WSP. This is the same band that was an opening act at The Riviera (capacity 2300) and now they are headlining The UIC Pavilion (capacity about 11,000) 7 years later. Bands like WSP were filling the void that was left when Jerry died. For the hardcore "spreadheads" (term used to speak of followers of WSP) out there, this is not to say that WSP has no merit on their own. This is about taking lemons and making lemonade....and some fantastic lemonade at that!!!!
Fast forward to 2011. This weekend, I caught WSP at The Chicago Theatre Friday and Saturday. They are an exciting show for me because their tunes are still unfamiliar even after seeing them about 15 times. They have a distinctive sound with the raspy voice of John "JB" Bell at the helm. They have one of the best rhythm sections in modern Rock and Roll lead by Dave Schools on Bass. While Schools is solid on the basics that create the pulse of this band, he lays down some of the funkiest bass beats I have heard. He moves the band from dark heavy metal and muddy blues on to trips to the 70s with dance beats that John Travolta would be thrilled to gyrate to. Schools is far from being retro, his bass work would not be out of place at a rave today. On kit drums is Todd Nance who is rock solid but the complex percussion work goes to Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz. You can see Sunny playing conga with his right hand while playing steel drum with his left, I am guessing his only wish would be to have been born with more limbs. On lead guitar is Jam Band regular Jimmy Herring. Jimmy has been around this scene forever playing with bands like The Other Ones, The Dead and The Allman Brothers Band and he is right at home with WSP. Jimmy replaces original lead guitar player and founding member Michael Houser who passed away from cancer in 2002. Rounding it off is John "Jo Jo" Herman on Keyboards and Vocals. Jo Jo adds some fun New Orleans flair to the band (even thought he is from New York.) The influence of New Orleans legend Professor Longhair and The Band's organ player Garth Hudson can be heard in Jo Jo. His music adds the fun playful element that rounds WSP off.
WSP gave me "The Moment" many times over the last two nights. First set of the first night rocked hard, while they played the familiar Walking, part of the excitement for me was the lack of familiarity of the whole set. I am not able to anticipate this band's every move so they just lead me around by the figurative leash while I submitted to their musical whims. For me it was really Dave Schools that I got caught up in. He laid down the tracks that Jimmy would color. When you really listen, it is Schools that was getting the audience moving to Jimmy's jams. Second set was even better with an incredible tune called Stop and Go. Stop and Go is spacey, funky with a flavor that is very close to The Grateful Dead's Fire On The Mountain. After some great jamming, in out of various tunes, Jimmy led us into the JJ Cale classic Ride Me High. This is sung by Jo Jo with tons of audience interaction which is always fun but more importantly, it brings on "The Moment". Schools, Jimmy and Jo Jo all got a piece of this moment. They encored night one with the folk classic Baby Let Me Follow You Down (popularized by Bob Dylan), Baby, Please Don't Go (recorded by many and popularized by Alvin Lee and AC/DC) and WSP's own Makes Sense to Me.
Night two gave me an extra experience. Due to a number of friends' change of plans, I went to the show solo and really enjoyed it....only my own agenda and total anonymity. Tonight it seems that back stage the band may may have said something to the extent of ' we are in Chicago, let's do some blues'. This first set was full of muddy and sometimes dark sounding blues opening up with JB at his deepest and raspiest for Going Out West. Jo Jo sang the American classic Stagger Lee as arranged by Professor Long Hair. They got out of the blues and mixed in a funky tune that I liked called Little Lilly. First set was good but second set blew my mind. It was like they stacked up so many of those incredible moments that it was one big intense high point that lasted for 83 minutes. In a set built of many high points, I was particularly impressed by Greta which is another fun tune by Jo Jo into the hard rocking Fishwater. They jammed through to my highpoint of the weekend, Arleen. This is probably my favorite song by WSP. It is hard rock, reggae, funk and loads of fun! At WSP shows, you almost never see anyone sitting in their seats but for this Arleen, there wasn't a person that wasn't shaking from their heads down to their toes. It was so intense and lively, every time I heard the lines "I CANT STAND IT! NO!!" It became a very personal and meaningful experience. This was "The Moment" of moments. They brought it back to Fishwater and left us begging for more. Quadruple Encore was the Doors' Peace Frog into;Blue Sunday and then End of the Show (by Bloodkin) and lastly they ended the weekend with the song and message Ain't Life Grand? This was a poetic way end to an incredible weekend of music.
There is no longer any conflict. I am a suburban dad that loves music. I got turned on to the good stuff as a kid and am able to know it when I hear it as an adult. This isn't for everyone but for me, I can't picture my life without chasing "The Moment"
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Warren Haynes Band- Vic Theatre, Chicago, 11/17.2011
After being critical of Warren Haynes for many years with statements like "He can't replace Dwayne Allman" or "Dickie Bets blows him away" I gave in a few years back. All I had to do was stop arguing and realize, this guy is the real deal. He wasn't trying to be Dickie Betts or Dwayne Allman and when he played lead guitar for The Dead, he wasn't trying to be Jerry Garcia. On the contrary, this man respects and has learned from the genius of all of these men and many more. So when I opened my mind to Govt Mule, one of Warren's projects outside of the Allman Brothers Band, it was a real treat. Govt Mule is hard rocking music. They get their influence from Blues, Funk, Heavy Metal, Southern Rock, Hard Rock and Jazz. They took me back to the 1970s which is my favorite era of music. I jumped with both feet into Govt Mule; these guys are everything that I want a rock band to be. So when I heard that Warren was out touring with a different project, called the Warren Haynes Band (WHB), I knew we were in for a treat.
I got my first chance to see WHB in May at the Park West. This show was amazing, much different than Govt Mule. While not a rhythm and blues revue per se, they dove deep into R&B with their own music from the album Man in Motion. They also dug into other genres with covers such as Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison), What's Hip (Tower of Power) and Roller Derby Queen (Jim Croce). This show was one to remember.
Warren being, without a doubt, the hardest working man in show business (now that James Brown is gone) came back to Chicago 6 months later to give us another show. This time, WHB played the VIC Theatre. The Vic itself is a great venue. I have not been in years and have seen some great shows there in my early 20s (Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, Subdudes and Poi Dog Pondering to name a few). To put a cherry on this treat, my mom was in town to join me for this show. She is not a regular concert goer but an energetic 63 year young woman that was as happy as could be to share this experience with me.
The show opened with a five way call and response. This was their way of saying "take a look, this is what we have in store". It started off with Warren picking it up ripping a lead, and then handing it to Ron Holloway on Sax, to Nigel Hall on Keys, to Alica Shakur on vocals and finally off to Terrence Higgins on drums. While we didn't hear a solo from Ron Johnson on bass, he was a powerhouse through the show and many times led the band from his little spot out of the spot lite. They opened up with River's Gonna Rise and Alicia Shakur made it the straight gospel with her soulful voice. Another highlight of the 1st set was the cover of Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Pretzel Logic turned into an incredible jazzy jam with the Nigel and Terrence trading licks on Keys and Drums. Towards the end of this jam, Warren came back with the guitar and reminded us why this is the Warren Haynes Band. In the first set it became real obvious that these guys have true chemistry. In particular Ron Holloway and Warren really play well off of each other. First set was 6 songs and just between 70-75 minutes. It was a jam band paradise.
Second set opened up with a-capella Baby Love that had lots of spirit.....made me want to grab a tambourine. They went into a slow intense jam (I don't know the name) that went from slow, to hard rock, to reggae and then Ron took over on sax and for the next few minutes Ron and Warren did some great call and response jamming. While they were on the hard rock kick they moved into Jimi Hendrix's Spanish Castle Magic which was loud and strong, the way it was meant to be. Warren went into the Albert King classic Feel Like Breaking up Somebody's Home (for those that haven's seen heard Govt Mule cover this tune with Joe Bonamassa at the Riviera, go look it up...it is a real treat). Nigel than takes over on keys and vocals with Don't Change Horses In the Middle of the Stream. Warren Takes back over with Take a Bullet into a very familiar jam that works it's way into the Stevie Wonder tune I Wish (sung by Nigel) and then back to Take a Bullet. They closed the show with Sick of My Shadow. Ron Holloway really jammed out on this closer. For the encore WHB gave us the expected but always loved Soul Shine and the surprised us by going back into Baby Love.
Warren has turned out to be the most consistent pleasure in my music life over the last 3 years. After cheating myself for too long, I can't get enough of this man. Each incarnation has been fantastic. The Allman Bros, The Dead, GOVT Mule, WHB and his countless jams with musicians like Los Lobos, Tedeschi Trucks, Grace Potter and Eric Clapton are part of a resume that can't be ignored. His passion for his music has him working what appears to be 300+ days a year. I truthfully don't understand how he is not better known and more widely appreciated outside of the jam band and hardcore musician world but, I am thrilled to have finally discovered (a little late) this TRUE MAESTRO!
I got my first chance to see WHB in May at the Park West. This show was amazing, much different than Govt Mule. While not a rhythm and blues revue per se, they dove deep into R&B with their own music from the album Man in Motion. They also dug into other genres with covers such as Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison), What's Hip (Tower of Power) and Roller Derby Queen (Jim Croce). This show was one to remember.
Warren being, without a doubt, the hardest working man in show business (now that James Brown is gone) came back to Chicago 6 months later to give us another show. This time, WHB played the VIC Theatre. The Vic itself is a great venue. I have not been in years and have seen some great shows there in my early 20s (Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, Subdudes and Poi Dog Pondering to name a few). To put a cherry on this treat, my mom was in town to join me for this show. She is not a regular concert goer but an energetic 63 year young woman that was as happy as could be to share this experience with me.
The show opened with a five way call and response. This was their way of saying "take a look, this is what we have in store". It started off with Warren picking it up ripping a lead, and then handing it to Ron Holloway on Sax, to Nigel Hall on Keys, to Alica Shakur on vocals and finally off to Terrence Higgins on drums. While we didn't hear a solo from Ron Johnson on bass, he was a powerhouse through the show and many times led the band from his little spot out of the spot lite. They opened up with River's Gonna Rise and Alicia Shakur made it the straight gospel with her soulful voice. Another highlight of the 1st set was the cover of Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Pretzel Logic turned into an incredible jazzy jam with the Nigel and Terrence trading licks on Keys and Drums. Towards the end of this jam, Warren came back with the guitar and reminded us why this is the Warren Haynes Band. In the first set it became real obvious that these guys have true chemistry. In particular Ron Holloway and Warren really play well off of each other. First set was 6 songs and just between 70-75 minutes. It was a jam band paradise.
Second set opened up with a-capella Baby Love that had lots of spirit.....made me want to grab a tambourine. They went into a slow intense jam (I don't know the name) that went from slow, to hard rock, to reggae and then Ron took over on sax and for the next few minutes Ron and Warren did some great call and response jamming. While they were on the hard rock kick they moved into Jimi Hendrix's Spanish Castle Magic which was loud and strong, the way it was meant to be. Warren went into the Albert King classic Feel Like Breaking up Somebody's Home (for those that haven's seen heard Govt Mule cover this tune with Joe Bonamassa at the Riviera, go look it up...it is a real treat). Nigel than takes over on keys and vocals with Don't Change Horses In the Middle of the Stream. Warren Takes back over with Take a Bullet into a very familiar jam that works it's way into the Stevie Wonder tune I Wish (sung by Nigel) and then back to Take a Bullet. They closed the show with Sick of My Shadow. Ron Holloway really jammed out on this closer. For the encore WHB gave us the expected but always loved Soul Shine and the surprised us by going back into Baby Love.
Warren has turned out to be the most consistent pleasure in my music life over the last 3 years. After cheating myself for too long, I can't get enough of this man. Each incarnation has been fantastic. The Allman Bros, The Dead, GOVT Mule, WHB and his countless jams with musicians like Los Lobos, Tedeschi Trucks, Grace Potter and Eric Clapton are part of a resume that can't be ignored. His passion for his music has him working what appears to be 300+ days a year. I truthfully don't understand how he is not better known and more widely appreciated outside of the jam band and hardcore musician world but, I am thrilled to have finally discovered (a little late) this TRUE MAESTRO!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Furthur 9/30/11 RED ROCKS!!!!!!
As a grown man, traveling for music is a treat that brings me back to my youth (16-25). I am a married father of four and as such can't travel as much as I did for music in the past but when I do it is a real treat. Since I was young, I have wanted to see a show at Red Rocks but haven't been able to so, when I made up my mind to visit my buddy Todd and his family in Denver and go see Furthur at Red Rocks, I was psyched. To tell the truth, I was more excited about seeing Red Rocks and the mountains and thought Furthur would be a good excuse. The first time, I saw Furthur (at The Gathering of the Vibes), I felt that they were good but not great and made up my mind that I wouldn't be traveling for them again; their appeal was more sentimental than anything else. The second time got better and the third time this was a band that I would possibly travel to see.
Arriving at Red Rocks the grounds are beautiful. Seeing the huge red rocks from the parking lot can make one feel small. It doesn't even look real, more like a set for a Disneyland ride. The parking lot was getting filled with middle aged hippie types, old dead-heads, and a number of younger fans that looked like they belonged there but not a hardcore scene like days of Grateful Dead past. Going to see a show in the West is more mellow than the shows in the East, less yelling and screaming and sloppy partiers. When I was younger, I really liked the East scene but this is more my speed now.
On to the show! On the inside of the venue was simply majestic. The band comes out and opens up with Aiko and sounds great. Back to the seventies era with the Greatest Story Ever Told. Bobby's voice is sounding better than I have heard since the days of the Grateful Dead. Cold Rain and Snow showed us that John Kadlecik has come into his own. While I used to criticize Kadlecik for not being an artist but a craftsman he sounded like a fantastic musician with a good voice. Ramble on Rose was never a song that I got excited about but the version that the band played tonight was filled with energy and jams that were inspired, not contrived. Staying with Kadlecik, Loser sounded fantastic and inspired. As Todd (my host) and I were watching Kadlecik jam, we were discussing how stoked this man must be to go from being part of a Grateful Dead cover band (Okay Dark Star Orchestra is the premier Dead cover band) to being the lead guitar player in Furthur...it was obvious that he feels that way. On to what appears to be a Bob Weir original called Money for Gasoline. Phil Lesh closes the set with Box of Rain. I am not the biggest fan of Phil's voice but was impressed with this Box, he just sounded good. This shouldn't be the only mention of Phil. Phil is the premier and possibly truly the only world class musician in this band. His bass work is not only powerful, it is complex and gives the band the framework they need to get the job done.
Second set and I see a skinny hippie type with a beard on stage. While at first it looks like it could be part of the crew I notice a new microphone on stage. Hmmm, Jackie Greene? No, on closer inspection, it is Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes!!! What a treat! They open up with Bob Dylan's You Ain't Going Nowhere (occasionally covered by the Crowes). On to the more well known blues classic that made the Crowes famous, Hard to Handle. This was incredible. This song is not only a Crowes cover, this song is part of Grateful Dead history. Anyone who hears old covers with Ron "Pigpen" McKernan putting his heart and soul into it knows what I am talking about. They slowed it down still with Chris singing the seldom heard Two Souls in Communion; showing it doesn't have to be fast to be powerful.. Chris Robinson really brought it to Furthur. This combination could create big commercial success. When Chis left, Furthur brought the show back to the psychedelic old school Grateful Dead sound with Cryptical Envelopment> The Other One >Cryptical Envelopment> Wheel>Supplication (Supplication was more of a tease into a hot jam). They slowed it down to a heavy Death Don't Have No Mercy; lots of good Bob Weir screams during Death and Jeff Chimenti ripping it up on the Hammond B3. After sitting down during Death (I'm not that 17 year old kid anymore) they forced me to get back up and dance to the tried and true China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider. Everyone got a piece of China/Rider. Lastly, the band comes back out to encore with fan favorite Attics of My Life.
I really wanted to like this show and the show didn't disappoint. The crowd was right, the band was right and the venue was right. I normally like a small indoor show, where you can have a real connection with the artist but this was something special. The surroundings were beautiful maybe even majestic and the acoustics were borderline perfect. I look forward to tonight's show but am wondering if it can only pale in comparison to last night
Arriving at Red Rocks the grounds are beautiful. Seeing the huge red rocks from the parking lot can make one feel small. It doesn't even look real, more like a set for a Disneyland ride. The parking lot was getting filled with middle aged hippie types, old dead-heads, and a number of younger fans that looked like they belonged there but not a hardcore scene like days of Grateful Dead past. Going to see a show in the West is more mellow than the shows in the East, less yelling and screaming and sloppy partiers. When I was younger, I really liked the East scene but this is more my speed now.
On to the show! On the inside of the venue was simply majestic. The band comes out and opens up with Aiko and sounds great. Back to the seventies era with the Greatest Story Ever Told. Bobby's voice is sounding better than I have heard since the days of the Grateful Dead. Cold Rain and Snow showed us that John Kadlecik has come into his own. While I used to criticize Kadlecik for not being an artist but a craftsman he sounded like a fantastic musician with a good voice. Ramble on Rose was never a song that I got excited about but the version that the band played tonight was filled with energy and jams that were inspired, not contrived. Staying with Kadlecik, Loser sounded fantastic and inspired. As Todd (my host) and I were watching Kadlecik jam, we were discussing how stoked this man must be to go from being part of a Grateful Dead cover band (Okay Dark Star Orchestra is the premier Dead cover band) to being the lead guitar player in Furthur...it was obvious that he feels that way. On to what appears to be a Bob Weir original called Money for Gasoline. Phil Lesh closes the set with Box of Rain. I am not the biggest fan of Phil's voice but was impressed with this Box, he just sounded good. This shouldn't be the only mention of Phil. Phil is the premier and possibly truly the only world class musician in this band. His bass work is not only powerful, it is complex and gives the band the framework they need to get the job done.
Second set and I see a skinny hippie type with a beard on stage. While at first it looks like it could be part of the crew I notice a new microphone on stage. Hmmm, Jackie Greene? No, on closer inspection, it is Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes!!! What a treat! They open up with Bob Dylan's You Ain't Going Nowhere (occasionally covered by the Crowes). On to the more well known blues classic that made the Crowes famous, Hard to Handle. This was incredible. This song is not only a Crowes cover, this song is part of Grateful Dead history. Anyone who hears old covers with Ron "Pigpen" McKernan putting his heart and soul into it knows what I am talking about. They slowed it down still with Chris singing the seldom heard Two Souls in Communion; showing it doesn't have to be fast to be powerful.. Chris Robinson really brought it to Furthur. This combination could create big commercial success. When Chis left, Furthur brought the show back to the psychedelic old school Grateful Dead sound with Cryptical Envelopment> The Other One >Cryptical Envelopment> Wheel>Supplication (Supplication was more of a tease into a hot jam). They slowed it down to a heavy Death Don't Have No Mercy; lots of good Bob Weir screams during Death and Jeff Chimenti ripping it up on the Hammond B3. After sitting down during Death (I'm not that 17 year old kid anymore) they forced me to get back up and dance to the tried and true China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider. Everyone got a piece of China/Rider. Lastly, the band comes back out to encore with fan favorite Attics of My Life.
I really wanted to like this show and the show didn't disappoint. The crowd was right, the band was right and the venue was right. I normally like a small indoor show, where you can have a real connection with the artist but this was something special. The surroundings were beautiful maybe even majestic and the acoustics were borderline perfect. I look forward to tonight's show but am wondering if it can only pale in comparison to last night
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Riverside (Milwaukee, WI)
We had to miss the August 25th Chicago Theatre Tedeschi Trucks Band show due to a work function (being a grown up is so unjust). Instead we decided to make a small road trip out of it and go see them in Milwaukee. Due to my friend Mike's wife not being able to make the show my son Michael was the lucky recipient of the 4th ticket (he is a big DerekTrucks fan). We got to the theatre around 7:45 after a heavy dinner. The Riverside is an old, ornate and small theatre. Similar to the Rivera but with assigned seating.
At a smaller show like this I usually dread an opening act. Evey now and then I am wrong but this was not one of those cases. The opening act was Scrapomatic. This was an acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals by Mike Mattison (lead singer of the Derek Trucks Band...yes the guy with the funky hair). The sound was awful. It was too loud and the environment was not right. I understood the intent of what they were doing and Mike Mattison has a great voice but this was not where they belonged. This was the right band for a daytime show at a festival somewhere. I could enjoy them more while eating a funnel cake or deep fried Oreo. The best I could hope for is that the sound people heard how bad it was and took the opportunity to fix the mix and get us a better sound for TTB.
TTB came out around 9:30 and got right to work. I have to comment that as a working couple, these two really dig each other...coming out on the stage with their arms around each other's wastes, even though this is what they do night after night. First song is Joe Cocker's Space Captain which set the pace for an incredible evening. Susan starts with just vocals, although with Susan, saying "just vocals" isn't fair. This woman is wicked. She tears right through you. Derek walks around stage without much swagger and just plays like any other band member until all of a sudden you notice he is building into something sweet, complex and beautiful. Without even seeing him coming, Derek picked me up grabbed my feet spun me around the room and threw me into a musical flight that felt great! The closest comparison I can make is Yoda. Nobody realizes Yoda can kick their ass until it is too late.
The band slows down to their own classic (and one of my favorites) Midnight in Harlem played flawlessly. She has the voice of an angel. At this point the only frustration is that the mix is still off. They have the vocals too loud. I am not sure if it is the venue or the people at the Soundboard. Through the night it got better but was never perfect. On to Come See About Me and then what was looking to finally be an uneventfull moment with Don't Let Me Slide. As far as an uneventful moment, I couldn't be more wrong. Oteil Burbidge, starts to lay down some bass lines to set up a frame work for his brother Kofi Bubridge who belted out a wicked keyboard solo. This is probably a good time to mention that Oteil LOVES what he does. This man could not control himself. I have never seen a bass player as animated as Oteil. He couldn't even stay on stage having to walk and jump around (oh and by the way, he is a fantastic bassist). Off to another slow starter with Until You Remember. Then Susan's voice cut me to shreds slowly. TTB changed gears to cover The Beatles' I've Got a Feeling with Mike Mattison and Susan sharing vocals, how do you not feel great after this? On to a slow song and blues song that I dont know the names of. Like all of the songs so far tonight, Derek has built in some sort of tasty jam. Mike Mattison comes back out to share the front on the cover of Eric Clapton's Any Day. This jam turns out to be something pretty special, considering a night of "specials". Derek pulls into his most intense jam of the evening, going so far as to break a string in the middle and without missing a beat changes guitars, twice. After giving us a chance to catch our breath TTB jumps into cover the Stevie Wonder classic Uptight. Uptight leads to a hot trumpet lead and off to a fantastic drum jam with Oteil staying in to create something spacey. Eventually Oteil steps up to the microphone during this spacey jam to scat (and he was good). The show closer was Bound for Glory. Bound for Glory was such a crescendo that it was obvious that they could go no further and had to get off the stage. We weren't going to let them go for that long. On to the three song encore. They played the slow and somewhat uneventful (only by this show's standards)Shelter with background singer Mark Rivers sharing the front with Susan. Then the jam of the night. Sing a Simple Song into I Want to Take You Higher both by Sly and the Family Stone left me drooling. Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers playing baritone and falsetto roles sounded fantastic. I believe even the greatest of concerts have a defining moment and being a funk fan, this would be it for me.
This band is into what they do. You can see that they truly enjoy each others music. There was even a section behind the drums where you could see different member of the band going to play percussion instruments when they weren't featured on stage. If you aren't familiar with the music that I am referencing, go onto youtube and pull up clips of TTB and enjoy.
At a smaller show like this I usually dread an opening act. Evey now and then I am wrong but this was not one of those cases. The opening act was Scrapomatic. This was an acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals by Mike Mattison (lead singer of the Derek Trucks Band...yes the guy with the funky hair). The sound was awful. It was too loud and the environment was not right. I understood the intent of what they were doing and Mike Mattison has a great voice but this was not where they belonged. This was the right band for a daytime show at a festival somewhere. I could enjoy them more while eating a funnel cake or deep fried Oreo. The best I could hope for is that the sound people heard how bad it was and took the opportunity to fix the mix and get us a better sound for TTB.
TTB came out around 9:30 and got right to work. I have to comment that as a working couple, these two really dig each other...coming out on the stage with their arms around each other's wastes, even though this is what they do night after night. First song is Joe Cocker's Space Captain which set the pace for an incredible evening. Susan starts with just vocals, although with Susan, saying "just vocals" isn't fair. This woman is wicked. She tears right through you. Derek walks around stage without much swagger and just plays like any other band member until all of a sudden you notice he is building into something sweet, complex and beautiful. Without even seeing him coming, Derek picked me up grabbed my feet spun me around the room and threw me into a musical flight that felt great! The closest comparison I can make is Yoda. Nobody realizes Yoda can kick their ass until it is too late.
The band slows down to their own classic (and one of my favorites) Midnight in Harlem played flawlessly. She has the voice of an angel. At this point the only frustration is that the mix is still off. They have the vocals too loud. I am not sure if it is the venue or the people at the Soundboard. Through the night it got better but was never perfect. On to Come See About Me and then what was looking to finally be an uneventfull moment with Don't Let Me Slide. As far as an uneventful moment, I couldn't be more wrong. Oteil Burbidge, starts to lay down some bass lines to set up a frame work for his brother Kofi Bubridge who belted out a wicked keyboard solo. This is probably a good time to mention that Oteil LOVES what he does. This man could not control himself. I have never seen a bass player as animated as Oteil. He couldn't even stay on stage having to walk and jump around (oh and by the way, he is a fantastic bassist). Off to another slow starter with Until You Remember. Then Susan's voice cut me to shreds slowly. TTB changed gears to cover The Beatles' I've Got a Feeling with Mike Mattison and Susan sharing vocals, how do you not feel great after this? On to a slow song and blues song that I dont know the names of. Like all of the songs so far tonight, Derek has built in some sort of tasty jam. Mike Mattison comes back out to share the front on the cover of Eric Clapton's Any Day. This jam turns out to be something pretty special, considering a night of "specials". Derek pulls into his most intense jam of the evening, going so far as to break a string in the middle and without missing a beat changes guitars, twice. After giving us a chance to catch our breath TTB jumps into cover the Stevie Wonder classic Uptight. Uptight leads to a hot trumpet lead and off to a fantastic drum jam with Oteil staying in to create something spacey. Eventually Oteil steps up to the microphone during this spacey jam to scat (and he was good). The show closer was Bound for Glory. Bound for Glory was such a crescendo that it was obvious that they could go no further and had to get off the stage. We weren't going to let them go for that long. On to the three song encore. They played the slow and somewhat uneventful (only by this show's standards)Shelter with background singer Mark Rivers sharing the front with Susan. Then the jam of the night. Sing a Simple Song into I Want to Take You Higher both by Sly and the Family Stone left me drooling. Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers playing baritone and falsetto roles sounded fantastic. I believe even the greatest of concerts have a defining moment and being a funk fan, this would be it for me.
This band is into what they do. You can see that they truly enjoy each others music. There was even a section behind the drums where you could see different member of the band going to play percussion instruments when they weren't featured on stage. If you aren't familiar with the music that I am referencing, go onto youtube and pull up clips of TTB and enjoy.
Some shows not posted
So far in 2011, I have been to some great shows. While we dealt with a personal tragedy at home, Stacey (my wife) stayed understanding of my need to let loose at an occasional show. I didn't keep up with posting these shows and write ups but, will give brief run down of some of them:
* Leo Nocentelli at Space-This show started off great and Leo played many of the Meters classics that I love (which makes sense as a founding member of the Meters). Leo put the gas on but never took the petal off. As my friend Mike said during the show "if Leo was a chef, it would be an all Habenero menu" While this may seem appealing, we needed to get a little space between the heat he laid down. A highlight of if the night was Leo's bass player, who played a 7 string bass and made it sound like a mixture of piano, guitar and bass. I am glad I went and had a good time overall
*Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Space- WOW!!!!! These guys blew my mind! I have been listening to them for a few years but this was my first time seeing them. No set list to report (too late for that) and it is hard to express in a blog that feeling you get when you see this type of band but these guys gave me that deep down good feeling. Each musician was brilliant on their own but when they worked together, they created that NOLA sound like no other can. DDBB created the NOLA brass band sound as we know it today. The biggest highlight of the night was getting "Dirty Old Man" Roger Lewis out for the encore of Dirty Old Man. This was my first time hearing/seeing this jam and it didn't not disappoint. By the end of the song, there were a few women on stage to "shake it, don't break it". I don't want to miss this again! Lastly, it would be a shame not to mention the tuba player, Kirk Joseph. I kept looking on stage for a bass player because there were some solid bass lines coming out of this band. What I came to realize is that this tuba player has all the agility of a bass player and laid bass lines with the best of them.
In this same show John Cleary opened up. He was fantastic as well. All I heard about him is that he plays with John Scofield....instant credibility in my mind. Cleary stayed at his piano and gave us a treat with his deep soulful voice Alhtough he seemed like pure NOLA, hearing his English accent, one realizes that it is his sole that is from NOLA but his body is from the UK. This guy is an relatively unknown great musician and a real treat.
*Rebirth Brass Band at Space- We can keep this one simple. They were solid. While not the Dirty Dozen, they are vibrant and a true NOLA classic. They kept it hot and dirty. Tunes like Do WatchaWanna and Feel Like Funkin' It Up and covers of Casanova and Used to Lov Her didn't fail to bring a smile to my face.
*Warren Haynes Band at The Park West-This one was game changer. Over the last 3 years, I have become a huge GOVT Mule fan so it scares me to admit that this band may be better than the Mule. While I don't know the band that well, Ron Johnson (from Tiny Universe) on bass and Ron Holloway on sax were stand outs. The show played mostly stuff from Warren's latest album which were full of soul. A few highlights (who am I kidding....WHB is a highlight reel) were Soulshine-Tupelo Honey-Soulshine and second set solo acoustic Roller Derby Queen (Jim Groce). I NEED MORE!!!!!
*Steve Miller Band at The Chicago Theatre- Who doesn't lik Steve Miller? He has something for eveyone. I have seen him about 7 times before while he was opening up for the Greatful Dead. He was always fun but never mind blowing(due to the large venues). This night he was very good. This played like a "best of" but, let's face it, Steve Miller's history is like a "best of". It was a real treat having Sunny Charles (leader of the Checkmates) on stage singing back up and leading with songs like Tramp (by Otis Redding). This was not the type of show that blows your mind and leaves you drooling wondering what just happened to you. We had fun and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours listening to new takes on some Steve Miller classics.
So far so good. It has been a fun year for music up unto this point
* Leo Nocentelli at Space-This show started off great and Leo played many of the Meters classics that I love (which makes sense as a founding member of the Meters). Leo put the gas on but never took the petal off. As my friend Mike said during the show "if Leo was a chef, it would be an all Habenero menu" While this may seem appealing, we needed to get a little space between the heat he laid down. A highlight of if the night was Leo's bass player, who played a 7 string bass and made it sound like a mixture of piano, guitar and bass. I am glad I went and had a good time overall
*Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Space- WOW!!!!! These guys blew my mind! I have been listening to them for a few years but this was my first time seeing them. No set list to report (too late for that) and it is hard to express in a blog that feeling you get when you see this type of band but these guys gave me that deep down good feeling. Each musician was brilliant on their own but when they worked together, they created that NOLA sound like no other can. DDBB created the NOLA brass band sound as we know it today. The biggest highlight of the night was getting "Dirty Old Man" Roger Lewis out for the encore of Dirty Old Man. This was my first time hearing/seeing this jam and it didn't not disappoint. By the end of the song, there were a few women on stage to "shake it, don't break it". I don't want to miss this again! Lastly, it would be a shame not to mention the tuba player, Kirk Joseph. I kept looking on stage for a bass player because there were some solid bass lines coming out of this band. What I came to realize is that this tuba player has all the agility of a bass player and laid bass lines with the best of them.
In this same show John Cleary opened up. He was fantastic as well. All I heard about him is that he plays with John Scofield....instant credibility in my mind. Cleary stayed at his piano and gave us a treat with his deep soulful voice Alhtough he seemed like pure NOLA, hearing his English accent, one realizes that it is his sole that is from NOLA but his body is from the UK. This guy is an relatively unknown great musician and a real treat.
*Rebirth Brass Band at Space- We can keep this one simple. They were solid. While not the Dirty Dozen, they are vibrant and a true NOLA classic. They kept it hot and dirty. Tunes like Do WatchaWanna and Feel Like Funkin' It Up and covers of Casanova and Used to Lov Her didn't fail to bring a smile to my face.
*Warren Haynes Band at The Park West-This one was game changer. Over the last 3 years, I have become a huge GOVT Mule fan so it scares me to admit that this band may be better than the Mule. While I don't know the band that well, Ron Johnson (from Tiny Universe) on bass and Ron Holloway on sax were stand outs. The show played mostly stuff from Warren's latest album which were full of soul. A few highlights (who am I kidding....WHB is a highlight reel) were Soulshine-Tupelo Honey-Soulshine and second set solo acoustic Roller Derby Queen (Jim Groce). I NEED MORE!!!!!
*Steve Miller Band at The Chicago Theatre- Who doesn't lik Steve Miller? He has something for eveyone. I have seen him about 7 times before while he was opening up for the Greatful Dead. He was always fun but never mind blowing(due to the large venues). This night he was very good. This played like a "best of" but, let's face it, Steve Miller's history is like a "best of". It was a real treat having Sunny Charles (leader of the Checkmates) on stage singing back up and leading with songs like Tramp (by Otis Redding). This was not the type of show that blows your mind and leaves you drooling wondering what just happened to you. We had fun and enjoyed ourselves for a few hours listening to new takes on some Steve Miller classics.
So far so good. It has been a fun year for music up unto this point
Monday, November 15, 2010
Furthur UIC November 13th. They are the real deal!
After seeing this show, I realize that I was too generous in my review of last night's show (November 12th). I feel like the last review was like a man that has been starving who then gets a McDonald's hamburger; it may be low grade dog meat but it tastes like fillet to him. While the 12th wasnt exactly low grade dog meat, this show was filet mnigon....it was on fire!!! One of the best Grateful Dead type shows that I have seen in over 15 years; this includes Jerry Garcia's last show at Soldier Field. The audience was on fire and we lit the band on fire
1st Set
To open up, we got to hear the familiar sounds New Minglewood Blues. While this standard can be routine at times, tonight Furthur was far from just going through the motions. This was the beginning of a great first set. On to a classic Dire Wolf, Mama Tried and rounding out this tour of Americana Doin' That Rag. Dipping deep into "hippiedom" with Mason's Children (not a favorite of mine but a classic none the less). For the first but not last time of the night Bobby gave us a taste of one of my favorite tunes with Passenger. Back to the '60s and into Caution which they have been playing as of recently. While I was listening to the music I realized that this night has not been as much about what they played but how they played it. During that realization, I start hearing the familiar sound of the Beatles; they decided to end the set with fantastic cover of Get Back. Then they are off to "think it over"
2nd Set
We are back into one of my favorite periods of Grateful Dead's history, the late '70s and early '80s with a Lost Sailor-> Saint of Circumstance opener......"SURE DONT KNOW WHAT I'M GOING FOR....BUT I'M GONNA GO FOR IT FOR SURE" that sums it all up. Sometimes these guys are just on!!! They then moved on to a new quasi original song called Mountain Song, written and arranged, through time, by different members of The Airplane, Robert Hunter, CSN and Y, Phil Lesh, Brian Lesh. David Crosby seems to get the most credit for this song but the most recent arrangement seems to be the work of Phil and Brian Lesh. Mountain Song was great with the band making some beautiful harmonies to the refrain of "Gonna make the mountains be my home!" They then cut back to the familiar and high energy I Know You Rider. Coming out of Rider they went into a solid Morning Dew. With this Dew, I now have gained new respect for John Kaldecik.....he made that song his bitch! A favorite of mine has always been Unbroken Chain and the first time that I got to hear the Grateful Dead play it was horrible (and it was their last concert ever) Tonight Unbroken Chain was solid. Into Terrapin Suite.... not just Terrapin Station but the second part as well which I have only heard on the album. While they were on this phychedelic kick they moved into the Eleven and then after some circular jamming, they big bass line comes and we go into The Other One, to close the show. This being Saturday night, they encored with One More Saturday Night.
The set list was not as important as the quality of the music. This show was high quality and left me wanting more. There are tighter bands, faster musicians and prettier voices but that is not what a band like this is about. This was an exchange of energy that used music as it's medium. It left me feeling electric and ready for the next one.
Eric
1st Set
To open up, we got to hear the familiar sounds New Minglewood Blues. While this standard can be routine at times, tonight Furthur was far from just going through the motions. This was the beginning of a great first set. On to a classic Dire Wolf, Mama Tried and rounding out this tour of Americana Doin' That Rag. Dipping deep into "hippiedom" with Mason's Children (not a favorite of mine but a classic none the less). For the first but not last time of the night Bobby gave us a taste of one of my favorite tunes with Passenger. Back to the '60s and into Caution which they have been playing as of recently. While I was listening to the music I realized that this night has not been as much about what they played but how they played it. During that realization, I start hearing the familiar sound of the Beatles; they decided to end the set with fantastic cover of Get Back. Then they are off to "think it over"
2nd Set
We are back into one of my favorite periods of Grateful Dead's history, the late '70s and early '80s with a Lost Sailor-> Saint of Circumstance opener......"SURE DONT KNOW WHAT I'M GOING FOR....BUT I'M GONNA GO FOR IT FOR SURE" that sums it all up. Sometimes these guys are just on!!! They then moved on to a new quasi original song called Mountain Song, written and arranged, through time, by different members of The Airplane, Robert Hunter, CSN and Y, Phil Lesh, Brian Lesh. David Crosby seems to get the most credit for this song but the most recent arrangement seems to be the work of Phil and Brian Lesh. Mountain Song was great with the band making some beautiful harmonies to the refrain of "Gonna make the mountains be my home!" They then cut back to the familiar and high energy I Know You Rider. Coming out of Rider they went into a solid Morning Dew. With this Dew, I now have gained new respect for John Kaldecik.....he made that song his bitch! A favorite of mine has always been Unbroken Chain and the first time that I got to hear the Grateful Dead play it was horrible (and it was their last concert ever) Tonight Unbroken Chain was solid. Into Terrapin Suite.... not just Terrapin Station but the second part as well which I have only heard on the album. While they were on this phychedelic kick they moved into the Eleven and then after some circular jamming, they big bass line comes and we go into The Other One, to close the show. This being Saturday night, they encored with One More Saturday Night.
The set list was not as important as the quality of the music. This show was high quality and left me wanting more. There are tighter bands, faster musicians and prettier voices but that is not what a band like this is about. This was an exchange of energy that used music as it's medium. It left me feeling electric and ready for the next one.
Eric
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Furthur Night 1 UIC Pavilon- A Taste of Pigpen
It was good to be back at a show with my buddy Courtenay. We went to about 40 GD shows together in the early 90s. Thanks to Facebook, we have been re-acquainted.
Pulling up to the show I noticed that this scene seemed a lot more tame than what I witnessed from the mid 80's to the mid 90's....even more tame than the Gathering of the Vibes show this summer (East Coast Shows always had more intensity in my eyes). What I saw was a bunch of 40 and 50 year old (likely) suburban parents that were excited to get another shot at "it". When Courtenay pointed out the balding man walking in front of us with the gray beard and said "that is you in a couple of years" I realized that I was one of these 40 year olds looking for "it". As we got closer to the doors, I noticed more of the scene I remember. Plenty of people looking for a "miracle", one person looking to trade "stuff" for a ticket etc...
The Pavilion was plenty small for the Grateful Dead (they did play here before the release of In the Dark) but the fact that it wasn't sold out reminded me that this was NOT the Grateful Dead. The sites and sounds all started to look more familiar. Not to sound cheesy but, I started to see more of the brotherhood. I looked around and saw the kids that were between 16-25 years old going after the same good time I was 20+ years ago. I saw the other older people that remember the good times. I reminded myself that I was one of those kids in the 80s and that there were 40 year olds looking at me remembering their old days. This was a scene with no bad vibes.
Set 1-
On to the music. I have mentioned that this is not the Grateful Dead and that John Kaldecik is no Jerry Garcia., That is OK, this band has their own values (as does Kaldecik). The opener was Jack Straw and it was solid. My biggest complaint was not about the band, it was about the sound. The volume was too low and the mix was not great. I have the habit of singing along and this can be pretty embarrassing if the music isn't loud. On to Mississippi Half Step and Ramble on Rose, neither of which ever did much for me especially when the band tried adding a bit flavor to 'Half Step by echoing the chorus. After adjusting my contact lenses in the bathroom during Ramble on Rose, I came back to Big River (always a classic) followed by Tom Thumb Blues (cant have a first set without a Dylan tune.) The night was then highlighted by Dear Prudence the band played tight and harmonized well. Ending the 1st set on a high note we got Alligator and Hard to Handle with Bob Weir trying to add some James Brown type funk to the jam by singing "sock it to me" inside of the groove.. This ending set the stage for a second set that was inspired by the Grateful Dead of the late 60s and the nasty blues songs of Pigpen.
Set 2-
The mix was improved and sound turned up. It seems like the 2nd set has always been more of a "spacey,funky" phychedelic adventure with more freedom than the 1st set. This second set didn't fail us. We opened up with a greasy Alligator that progressed into a free-form jam that turned into Darkstar. After a 10 minute Darkstar, I got to hear one of my favorite sounds in music.....the sound of Phil Lesh letting you know it is time for Shakedown Street with a big nasty bass note that says "get up and dance!!!" Of course Kaldicek, right on queue came in with the sweet funky sounds of his guitar. This was one of "those" moments. I opened my eyes long enough to see the 450Lb man next to me making full John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever hand motions; it was something to see with his short sleeve tye-dye and full length tattoo sleeves on both sides. The Shakedown slowed down and regressed back into the slow bluesy phychedelic Viola Lee which then digressed until we hear "seems like we've been here before!" Yes, Furthur was taking it deep into the late 60s with Born Cross Eyed (which I didn't even recognize at first) back into Viola Lee back into Dark Star. For fans of the old Grateful Dead and the phychedelic blues sound, this was a tasty treat. We came out of the '60s into one of the more sentimental moments of the night which was Standing on the Moon. I closed my eyes remembered the good times with Jerry Garcia belting out the line "RATHER BE WITH YOU!!!" The song was more than sentimental, it was solid. While I hear what I believe is Further fixin' to play Good Lovin' they instead go into New Speedway Boogie. NSB has always been one of my favorites and this one didn't let me down. They ended with Good Lovin' with some short Bobby screams.
Encore-
OK, this one might not make me real popular but Box of Rain is not one of my favorites but, I dealt with it. The real treat was when I got to hear Ripple live for the first time (yes, the first time.). This ended my night on high note and I am excited to go back again tonight.
Eric
Pulling up to the show I noticed that this scene seemed a lot more tame than what I witnessed from the mid 80's to the mid 90's....even more tame than the Gathering of the Vibes show this summer (East Coast Shows always had more intensity in my eyes). What I saw was a bunch of 40 and 50 year old (likely) suburban parents that were excited to get another shot at "it". When Courtenay pointed out the balding man walking in front of us with the gray beard and said "that is you in a couple of years" I realized that I was one of these 40 year olds looking for "it". As we got closer to the doors, I noticed more of the scene I remember. Plenty of people looking for a "miracle", one person looking to trade "stuff" for a ticket etc...
The Pavilion was plenty small for the Grateful Dead (they did play here before the release of In the Dark) but the fact that it wasn't sold out reminded me that this was NOT the Grateful Dead. The sites and sounds all started to look more familiar. Not to sound cheesy but, I started to see more of the brotherhood. I looked around and saw the kids that were between 16-25 years old going after the same good time I was 20+ years ago. I saw the other older people that remember the good times. I reminded myself that I was one of those kids in the 80s and that there were 40 year olds looking at me remembering their old days. This was a scene with no bad vibes.
Set 1-
On to the music. I have mentioned that this is not the Grateful Dead and that John Kaldecik is no Jerry Garcia., That is OK, this band has their own values (as does Kaldecik). The opener was Jack Straw and it was solid. My biggest complaint was not about the band, it was about the sound. The volume was too low and the mix was not great. I have the habit of singing along and this can be pretty embarrassing if the music isn't loud. On to Mississippi Half Step and Ramble on Rose, neither of which ever did much for me especially when the band tried adding a bit flavor to 'Half Step by echoing the chorus. After adjusting my contact lenses in the bathroom during Ramble on Rose, I came back to Big River (always a classic) followed by Tom Thumb Blues (cant have a first set without a Dylan tune.) The night was then highlighted by Dear Prudence the band played tight and harmonized well. Ending the 1st set on a high note we got Alligator and Hard to Handle with Bob Weir trying to add some James Brown type funk to the jam by singing "sock it to me" inside of the groove.. This ending set the stage for a second set that was inspired by the Grateful Dead of the late 60s and the nasty blues songs of Pigpen.
Set 2-
The mix was improved and sound turned up. It seems like the 2nd set has always been more of a "spacey,funky" phychedelic adventure with more freedom than the 1st set. This second set didn't fail us. We opened up with a greasy Alligator that progressed into a free-form jam that turned into Darkstar. After a 10 minute Darkstar, I got to hear one of my favorite sounds in music.....the sound of Phil Lesh letting you know it is time for Shakedown Street with a big nasty bass note that says "get up and dance!!!" Of course Kaldicek, right on queue came in with the sweet funky sounds of his guitar. This was one of "those" moments. I opened my eyes long enough to see the 450Lb man next to me making full John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever hand motions; it was something to see with his short sleeve tye-dye and full length tattoo sleeves on both sides. The Shakedown slowed down and regressed back into the slow bluesy phychedelic Viola Lee which then digressed until we hear "seems like we've been here before!" Yes, Furthur was taking it deep into the late 60s with Born Cross Eyed (which I didn't even recognize at first) back into Viola Lee back into Dark Star. For fans of the old Grateful Dead and the phychedelic blues sound, this was a tasty treat. We came out of the '60s into one of the more sentimental moments of the night which was Standing on the Moon. I closed my eyes remembered the good times with Jerry Garcia belting out the line "RATHER BE WITH YOU!!!" The song was more than sentimental, it was solid. While I hear what I believe is Further fixin' to play Good Lovin' they instead go into New Speedway Boogie. NSB has always been one of my favorites and this one didn't let me down. They ended with Good Lovin' with some short Bobby screams.
Encore-
OK, this one might not make me real popular but Box of Rain is not one of my favorites but, I dealt with it. The real treat was when I got to hear Ripple live for the first time (yes, the first time.). This ended my night on high note and I am excited to go back again tonight.
Eric
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Furthur @ Gathering of the Vibes on July 30th
Things Change.
Walking to the venue and not knowing what to expect I ran into some of the familiar sites and sounds of my past (tempted to say "my youth"). The closer I got the more familiar it was. We were walking out of the college neighborhood of Bridgeport and into our world. I see all the categories.... middle aged music fans, earth loving hippies, kids trying hard to be earth loving hippies, kids trying hard to show you that they are earth loving hippies, families trying to explain "it" to the first timers that they are bringing, people that are looking for an excuse to party and freaks (you know the ones...they could be at a hard core punk show or here with this crowd and either way, it makes sense). The scene was benevolent and I was happy to be in it as I always have felt at home in this scene. It was good to be here with my big brother, Greg. Greg was the person that brought me to my first Grateful Dead show and we haven't been to a show together for 20 years (our last show together was Brent's last show with the G. Dead). After we got past the campgrounds, Greg and I set up shop behind a screen slightly stage left about halfway back from the stage.
I cant find a set list anywhere online to go over the specific tunes in order but, I can go into a few tunes that I liked. They opened with Golden Road and it was solid. Estimated Prophet was the highlight of the first set. Second set highlight was the closer of Help>Slip>Frank. The bottom line is the songs are the songs and some are better than others and some are better than others on one night vs. another.
The real thing to talk about hear is the band. There was something that happened at a Grateful Dead show and anyone that has been there remembers it well. When you were there, there was an energy exchange. You gave the band what you had and they gave it back to you with some mind blowing and sense tingling music. It would rev you up and you would give it right back to them just so they can give back to you again...this was the "Unbroken Chain...the connection between us and them. I am likely to harsh some people's mellow when I say this but, this is what is missing. Do you remember what the feeling was like to travel to see the G. Dead and finally get inside the venue after hanging in the lot...right before the lights go out, you see that grey mop of hair walk out behind the amps....the energy increases as you realize the fat man is going to take you for a ride? Appreciate that part of your own personal history because as enjoyable as the music is, that part is no longer here. All is not lost, Furthur was good. Phill Lesh deserves his spot amongst the great bass players. He is always on point but seems to have gotten better as time goes on; furthermore, his singing was better than I have ever heard it. Bob Weir is much better in this environment then he was with Rat Dog and it is good to see him back in shape. Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti was fantastic on keys he gave a great sound to the band this night. John Kadlecik sounded good. He has been described as a Garcia savant. The "Garcia-like" riffs are where I am torn. Kadlecik played very good Jerry Garcia music. I like the sound but what is missing is that energy exchange. Jerry played what he did because we gave him our best and he in turn gave it back to us. Kadlecik is playing this style because that is what Jerry did. I will call this the difference between art and craft. Kadlecik is a first rate craftsman and I enjoy his music.
I will go to see Further again. Part of it is to reminisce but another part is to enjoy the music that I love.
Eric
Walking to the venue and not knowing what to expect I ran into some of the familiar sites and sounds of my past (tempted to say "my youth"). The closer I got the more familiar it was. We were walking out of the college neighborhood of Bridgeport and into our world. I see all the categories.... middle aged music fans, earth loving hippies, kids trying hard to be earth loving hippies, kids trying hard to show you that they are earth loving hippies, families trying to explain "it" to the first timers that they are bringing, people that are looking for an excuse to party and freaks (you know the ones...they could be at a hard core punk show or here with this crowd and either way, it makes sense). The scene was benevolent and I was happy to be in it as I always have felt at home in this scene. It was good to be here with my big brother, Greg. Greg was the person that brought me to my first Grateful Dead show and we haven't been to a show together for 20 years (our last show together was Brent's last show with the G. Dead). After we got past the campgrounds, Greg and I set up shop behind a screen slightly stage left about halfway back from the stage.
I cant find a set list anywhere online to go over the specific tunes in order but, I can go into a few tunes that I liked. They opened with Golden Road and it was solid. Estimated Prophet was the highlight of the first set. Second set highlight was the closer of Help>Slip>Frank. The bottom line is the songs are the songs and some are better than others and some are better than others on one night vs. another.
The real thing to talk about hear is the band. There was something that happened at a Grateful Dead show and anyone that has been there remembers it well. When you were there, there was an energy exchange. You gave the band what you had and they gave it back to you with some mind blowing and sense tingling music. It would rev you up and you would give it right back to them just so they can give back to you again...this was the "Unbroken Chain...the connection between us and them. I am likely to harsh some people's mellow when I say this but, this is what is missing. Do you remember what the feeling was like to travel to see the G. Dead and finally get inside the venue after hanging in the lot...right before the lights go out, you see that grey mop of hair walk out behind the amps....the energy increases as you realize the fat man is going to take you for a ride? Appreciate that part of your own personal history because as enjoyable as the music is, that part is no longer here. All is not lost, Furthur was good. Phill Lesh deserves his spot amongst the great bass players. He is always on point but seems to have gotten better as time goes on; furthermore, his singing was better than I have ever heard it. Bob Weir is much better in this environment then he was with Rat Dog and it is good to see him back in shape. Keyboardist Jeff Chimenti was fantastic on keys he gave a great sound to the band this night. John Kadlecik sounded good. He has been described as a Garcia savant. The "Garcia-like" riffs are where I am torn. Kadlecik played very good Jerry Garcia music. I like the sound but what is missing is that energy exchange. Jerry played what he did because we gave him our best and he in turn gave it back to us. Kadlecik is playing this style because that is what Jerry did. I will call this the difference between art and craft. Kadlecik is a first rate craftsman and I enjoy his music.
I will go to see Further again. Part of it is to reminisce but another part is to enjoy the music that I love.
Eric
Thursday, July 29, 2010
My write up of The Levon Helm Band w/ Willie Nelson @ Radio City July 28th
Just a quick rundown:
1) LHB- As “on” as ever. Theresa Williams and Amy Helm both belted it out of the park with their songs. Theresa even was a bit reminiscent of Patty Smyth. Brian Mitchell, continues to take on a more important and well deserved roll with the band tearing it up with a Shape opener and Bourgeois Town. As always the horns were on fire with the biggest stand out being Clark Gayton…same as it ever was, that boy can play the 'bone! If All on a Mardi Gras Day, sung by Brian Mitchell, with a spotlight on the LHB horn section, doesn’t make you feel good, nothing will. Stand out special guest and friend of LHB was Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan) playing the whole show . What a treat to hear King Harvest sung by Fagen (my favorite song). Levon’s voice was a little more raspy than usual but warm and “homey” (this is about 4 weeks into what appears to be a pretty heavy tour). Lastly, as one would expect Willie Nelson came out on stage for The Weight. What I didn’t expect is that Willie didn’t take a verse and added very little to the song.
2) Willie- Let me start by saying that Willie is an American Classic He has a following that makes him the headliner. Willie’s songs have all of the humor and heart that should represent the US. Not only that, anyone that listens to Willie long enough will realize that he is a fantastic guitar player that can hold his own with any band…..without a doubt amongst the best guitar players in country music. Willie’s band was as basic as it gets Bass, Piano, Harmonica, snare drum (that is it….just a snare) and Willie. Willie came out and opened up with the song that I was there to see- Whiskey River!!! However, it had very little heart and seemed off . Without any pauses he went through his first 4 songs. I thought that this was show was going to be a letdown. His band was solid but didn’t add much to the show (I am not sure that the snare did more than a metronome would). As time went on Willie got better and better. He started to speak with the audience and tell stories.Wille picked it up on his guitar got into his music. We began to see the classic Willie. He made a turn around and gave us an OK show. To be fair I think any musician coming on stage after LHB is in trouble.
3) The third star of the show. While it may be no big deal to you New Yorkers, The Radio City Music Hall, is one of the best venues that I have been to and what I will call the 3rd star of the show. The art deco design, while not ornate, is very pretty. The seats are comfy and the sound is perfect. New Yorkers, appreciate the treat that you have.
Overall, LHB made it worth the price of admission.
Just a quick rundown:
1) LHB- As “on” as ever. Theresa Williams and Amy Helm both belted it out of the park with their songs. Theresa even was a bit reminiscent of Patty Smyth. Brian Mitchell, continues to take on a more important and well deserved roll with the band tearing it up with a Shape opener and Bourgeois Town. As always the horns were on fire with the biggest stand out being Clark Gayton…same as it ever was, that boy can play the 'bone! If All on a Mardi Gras Day, sung by Brian Mitchell, with a spotlight on the LHB horn section, doesn’t make you feel good, nothing will. Stand out special guest and friend of LHB was Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan) playing the whole show . What a treat to hear King Harvest sung by Fagen (my favorite song). Levon’s voice was a little more raspy than usual but warm and “homey” (this is about 4 weeks into what appears to be a pretty heavy tour). Lastly, as one would expect Willie Nelson came out on stage for The Weight. What I didn’t expect is that Willie didn’t take a verse and added very little to the song.
2) Willie- Let me start by saying that Willie is an American Classic He has a following that makes him the headliner. Willie’s songs have all of the humor and heart that should represent the US. Not only that, anyone that listens to Willie long enough will realize that he is a fantastic guitar player that can hold his own with any band…..without a doubt amongst the best guitar players in country music. Willie’s band was as basic as it gets Bass, Piano, Harmonica, snare drum (that is it….just a snare) and Willie. Willie came out and opened up with the song that I was there to see- Whiskey River!!! However, it had very little heart and seemed off . Without any pauses he went through his first 4 songs. I thought that this was show was going to be a letdown. His band was solid but didn’t add much to the show (I am not sure that the snare did more than a metronome would). As time went on Willie got better and better. He started to speak with the audience and tell stories.Wille picked it up on his guitar got into his music. We began to see the classic Willie. He made a turn around and gave us an OK show. To be fair I think any musician coming on stage after LHB is in trouble.
3) The third star of the show. While it may be no big deal to you New Yorkers, The Radio City Music Hall, is one of the best venues that I have been to and what I will call the 3rd star of the show. The art deco design, while not ornate, is very pretty. The seats are comfy and the sound is perfect. New Yorkers, appreciate the treat that you have.
Overall, LHB made it worth the price of admission.
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