The Showcase, The Dregs, and The Phish From Vermont
Bryan Rodgers
2003-07-28
The summer just rolls along, and more and wonderful music just keeps coalescing in different ways around us. Sizzling on the grill like a giant burger is the Harmonized Records Showcase, taking place Friday and Saturday October 3 – 4, 2003 at The Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC. North Carolina has quietly nurtured the scene for almost a decade now, and our state has become one of the most frequently visited by jambands. Another chapter will be written on these two historic nights! Harmonized Records artists will gather to perform individually as well as to collaborate during each night's climactic free-for-all jam. On Friday, ulu and The Motet will perform. ulu is the newest addition to the Harmonized roster, and their new live album should be ready just in time for this event. The Motet has become one of the defining bands of our record label, and the bands past shows at the Lincoln have been very memorable. The jam at the end of this night should be thick, jazzy and tribal! We are in the final stages of planning this night, and Ten Ton Chicken is a possible addition, as is The Recipe, whose new live album will be out on Harmonized in the fall. Saturday night will be absolutely insane, as Lotus, Perpetual Groove, and Garaj Mahal join forces for an unforgettable night. Lotus will start the show with their building-block dance frenzy. Then P-Groove will play the middle slot, drenching the audience in jamtronica glory. Garaj Mahal's mystic fusion will follow, and then the collaborative jam finale will tie the whole weekend up with inexplicable joy. The wild card of the weekend will be these show-ending jams, which are sure to be unique lineup-wise and musically. The best part? Tickets to both nights will be exceptionally affordable, and the cost for a ticket to the entire weekend will not be much more than you would pay for a single show by one band. Keep an eye on , and www.homegrownmusic.net for updates on this spectacular event!!! There's been plenty of new CD releases to keep us listening lately. One of the best is actually an archival release, The Dixie Dregs' "Greatest Hits Live". This under-appreciated band played instrumental music in the vein of Mahavishnu Orchestra, just not quite as mathematical and confounding. In other words, people who aren't musicians can find joy in their virtuoso stylings. The album is a King Biscuit Flower Hour release, and it was taped live in the studio with a live breathing audience. The band admits in the liner notes that it was an unusual situation, but the performances show none of this apprehension. The Dregs impressive fusion could be considered a forerunner of current bands like Garaj Mahal and Steve Kimock Band. Steve Morse shows the effortless virtuosity of one of his teachers, Pat Metheny. Drummer Rod Morgenstein uses his extensive jazz experience to provide boundless rhythmic possibilities. Classically trained violinist Allen Sloan gives the music a haunting touch. T. Lavitz fits in perfectly on keys as always, and bassist Andy West possesses an uncanny sense of timing and nuance. This music, recorded on a Philadelphia summer night in 1979, is as impressive as anything that has come out since. Speaking of impressive, Phish is back! I don't mean back as in "on the road", I mean the boys are back in form. I've given in to downloading a few of the recent shows, and I am much more impressed than I was during the winter 2003 tour. Page McConnell is making his presence felt again with forceful playing and shimmering vocals. Mike Gordon is taking liberties on the bass where he never used to. Trey Anastasio is alternately giving us the guitar version of an extended orgasm and leaning back into the bed of groove provided by Jon Fishman. The band has also maintained their ability to play in the moment. The Shoreline "Mike's Song" is a demented collage of surging rhythms and psychedelic guitar loops, while the version from Utah rocks in a more direct, traditional kind of way. As far as the new material, "Scents And Subtle Sounds" is my favorite of the bunch. A spooky, foreboding vocal section morphs gleefully into a Piper-esque jam, then the song returns to a variation on the title with a sunny disposition. The harmonies are back, the crazy setlists are back, and I can't wait to get back to some shows! Thanks for reading, and be safe in your travels...
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