Hanuman 3/11/01 - Mt Tabor Theater

Jam Session featuring George Brooks, Kai Eckhardt,
Mike Marshall and Zakir Hussain 3/13/01 - Aladdin Theater

By Rich Flaminio- portlandgenereraleclectic@yahoo.com

The music of the moment. For myself, this phrase describes what I treasure most about my involvement with jambands over the last 20 years, starting with my tenure with the granddaddy of them all, the Grateful Dead. It embodies the principal that the music you hear at any given point in a band's performance is unique, sudden, and gone in an instant, immediately replaced by the next moment, each completely singular and never to be repeated, like snowflakes in a blizzard, none precisely alike. In the jamband genre, there are a number of practitioners who have mastered the moment with sufficient skill as to be capable of trance induction. I recently had the very good fortune to witness two such aggregations in the space of three days.

Seattle's Hanuman is a four piece acoustic music collective powered by the percussion mastery of Jarrod Kaplan and fueled by his cohorts, Scott Law (guitar/mandolin), Tige DeCoster (acoustic bass), and the fluid Paul Benoit (guitar/slide guitar/lap steel). I've seen this band about a half dozen times including at last year's High Sierra Music Festival (where they are gratefully scheduled to perform again this summer), but was especially looking forward to the band's performance at the Mt Tabor Theater after having been notified by Peggy Glickenhaus, the hall's always affable booking agent, that there would be no opener, permitting two long sets. Peggy's been a real positive force in the Portland jamband community over the last couple years, bringing such acts as Tony Furtado, The Big Wu, Sound Tribe Sector Nine and Deep Banana Blackout to the venerable upper Hawthorne venue.

Hanuman opened the show sounding upbeat and energetic, mixing songs from their latest CD "Pedalhorse" with older material. It was during the second set that Kaplan's one-man drum circle percussion and Benoit's singing strings really started to cast their spell on me. A long time ago, a good friend at a Dead show gave me the good advice to close my eyes for extended periods of time, allowing the mind to focus on and process the music without the impedance of visual distraction. Practicing this technique at the Tabor, I found myself slipping into a semi-hypnotic state, grooving to the middle-eastern-by-way-of-the-Mississippi-delta rhythms, teetering on the precipice of unconsciousness, yet hyper-aware, hearing every note, absorbing each second individually (no, this was not a drug induced state, save for a couple of fine Oregon microbrews). At the show's conclusion, I thanked the band for a very pleasant and intense experience, although I'm sure that from the stage, I probably didn't look like I was having as good a time as I was!

As it happened, this was only an appetizer for a main course that would be served in another theater two nights later just a couple miles away. Another Segue Production, another brilliant and unique night of music, every town should have promoters like this working, but for now, we here in Portland are the lucky ones! Tonight's fare at the beautiful and acoustically superb Aladdin Theater (David Nelson recorded his last album here) featured four master musicians, avant-saxophonist George Brooks, Garaj Mahal/John Mclaughlin bassist Kai Eckhardt, Americana custodian Mike Marshall on guitar and mandolin, and the inimitable Zakir Hussain on percussion. The music, mostly material from Brooks' albums with Hussain was rendered lovingly by the quartet, Marshall and Eckhardt weaving their way into the grooves like four quiltmakers starting at the corners and working their way inwards to the center. The Aladdin's comfy seats and beautiful sound combined with the astounding, other-worldly sounds coming from the stage returned me quickly to the hypnotic state I had just visited two nights previously. I absorbed the audio input, almost as if by osmosis, the music breaking down and entering my body at the cellular level, truly experiencing the moment.

This performance was scheduled for a night that fell in between two String Cheese Incidents here in the Northwest, and it was widely rumored that Boulder's finest were going to be in attendance, perhaps even sitting in. I don't know how many patrons were lured to this show by the promise of an SCI jam, but for my money, better that the boys never showed. Adding any more cooks to this heady broth would have been wholly unnecessary; this dish didn't need extra cheese. After two transcendental sets, a long standing ovation, and encore, I walked out into the Portland night, setting foot back on earth for the first time in a couple hours, the music of the moment ringing in my ears and echoing in my brain.

Taping was sadly not allowed for this performance, so it was one of those occasions where you just had to be there to understand. Of course if anyone knows of anyone who was taping on the stealth tip, my e-mail is readily available! I don't know what future plans this group has, if any, but I consider myself damn fortunate to have been in attendance on this night. I was a witness to the fragile nature of live improvisation, that being sometimes, on some nights, the chemistry and the circumstances are just right, the crowd and the performers are in synch, and somehow, the music becomes magic. That's why we keep coming back, because it's always good, sometimes great, occasionally incredible, never the same, and you can't tell when and where the lightning will strike. Do not pass up the opportunity to see either of these groups perform, should you have the good fortune to have them visit your town. Thanks to all the nice folks at the Mt Tabor Theater, the Aladdin Theater, and Segue Productions for their kind consideration in my ongoing pursuit of the moment.

Drums and Tuba/Garaj Mahal 3-29-01@ Berbatti's Pan.

By Gordon Wilson- hippolytus5@hotmail.com

This was an incredible double decker show, Drums and Tuba were heading South to Arcata, CA and Garaj Mahal were heading North to Seattle, WA when their paths crossed at the intimate venue of Berbatti's Pan in Portland, OR. Drums and Tuba are part of a new movement of "post-rock" musicians who incorporate loops and interesting natural and unnatural effects into their live performances that make a three piece band sound much more vibrant and dynamic than a regular three piece band. I was excited to see Drums and Tuba for many reasons. First I had seen them written up in a review months earlier in The New Yorker magazine. Their name struck me, Drums and Tuba, wow, that sounds pretty far out, and if The New Yorker is impressed by something, it can't be all that bad. (Though this doesn't always hold this true, The New Yorker once had a review praising "Escape From L.A.", that inspired me to go and see this movie, which I felt was one of the worst movies ever!) Also sparking my interest in Drums and Tuba, it happened that I got a bootleg copy of a recent show from Ohio that contains some serious shredding! Then most recently while handing out posters for the upcoming show I noticed Drums and Tuba's newest disk, "Vinyl Killer" on the listening rack, in Reverb Records on Hawthorne. After putting on the headphones and pushing the appropriate buttons three to five seconds into the first track I new I had to get it, which has been in my CD player ever since. So I guess you could say that I was majorly prepared to see D&T, and they did not disappoint at all!

Many of Drums and Tuba's effects I call natural because they come from they way the musicians play their actual instruments live, but in unusual ways. The tuba (Brian Wolff) can be made to sound like a guitar or a bass, or you can make the guitar (Neal McKeeby) sound very different by playing just the neck and hitting it from behind, and the drums! Oh baby the drums! Their drummer (Tony Nozero) has some sort of strange box that looks like an old hi-fi system that I'm guessing plays drum loops. These guys are so good and have studied their instruments to such a degree that it feels like they have a great depth and knowledge of them and also of music composition and dynamics. And when you have a great depth about something the inverse is also there, great heights which Drums and Tuba presented to the grateful audience at Berbatti's this evening. I was so psyched that I went and chatted with the band after their set, and as most real musicians seem to be, these guys were so nice and humble, I was so impressed. They signed my flyer and chatted with me about where they were heading and such. Sometimes musicians will not be as friendly, but this is usually true of the crappy musicians who really don't know music and are just posturing and have to be jerks because they realize they have no real knowledge or talent. So I also bought their earlier CD "The Flying Ballerina" to get a historical perspective on Drum's and Tuba, and also because it had a cool looking cover and another great name. "The Flying Ballerina" is hard core experimental jazz funk punk music, like "Vinyl Killer" but without the loops and less effects, but still very good.

Garaj Mahal has impressed me every time I have seen them. With Alan Hertz (KVHW) on drums, Kai Eckhardt (John Mclaughlin) on bass, Fareed Haque (Blue Note) on guitar, and Chicagoan Eric Levy on keys, Garaj Mahal can burn down the house at will. The evenings highlights for me were pretty much the whole show, although this one wha-wha part that Fareed was laying out on his guitar, really seemed like pure sonic bliss was occurring, and Alan's drum solo was pretty monumental. Some things I missed were more of the heavy middle eastern flavored melodies that Fareed can play very well, and I also missed not being able to score a Garaj Mahal CD, which I hear they are working on and will be released soon. If you get a chance I would definitely recommend catching Garaj Mahal or Drums and Tuba, and if your lucky like the fans at Berbatti's were on 3-29-01 you might even get to see them both!

Some exciting local news that I have heard recently is that the Snake and Weasel is now under new ownership. The Slip played a gig here last summer, yet I heard the crowd was so big that they lost the ability to host electric shows there anymore, but not to worry because Dan Coleman, the new owner is turning it into one of the top acoustic venues in town. I was lucky enough to catch a set by one of Portland's premier musicians, Jeffery White. Formally from upstate New York where he used to play bars when he was just a young teenager, Jeffery now is a full fledged pro, playing songs ranging from "The Wind Cries Mary" to "Birdsong" to "Lazybones" to "AC/DC Bag" and "Tila". Check out Jeff and Dan in their new band Low Pressure System every third Wednesday at the "Medicine Hat" on NE Alberta, and look for Jeffery White and other great acoustic acts coming to the new "Snake and Weasel", the only place in town where you can find the "420 IPA", some of the best micro-beer around! And one last thing, check out Rare Music Radio at www.grandroyal.com if you are interested in cool record reviews and hearing hit after hit after hit after hit!

"Funkyard" Preview

By Gina Figliuolo- gina@Musicblitz.com

Man, how I love this scene. I love the grass-roots nature of it -- an environment where fans are encouraged to get involved with promoting shows, making sure the music is spread through taping and trading, etc. Granted, this may be more out of necessity based on the general lack of financial backing for these bands than anything else, but I'll take it. As anyone who's ever found themselves cornered by me while I blather on about music can tell you, I love nothing more than preaching the gospel of the jam. And so you can imagine the absolute joy I'm deriving from the fact that in the year 2001, I've not only been invited to assist with the sermon, but I may as well be leading the freakin' choir in high praise. Let me explain...

Over the past year or two, I've done everything I can to help facilitate the growth of this scene here in Los Angeles, an area not particularly friendly to our cause (though change is on the horizon!). At times that meant making flyers for bands without them even knowing it, sending mass "upcoming show alert" e-mails to anyone I thought would listen, trading music, etc. One can only go so far doing these things, however, so I think my excitement about recent events is understandable. A friend who books for a local club approached me late last year with the idea of producing a 1- or 2-day funk festival here in L.A. Now, this was something I've been dreamin' about for 2 years, but I knew I'd never have the means (see the "Gina-Books-KDTU-in-'98-and-Loses-A-Ton-o'Money" debacle). Luckily, he did have the means, so he asked me what bands I'd like to see on the bill. I told him. Some of them were unavailable (ahem, Galactic, cough, KDTU), but most were, and so it is with immense pleasure that I now present to you the inaugural staging of...

THE FUNKYARD MUSIC FESTIVAL! Taking the next logical step in the process of trying to help this scene grow here in So.Cal., I'm now finding myself deeply involved with this fantastic festival in Long Beach on May 19th at a sweet outdoor venue, The Green on the Hill. Headlining? None other than the Steve Kimock Band! Also on the bill? Merl Saunders, Vinyl, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Particle & Greyhounds, with more to be announced. Hello?! I mean, I'm a rabid fan of this music, and all of a sudden -- boom! We finally don't have to drive 8 hours to get to a festival! 10 hours of sweet music, all right in our own backyard! 2 stages, full on festival mode. Aw, yeah! If you're interested in attending or getting more info, please check out www.funkyardmusicfest.com. I'm so excited! I hope you'll all come join us to boogie under the sweet California sun.

And if that isn't enough, well, this one really blows my mind! The record label I work for, Musicblitz Records, encouraged me to completely take charge and produce a compilation of my favorite bands on the scene, which will be available online & in stores everywhere on June 12th! It's called (get this): Gina Figliuolo presents... JAMS, Vol.1: Don't Call Us Jambands. The first in a proposed series highlighting ...well, my favorite music (which tends towards the instrumental funk/jazz side of the jambands landscape), JAMS features previously unreleased tracks from Stanton Moore, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Tuatara, The Sugarman Three, and Particle, as well as tracks from Vinyl, Greyhounds, The Waz, The Motet, Giant People, Addison Groove Project, and Beanstalk! The CD will also include a special code which will allow fans entrance into an exclusive JAMS website which will feature bonus MP3 downloads as well as extended liners & credits, band bios & photos, tips on helping promote bands in your area and more!

Jambands.com columnist Chris Bertolet says this about the album -- "A mosaic of seductive, heady grooves... The party-mix equivalent of a full-body massage!" Mmm to the hmmm. And Galactic saxophonist Ben Ellman was quoted as saying "[it's] Super-funky like a bowl of chunky gristle soup. Gorge yourself on this record!" Can I get an amen?!

My goal with this series is to get the music people may only have heard about via mailing lists and the web into their hands, wrapped up nice-n-tidy on a sweet compilation - the perfect pre-show party mix! This scene is so reliant on word-of-mouth, and it can sometimes be frustrating to keep hearing about a new band when you know the odds are you won't be able to find their music in a local record store. These bands, for the most part, are without far-reaching distribution, so this certainly seems like a great way to get the music out there! Stay tuned to www.musicblitz.com for more info.

Again, the release date is June 12th and the album will be available nationwide. If you can't find it at your local store, ask for it -- you'll be helping the bands if you do!

Thanks for listening, y'all. We'll keep pluggin' away here in So.Cal. You do the same, wherever you are!

A Sound Tribe in a Wasted Land

by - Martin Acaster- martinacaster@sprintmail.com

Spring has returned to the Willamette Valley and with it the ardent madness of the season ruled by the war ram. The pink snow of cherry blossoms on the rain swept streets is a constant reminder of what is not and rightfully could never be. This wistful reverie mixes my memories with my desires, leaving me stirring my dull root in the icy spring rain. With Beltane approaching the fertility rites have begun anew. I once had focus, an object of my affection, a single flame around which I was happy to flutter. However, for reasons as yet unclear (to me at least), I have fallen once again into the role of Tantalus. Unlike my mythic counterpart, I yearn not for food or drink. For clearly if there is one thing thedudesmang know well it is good food and good drink. No…as always… I am tantalized by her. Venus, Aphrodite, Guinevere, the fairer sex….the ladies…the ladies. Portland is teeming with beautiful women. I reach out… they shrink away. What foul deed has blighted me so? What was the crime for which I now must pay?

In keeping with the snippet of the poem above that graced my inbox this morning, I can tie it all back to La Morte D'Artur. No…I refer not to the greatest band that never came out of Orange County, California (La Mort). Rather, in preparation for the approaching feast of May Eve, I ask you to recall the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Specifically, the sordid mess surrounding King Arthur (the war ram), his bride Guinevere (the ultimate Jennifer), and his right hand dudesmang Lancelot. Somehow, the Arthurian legends have transferred as personality archetypes to the present day. I seem forever stuck in the role of Lancelot…and it SUCKS. I may be

The killer awoke before dawn…as always…I still had my boots on.

The musical equivalent of this tribal spirit is alive and well. Conveniently enough this entity bears the name Sound Tribe Sector Nine. They are NOT Phish. But they do allow me to remember just the way they play "Taste". STS9 has distilled the essence of the Phish jam through the wormholes of T.I.M.E. into a very potent tincture. They have dispensed with the lyrics. They are live action dance remix organic trance groove portals back to the days of yesteryear. This past Friday night at Berbati's Pan, I heard "Moma Dance", I heard "Walkaway", I heard "Theme From The Bottom", and I heard "Reba". I was able to slide back through the wormhole at will to the shows they connected to and I was happy. Finally I was at ease with the emptiness. I have no idea what songs STS9 actually played. But it didn't matter. It was good fucking music. I could not be with the one I loved…but I could sure as hell love the ones I was with. See Sound Tribe with your sound tribe…you won't regret it.

In closing I borrow a passage from Bukowski's Notes of a Dirty Old Man …it reminded me of me:

your trusted friend or your valiant foe on the wasted lands of the bar-room battlefield, but either way I am probably in love with your girlfriend. I am in the words of the man who married MY ex-girlfriend "a remorseless asshole just looking to get laid". Is this true? If so…how did I get to this place?

As always…Roy Lee had the answer to my question. The Hyacinth girl knows me better sometimes than I know myself. She is the lady of the lake, the lioness of Oneonta Gorge, the Mistress of Avalon to my Merlin. As we sat eating lunch last week, she pointed me in the direction of the answer I so desperately needed. "Get your ass on Napster and download Staind's It's Been a While…YOU need to listen to that song!" Staind? What the hell could I possibly get out of the lyrics to a song by some hack metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts? Insight. You see… It's been a while but I can still remember just the way YOU taste. And it's been a while since I could say I wasn't addicted. And it's been a while since I could say that I love myself as well. And it's been a while since I've gone and fucked things up the way I always do. And it's been a while but all that shit seems to disappear when I'm with YOU. And it's been a while since I could look at myself straight. And it's been a while since I could say I'm sorry.

It's been a while since I have had a long term meaningful relationship with a woman I love. It is for this reason that April is the cruelest month. For it was April when our romance, like the lilacs, bloomed from the dead earth. At the time I was neither living nor dead and I knew nothing about women. An unspecified number of years (so as not to identify which of five possible women I am actually thinking about as I write this) down the road, experience has taught me much. But I still know nothing. Now that my passion has returned and I am looking once again into the heart of light…I hear only the cold silence of the void you left behind. Which FINALLY brings us to the music.

In the above paragraph…the word band could easily be substituted for the word woman. Unlike the women I love (still)…who shall remain nameless…I will gladly admit to my addiction to and love for the music of the band Phish. This so-called hiatus is just becoming unbearable. I feel so unfaithful to my love chasing after every pretty little thing that comes along just because the one I want refuses to give me her love. Each week I am forced to resort to another hollow substitute, some fleeting flight of fancy. I leave each show longing for my sweet one to return.

Art as always imitates life. Much like each of the relationships I spoke of above…my relationship with Phish also blossomed from the "Dead" earth in April. April 9, 1994 to be exact. My fourth Phish show. The Broome County Arena, in Beinghymntongue, New York. Kurt Cobain was dead. Rock and Roll was history. In keeping with his reluctantly messianic qualities…. I feel he died for me. Not for my sins…but actually in place of me. His act of self-destruction gave me new life. Joy was available…and its name was Phish. The music was the only thing that allowed me access to my own heart. The walls I had built around it were too high for me to climb over. Phish gave me wings. I miss having them.

I know I am not alone in this boat. I have many friends who feel the same way. What are we to do if the long awaited lover never re-appears? The answer it seems lies within our individual tribes. Love is always available. It comes in many forms…but it always comes from the heart. It is the right words at the right time ("Walk Away Marty!"), the inappropriate glance at the most opportune moment, the unexpected caress of a hand on a knee, the undeserved (but oh so appreciated) bite on the ear, backrub trains at 4 A.M., the brutally honest wit of a Sparklephairy ("I can't explain…I think it's love), renaming ceremonies, moose-meat slabs, and the bottomless well of good times in high places that feed the fires of passion and desire and keep it always El Real. Our tribe is strong. Our tribe is sound. Come to us when you are in need of a stranger's hand…in this desperate land.

By cBrown-techied@zdnetonebox.com