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Midwest
Regional Report
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Edited by Todd Justus &
Tim Ward
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Summer's in full swing, babies...the festivals are flyin' every which way and the music is hot. Our ears are still ringing from Phish's sweep through the Midwest and The Other Ones are playing 'round these parts too coming up real soon, and I can't wait. The topper for me of course is the fact that ekoostik hookah will be opening for The Other Ones and Ziggy Marley at Blossom Music Center. Holy moley. Been waiting for hookah to open for the Dead for 8 years and it's finally happened, sort of. I was able to check out a couple of cool venues this summer so far...Meadowridge Farm in Huntsberg, OH and Sunshine Daydream Campgrounds in Terra Alta, WVA were two great places to catch a show. I also made it to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Ohio for the first time last weekend (hey, I've been living out West) and along the way I've gotten to experience some great acts too, like Vassar Clements and Stir Fried, Fat Apple, The Juggling Suns, Ray's Music Exchange, and Jiggle the Handle to name just a few. I also need to give a shout out to a band from Indiana named Danagas. They sent me a cd and press kit and I've found them to be quite groovy. Same goes for Patchouli. This month we have a couple of reviews and once again a more comprehensive list of shows to see in each state...so enjoy, and we'll see you at the show...Tim & Todd In Case You Missed It
The Big Wu The Big Wu performed this evening at the Park West in Chicago,IL. Being the first time the band had attempted the theater circuit in the Chicago metropolitan area, this was surely a breakthrough performance for the Big Wu. The band was looking forward to a fun and energetic atmosphere and they surely got it alright. The opening band, "Dragon Fly", got the crowd warmed up with it's horn driven groove. Dragon Fly is an up and coming act out of Chicago; look out for more good things to come from these fellows. The Wu opened up with "Pinnacle" and set the stage for an exciting night of tremendous and enticing grooves. Pinnacle had a good amount of energy and the jam section of the song featured some nice work by guitarists Jason Fladager and Chris Castino. Next up was one of the Wu's newer classics, Break Of Day. Beginning with a simple chord structure, this song has an irresistible hook that layers itself on a very solid groove. In this performance, the band extended the jam out with some swirling keyboard work from Al Oikari. As the jam played itself out, the band brought the groove out of the atmosphere and let it settle down into a more ambient trance. This trance segued into "Last Train", a less frequently played original that brings a good dose of down home soul to the band's repertoire. Next up was the band's "Puerto Rico". The band has two versions of this song that differ greatly in tempo. Tonight, the band chose to play the more uptempo, spunky version. The band rolled through a pretty standard version but played the song into a impromptu version of the "The Wheel". Taking the crowd by surprise, The Wheel allowed the band to showcase their tremendous harmony capability and their tight playing. The Wheel segued into another Wu original, "Bloodhound". The Wu drove the tempo in this one to the extreme, with bassist Andy Miller ascending and descending the octave scale along with some tight overall playing by the band. The band then dove into their pseudo-funk good time song, "Handle the Spam". Spam was slow and funky but was very successful in getting the desired vibe out of the audience. Next up was the country-ish ballad, Straight through the Ear, the band played it simple with this one, which features excellent vocals from drummer Terry Vandewalker. After this, the band broke into one of its trademark jam vehicles, "Red Sky". Driving an upbeat tempo, the band wasted no time getting into the groove. As the band neared the end of the second verse, they segued into their trademark, "Rio" jams. Definitely a treat for the crowd, the Wu's Rio jams are simple beautiful despite all the connotations you might have regarding a band like Duran Duran! As the Rio jam played itself out, the band worked back into Red Sky with ease. The jam worked the crowd to a fevered pitch and at times the energy in the room was threatening to blow the roof off the joint! As the final refrain came to pass, most of the audience was ready to take a setbreak but the band wasn't quite finished yet. The band displayed one of their newer originals, "Flatiron Suite". Written by Chris Castino, this slow tempo song has some introspective vocals that go along with a chill groove. A nice "settle song" that found its stride. The band capped off the set with an absolutely smokin' rendition of "Promised Land" that featured mind blowing work on keys from Al Oikari. Move over Jerry Lee Lewis! Set 2 began with the band thanking everyone that helped make the night's performance possible. As the cheers softened, the band broke into the opening grooves of "Could You Be Loved". Excitement pulsed through the crowd and the band treated everyone to an electrifying version as well! next was "Midnight Rudy", which was pretty solid except for an unbelievable guitar solo from Chris Castino. The Wu then proceeded with "Oxygen". This jam explored some darker grooves but wound itself into another new classic, "Jazz 88". Featuring a stellar jams section bookended by two identical sections, Jazz 88 worked the crowd to a pinnacle during the jam section! Next was "All Good", it was dedicated to a friend of the band as well. The All Good ending makes one reminisce of a furious gospel rave, tonight that was so true as the band poured a ton of energy into it. It was great moment of the show, stellar! Next up, "Gimme a Raise" popped up and featured a bizarre, "Scoop there it is" chants that point to the free shows the Wu have been doing alongside the fine folks at Ben & Jerry's! The band played a solid version of "Angio'Plasty" before hitting the JGB standard, "Tough Mama". This one is an absolute treat as you get to hear Terry just wail on these vocals. The band offered a solid jam as well. The band followed this with a funky as hell version of "Silcanturnitova". Many expected this to end the set but we were totally surprised as the band started up the chords to "Franklin's Tower". The Wu just tore it up hear as they extended this one beyond belief. They were obviously thriving off the energy in the room. This jam had a lot emotion in it as Jason and Chris traded scorching licks! To follow this up, the band then tore into, "Me & My Uncle". This one as well was beefed up with some serious adrenaline. Putting an unbelievable amount of energy into the jam, the brought room to the edge here along with the end of a marathon set 2. Despite the crowd's urging, the band opted for no encore probably due to the lack of time. In closing, the Big Wu really played one charged up show that will no doubt be remembered for some time. The only question is when the band will be back to "Rock the Park West!"
ekoostik hookah What can I say? Like others have noted, the Ledges was a fantastic experience once again. Maybe it's something in the air up there, or something in the water...who knows? But yet again, the music, the vibe, the people, and the venue made the hookah Ledges weekend a highlight of the Summer. We arrived there late Thurs. night, actually early Friday morning at about 1:30 AM. We lucked out & got our old campsite from last year again, area #51 (where strange sightings take place). And since there was a larger contingent of us, we took over #52 this year too. We rolled in, set up our tents, & promptly lit a nice campfire and told stories of last year's Ledges weekend & also talked about the what-to-be's of this year's event. Little did we know that this year's shows would eclipse last year's (the infamous how will they top that show thing). I woke up Friday & quickly made my way down to the quarry to take a dip. How cool is it to be able to take a nice swim during a festival? Very cool in my book. The rest of Friday's afternoon was spent setting up the rest of our camp, visiting fellow hookies' campsites, and preparing for the show. It was my first venture into taking down setlists. I don't know why I never did it before. I know all of the songs after the first few notes, and it would be very helpful to dubba...but, I guess I'll do it from now on. It looks like I was right on too, except I missed the "You & I" Dave sang on Friday. But, I had to restock the cooler with some brews. There's no doubt that those vinyl coolers that Igloo makes do the job. I can easily fit about 20 cans of beer in there with a bag of ice, hence the name of my cooler...the MVP (Most Valuable Player - I believe we named it at the Ledges last year, and very fittingly so. The MVP is the MVP of every festival we attend!!!). I found out Friday night that I had made a "deal with the devil". It was totally my own fault. I practically cut my finger, wrote the document in my own blood, and had to pay the consequences late Friday after the show. I've had an ongoing email battle going on with a certain member of the band about the TV show "Survivor". This certain member of the band, let's call him "Mephistopheles" for purposes of this review, just loves a certain cast member of the show. And I can't stand this cast member, actually this person is the person I love to hate...I'd probably lose interest in the show if this cast member was voted off. Well, last week I emailed the Deity of the Netherworld that I would do the "happy-dance" that the "Survivor" cast member did on last week's episode if Beelzebub would sing a certain little ghost song of his. Not only did I ask for this certain little ghost song, but I asked for it to be segued into the part 2 of this ghost song. Well, I didn't think anything of it. It was a joke & I thought there was no way that Lucifer would do this to me. So, I was grooving to an unbelievable Friday night (highlighted by a killer OMRD->Silver Train, Daffodils, Godspeed, etc.......they're all so good, but I have to pick a few highlights). Then after a killer Octofyre, I hear the first few notes of Alexander. I was like, "Uh-oh". But, after an awesome...and I mean awesome solo by Sweney, I almost forgot about Alexander II. And, it didn't sound like they were going to segue into Alexander II (it seems they took a different route to bridge these two songs..or was it just me?). Then, I heard it. It was Alexander II. And, wow...it sounded awesome. I had a few buddies with me that have been dying to see these two songs together again (they've missed this every time it has happened since last Fall 'ville), so we were all excited to see it again. But internally I was wondering, "There's no way that the Prince of Darkness would do these songs just to see me do a silly dance, or would he?" Well, I'm not sure if that's the reason that the Master of Deceit sang these tunes, but he sure did make me pay for selling my soul to him. After hanging around after the show, in retrospect...a bit too long...I should've hid in the woods, I had to pay my dues. I don't know how many times & for how many people, but I performed the happy dance at Satan's request throughout the night. I was a good sport about it (somewhat...it seemed I tried to retire the dance many times to no avail). I hope everyone enjoyed the dance. I messed it up once, and had to redo it. Rightfully so. There's a little extra something you have to add to the end to do it right. After a few beers & some BSing, I then tried to find my way back to my tent from Scribbleville. Let me tell you, that was a feat in itself. Thanks to Aaron, I had a glowstick for my light source through the woods. Eventually, I made my way home. (PS. - I do not think Ed or any member of hookah resembles or personifies Satan or any of Satan's aliases...I was just adding that for a story purposes.) Saturday comes around. Again, I wake up to a nice dip in the quarry. After being called "Rich" many times between my walk to the quarry & back to my tent, I realize the story got around fast. Damn...I hope it's not my legacy in the hookah family. Oh well. I spent most of the day napping & catching a few tunes by some of the bands. By the way, nothing can confuse you more than being woke up by a friend during an afternoon nap with him asking "do you want to go sky diving" through the window of your tent. What the? Sorry Doug, thought that was kind of funny. Anyway, the show was about to begin again. We made our way down to the stage & waited for show to begin. I heard someone calling me "Rich" again, and here comes Ed from behind me. (Why I oughtta...) Soon after, the show begins. Again, the show was electric. Everyone was dancing, smiling, and just having the time of their lives. We had brought a few hookah-newbies, and they couldn't believe what was going on. Let's just say there may be a few more folks going to shows, like you're surprised??? Another great set Saturday night, my highlights being: Schwa, Pass the Cider, Ecstasy (WOW!!!), Fire (Another Hendrix tune this year...woohoo!!! Maybe a "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" or "Voodoo Child(slight return)" next year??? hint hint), Lax, & Sister Sugar. Did anyone hear a "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" tease at the beginning of Slipjig? I thought I did, but maybe someone put something into those brownies I was eating :) Again, the Nelson Ledges weekend was an absolute treat. I just wanted to say 'thank you' to everyone. All of you had a part in making this an outstanding weekend. The music, the vibe, the surroundings, and all of you deserve the "Rich Happy-Dance", but unfortunately it's now retired. I hope everyone had a great weekend. And I hope you're all well.
sdtl,
OHIO:
8/15/00-Leftover Salmon, BarrelHouse Brewing Co., Cincinnati INDIANA:
8/18/00-Walter Kronkite, The Volcano Room, Indianapolis ILLINOIS:
8/15/00-The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Illinois State Fair, Springfield MICHIGAN:
8/16/00--The Den Band, Libery St. Plaza, Ann Arbor WISCONSIN:
8/18/00--Natty Nation, Monona Terrace, Madison |
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