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Big Sky Regional Report
Edited by David Shulman - ds0623@aol.com

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Hi all,

Hope the summer is shaping up nicely for everyone. Other than the heat box we in the mid-west have been living with, I have no complaints. I don't know about you, but those that tell me they love the St. Louis heat....well, I just don't understand. 100 degrees with a heat index near 120 is not my idea of comfort. I'll take snow any day! Perhaps that's a bit of my Boston heritage speaking loud and clear.

An exciting event happening here in St. Louis is the contest for jambands coming up in the next few weeks at Cicero's. (See detailed info below). I urge any of you in the St. Louis area to check out the "Battle of the Jambands"! Stop by and give a hearty hello to Chad (booking mgr at Cicero's) as well. Chad is a great guy and has been a major player in bringing some fine bands to the St. Louis area.

Being a baseball fan I must brag about the fact I happened to catch the game (not the ball) where Mark McGwire hit home run #500! Quite a thrill to say the least. Catch you in September! :)

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Announcing The Battle Of St. Louis Jam Bands

Cicero's has teamed up with local and national sponsors for a battle of local jambands. The battle will run every Friday in August and will include nine local jambands, with three bands each week. Winners for the first three weeks will receive 100% of the door receipts and move on to the final round on Friday August 27th. Weekly winners will be determined solely by audience response.

On the final night, a judging panel will decide the final winner. The panel will consist of Drea Stein (Host of KDHX's "The Other One"), James Mullins (Host of KDHX's "Stumble In The Dark"), Jim Bruce (Host of KDHX's "Grateful Dead Hour), Beatle Bob (a St. Loouis Music Icon), Kevin Johnson (Pop Music critic for The St. Louis Post Dispatch,) and of course our beloved sound engineer, John Katsafanas.

Prizes for the final night will be provided by the following Sponsors; Mi Casa (St. Louis' favorite headshop), Homegrown Music Network, Jambands.com, Downtown Imprints (a promotional advertising company that makes shirts, stickers, etc.), Guitar Center, Drum Headquarters, Phoenix Rising Records (A possible record deal), and SmithLee Productions (They will be matching the door money on the final night, all of which will be used towards recording sessions for the winning band.)

The idea is to help promote the jam band scene here in St. Louis. We need to get people out to see some of the local jam bands that St. Louis has to offer. Many people here in St. Louis are still under the assumption that jam bands are all either Dead cover bands or that they all want to be Phish. Come out and support St. Louis' first battle of the Jambands. Be sure to check out our website for information on upcoming shows as well. For those of you who may be interested, our tapers page will be up and running in about two to three weeks. On this page, you will be able to request tapes from any of the Cicero's shows we have on our list.

Battle Of The Bands Schedule:
Friday August 13 and Friday August 20
Madahoochi CPB
Sunny Daze Big Bang Theory
Static Circus Amorphous Band

Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,
Chad @ Cicero's

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Various Big Sky August tour dates

15 - Rusted Root, Jewel, and Steve Poltz, Target Center, Minneapolis, MN.
16 - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Jeff Coffin, Indiana Roof Ballroom, Indianapolis, IN.
17 - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Jeff Coffin, Indiana Roof Ballroom, Indianapolis, IN.
17 - Rusted Root, Jewel, and Steve Poltz, Sandstone Amphitheatre, Bonner Springs, KS.
18 - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Jeff Coffin, Westport Playhouse, St. Louis, MO.
18 - Rusted Root, Jewel, and Steve Poltz, Riverport Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO.
19 - Jazz Mandolin Project, Martyr's, Chicago, IL.
20 - Hypnotic Clambake, Bells Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI.
20 - Jazz Mandolin Project, Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.
22 - Allman Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Mary Cutrufello, and Mojo Son, Pine Knob Amphitheatre, Detroit, MI.

Specific St. Louis area dates - courtesy of James Mullins

Tue. Aug 17th Headstash (Stumble Into Cicero's) Cicero's
Wed. Aug. 18th Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Westport Playhouse
Thur. Aug. 19th Ekoostik Hookah / Devon Allman Cicero's
Fri. Aug 20th Amorphous Band / Big Bang Theory / CPB (3rd Round Battle Of The Jam Bands) Cicero's
Sat. Aug 21st Smokehouse Allstars Cicero's
Tue. Aug 24th EM Greuve Cicero's
Thur. Aug 26th Ambiguous They / Youngblood Brass Band Cicero's
Fri. Aug 27th Battle Of The Jam Band finals! Cicero's
Sat. Aug 28th Amorphous Band Calbin Opera House, Wash. MO
Sat. Aug 28th Jake's Leg Cicero's
Tue. Aug 31st CPB (Stumble Into Cicero's) Cicero's
Sun. Sept 5th Victor Wooten (part of Big Muddy Blues & Roots Frestival) LaClead's Landing Sun. Sept. 12th Jethro Tull Riverport Amp.
Sat. Sept. 18th Dark Star Orchestra Mississippi Nights
Fri. Sept. 24th Richard Thompson Mississippi Nights
Thur. Sept. 30th moe. Mississippi Nights
Fri. Oct. 15th David Grisman Quintet Sheldon Concert Hall
Sun. Oct. 10th Medeski, Martin & Wood Mississippi Nights
Tue. Oct. 12th John Popper Band Mississippi Nights

James Mullins
volunteer/programmer: KDHX FM88.1 St. Louis Community radio
Host of "Stumble In The Dark" Tuesdays 8:00 to 10:00 PM CST
AND "The Side Trip" Wednesdays 1:00 to 5:00 PM On KWUR 90.3
Stumble In The Dark page broadcasting on the WWW: www.kdhx.org (now using REALAUDIO) request line: (314)664-3688 office: (314)664-3955
KDHX FM 88.1 St. Louis Community Radio
3504 Magnolia
St. Louis, MO 63118
KWUR 90.3 FM
1 Brookings Drive, Box 1205
St. Louis, Missouri 63130
Phone: 314-935-5952
Fax: 314-935-5699
Stumble In The Dark home office
James Mullins
5810 Goener
St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone (314)832-5529
Fax (314)481-1191

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kGb Info
July 30, 1999 - Beaner Central, Duluth, MN

by Jon-David Schlough

Set I: late rent->butterfly train->horn. dr.j->harmonic->3rdstone->downwithdisease
Set II: soul shakedown->yamar->getonthestreet. groovehomes->sabrosa. mike's song->maze->llama

This show was a good time- Beaner's Central is a coffeeshop right of 35 on Central- Very classy decor and no smoking makes for a different vibe. not too many people there, but erica and sara jo were in the house- that reminds me, erica zureck- thanks for letting us crash.

SETLIST - The BIG Wu - 8.4.99 - The Cabooze- Mpls, MN
opener was NINAstorey fresh from WoodSTock
I- break of day.(deadtuneIthink).precious hands. take the world by storm. (?). red sneakers. shantytown. 2person chair. baby blue. bloodhound.(?). texas fireball

I apologize for the misses, but I got as much as I could and due to my condition at the conclusion of the show, I needed to go home at once and not dally to collect clarifications, even though I should have. Needless to say, this show was fantastic. Nina wailed for about an hour like a bluesesqe Mariah Carey, then the family packed in shoulder to shoulder and the band did not disappoint- I was lucky to get there early and got a seat at the bar- front and el centro, affording me the absolute best view of the band (although Al seemed far away for some reason?) -at show time, the wU once again delivered the goods on time and in tune, tied with a bow and a served up with a smile, this is some of the best JAM in Minnesota, no doubt. 2person chair and bloodhound were my favorites, although break of day is also one of their songs that just PLAYS so well live, smooth and friendly as an opener. Sorry, but I cannot for the life of me remember the dead cover (I think) that they played, but Terry sang it well- I know that much. They said they were excited to play the next night in Mankato, as the Minnesota Vikings just opened training camp there. Evidently, Andy has placed all their belongings in hock and bet it all on the Vikings to take the super bowl...go randy! At any rate, if you've not yet had the opportunity I recommend seeing the WU at all costs. One cannot help but be smiling all night- a great time is mandatory at Wu shows, doubly so at the Cabooze. kGb- REVISED TOUR- due to scattered flailing, the Pick'em'up Truck Big Sky Traveling phreak show featuring TwinCities jamband kGb has been upgraded and improved. This new tour is pretty much the same, just a few dates scrapped and shuffled around(sorry Karla). But this new design offers a more streamlined ride, and it seems fine then. At any rate, here is the new information for all ya'll in the BIG SKY-

8.15.99 - Kip's - Babb,MT
8.19.99 - Dire Wolf - Whitefish,MT
8.20.99 - The Ritz - Missoula,MT (camping interlude)
8.25,26.99 - The Village Well - Bigfork,MT
8.27,2899 - Snow Creek - Red Lodge,MT

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A fast and furious month for Strange Pleasures - from Colorado back to Omaha, Lincoln and back to Colorado, with some Minnesota and Boston magic thrown in as well...I missed every one of these shows up to the Big Wu due to a trip down under. (Setlists, therefore, are unavailable up to that point.) Saturday July 10, Private Party- Allenspark, CO-A rollicking good time, I'm told. Brought the return of "What I Got" after an 8? month retirement. Thursday July 15, Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE-ALLSET from Boston MA opened this show. Word was that ALLSET played a very good show, then a great crowd gathered for a fine Strange Pleasures set to close out the night. Friday July 16, Hooter's 6th Anniversary, Omaha NE-A show played to a non-jamband crowd that got it part of the time.

Monday July 19, Zoo Bar, Lincoln NE-According to the band, the show of the month. The Zoo is always long on mojo, and tonight was no exception. Shawn Russell, formerly of Ripple Effect, joined Strange Pleasures on guitar and vocals for a ripping "Tangled Up in Blue."

Wednesday July 21, Bodega's Alley, Lincoln NE-Another rip-up job in Lincoln.

Thursday July 22, Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE-with special guests: Paddy O' Furniture.

Wednesday July 28, Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE-The Big Wu...Strange Pleasures was all set to open this show, but a power outage put the entire night in jeopardy. In fact, the Wu was loaded out, packing up and ready to go to another venue when the lights incredibly came back on at 9:30. We set everything back up and the Wu took the stage around 10:45. The scramble in and out obviously knocked off their chi a bit, and the room was eerie for awhile, which made my job on the board more difficult. By the time the guys kicked in, the sound did as well and the Wu put on a very nice show. Jason was particularly dialed on the guitar. Can't wait to see these guys when the situation isn't quite so odd and they have a chance to really relax and play. A good crowd that enjoyed it.

Thursday August 5, UN-L Summer Concert Series, Lincoln, NE-An outdoor warmup for the night to come...and about 200 students. According to one source the music sounded great, but the vocals didn't sound too hot coming through the Nebraska Union's PA (sans monitors). Tom McKee sat in on drums for Steve Fisher, who broke his kick drum leg at Deer Creek.

Thursday August 5, Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE-with special guests, ALLSET from New England...Based on the quality of their July 15th performance, and in the name of goodwill, Strange Pleasures opened for the boys from Boston. It was evident to me that something was up, because the band was really loose, but the music was not. It was tight, the boys were joking on the mics, Greg McWhorter sat in on drums, and the jams were chaotic, fractal and thick. Something in the room was working for me, because the sound was on. When ALLSET took the stage to finish off their summer tour, there was about a hundred in the room ready to rock, several wondering why SP opened. But, they were treated to a truly unique sound. ALLSET jammed a SOLID trippy set, using their chaos, instrumentation and interpretation to turn on the Omaha crowd. Word from the band was that they debuted three jams, naming one of them "Jet Moto" in honor of their favorite pastime while staying in Omaha. Catch these guys when you get a chance. Brad Slate was particularly impressive on electrified fiddle. I think they could benefit from vocals here and there, but their instrumental style is different than I've heard before. Contrary to a post on the jambands message board, this band is NOT boring.

Strange Pleasures was named band of the month by Quixotes True Blue Café in Aurora, CO and played the culmination of the "Nine Days of Jerry" celebration on Monday August 9th. Steve Fisher played left-footed kick drum Upcoming shows for Strange Pleasures include:

Thursday August 12 Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE
Sunday August 15 Earl Bates' Sunday Night Revue
Acoustic Pleasures with Miss April
Domet
Pastimes Bistro, 77th and Cass, Omaha NE
Thursday August 19 Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE with special guests: Paddy O'Furniture
Thursday August 26 Saddle Creek Bar, Omaha NE with special guests: TBA Friday August 27 Howard Street Pub, Omaha NE
Check out www.strangepleasures.com for more information.