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Midwest Regional Report
Edited by Natalie Guinsler - dagny_esque@yahoo.com

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This summer has been nothing but hot in the Midwest, and I'm not just talkin' about the weather. (Bananarama's Cruel Summer keeps spinning, most disturbingly, in my head) We've been blessed with more great shows to catch than pocketbooks and days off work allow. My special thanks to the shower of submissions this month, hindering another pathetic plea from yours truly.

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Pitchin' Tent-acles

by Scott Plumer

Ozric Tentacles at the Odeon, Cleveland, OH - July 16, 1999

With as many concerts as this reviewer has seen, it's rare to see a performance that truly transcends a mere "concert," and becomes an "experience." Ozric Tentacles at Cleveland's Odeon on July 16 was such an experience.

For the un-Tentacled, the best way to describe this band is as a space-rock jam band. They owe a lot to forbears Hawkwind and Gong, but their sound is also very '90s, with elements of electronica, thrash metal and Asian music. One can also hear the influences of such diverse acts as Tangerine Dream and Prodigy in their music. Their audience is a diverse mix of Deadheads, Prog-nerds and thrash-punks, and none of them go away unsatisfied. When guitarist Ed Wynne, flautist John Egan, bassist Zia, keyboardist Seaweed (not his given name) and drummer Rad Prince took the stage, all in attendance were of one mind. They opened with "Coily," a hard-driving piece from their latest album Waterfall Cities. Egan, the instrumental band's closest thing to a frontman, leaped, danced and mugged for the audience like Ian Anderson on speed, occasionally pausing to play the flute and other wind instruments. Unfortunately, his flute was somewhat lost in the mix, but on tapes of the show (they allow taping) it's more audible. Seaweed also did his share of on-stage movement, but being restricted by his keyboard setup, there was only so much he could do. Drummer Conrad "Rad" Prince and bassist Zia were the musical standouts of the performance, keeping a heavy, grooving rhythm going in a manner that evoked thoughts of Rush. In fact, Rad told me that he's quite a fan of Rush's drummer Neil Peart, and his influence shows. Guitarist Wynne seemed to be trying to avoid the "guitar-hero" position, yet his playing was outstanding. On several songs he also played keyboards at his own setup on stage right. Other songs which delighted the packed house were "Oddentity," "Oolite Grove," "Chinatype," "Sploosh!," "Eternal Wheel," and "Sultana Detrii," a track from their latest effort. They encored with "White Rhino Tea," from their 1992 release Strangeitude.

All of the songs were enhanced by high-energy, freeform, space-jamming. The light show also was fantastic. Jasper of Fruit Salad Lights and Vision provided the visuals, which included Vari-Lites, strobes and slides projected on a screen behind the band. At the show's start, the slides were of what looked like the underside of an octopus, with the tentacles (how apropos!) radiating outward, but later slides were of various colored designs and liquid slides of the type used in the shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco in the late '60s.

All in all, the Ozrics' show was an experience not to be missed. Wynne said that they plan to return to the States next year, perhaps in the Spring, but after an incident in Detroit the following night where two of Egan's flutes were stolen, that may change. If they do come back, don't miss them.

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I wanna know, have you ever seen the Ray?

by Ranoverray

Since my last post to this page, Ray's Music Exchange has put a few thousand miles on their trusty white van. The most notable event being their first taste of West Coast life at the High Sierra Music Festival in Bear Valley, CA. Other great acts to take the stage that fourth of July weekend were Leftover Salmon (who love RME), Widespread Panic, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, String-Cheese Incident, Deep Banana Blackout, The Slip, and many other great acts from across the country.

Not long after their return, Ray's did a nice tour of the MidWest area spanning from Northern Ohio to Memphis, TN and then back home to Cincinnati to wind things down. The Memphis show being perhaps one of the best Ray's shows I've ever seen. The Cleveland show on 7/22 was of special interest because I got to see my boys opening for yet another big name national act: Mickey Hart's Planet Drum. Pretty cool, eh?

So, what does August have in store for the group known as Ray? After playing with venerable Ohio favorites Ekoostik Hookah on 8/7, the fellas are jaunting off to to Massachusetts to play the East Coast equivalent to High Sierra, The Berkshire Mountain Music Festival.

Here's what the remainder of August has in store: 8/15 Berkshire Mountain Music Festival- Barrington, MA (1:40-2:40) Party in the Park
8/20 The Empty Glass- Charleston, WV The Empty Glass
8/21 Mama Einstein's- Athens, OH
8/26 Lynagh's Emporium- Lexington, KY Lynagh's
8/27 The Balcony- Oxford, OH The Balcony
8/28 Riverdowns Racetrack- Cincinnati, OH (9:30-1:00 a.m.) River Downs

Hopefully the provided links are helpful in finding your way to the venues.

Coming in September: Ray's and Schleigho together in Athens, OH

As always, stay in contact with the band's web page for up to the minute info: Ray's official web page

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Sig's on the pavement, talkin' bout the gov't

by Sig Rydquist, Hudson, Ohio

Gov't Mule, Nyabinghi Dance Hall, Youngstown Ohio, July 21.

The Nyabinghi Dance Hall, about 40 miles outside Cleveland in Youngstown, Ohio, was the host of a great night of jamming. On July 21 Gov't Mule played this small bar, which holds less than 300 people at max capacity. The opening act and fellow Capricorn artist, Big Sugar, did not show up, which left the stage open for an incredible bluesman from NYC by the name of Hugh Pool. Opening with Walkin' Blues, Mr. Pool put on a who's who of the blues with standards by Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Muddy Waters. Playing his National steel guitar and harmonica, Pool also impressed the crowd with some great originals. His talent set the stage for what would prove to be an incredible night of music.

Gov't Mule took to the small stage and opened up with Rockin' Horse>Thorazine Shuffle. Thorazine Shuffle escalated into a raucous drum solo by Matt Apts. The intensity of this first jam was only a preview of what was to come, as Gov't Mule played a non-stop two-and-a-half hour show. The set was highlighted by songs from both studio albums, including four songs off of the "Dose" album; Thorazine Shuffle, Temporary Saint, Larger Than Life, and Blind Man in the Dark. GM also covered Pass the Peas in the middle of the set, a song made famous by Maceo Parker and the JB's. An extended, heavy jam closed out the set, consisting of Bad Little Doggie>Mother Earth>Blind Man in the Dark. GM encored with an extended jam I've Been Workin', a superb bass jam by Allen Woody, and a Norwegian Wood tease. Warren Haynes again proved that he is the greatest slide player around these days. Overall the show was an incredible evening of Southern Blues, highlighted by GM's musical talent and diverse backgrounds and a relief to all those who are feeling the loss of the Allman Brothers' cancellation of the Cleveland dates.

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Summing up Summer Sessions

Summer Sessions, Cleveland, OH Nautica stage - August 5

by JF

I will start out this review with a few words about arrival and hangin out. Then move on to a review of the bands with mentions of the tweeners (great word, whomever deserves the credit ).

I arrived at the venue at about 4:45 and decided that I could afford a beer or two from our friendly lot vendors, both of them, before heading into the show. I asked about when they started and the order but got many conflicting stories, and no one had actually gone to look so I set my go in time for 5:45, figuring time for set up etc... I basically hung out with these two kind brothers from Cackalacky, who had a few Sierra Pales to spare, and stories from Atlanta and Alabama to share. They were both on their way out to the glory grounds of Red Rocks, with tickets in hand for all three nights. One brother had been there in '86, but had not been back since. Anyhoo, they had tickets for Pittsburgh on out, and we yakked it up about living in the Carolina mountains and rhododendrons the size of houses. It was a beautiful sunny day and I could not have imagined a fatter pre-show hang out.

Galactic took the stage promptly at 6 or maybe 6:05. I was talkin' to Cash and J.D., heard some drums and looked up to find Galactic on stage as well as the drummers from SCI and moeperiod on stage cranking out a great drum jam. It was loud as a mother and shook the sky. There were probably about 100 or so people up front shakin' it for the start of Galactic's set but the crowd tripled at least as they laid down some New Orleans style boogie music. I do not know song names but they played about 3 songs, before bringing out Houseman (Go Houseman, Go Houseman) who sang two tunes, one being "There's Something Wrong With This Picture". He got some hips swayin' and some clapping of hands in the air bringing the energy up a notch. He left and out came moeperiod's bassist, replacing Galactic's, who took a very nice solo on his huge ass bass. The 60 minute set was over as fast as it began and the crack crew was shuffling gear as fast as they could. The emcee came out to tell us that moe. was next, as they wheeled Mat Abts kit to center stage:) Gov't Mule is a band I do not know much about. Jose, my brother, has been playing these guys for me for quite some time, so I knew some of the tunes. It was nice to see my brother shakin it with his new girl just a few feet from the stage. For that mattter a huge shout out the Cleveland family who was there in full force! HELL YEAH ! Anyhow, Mule played a mellow set which I did not think was possible. Warren started with his triangular Gibson, as did Allen, so they had matching guitars for a song or two. I also remember a jammin' up and down the neck bass solo in there somewhere. Warren then switched to his red topped Les Paul custom, and Allen must have played a different bass every song! About halfway through the set Mule finally blew something up. I had been waiting to see what I had heard so much about. Their guitar tech was scrambling, was it Allen's amp? Nope. Was it the drum line? Nope. Was it a monitor? YEP. The monitor in front of Allen was done for. You can clearly hear the crackle on the tapes. I think I caught the tech smile real big when he figured it out. Mule ended their set by bringing out Ed from moeperiod for a rockin' "Born under a bad sign" (Cream, right?) Warren took a nice solo, Ed really ripped out a fat one, then back to Warren who was strumming and sliding so fast his hands were just blurs. Next up moeperiod. I have to admit I was not really paying attention for the first couple songs, but I swear I heard a top forty hit in there somewhere. I was talkin' tape with a fellow Woosta attendee, when about halfway through our convo moeperiod caught my ear. I have no idea what they were doing, but it was a definite spacey sounding groove. I paid attention for the rest of their hour, and was more impressed with how different it sounded compared to the Pittsburgh 'China Cat' the night before. No one came out with moeperiod, and we were on to Keller Williams who regaled us with a tune about a boob job... Closing the show was String Cheese Incident, the band I came to see. Talk about fat, they closed both Nautica and IC Light. (On a tangent here, how embarrassing is it that Cleveland has three microbreweries within spitting distance of the venue but all they served was Bud and Bud Light ! Jules and Michael cast your heads in shame!) It was an almost all instrumental set from the Cheese. They played 6 songs, three were instrumentals, one being that long ass jazz exploration that is on the Telluride SBDCD-R (thanks, cody), that clocked in at 24 minutes and segued right into that fun latin number that had the whole crowd dancin' their blues away. In the middle of this Al from moeperiod came out but unfortunately you could not really hear him. I cannot imagine how hard it would be on a sound man, but Al needed turned up, man. Also, moe.'s drummer came out for a bit of a percussion jam during the last number SCI performed. (Tangent two, I am taking a notebook next time as I know some of the songs titles but cannot remember them sitting here in the KSU computer lab) SCI's set was over and they left the stage after 5 songs and 59 minutes, with one of the songs a five minute number! What, what's this, they are coming back for an encore? I don't believe it! Nautica unlike most venues does not have your usual curfew. How could they, with the beach bars playing dance music on the patio until 1 a.m., tell a neighbor just down the river to turn down. So out they came jammin' past the time my energy wore out, closing down a great summer session. I grabbed a Coke from my vendor buddies, and hit the road; light on my feet, big grin on my face, happiness in my heart.

And more...

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by Sig Rydquist

The Summer Sessions Tour, featuring Galactic, Gov't Mule, moe., and SCI hit the north shore of Cleveland on Thursday the 5th of August. I was personally excited to see this show because I had never seen Galactic, moe., and SCI live and only have limited knowledge of their music.

Galactic kicked the show off and laid down the funky groove that they are reputed for. These guys, hailing from New Orleans, were lead by the sounds of Rich Vogel, the man on the Hammond B3. I enjoyed this band tremendously and recommend them to anyone who enjoys the Meters or just funk in general.

Gov't Mule was the next band to take the stage, and although I may be somewhat biased, I felt that GM was the best band on the tour. They are extremely tight in all the songs they play, and their diverse backgrounds make for interesting changes in the songs. "Lay Your Burden Down", the second song they played, gave Warren Haynes a chance to prove that he is an incredible singer. Songs such as the instrumental "Devil Likes It Slow" and the extended "She Said, She Said" jam gave WH and Allen Woody ample time to prove their skills on the guitar and bass. For their final song they invited Chuck Garvey, lead guitarist for moe. to join them for an excellent rendition of "Born Under a Bad Sign". It was great to see two guitar masters trade licks on such a classic song.

Although GM was the highlight for me, both moe. and SCI played great sets and I am excited to see both these bands again in the near future. I recognized moe.'s first song, "Stranger than Fiction", and enjoyed the live version tremendously. I did find myself a bit bored during some of the longer, space jams throughout the set. A lot of their sound blended together and there was just too much noise in these jams. This was especially unfortunate when they brought out Gibb Droll as a special guest. The three guitars were a bit much and became hard to hear. SCI, on the other hand, kept me intrigued throughout their set with impressive jams in all genres of music. Opening with a fast paced bluegrass, they flowed into some jazz and back and forth throughout the set.

Overall it was a great night of music. The tour is well put together and they keep the audience entertained during the band changes with acoustic performances. The Cleveland show featured acoustic performances by Gibb Droll and Keller Williams, just to name a few.

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For those hoo missed it...

by Steve Thielman

Hookahville '99 - Buckeye Lake, OH

Hookahville was an amazing success and a great time in my mind. Hookah really took their playing to another level as did Ratdog, Calobo, Jazz Mandolin Project, and Jamie Notarthomas. The highlight, for me, was when Bob Weir came out and jammed with Hookah; and the amazing mandolin jam by Masefield of JMP on Hookah's "Viper". I highly enjoy Hookah and I hope some of the East Coast jam scene that I hung out with at Vibes '99 will make their way to the next Hookahville.

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Enother Hookah Edventure

by Sig Rydquist

Ekoostik Hookah, Nelson Ledges Park - August 6 and 7

Ekoostik Hookah played a weekend show at Nelson Ledges Park and Campground over the 6th and 7th of August. Although I was unable to catch the first show, I did make it to rural Nelson, Ohio for the second night. After Cincinnati's Ray's Music Exchange canceled, the Zen Tricksters provided the opening entertainment.

Hookah's first set was comprised mostly of newer material, written after John Mullins left the band a few years ago. The second set was a gem, and the crowd was ecstatic throughout. The second set opened with "Are You Experienced", the Hendrix Classic. This was followed later by "Slipjig Through the Poppy Fields", an incredibly complex instrumental which could only be compared to Phish's "You Enjoy Myself" for lack of anything else. As this song reached a crescendo, the crowd went absolutely wild. The encore topped off the energy of the second set. " Dire Wolf", a longtime favorite among Deadheads everywhere, was covered in fine form. This encore featured Steve Sweeney, the lead guitarist in a rare spot at lead vocals. This song was definitely the personal highlight of an excellent performance by EH. The crowd was extremely receptive to the band and this only increased the enjoyment of the music for most.

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Where the wild things are...

RON LEVY'S WILD KINGDOM

Delicious dance grooves.............coming your way! Visit www.levtron.com for more good stuff! Henley Douglas Jr. on sax, Garret Savluk on trumpet, Tim Wiechmann on guitar, Benny Benson on drums, Ron Levy on Hammond organ

Midwest dates:
Oct 7 Wilberts, Cleveland OH
Oct 8 & 9 The Music Menu, Detroit MI