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Big Sky Regional Report
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Edited by David
Shulman
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Big Sky Regional Report - November, 2000 Happy November everyone. I'll start off this month with a plea for some helpful participation. We very much could use some reviews for the regional report. Feel free to send in reviews of any jamband shows you see, updates on band happenings, show schedules, or just about anything you feel would be jamband related news. The only "rules" are that the information is in regard to Big Sky (mid/upper midwest) region information. If you are unsure if something can be used in the report or not feel free to email me at bigsky@jambands.com and ask. And now on with the show&&. The big jamband related news in the St. Louis area would be the recent opening of "The Pageant"&.a new concert facility just outside of the area in St. Louis known as "The Loop". For those not familiar, "The Loop" is basically the area that falls between Big Bend and Skinker off of Delmar. There are several clubs, shops and restaurants in the area that would be of interest to jamband fans, including a past venue of the month winner, Cicero's. Shows already announced over the next few months at The Pageant include Medeski, Martin & Wood, Little Feet, as well as .moe. With Cicero's as well as Mississippi Nights continuing to book jambands, St. Louis is now well placed to attract shows of all types and sizes. Of course the bands looking for larger venues still have The American, The Fox Theater, The Savvis Center (formerly Kiel Center), as well as Riverport Amphitheater to chose from. See below for information on upcoming St. Louis as well as other Big Sky region upcoming shows. I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and a great beginning to the upcoming holiday season. -David
Nebraska
Report Another one bites the dust-Omaha lost another live music venue when the 18th Amendment closed its stage to cater to the dj/dance crowd. The 18th has played host to a lot of top blues acts and other bands including Chris Duarte Group, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Magic Slim and the Teardrops. Former owner Terry O Halloran chastised the lack of support for local music in his goodbye article in Omaha s The Reader, saying that it made him sick that people were reluctant to pay a $5cover for three bands, given the amount of talent in town. This adds another to the list of disappearing places for both local and regional/national bands to perform, which also includes recent casualty W.C. s in Lincoln. The Music Box (www.musicboxlive.com) is one venue that has only gained prominence and a bigger audience since the recent closings. Once again, Minnesota jamband The Big Wu (www.thebigwu.com) brought their earthy mix of rock, funk and roots jam to town. Strange Pleasures, joined by nationally acclaimed rhythm section Todd Roberson (drums) and Troy Johnson (bass) of JRZSystem http://jrzsystem.com and Stephen (RATT) Pearcy s Nitronic, tore off an hour set of harder-edged psychedelic originals that got the house rockin before mellowing into a first ever cover of Alphonse Mouzon s Golden Rainbows. (email to request a soundboard CD) The Wu showed several sides, from a deeper eastcoast-influenced funk to their lighter, rootsy originals. They also threw in an excellent Eyes of the World . The Wu s two-hour set had the 300+ crowd grooving steadily. The vibe was nothing but spectacular, and it spilled into the wee hours. Jason and Chris from the Wu decided they hadn t had enough and entertained 30-50 at a private after-hours party, jamming with Greg Beebe and Erik Blomenkamp from Strange Pleasures and local jam fan Scott Halverson on vocals. The Wu has gained a lot of fans in the Omaha/Lincoln area-catch them at Knickerbocker s in Lincoln in January& Looking for a New Year s Eve bash in the heartland-a last twirl this millennium Strange Pleasures at Knickerbocker s www.knickerbockers.net&Sunday January 31. 9PM-2001! Also, look for Strange Pleasures at the Music Box on January 11th after Native American blues phenoms Indigenous& The recent venue turnover has had a dramatic impact on a number of rock bands in Omaha, with long-established bands breaking up and reforming all over the spectrum. One jamband that has been retooling for another appearance is Ripple Effect. Mike Dowty (vocals, guitar) has resurrected his promising band with guitarist Shawn Russell, bassist/vocalist Steve Petty(formerly of Strange Pleasures) and drummer Tim Zoucha (Grateful Dudes, Captain Kind). Ripple Effect was the first jamband out of this area to do any regional touring, and had a respectable following before packing it in a couple of years ago. We re glad to hear that they are back working and we expect some tour dates soon. See www.strangepleasures.comfor up to date information. For all the music in the Omaha region, check out www.omahabands.com or www.slamomaha.com. Upcoming Shows Wed.
Nov. 15th HairyApesBMX / Two Skinny Js Mississippi NIghts
Provided by 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" Fridays 1:00 to 4:00 PM On KWUR 90.3 Stumble In The Dark page: http://www.i1.net/~moby/stumble.html broadcasting on the WWW: http://www.kdhx.org (now using REALAUDIO!) request line: (314)664-3688 office: (314)664-3955 |
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