|
Setting
Levels
|
||
|
Edited
by Paul "Pro" Pearson,
Ph.D.
|
||
|
Levels Link Love
Friendships formed under circumstances of common interest and sheer proximity (summer camp, grad school, Phish tour, etc..) often dwindle over time and physical separation. Even if the conversation picks up exactly on the word it left off years before, there's always something lost in experience. Sometimes that's a good thing, but for the truly special people you run into, you always wonder what you missed between the odd email exchange. A recent trip to New York City offered the dual opportunity to reclaim a little slice of that lost time and take my first gaze on the infamous VW bus. Following a solo 50 block walking tour of the better part of midtown and Times Square, and some choice vindaloo, Mark and Jenn showed up at my hotel door. Just over two years had passed since we pulled into the lot in Landover simultaneously (following drives of 28 hours from Nebraska and 6 hours from New Jersey) and then spent the next 3+ days and nights alternatively sleeping, eating and driving into the City for more Phish. Following the requisite bonding and life reports, we were off to a place I had only tried to imagine, the Wetlands Preserve. Soulive was on break (I invariably make it to shows at break or exactly one song before) so we gravitated to the basement, enjoying the groove that Actual Proof was working themselves and the cats on the couches into. (Mark took time to point out to this farm boy something he felt was truly 'New York,' a newspaper on the counter of the men's room opened to an article on John Rocker.) But, I had to break the trance and experience the mojo upstairs. After checking out the literature, a couple local brews and the lay of the (wet)land, Soulive took the stage. I saw three guys. But when I went back to groove and chat with my friends, I swore I heard four. I had to check the stage. Organist Neal Evans' funky low end was supporting the band, while his right hand added the B3/Leslie all over the rest of the spectrum. A nice blend with the funky drums and the jazz/blues guitar. The crowd was grooving and smiling, and one fan responded to a pause between songs with "Keep playing! We love it!" The room isn't big, but I could feel the magic and picture it filled to the gills during a transcendent moment. Having finally experienced the Wetlands as a spectator, my only thought was "we gotta play this room!" The hour eventually drew late for my friends and I, but I had to stop by the VW to meet Tara, who promptly hooked me up with shirts, a Soulive CD and some free Jambands.com Tour stickers. An unexpected pleasure ended the evening-a sleepy Jambands.com columnist Carol Wade was still hanging out enjoying the show. Common interests and sheer proximity. Friendships. Kindness. I'll be back to visit my friends again, and we'll pick up right where we left off...My thanks to Mark and Jenn for another good memory, the Wetlands and Soulive for a great time and the guys from Columbus Ohio...This month's feature is a sweet pull from the hookah. Send your submissions on sound, taping, trading, mixing or the working end of the band by March 5th for next months issue!
Take care,
Location: Green Room-Ranch Bowl, 72nd Street, Omaha NE Pro: This will be my first opportunity to hear you guys, but I've heard nothing but good word. Tell me how hookah got started and how you've been able to be so successful. You guys are definitely in the upper middle class of jambands out right now...you got the regional thing going strong and have built it into national touring. Cliff: Thanks. I met Dave (Katz; keys/vocals/acoustic guitar) at a party in high school. We ended up blowing the PA and jamming with instruments all night. We went to different high schools-he was incredible but had nobody to play with. We went to OSU and were both in Grateful Dead cover bands. Columbus has a good scene for Dead cover bands. Dave also had an open stage/songwriter's coalition going with the original lead singer who played percussion. We added in a guitar player (Steve) and we had a band, that was 1991. Pro: How has the band's sound and lineup evolved? Cliff: Dave wanted to do originals, so we moved from the covers to mostly originals with a few covers thrown in. The sound really hasn't evolved all that much. We've maintained the same focus. We've had different songs and a different lead singer and a period of transition, but we've always been full-time, committed. Pro: Continuity is difficult for a lot of bands, because you have to find the right personality as well as a talented musician. You have to have chemistry and a common vision. Cliff: Definitely. Steve Fry left in 1993 to pursue other interests, but he recommended Eric (Lanese; drums). We had to part with our former lead singer for personality and other issues in 1996. Pro: Was it difficult to replace the lead singer that far along? How much of your original repertoire did you lose? Cliff: It was a hard transition, but it had to be done. We couldn't play certain songs-songs that had been favorites-and the audience was pissed. We wanted to keep it to ourselves, so it was tough. Taking the Bobby and Jerry approach of trading songs, we lost about 50% of our repertoire. Ed (McGee; vocals, guitar) stepped right in and took over the rhythm guitar/vocals. But, we were jamming with him before hookah-he was in a band with Dave called Local Color. We knew him well, which made the transition easier. He could only bring 6 originals with him, so we had to play them every night. But since they were new, they were still fresh every time. Pro: Do you guys get to rehearse much? I know you've been touring steadily. Cliff: We need to rehearse more, but it's the same old story: When you're out touring, you really can't afford (monetarily) to stop touring. We occasionally get a few weeks at a time off. Pro: Let's switch gears a little and talk about taping and trading. What's the band's taping policy? Cliff: We've always actively encouraged it. In the early years, we had a taper that we gave the means to keep taping and copying tapes, just to get them out there to whomever wanted them. We sold live tapes at the shows in those days. Pro: Do you allow board patches? Cliff: As long as people are respectful we are glad to do it. In smaller venues where the board mix is going to be way off, we might restrict it. Pro: How many discs do you have out and how many have you sold? Cliff: I forget, but it's close to 100,000. We have 6-3 studio and 3 live discs out. Pro: How has the live show trading affected your disc sales? Cliff: If anything, it's helped it out a lot by spreading the word. Even if it was filler on another show, it got the name out there. We basically agreed with the Dead's philosophy that it was out there, so...enjoy it. Pro: Let's talk a little about your sound setup and crew. Have you always had your own guy behind the board, or did you have to deal with a lot of house sound engineers? Cliff: We've always had our own guy behind the board. I can't imagine a different sound guy every night, although we do have to deal with different monitor guys. Bill has been the sound engineer since 1994 and he was the assistant before that. We have Chris who sells the merchandise and a crew of 2 that does the work. The good people stick around-they always do-and we try to pay them enough to encourage it. But, it's a tough job without a lot of creative expression, so I'm sure it's difficult. Pro: Speaking of monitors... Cliff: We have some demands for monitors because we have a high stage volume. Steve has two Fender amps and we have to compete with him. Dave is playing keys and acoustic guitar about half the time, which can be tricky. Eric has an in-ear monitor he's working with. I haven't tried it, I'm afraid I'll lose touch with the room. Pro: What are your major influences? Cliff: I was brought up on classical music and my brother's rack of records. It was labelled from softest to loudest-the stuff on the loudest end was what intrigued and scared me most-Pink Floyd, Boston, Blue Oyster Cult. Pro: Jambands encompass such a wide range of musical genres-from a bluegrass hoedown to a hard rock throwdown. How do you describe ekoostik hookah? Cliff: About like that. We incorporate as many different types as we can. We try to widen our influences and listen to different stuff. Steve: We just call it 'rock and roll' now, because that's what it is. We've tried to categorize it several times, but we were always leaving somethin' out. And by the way, Jambands.com readers should know that I bowled a 165. Thanks to ekoostik hookah, especially Cliff and Steve, for the best Monday night jam I've seen in Omaha and a fun interview...check 'em out at a venue near you! The Wetlands- http://www.wetlands-preserve.org hookah for all!
Official Band Website:
http://www.ekoostik.com I sent a plea into the darkness and my voice was heard!! Thanks to Alan Cohen of Princeton, NJ for some vintage MMW!!
Medeski, Martin and Wood recorded by Marc Nutter of Sonic Sense. AMS ST-250 Blumlein mics, 4' high on stage-> AMS Cable-->Crace 801 preamp-->modified sony 75E5 deck
Disc 1 (Set 1)
Disc 2 (Set 2)
Disc 3 Rules: 1) You must be a new trader (20 hours of jambands or less) or new to MMW (zero MMW shows) or trade something crispy for an upcoming offer. 2) This is a B&P (Blanks and Postage) offer-you must send me three digital audio CDR's. They must be Digital Audio discs. Include a return addressed envelope and sufficient postage. Please include a copy of the email or your request. and 3) You have to promise to be a good trader and spread these around. email your request to pro@jambands.com Due to a recent computer meltdown, I have been incommunicado and unable to respond to several requests from last month. If you haven't received a response yet, you will very soon... Pro just bought his first major appliance-dishwasher, his first new guitar-Alvarez acoustic, and thinks Manhattan would be a great place to live if every day was on an expense account. Find him at www.strangepleasures.com...
|
||