Thamusemeant Tribute

What follows is a pile of love.  Below you will see a smattering of bereaved but grateful folk from across the Southwest struggling through their words to say one thing in the end, "I found Thamusemeant, and I will never be the same."  At times it is a testament to the power of music, at times to the power of poetry, at times to the power of love, and always to the band's ability to reach inside, jiggle your heartstrings, and flip your mind upside down with a giggle.

If you are in the know, enjoy.  If you are saying to yourself, "Who the hell are these guys?" educate yourself here.

Chris

"Whatever the end is/Bring it on" - My Love (Nathan, David, and Aimee at the Wetlands - photo by Matthew Crowley)

"....and then the memory turns inward with a strange, clutching brilliance and one goes over these scenes and incidents perpetually, in dream and reverie , while walking down a street, while lying with a woman, while reading a book, while talking to a stranger....suddenly, but always with terrific insistence and always with terrific accuracy, these memories intrude, rise up like ghosts and permeate every fiber of one's being....we walk with sensitive filaments that drink avidly of past and future...."
      --Henry Miller Black Spring

Great art transforms us.  From the mundane to the sacred, from the real to the unreal, great art assists in uniting heaven, hell, and earth; a point of reference toward the One, an axis mundi in the midst of this mad, chaotic and beautifully strange world.  For the fortunate ones who had a chance to hear, see and feel what ThaMuseMeant, you know that this was a band not unlike the old time gospel hour. That's right, they gave FAITH to those who were perhaps once faithless.  They told us to keep on keepin' on.   They showed us that simple reasons are reason enough to believe.

When the lights went down, and Aimee Curl unfurled the first notes on her bass , and David Tiller touched bow to string, and Nathan Moore stepped to the mike, and Jeff Sussman started marking out territory with a beat, and the dancers began to shift and sway, great notions of faith uncovered themselves, our hearts woke up, and we all rubbed our eyes, slowly remembering what we keep forgetting over and over.

We loved ThaMuseMeant because they helped us remember to love ourselves, release ourselves, feel ourselves.  Nathan Moore's prolific, prophetic and Steinbeckian songwriting gave us who love the Word mantras to mumble in the late night hours when things do not seem so sane.  Like Robert Hunter or Bob Dylan, universal truths flew from Moore's pen. Quotables like, "Freedom, that's when somebody holds you/Freedom, that's when/somebody knows you too," made us go, "Ahhh, ain't it the truth!" and in a darkened venue, surrounded by believers, we, "drink avidly of past and future," and let that truth sink deep.

Its been said that music is a common denominator, bringing all walks together.    TMM reminds us of our shared human experience with songs like, "One of Them": "no matter how hard you try/to draw a line between you and I," or "Innocent Again":  "I as a child/with crazy hair and little hands."  They advise us with songs like "Safe": "you can make everything happen for a reason/there's no tragedy that's not the way to go/that's why there's time/that's why there's seasons/that's how we roll on down the road."  With the help of Tiller, the music itself tells us stories like "Man Chasing Woman (Doctor Chasing Nurse?)Round a Table".  They tell us our secrets on "Grow Your Own": "lonely your just another face in the crowd/hungry you wander over fertile ground/you want to but you don't/shout out loud."

   The music of Tha Muse(not to mention Curl's hauntingly beautiful voice) assists us in our own act of creation and transcendence.  It is this simple interaction between band and audience that heals.  We take our memories of retributions, misgivings, missed moments, capped peaks, and bittersweet love--the whole dramatic comedy of our lives and together, we make it OK. We sway to the building harmonies, we sing along- our breath unlocking the mysteries of our body, and we are transported out of the ordinary.

      And what else is there to say about such a band on the eve of their destruction??  Just that nothing ever dies, it is merely born again into a new form.  The perfect demise of a band called ThaMuseMeant is simply more evidence of the Muse at work.  Great art never stands still, it keeps us reacting  and recreating ourselves....keeps us "movin by lovin" and i am left standing at the edge marveling, "Its wild, wild as can be...."

Lindsy Solomon

I was saddened to hear of ThaMuseMeant's recent breakup.  Less than a month before, I had rediscovered their first album, and went on a search for their second.  I listened to their music again, for the first time in years, playing it over and over for days on end; hearing it in new ways each time.

I'd first seen ThaMuseMeant in 1993 or 94, when they first arrived in Santa Fe.  They used to play on the corner of Don Gaspar and San Francisco Streets, just out in the pinon-scented spring air, playing and singing.  They were a three-piece then, just David, Aimee and Nathan.  Two guitars, a mandolin, and raw chemistry.  I saw them perform their first gig at Luna shortly thereafter, in the small pool room / art gallery / happy hour bar during a Tuesday night session.   I was instantly captivated by the sound.  Okay, I also had an instant crush on Aimee, but the sound was what got me in the first place.  The rasp of Nathan's worldly-wise voice up against the ghostly whisper-song of Aimee's on "The Man With Saleable Eyes" was unlike anything I'd ever heard before,  so intimate that it felt instantaneously familiar.

I heard them sing a lot that summer, and always went to their shows after work, with as many people as I could bring.

I heard "Cheers" for the first time in El Farol some time later, when I was going through a particularly rough time.  It was comforting in a hard-edged way; the words "Hey I've been there myself.  Here's to your health - Cheers." were at once reassuring and disquieting.   As if to say, "Good luck -- you're going to need it, man."  Another first at El Farol was "Day of People", which has been, and will be, a favorite for many years to come.

ThaMuseMeant is one of the most versatile and creative bands I've heard. They will be sorely missed.  I'm glad to have seen them live as many times as I did, I'll be listening to their recordings for many years to come.

David Lawrence Grant - Ex-Santa Fean
Troutbeck, New York

I first came upon ThaMuseMeant in Telluride, CO.  I didn't make the show, but while waiting for late night String Cheese shows during the Bluegrass festival.  It was the summer of 1998, and I was no more than knee deep in jambandom. Upon arriving in T'ride we strolled down main street and, with perfect timing, our friends stepped outside after TMM show.  "Oh man we just saw the best band ever!" was the first thing out of their mouths.  I paid it little attention and soon TMM was out of mind.  But then, TMM bootlegs and Cd's started to float around me and I finally begin to dig Tha muse ic.

Fast forward one year.

It was again late in the summer.  I had seen TMM three times now. I was living in Albuquerque, and after a long stint everywhere but NewMexico TMM was comin home!  After an absolutely magical show in Jemez Springs, I was completely hooked.  TMM was to play the next three shows in and around N.M., and I was gonna be there.

The first night was in Albuquerque, at Sonny's.  That night, Nathan told us how he and the band had sat in the hot springs, and wrote this awesome song called "Grow your Own". That night was pretty wild.  The second set was epic. The entire crowd was dripping with sweat, in full unashamed dancing bliss.  That is what live music is all about; creating audible happiness.

The next night was in Taos.  After a gorgeous drive from 'burque I sat my self down to a good helping of Mexican food and a Fat Tire.  While I sat and waited for the show to begin, I could see Aimee gearing up for her solo set at The Thirsty Ear Festival the next day.  TMM hit the stage with a bang.  I remember a very inspiring rendition of "Fates" and "One of Them".  The end jam of "One of Them" with soaring fiddle and thunderous rhythm had the crowd amplified.  Adding to the sensation was the shared psychedelic adventure, thanks to some friendly locals.  ThaMuseMeant stood tall that night, and left me eagerly awaiting the following night in Durango.

This evening was indeed a very special one for many reasons.  A great friend of mine for the past few years was moving away.  TMM was heading north.  I was heading back to school.  This night, the music was passionate.  We got to hear some very rare songs too.  That was the only time I ever saw "The Good Song" preformed live.  They closed the first set with "Safe".  I remember Nathan looking down from the stage and smiling at me as if to say "This is your treat for coming along for the ride."  That week, and those four shows will always be some of my favorite memories.

I saw TMM many times after that, and desperately wish I could do so again. They had every piece that a band needs.  Breathtaking vocals, truer than life lyrics, a fantastic drummer and a mandolin/fiddle prodigy.  Theirs is the music that is closest to the heart.  How many other bands sing so openly about love?  "Take my advice, you'd be better off snuggled up with a lover in the night.  There's nothin like lovin!"    "Love don't grow on trees you chop down, gotta grow your own and pass it around."  Nathan's lyrics are things I've always thought and felt but could never express.  At times I felt as if I was singing through him.  He writes for every man, woman and baby.  I don't hesitate to put him in the same field as Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens.  He will  take his place among the great song writers in history.

Being a musician is one of the oldest and most noble occupations in our world's history.  They help spread history, keep tradition alive.  They are the gypsies that tell the people things they cant accept in any other way.  To be able to spread love and tolerance and charity and gracefulness through sound vibrations and words is a gift from God.

I'll end this with the truest words ever said to me.  Words that changed my life.  "We are here on earth to believe in two things,  God and Love" amen...

Eric McCracken

I listen to the cd Geneen gave me, Grow Your Own, while i practice t'ai chi, or do handstands, or just dance in my living room!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR MUSIC; MY SPIRIT HAS BEEN AFFECTED AND THAT FEELS FINE!

Elizabeth A. Lang

I think what made Thamusemeant special to me was that they were my local jamband.  People from Austin, TX, where the band spent some time hanging out playing clubs in the mid 90s, to Boulder, CO to Boston, MA knew of the New Mexico jamband.  I was proud to say that they were from my town.

The last show I caught was on Mother's Day at a children's museum.  I was there  with my whole family and several close friends.

Thamusemeant breaking up, on top of The Dukes, Albuquerque's triple A ballclub, leaving town, has all but solidified my determination that the Land of Enchantment, a once peaceful and happy place, is crumbling.  Farewell Musemeant.  I shall miss you.

Jedediah Smith

Even though I live in NM, my first experience with Thamusemeant was a few years ago at the High Sierra Festival.  I enjoyed them so much in the great outdoor setting it was, but my very favorite show was just this past Halloween at the El Rey Theater.  It was so surreal!  Their outfits and the reel footage running behind them...   I hope they have some of that show on the video so I can recall on it from time to time.  I am sure going to miss them, but I am very grateful to have had their wonderful music fill my ears and being.  Peace, love and much music and happiness to all.

Danita

I saw ThaMuseMeant in Norman, OK back in 1999. I didn't know who they were. I had just seen an ad in the school news, so I went. My girlfriend had a scene rehearsal, so I went by myself. I was blown away by the sound and the presence of the band.  Between sets, I ran over to the theatre and motioned for my girlfriend to come over, but I wasn't sure she'd be done and wanted to share this experience with her. So I head back. I bought two CDs and signed the guestbook. My comment was, "I wish my girlfriend could be here to hear this." Or something like that. In she walks. I was so happy. She only heard two songs but the last one of the night was "My Death Comes A Callin'". She's loves people who yodel, and the lyrics were a much improved from what's on the CD. She was so impressed by those that we went the next night to a coffeehouse where they were playing and introduced herself as the girlfriend whom I had wished could see them play. They were happy to meet her saying thing like, "Oh that's you."

Gavin Kendall

Back in early 1995 (or late 1994, i forget exactly) my then fiancée and I saw Thamusemeant for the first time. Thamusemeant opened for Eliza Gilkyson and ended up playing for quite some time because Eliza was late getting to the show. We thought they were great! In fact, we were a bit bummed out when Eliza eventually showed up! Anyway, a couple of weeks after the show, my fiancée and i were trying to figure out what we were going to do for music at our wedding. We immediately thought it would be great to have this cool band we heard come play at our wedding.  Yeah, like a cool band would come and play at our wedding? A friend of a friend of the band encouraged us to ask anyway, so, i ended up calling.  I think i first spoke with Dave and explained the setup.  They agreed! We couldn't believe it!

On September 9th, 1995 Thamusemeant played at our wedding reception held at the Fuller Lodge up in Los Alamos. It was fantastic! They sounded great! My only regret is that we didn't get a clean recording of any of the songs they played (including the song they played for our first dance).  My wife's uncle, however, caught the band on video, so we do have a way to remember that special night (though the sound quality on the video is pretty hideous... oh well).  As time went on, we continued to catch as many local shows as possible.  Once our daughter was born, we couldn't get ourselves to evening shows very often if at all (hell, we couldn't stay awake past 8pm! ;-). As time slipped by, my wife and i thought it would be cool to have thee band back for our 5th anniversary. Well, time just flew by... on March 6, 2000 our second child was born: a little boy we named Nathan.  With 2 small children time continued to fly by and the next thing we knew September 9, 2000 had come and gone. We really had our hands full during 2000 and now that the band is breaking up we're totally bummed we didn't find the time to follow through on a 5 year anniversary party and try to get the band to play it.

Anyway, we have some wonderful memories of the band and continue to enjoy listening to the albums they put out.  We're hoping to either make the show in Taos or the one at El Farol.  If we don't get to do it in person both Leslie and I as well as Emily and Nathan wish thee band members all the best.

Dave, Leslie, Emily and Nathan Rich

I first saw ThaMuseMeant at Berkfest 2000 in the Upper Lodge during a midnight set on Saturday.  They played a set like I've never heard before. The lyrics were (and are) archaic and raw, intimate and personal.  Nathan Moore's lyrics come from a place that no one else knows.

Anyway, I saw them jam that insane night.  They took me to a beautiful place, where loving people and life isn't corny or sappy.  I don't like mushy music, but I love ThaMuseMeant.

Later that night I heard that they were playing Sunday morning at the main stage, while Keller Williams played at the Sun Dance stage.  I made up my mind to skip Keller Williams for ThaMuse, and for anyone who doesn't know, Keller is one nasty guitarist.

I caught some of Keller Williams set before ThaMuseMeant went on, and wouldn't you know it, David Tiller got on stage with Williams and jammed on his fiddle for a little while.

I talked to David Tiller briefly at The Wetlands when they came east. He spoke kindly and gently.  These guys are for real.  They put all their heart and soul into this music.  They love it.  It's a shame they didn't have more East Coast fans.  I thought ThaMuse should have headlined the show at Wetlands.

ThaMuseMeant will be sorely missed.  I only hope that Nathan Moore, Aimee Curl, and David Tiller get back together again someday.  Who needs a drummer anyway.

Matthew Crowley

Thamusemeant Says Goodbye to Colorado
Hannibal Brown's - Aspen, CO
02.09.01
by Jedediah Smith

Bands split up all the time for whatever reason.  God Street Wine said they got sick of sleeping on couches and the bus.  New Mexico's Thamusemeant is just splitting up.  I was saddened by the news, though not because I had made any special connection with the band or because their music was especially moving for me.  I think I just knew I would miss them.  They were a good band, and they were at the core of my home state's jamband scene, which isn't a huge scene to begin with.  I spoke with singer/songwriter/guitarist Nathan Moore last spring at a Mother's Day show in Santa Fe and asked him what separated Thamusemeant from other jam bands.  In a word, he said, "Songwriting".   I knew what he meant.  Thamusemeant has always had a very strong songwriting technique.  The lyrics are very literal and poetic.  Moore's influences seem to have the folksy background of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, addressing blue-collar workmanship and romance.  When he discussed his songwriting, I knew what he meant, but I hadn't quite "gotten it", or just made sense of an entire show...

...until Friday night.  On February 9th, Thamusemeant played their final show in Colorado before a small crowd in an Aspen bar called Hannibal Brown's.  I drove two hours to see them for one last time and was really excited just to be able to leave work and home behind, even for just a few hours.  I arrived early and talked with a guy who had driven 20 hours from Oklahoma just to see the show.  He was friends with the band and also sad to see them go.  I scanned the crowd for some familiar New Mexican faces but saw none.  The band soundchecked with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and a few other covers. Moore said, "You guys are here for the best part: us doing the songs we almost know," after flubbing a lyric, but they sounded good and really looked relaxed.

At the setbreak I took the opportunity to talk to some of the members of the band and try to explain some of my melancholy feelings on the night.  They were all obviously sad to be splitting up but seemed in high spirits to be able to play one last time.  "I'm glad I'm here but I'm kind of sad tonight," I told bassist Aimee Curl.  "Me too," was all she said with a bright but shy smile.  She wrote, "Chin up," on the poster I asked her to sign.  The show was tight and the music was great.  I was happy when they played "Why You Takin' the Moon," a personal favorite of mine from their third album Sweet Things, and Moore told the story of the band surviving an accident while on tour in the opening bars to the moving ballad "Safe".

I was really glad that I made it Aspen to see Thamusemeant.  I don't know how many people in the small bar realized that it was one of their last shows. Some of them may never have heard of Thamusemeant before.  I hope they don't forget.  Perhaps it was the emotional goodbye of the night, but I think I finally "got it".  I opened up to Thamusemeant and made a connection with the songs and with the show.  It's too bad it took me until the last show, but better late than never.  I hope Thamusemeant decides to reunite after an extended break, and I certainly hope it comes sooner than later.  The jam band scene is losing some great songs.

Leftover Salmon Hits the Aggie
Aggie Theater - Fort Collins, CO
January 26th and 27th
by Drew Haynie

In the town of Fort Collins, the month of January is a time of major change as the onset of a new year also marks the return of 20,000+ students to Colorado State University.  However, each year in the midst of the chaotic happenings that surround the new semester it seems like there is one consistent fact in Fort Collins; Leftover Salmon will be coming to town for a rip-roaring weekend of music and madness.  This year was no different as the boys returned to our northern Colorado town with a bang, carrying with them the momentum of a week long run in the mountain towns of the state.  After stops in Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Crested Butte, and Breckenridge LOS arrived for a weekend "festival" at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins before they left the friendly confines of their home state and headed west.  So, on Friday January 26th and Saturday January 27th, I dragged my already academically exhausted bones down to the Aggie in anticipation of a memorable weekend.

This was the boys first tour with the new lineup, and the recent additions to the band only heightened my excitement.  The last time I saw LOS was at Planet Salmon in September where the boys said farewell to Jeff Sipe and Tye North.  After playing New Years Eve in Denver, the new members of the band, keyboardist Bill McKay, drummer Jose Martinez, and bassist Greg Garrison, made their premiere in Fort Collins, one of the towns in Colorado that has a strong devotion and love for the band.  Immediately it became apparent as I received my VIP pass (one of the great surprises of the weekend; the boys rewarded my postering with a free ticket and the pass) and ordered the first of many beers that night, that the band had expanded. McKay's keyboard seemed a welcome addition to the stage and I waited with anxious dancing feet for the boys to start the "festival".

I have never been very good at all remembering the orders or names of songs, and this weekend proved no different.  Friday night's first set was smashing and highlighted "Las Vegas" and "She Caught the Katy".  McKay proved to be an expert on the ivories and an even more amazing singer, as witnessed on "She Caught the Katy".  As the former lead singer of The Derek Trucks Band this should not have surprised me, but I was pleasantly pleased with the change in vocals.  The second set featured a smoking "River Rising" with Drew Emmitt going nuts on the mandolin and leaving the crowd aghast.  My personal favorite of the first night was "Walk and Don't Look Back".  The Friday night show also featured little moments of bliss like McKay teasing "The Simpsons Theme" in the middle of the set and the crowd urging the boys back on stage for an encore with the traditional chant of "Rise Up and Wake and Bake".  Like usual the show concluded with "The Andy Griffith Theme" as our walking music, and after thanking the boys backstage for an excellent show I wondered home and rested up for the next night, which after discussing matters with my buddies we determined would be a barn burner.

Saturday night began well as my roommate was able to snag a ticket at the last minute.  The intimate Aggie Theater, which can fit about 1,000 people, sold out for both shows and was packed to the gills.  The whole Saturday night show featured more traditional LOS fare.  Drew and Vince ran things from the get-go and Mark Vann, quite possibly the best damn banjo strummer I have ever seen, had numerous moments of exceptional playing.  The first set featured a wailing "Doin Time" with Drew belting out the vocals and Greg and Jose doing a great job of keeping the flow steady.  The party really got going when the boys busted out "Mama Boulet" and "Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow".  However, the madness was just beginning as the boys ventured into their own little world of insanity with "Hot Corn/Cold Corn" (featuring a breakdown into "Jimmy Crack Corn" and the insane sight of Mark using a can of tuna on his banjo).  Vince kept the crowd fanatic with his random rumblings between songs and as the boys left the stage the call of "FESTIVAL" echoed from his mouth.

The second set of the Saturday night show may just be the best set of music I have ever had the privilege of witnessing LOS perform.  Long time favorites like "Better", "Festival", "River Rising", and Breakin' Thru" were peppered throughout the set, but it was the rarities and oldies that got me going.  I don't know if the song is called "Tetherball", but I have decided to call it that, and man, that song set my feet into a frenzy.  "Say Boom La" and "4:20 Polka" were spectacular with Drew losing control multiple times and playing his mandolin and guitar so frantically that I thought he was going to explode. The second set ended with "Whispering Waters", a song Vince announced they hadn't played in a long while but that was due to end this great run through Colorado. That song is amazing with dramatic risings and fallings and amazing solos.  The boys headed off stage and I gasped for breath in pure ecstasy.  I could not imagine the boys matching that second set display in the encore, but hey LoS never disappoints.  The encore, "Are You Ready for the Country" was ripping and concluded with a "wall" of noise as the boys left every ounce of themselves on that stage.  Fittingly, the "festival" ended with the classic walking music of Andy Griffith.  What a show!

The whole weekend was amazing, LOS returned to Fort Collins with a bang and the new lineup did not disappoint.  In fact, Bill McKay and his keyboards/vocal make this band ten times stronger.  It was obvious the boys are thrilled with the addition of keyboards as they spent the whole weekend messing with the instrument (running plastic fish along it, sitting on it, etc.) in the middle of songs and at every opportunity they got.  To say the least it was a memorable weekend and, in my mind, the real party to bring in the new year.

Larry and Leftover Salmon Storm the Capitol!
Antone's - Austin, Texas
02.04.01
By Glenn Alexander

Upon my entrance into Antone's, I was in awe of the room. I have yet to see a venue anywhere that matches the vibe of this place. Antone's has long been a focal point in the music capitol and has proven through time to become one of the most legendary venues anywhere. When Antone's moved from its old location, I was skeptical as to whether the spirit and uniqueness of the place would be lost or artificially reproduced in the new venue, but, as Sunday night proved, the spirit runs through the air, the walls, and through the life-size SRV painting beside the stage. Goddamn I love this town.

After retrieving a beer from the bar, I turned around and listened to Larry play their stuff. I heard of this Austin based band back in 96' or so when they were a cover band. Boy, have things changed for these guys.  I was blown back by the funkiness, the originality, and the unbeatable smiles coming from all their faces. Smiling makes it all. When you go see a band and they're all smiling and bouncing on stage it just makes everything better.

Larry proved to be a damn tight band with tight grooves, a unique sound, and very high energy levels. The bassist and drummer did it for me. I caught only four and a half of their tunes, so I don't quite have a great perspective on their sound. They consist of two guitarists, a bassist, drummer, singer, and harmonica player. They have some great tunes and licks, undoubtedly, but what stuck with me was their obvious connection with each other, the audience, and to, of course, the smiles. The true highlight of the set was the drum solo... this guy kicks ass. These guys quite obviously have no qualms about letting it all hang out, and for this, they set the stage all too well for the festival that followed.

Leftover Salmon describes their sound as "polyethnic cajun slamgrass", and this is perhaps a very accurate description for some, but it didn't prepare me for the vibe and sound of the show I witnessed on Sunday night.

They came on, my jaw dropped, they poured their souls into the air, I cried, I smiled, and I became powerfully reminded that music can change one's perspective on life and the possibilities within.

Music is without a doubt the most expressive form of communication in the universe. More so than language, music can convey power, love, emotion, passion, frustration, and the experience of life in thousands of different ways. It is, to me, the truest form of self expression.

This band, although with three new members, are an incredibly communicative group that made me wiggle and smile so much that my body tingled for a couple of days afterward. This show hit every musical nerve in my body with electrifying potency. Without a doubt, the three original members(the banjo player, the mandolin/guitarist, and singer/guitarist) have a more obvious chemistry with the music, but that is a simple observation. The new guys(on bass, drums, and keyboards) have amazing potential and seem to fit in to the picture perfectly. Drew (on mando and guitar) and Mark (on banjos) paved my way , more than the others, to a great musical experience. They are both very reaching and undeniably original, yet have a very tangible power with their instruments. Drew seems to be in his own zone more than the other guys, and when he busts out a solo, the walls come down and the water rises. Vince, the bearded guy on acoustic and vocals, reminds me of a crazy, yet admirable uncle. He seems to embody the vibe of the band in his smile.

In conclusion, the LoS sound has a gripping, yet loose, mountain air feel to it. They captivated and invigorated the audience with a power I have honestly never seen before, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Houston Happenings
by Barney Issen

For the past three weeks Fitzgerald's has been putting on a musical feast the likes of which has not been heard in Houston since Rockefeller's closed six years ago.  So eat, drink, and be merry - the jambands are coming to town!

1/19/01  The Greyhounds

It takes some mighty persuasive word of mouth to drag me out to listen to a band I've never even heard of play a set that doesn't start until midnight. Such is the strength of the buzz coming from some fanatics in Los Angeles about the Greyhounds.  And this does not come close to matching the devotion of the band themselves, who had played in El Paso the night before, then hau led their butts across the entire huge width of Texas for the chance to play a hastily planned and completely unadvertised midnight set with no guarantee, and very little chance, of any financial remuneration whatsoever.

As one might expect given the circumstances, this was a very sparsely attended event, but that didn't deter the Greyhounds at all - they were out to win some fans, and if there were twenty people in attendance then they intended to send home twenty converts to their cause.  Which I think is exactly what they accomplished.  Their obvious musical comparison is with Galactic.  With a similar funky New Orleans groove, but, with stronger blues and jazz components than Galactic, I think the Greyhounds weather that comparison quite admirably.   I look forward to hearing them again when they pass through Houston in March, when both the band and the listeners are a bit better rested.

2/2/01  Leftover Salmon

Fitzgerald's was absolutely packed for this Friday night show, and as always the Salmon boyz poured forth enough raw energy and drive to fuel a freight train.  This was not necessarily a foregone conclusion, being so early on their first tour with a new rhythm section replacing one of the most talented bass/drum combos on the planet, but Greg Garrison and Jose Martinez, while not as flashy as the recently departed Tye North and Jeff Sipe, were rock solid and show every sign of quickly growing into the job.

Despite their polyethnic-cajun-slamgrass appellation, I have always considered Leftover Salmon to be something of a two-trick pony: bluegrass and cajun. Both are served up with a rock sensibility and incredible enthusiasm, as well as a heavy dose of tongue in cheek humor, but we're still just talking about two distinct musical traditions.  I am happy to report that with the addition of Bill McKay on keyboard and vocals, they now add a strong blues element (witness two of the highlights from this show: "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry", and "She Caught the Katy") and an instrumental jazz sensibility that just might be the catalyst that pushes this band to the next level.

On the negative side of the ledger, however, the sound in the house was uncomfortably loud and, perhaps even worse, unforgivably muddy.  The inability to distinguish individual instruments inevitably results in a shameful lack of subtlety: one could tell that an awful lot of notes were flying about, but they all became a blurry mess by the time they made it through the house PA, and the audience often had to rely on their eyes as much as their ears just to figure out who was taking a solo at any given moment.  It is a pity when the soundboard recordings of a show are considerably more enjoyable than the show itself, and doubly so when the band plays acoustic instruments, but such is the case with this performance.   As a result, my overriding impression of this show was one of unmistakably breathtaking talent and an infectious feel-good party vibe, but one where the whole was somehow less than the sum of the parts.

Check back next month to see check in on the continued fun at Fitzgerald's with the Dark Star Orchestra, Ancient Harmony and the David Nelson Band