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Homegrown Happenings

What's Happnin' Home Grown Style:

Howdy all! February is brisk with excitement here at Leeway because we've been refreshing our stock with all sorts of kick-ass music! For the latest and greatest, please check out our web site catalog page at: www.homegrownmusic.net/catalog.html

Just want to name a few of the newest CDs here at HQ: Deep Banana Blackout's new double live CD (Rowdy Duty), All Mighty Senators, Blind Man's Sun, Fat Mama, Gibb Droll's latest, Highwater, Jazz Mandolin Project - Tour de Flux, Lake Trout's latest (and greatest), Mecca Bodega, The Slip, Spacefish, Viperhouse, Zero, and a whole slew of very tasty goodies from Relix Records (incl. NRPS, Jorma, Hot Tuna, Kingfish and more!) Give us a call at 18006LEEWAY to order, ask questions about the newest HGMN bands, etc. You can always feel free to email either myself or Lee, too. Lee is: lee@homegrownmusic.net and I am: marcie@homegrownmusic.net

What else is new? Home Grown Radio is coming together nicely (you can listen to previous installments at www.homegrownmusic.net/radio and we're starting to gear up for FESTIVAL SEASON!!!!!!! Look for us out at the hottest festivals around this season and stop by the booth and say 'hi'. Our Spring/Summer catalog will be coming out in April - if you're not already on the list to receive one (it's FREE!!!!) drop me an email with your name, address, etc and I'll make sure you get one.

I've been lucky enough to see some EXCELLENT music here in NC recently! Some of the acts that have swung thru have been: David Nelson Band (loved them so much drove 3 hours the following night to see them again), Disco Biscuits (see following article), Schleigho, moe., Day by the River, Quiver, everything, Gibb Droll..next week alone is John Brown's Body (excellent killer old school reggae), Viperhouse and Percy Hill. WoW! All I can say is if you love it - DO IT! Get out there and support these hard-working bands. They travel almost non-stop and friendly faces, smiles and conversations with music freeks is what keeps them going! If you talk to any band members, tell them the Home Grown Music Network is going strong and waiting for the next chance to dance with reckless abandon to their music.

Enough of my ramblings..on to some real content ;) Thanks for reading and as always - peace and kind tunes to you! : ) Marcie

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Three Sets: A Compilation of Jambands from Across the Country

There's really nothing that captures the soul of music better than a live album. While you can't beat the feeling of actually being at a concert, smoke in the air, lights up above, and the band giving it their all up on stage, a live recording of that show can bring you closer to the music than a studio mix ever could.

That's why the gang at Lauan (pronounced "Lou-On") decided to put together this compilation album for you guys out there. Containing compiled sets from actual live shows of these three groups, the aptly titled 3 Sets album will have you feeling the crowd as you listen to 72 minutes of some of the juiciest sounding recordings and hottest jams from their recent tours.

We've pulled bands from across the United States for this album, bringing you Jiggle the Handle from Boston, Massachusetts, Day by the River from Athens, Georgia and Vinyl from San Francisco, California. If you've heard these guys before, you know you're in for a treat, and if not, you don't know what you're missing.

A portion of the profit from the sale of this CD will go to the Boston Living Center which helps provide hot meals, educational and social services, employment support and holistic therapies to their members living with HIV/AIDS.

Day By The River
1. Puddin'
2. Moanin' Lisa
3. Story

Jiggle The Handle
4. Finally
5. Walking Backwards
6. Slow Down
7. Victrola

Vinyl 8. Bones
9. Funk In 5-4
10. Imperial Dub

Release Date: March 5th, 1999
Running Time: 72 Minutes

Available through Homegrown Music Network 18006LEEWAY www.homegrownmusic.net

http://www.lauan.com

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Disco-vering the Biscuits
By Bryan Rodgers ugrodger@ecuvax.cis.ecu.edu
Edited by Marcie Vogel

As an intern at The Homegrown Music Network, I hear lots of things about bands: how good they are, how bad they suck, what live shows are like, you know, the basic word-of-mouth coupled with an unflagging curiosity. I have definitely expanded my musical horizon twofold since landing this internship. I've been a rabid Phish taper and trader for about 4 years now. My interest in other bands had been casual at best, and I usually immersed myself in Phish, MMW, or the Dead. Now, it seems as though live taping breaks new ground each day. "Bootlegs" are becoming part of nearly every Homegrown band's consideration, with some even releasing their own "official" bootlegs. Bands like Blind Man's Sun, The Big Wu, and the Disco Biscuits are a few examples.

Ah, I found a way to get the story started! I mentioned the Biscuits. Now, I had been hearing about these guys for about a year before I finally saw them. I knew they jammed without remorse for time, boasted a rabid group of fans and tapers, and toured like warhorses. Sounded very familiar. My first brush with Bisco was through a friend, who hooked me up with a show during a trade. Unfortunately, the tapes he sent me were nearly unlistenable and I blew it off, taped over the show, and basically forgot about them.

Fast forward to February 99: The Biscuits are playing in Greenville, NC, my home-away-from-hometown. Lately I've been doing nothing but going to shows anyway so I strolled down to Peasant's Caf, hoping I would finally experience true Bisco. Boyman did I get hooked! They were phenomenal!! First of all, they sounded nothing like the tapes I had heard. Rob, one of the tourheads, told me that their sound had evolved quite a bit just within the last month, and I liked it! Their music just grabbed me and pulled me toward the stage. I hadn't gotten off at Peasant's like that in a LONG time. I was doubly pleased to see Lee Crumpton, founder of the HGMN, smiling underneath his mics as the show taped to his DAT.

I knew immediately that this was out of the ordinary. I can't find a word (or words) to describe what I saw. The closest I came was "natural electronic" and "Phish as a house music band". Other people contributed "hippie techno" and "a more danceable version of Phish". But these are just words. What it is, this music, is something like Landis of the Almighty Senators describes in their tune "Transmitta": "I am a catalyst, I am a channeler, all coming through the transmitta," describing how music flows through the musician (like the Force).

When Jon said "Come see us at The Brewery tomorrow night," I knew I was going. Raleigh was too short of a drive to pass up another show. One glance at Lisa (also with the HGMN) and my neighbor, Blair, and I knew they were in as well. So my mind immediately started racing. I wondered how different, if at all, the next show would be.

Anticipation built! It almost felt like leaving to go on Phish tour, which is one of life's most distinct and fuzzy pleasures. We arrived at the show around 10:30. A band called Flipside Phonics opened. 311 type stuff. I recognized a few faces from the Greenville show, and even ran into the original guy who sent me my 1st Bisco tapes. The Biscuits came on at about 11:15. Things started pretty mellow but kicked off during Little Betty Boop, the second song of the set. It was awesome! About 15 of us were just straight getting' DOWN up front. After a cataclysmic ending, Brownie, the bass player, informed us that they were going to play the second act of their rock opera, "Hot Air Balloon". They played the living shit out of it for what seemed like an hour and a half (Above the Waves was verrry long). The rest of the show was absolutely incredible, throwdown groove, and yes, COMPLETELY different from Greenville. It was over for me and my doubts.

As I looked around the room, which was almost empty at show's end, I felt a force. People were hugging. Lisa and Blair had permagrin, I'm fairly sure I did too. Talked to some great people, got the setlists, and hung out. It was nuts. The vibe was so great we stayed for almost an hour after the show. When we finally left, Lisa and I had decided to go to Charlotte in two days for the show at Jack Straw's.

What a trip! We left Greenville on a beautiful Friday afternoon at 5:15. We were both incredibly psyched, not only for the show but also to get out of Greenville again (Greenville is great, but it's still the same place every day). The drive was totally stress-free. We celebrated at :20 past every hour (it's 4:20 somewhere!), and got to our abode for the evening at about 10 PM. Our friend, Kingman, was at home in Charlotte. So we were hooked up! His folks did us right. We had ziti and salad before the show, drinks and some bomb-ass Rice Krispie treats afterwards, and ultra-comfy beds to pass out in. Definitely not your standard tour conditions!

I must inform you of my deadline so that you know how serious I was about seeing the Discuits again. I do a 3-hour Phish Show on East Carolina University's student radio, WZMB, Saturdays from 6 to 9 PM. Bear this in mind.

We got to Jack Straw's and the floor was packed. The first things that grabbed my attention were the lights. Nice floods of color on the band and audience with panning, spinning light as well. It totally put me over the edge. It enhanced the experience so much more! It was a very impressive show, with great work by whoever was doing lights. I managed to work my way pretty close to the stage. The band was having a blast onstage! During one jam, the music got to a point where it was teetering dangerously close to noise. They held it together and nailed the closing theme of the song (whatever it was)! I felt myself lose control. Jon just kind of stared at the audience and said "Whoa" My thoughts exactly.

The second set opener was intense as hell. The second song kind of took me down, though, so I took the opportunity to go outside and put HGMN catalogs on windshields, thereby clearing my conscience of the work I had missed to make the show. I also left a big stack inside the club. I returned to find the groove getting harder. They broke into "Run Like Hell" during a big jam. That show was my favorite of the three we saw. The band looked like they were having a blast! When it was all over I felt rejuvenated. I had this intense wave of thought that made me feel as if I was witnessing the preamble to something much bigger.

In order to get back to Greenville before 6 PM, we had to be out at 1 at the latest. Good thing I slept through my first wake-up call! I finally woke up again at 12:30. Sheer panic! I rushed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, got Lisa up, and we were out. Then we got lost. "Charlotte is confusing," admitted one gas station attendant. We lost an hour trying to get on I-85. Then, still in a haze, I went west on I-40 for 45 minutes until the EUREKA light came on. Then came a wash of utter disgust with myself, knowing I would not make it back in time for the Phish Show. The rest of the ride sucked. Believe it or not, the one bright spot was getting pulled over and let go by an extremely laid-back Sheriff near Chapel Hill. We rolled into Greenville only to tune in our station's general manager spinning track after track off the three Phish discs our station has (Hoist, Billy, and SS&P). I ran in and got live stuff on at about 6:45. Phew.

IT WAS WORTH IT, first of all. I don't regret manhandling my new car for 5 hours, missing the first 45 minutes of my show, or getting lost. I feel the "Biscgasm", or "Bisco" or whatever forces you feel at a Biscuits show, right in my head. They have become one of the bar bands that I will drive an absurdly long time to see. I get the feeling that none of us will soon forget how the Biscuits swept through North Carolina, egging us on from the stage, promising a good time to those who jumped on the train. A good time indeed!

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The Beauty That Surrounds Me Suddenly Astounds Me
By Mush <Mush72@aol.com>
Edited by Marcie Vogel

(Foreword: The basis for this article was submitted to Percy Hill's discussion group on February 6, 1999. The significance of that date will become apparent in the article.)

Joe Farrell and Nate Wilson were founding members of Percy Hill in 1993. After four years, and three CD's, the six-piece band had lost four members including their primary songwriter and entire rhythm section. Joe and Nate were the only ones left, but it wasn't long before they added two new members. Aaron Katz and Jon Leccese were friends with Joe and Nate long before joining Percy Hill. Both had spent time in the music scene surrounding the Seacoast of New Hampshire while attending the University of New Hampshire. Aaron was the drummer for another Home Grown band, Vitamin C, while Jon had spent time with Groovechild and the Kristin Mueller Trio (Kristen is featured on Percy Hill's debut album, Setting the Boat Adrift). Jon had even spent time with Joe in a bluegrass band in the days before Percy Hill formed, as well as playing with Nate in an R&B/Soul band. In joining Percy Hill, there was more than just a surface musical connection. A new direction was being taken in Percy Hill's music, and rather than just having feeling or knowledge of where that new direction was going, Jon and Aaron knew where the music came from the roots. By knowing where the music comes from, they knew where it was going, and together, they knew how to collectively get the music to the next level. It was a perfect match, but it would take time to gel.

For the past two years Percy Hill had been playing the Wetlands and the Paradise a couple times each year as a headliner. Two sets, playing late. Now they had to take a step back and be an opening band? While this could be excruciating for morale, it had to be expected, in some degree. The sound had changed, this lineup was vastly different than the one that had played for the past four years. Tom Powley, who many recognized as the front man, left the band in October 1997 and with him songs that fans loved and had come to identify with the band. Shortly after Tom's departure came the exit of the ENTIRE RHYTHM SECTION in December. Club owners were a little hesitant to give them top billing with such a drastic lineup change. Under this weight, some bands would have hung it up. What was going to happen with this new lineup? Will it catch on? And how long would it take? The new lineup debuted in late January 1998 with my personal experiences beginning about a week later.

On February 6, 1998, I convinced my friend Jim Falzone to take a roadtrip. Jim didn't think it was such a good idea since he had to work at 7:00 am the next morning, and the show was three-and-one-half hours away. But we went anyway. Percy Hill was playing with Strangefolk at the Globe Theater in Norwalk, CT. Before the show we met up with some friends from the Boston area, Dave Todd and Armand Turcotte (who some of you might know from Jambands.com and his New England tour lists). We'd all seen Percy Hill so many times that we'd lost count, BUT, this was the first one with the new lineup, so it might as well have been the first time. It was a theater show with Strangefolk, so it had the makings of a great night. But more than that, Percy Hill gave us a glimpse of things to come. The rebirth of Percy Hill had happened, but they had just popped out of the womb and were barely crawling.

Percy Hill's groove began its transformation and was becoming more defined. The band was now moving in a more song oriented direction, but not abandoning their adventurous roots. Breakouts like Molly's Waltz (from Setting the Boat Adrift, 1993) reassured some that the jam was still there; a new cover, Sledgehammer, gave fans insight into some previously hidden influences in the band. Several of Aaron's songs (Make Believe, Moral Life, Ammonium Maze) were brought in right away. Seven weeks had passed since the split, and the new band had many songs to learn. It was a trial by fire to say the least.

>>From February to May, the band toured the East Coast. Attendance varied radically, from the hundreds of people at the Globe with Strangefolk, to the ten (or so) people in Syracuse, NY over Easter weekend. The gelling process was still happening. At times, a listener might catch himself listening for more of the old Percy Hill sound. But, they were still growing and surprising fans with more breakouts such as Color in Bloom and Chrissy Reed. From its debut, Color in Bloom was being introduced as the title of their next release, even though it was months away. By May, plans were already made to record in August. But, before they could head into the studio, they needed to become even tighter. At this point they had moved from crawling to walking.

June proved to be a pivotal month. It brought guest performers, new instruments, the Gathering of the Vibes and the first West Coast tour. After years of playing a Les Paul guitar, Joe put it aside in favor of a new Strat. This was another signature of the old Percy Hill sound that was now gone. Nate introduced a Micro-Moog synthesizer, a prominent instrument in new tunes and one, which was being worked into old ones. After a few months of small shows in the Northeast, they were ready for the Gathering of the Vibes, but there was other fun to be had first. Steve Guerra, a saxophonist featured on Straight on 'Til Morning (1995), arranged a three piece horn section to back the band for a string of shows in the northeast. This featured members of Aaron's former band; Vitamin C. It was this week with the horns and the GOTV that opened us up to the band's new direction. Songs like 313, Slave (Self-Promoted), Door #5, A Masterful Reminder introduced a jazzier, more melodic writing style featuring songs by both Aaron and Nate. Beneath the Cover, a song that debuted in late 1997 also reappeared. The sound that was born in January had matured. Their confidence had grown and they were ready for their first West Coast trip. They returned a tighter band. It was the perfect time to take a short break and hit the studio. Now they walked with confidence, with thoughts of jogging, but running wasn't happening yet.

October brought their new studio release. Recorded in August and September, Color in Bloom was an extremely polished work for an unsigned act, featuring guest appearances by Moon Boot Lover's Peter Prince, and former percussionist (and Nate's brother), Zack Wilson. Gone were the guitar harmonies so prevalent on past releases, keyboard became the featured instrument. That's not to say there wasn't great guitar work, it was just used with more subtlety. Aaron's songwriting was featured on 6 of 9 tracks. This would seem insignificant if not for the fact that on their last studio release, Straight on 'Til Morning, Tom Powley was the writer (or co-writer) on all songs except one. Joe and Nate co-wrote some songs for their live release, Double Feature (1997), but were not the prominent writers that Tom was. The infusion of Aaron's writing with the sound that Joe and Nate had been building since 1996 has proven crucial to this recording and the future of the group. It seems to have worked.

Halloween was celebrated at the Somerville Theater. This was also a Jamband.com party marking the release of Dean Budnick's book, Jam Bands. Zack Wilson made a guest appearance and former singer/guitarist, Tom Powley, was even in the crowd. Halloween was a theatrical event that had to be seen. Each band member dressed as a famous world leader and each sang a song relevant to his character. The Clash's Rock the Casbah opened the show and has been played since, but the other covers (The Beatles' Revolution, Frank Sinatra's My Way, LaBelle's Voulez Vous Coucher, and Kool and the Gang's Celebration) haven't made it back into rotation. After Halloween, it was back on the road, and another western tour, celebrating Thanksgiving in San Francisco, and making it back home by mid-December. As in 1996, the band played in a First Night Celebration on New Year's Eve. This year's show was in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center. It was the end of long year and time for a break. They'd been running since October.

Now the New Year is here and the new tour. Already, there are seven new originals pushing a groove that is singularly theirs, as well as a handful of new covers digging deeper into their roots. With these new songs, one might think that they'd be pushing away more of their old, jamming, style. This is not the case. After a year of touring, they have become more exploratory than ever and better songwriters at the same time- an elusive dichotomy.

What has happened with Percy Hill in the past year is truly incredible. They have redefined themselves, without abandoning the past, and with a firm grip on what the future could hold for them. The cycle of their progress can be summarized as six months of developing the new sound and another six months of regaining their stature in the Jamband community. Now they've started the next six-month stretch that could vault them to the next level.