Shelley Doty X-tet & Faraway Brothers

1/8/2000 - Starry Plough, Berkeley, CA

by Jodi Alperstein

I saw a great show on the 8th of January and knew that you all needed to hear about it. Too often when you see a show one band is really great and the other...well, it just isn't. The other thing that happens is that either the bands are so different that even though they are both good, the audience only responds to the band they came to see, or the bands are too similar and it gets boring. I knew as soon as this show was booked it was going to be a good one.

The double bill of the Shelley Doty X-tet and the Faraway Brothers was just what I hoped it would be - Shelley is my absolute favorite and the Faraway Brothers would offer me something new. SDX played a "special acoustic show" - acoustic guitar, stand up bass and drums. Shelley has such versatility that she can perform in any configuration. I've been fortunate enough to see her play with her electric band, solo, duet (with a drummer or bass), as the lead guitarist for Pele Juju and Bonfire Madigan, sitting in with bands such as moe. and Leftover Salmon, and of course with her former bands Jambay and the Lazy Porch Dogs (acoustic Jambay).

I read an article on the Jambands site recently written by Tim Lynch. He was imploring jam bands to spend more time on their song writing/song selection and on their vocal presentations. Those are precisely the things that set Shelley apart from a lot of jam bands. While she can and often does jam out and improvise a song, she's written songs that stand on their own, even when stripped down to an acoustic format. She also has an incredible voice. At the Starry Plough she was in near perfect form. Her voice was rich and expressive - really mesmerizing. Her presence on stage was simply incredible - she has so much charisma, she just demands your attention - you can't take your eyes off of her. You wonder how this woman got to be such a complete package - awesome guitarist, wonderful singer, great songwriter, strikingly beautiful and a fantastic performer. I heard someone behind me say, "Is this not the best thing you've ever seen?" I wound up talking to him later, and he told me it was the first time he had ever seen Shelley - he came to see the Faraway Brothers.

Her band that night was Brian Knave on drums and Justin Katz on bass. X is a variable and she often changes up her rhythm section or adds other instruments to the mix. The set had a jazzy swing element to it that night. "Stars, Light, Moon" is one of my personal favorites - though unfortunately the bass was a little low in the mix. The song features both beautiful and chaotic bowing, and is one of Shelley's more mood setting types of songs. The audience chimed in on the chorus of "Corner Song", and "Over the Line" went the more "bump and thump" route this time around. Brian took an incredible drum solo on this song with Shelley and Justin comping in for emphasis. They interpreted a few songs off of the X-tet's new electric CD "Possible Reasons for My Insomnia." I think the highlight was "Foolish Prophet". This tune usually has a wah-wah sound to it, but the acoustic version relied more on the rhythmic qualities of Shelley's guitar playing. She took a "flute solo" with her voice that just blew everyone away! They also played "Three Night Stand" from Jambay's third CD "For the Madness", "L"Amour Looks Something Like You" the Kate Bush song that they recorded for "Insomnia", and "Opportunity", the title track of Shelley's solo CD. Carrie Davis of Rosin Coven jumped up to sing backing vocals on "You Are", a funky love song that was mostly drum and bass until Shelley let loose with a guitar solo. Carrie also sang lead vocals on a jazzy Rosin Coven tune that they covered. SDX opened with "Something Different" and closed with "Don't Miss This Ride", a great song that Shelley wrote and recorded for a compilation CD called SF2000 Timecapsule. The set ended and I think that everyone in the place was just in heaven - it felt like magic!

The Faraway Brothers were up next. I had never seen them before, but had heard good things. The band is lead by Eric McFadden. I've heard two of his other bands, Liar (which I highly recommend) and the Eric McFadden Experience. If you haven't heard of Eric yet, you probably will. Eric's very well known in the SF Bay Area mostly because he is an amazing guitarist and is in a zillion bands. In FB he plays an acoustic nylon-string guitar, and the sounds he gets out of it are mind blowing. He adds Flamenco, jazz, blues and rock styling depending on the tune. They seemed to do mostly (if not all) covers. They did a really nice version of a Nirvana tune, and they even found a way to do a Metallica influenced version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin." For me the highlight was the jazz standard "Take Five." I've heard a lot of bands play this song, but these guys really did something with it. In addition to Eric on guitar, the band also features Paulo Baldi on drums, Ed Ivey on bass, tuba and trumpet and someone (whose name escapes me) on Hammond B-3. Eric and Ed traded vocal responsibilities. They both seemed to have kind of quirky onstage personalities. While they didn't seem to be doing originals, they were certainly making each of these songs their own. Their musicianship was fantastic and the crowd ate it up!

These two sets could not have been more different -yet they fit together so well. I overheard them talking about playing together again, though the next time there will certainly be some inter-band jamming happening. Shelley and Eric have both been taking the local scene by storm, and together they put on one hell of a show.

For more info on these bands:
www.shelleydoty.com
www.nmxrecords.com

A String Cheese New Years
12/31/1999 - Portland, OR

by Dieter Rogers

As I sit down to write this review, over a week after the String Cheese Incident's two night New Years extravaganza in Portland, I realize that my spirit is still floating somewhere in the rafters of Portland's Convention Center. After a momentous year, these two nights served as a fitting gateway for the family to usher in the new. Complete with performers, artisans, hula hoops and friends, The String Cheese community joined arm in arm in a room ablaze with stomping feet and grinning faces to create an unforgettable experience.

Having been transformed into a sensory playground for all ages, the venue proved to be an ideal locale for the main event. Careful attention to detail and planning by the band and its team made for a comfortable setting for everyone. Child care, a beer garden, crafts, performers, food, and sober support groups were all symbolic gestures of the band's efforts to create a scene welcoming to a diverse audience. And, while there indeed was a wonderfully mixed group of people present, good vibes pervaded so that the young children, the young adults, older hippies, and the hula hoops all coexisted comfortably.

The first night proved to be a no holds barred evening where the band held absolutely nothing back. The first set embodied String Cheese at its best. Highly energized and very long, this set was fueled by constantly changing melodies and tempos. Seamless transitions allowed non-stop grooves to wander between the wide variety of influences which come out in a String Cheese performance. Plenty of space in the massive room offered each and everyone unusually extra large boogie zones.

Refreshed after the set break, the boys came out and torched the room with a red hot second set which lasted into the wee hours of the morning. With the first night complete, fans headed for the exits left to wade through the limitless possibilities for night two.

Continuing the adventure on the second night, the band quickly regained the previous nights' momentum and the dance floor launched into non-stop boogie. With even more people in attendance, the full room swayed to the rhythm of hula hoops and the century's final Incident happily neared its end.

With midnight less than an hour away, the first set closed and the final preparations for the celebration took action. A parade route through the middle of the audience was forged. When the band resumed their position on the stage, a magical, uplifting experience ensued: The Grand Midnight Parade. The band entered into a slow, mellow jam, and their beatnik poet companion, Chris "Lester" Ross, delivered a long, inspired and thoughtful poem which served as narration to the awesome parade. The parade and poem were both clearly intended to encourage and foster positive values. As Lester and the band filled our ears, our eyes were amazed by amazing floats which seemed never ending. Throughout this whole event, a sense of unity bound everyone in the room. The passing of a millenium not only invoked inevitable reflection, but more importantly, it inspired us to all look forward. With this in mind, the String Cheese Incident instilled a message whereby companionship, love, compassion, and spirituality were all brought to the forefront and held aloft as ideal. As the final tick passed, and we danced across time's line in the sand, the band broke into Bob Marley's One Love. As balloons cascaded upon the audience, strangers hugged, the band brought all of the aforementioned values into our hearts with a profound tune. This choice matched the mood of the room perfectly and enforced the messages of the whole experience.

In short, this New Years experience lived up to, and exceeded all expectations. The String Cheese Incident seized the moment of reflection, and used it as a tool through which we could look forward. With music brimming with positive energy, messages, and creativity constantly in our ears and hearts, time will always be on our side.

Cheese, Cheesecake, Che Hun Ta Mo!

  by Martin Acaster

If any of what I learned from ship's engineer Mr. Scott holds true, the Universe came within approximately 75 miles (as the Pelican flies) of being destroyed on the night of December 31st, 1999. What the hell am I talking about? Well, as was made clear in so many episodes of Star Trek, when matter meets anti-matter the Universe tears itself apart. Therefore, the distance that separated the brand new American Airlines Arena in Miami from the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation field of dreams was the only thing preventing the annihilation of this vast holodeck we know and love. WHY am I so sure of this unlikely happenstance of particle physics you beg to know. As incredible as it may seem, I attended the Y2Trey shows of both Gloria Estefan (anti-matter, anti-music, CHEESE) and Phish (matter, music, CHEESECAKE!). Sounds impossible I know, but thanks to the miracles of modern science and creative ethnopharmacology I pulled it off. Don't ask...any inquiries into the actual logistics behind this feat will be rebuffed by visitation from operatives of the Secret Agenda. YOU can't handle the truth!

The seat that my cellular collective occupied in AA Arena (though quite comfortable and spitting distance to the catwalk on the left side of the stage) bore the hefty price tag of $1,500.00. "Who is the target consumer for such a thing?" I asked myself as I sipped Bombay Sapphire from my refillable plastic airline water bottle. No sooner had the thought fired across my synapses when the answer was embodied before me. Slowly ascending the short flight of stairs into the loge from the floor of the Arena was the alligator-skinned, cackling, 125 year-old matriarch of a local cocaine cartel money-laundering bankers family. As she passed my row she leaned over her own shoulder and exclaimed "I haven't been this HIGH since laaaaast New Year's Eve!!!" I laughed until my kidneys hurt.

The seats down on the floor were filled with a sea of underprivileged inner-city youth and a large number of spinal cord injury victims that were special guests invited by Gloria. Unheralded benevolence on the part of a down home girl and spinal cord injury success story? Partially perhaps, but closer to the truth is the fact that the show was being recorded for broadcast during the ABC millennium special and these people were actually the unwitting props in a shrewd marketing ploy devised by the machine. I won't blame Gloria for this tastelessness as she may be just a puppet being Malkoviched by some other sinister organization behind the scenes. Regardless, the whole thing smacked of insincerity and caused my bowels to churn. The outright plasticity of the event was a palpable aroma in the brand new home of the Heat.

Prior to the show a DJ (a kid I later learned was Gloria's son) on the front lip of the shrouded stage spun mad techno beats for about an hour. This (with the exception of a far too short costume change Birambao jam by an imported fresh from the Amazon Capoiera master) was by far the musical highpoint of the evening in Miami.

Gloria's performance opened with her suspended in a three dimensional field of shimmering stars above the stage singing an unknown (to me anyway) schmaltzy ballad. Pure pop diva drivel. As the stage lights came up and Gloria came down a collection of far too average looking backup dancers joined her on stage and started getting down to the mad salsa beats. YAWN. How is it possible for so many musicians to make such a SMALL sound. There were at least 4 percussionists, horns, a keyboard player, a violinist, a bass player, and two guitarists. They could muster little more than a sonic whimper despite what Phlimsy Motorhome may say about the horns if you ask him about it. The show dragged on for about two hours. It included medleys of Gloria's hits, some new material from her recently released spanish language album, a delicate violin treatment of Auld Lang Syne, a Carole King cover (It's All Over Now), more medley's of hits, three costume changes, the birambao jam, more sappy ballads, a new year countdown and fairly lame balloon drop. All things (especially the $1,500.00 price tag) considered this concert was the most heinous musical experience of my life (and I HAVE been to a Vanilla Ice show!).

As the completely satisfied Gloria fans filed out of AA Arena, about 75 miles to the north, Phish was just starting to really crank into a STELLAR Down with Disease jam. The first of over 30 (if memory serves and Auld Lang Syne and the prerecorded Meatstick opener are excluded) songs that would be included in a 7.5 hour set that is already being referred to as simply the SHOW by those in attendance. There is no question in my mind that this Oh Kee Pah ceremony will stand the test of time and rank with the greatest musical performances of all time. Think Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, the Who at the Isle of Wight, think Paisley Brainstem on Jupiter's moon Europa....I'm talking EPIC people. A hundred thousand souls burning brighter than all the stars in HEAVEN. The love and electricity and boundless joy washing around the swamp like a Tsunami from the 11.0 richter scale quake that would be generated by an asteroid plunging into the Gulf of Mexico. The tangible intensity of the winds swirling around the great red spot on Jupiter. In excess of all my expectations. Monstrous. THE BEST PHISH SHOW EVER!!! Ask anybody that was there with functional ears and a heart....I am not given to hyperbole folks.

If you care, you have seen the setlist and numerous Big Cypress reviews already, so I won't include mine. The performance defies what the list suggests. My advice when the tapes of this weekend finally make it your way is that you first find a copy of the JJ Cale song After Midnight (most of you I am sure will opt for the Eric Clapton version). Listen to the song. Listen to the lyrics. Absorb them. As the words seep in think back to every Phish show you have previously attended. Think hard about the lyrics. Then read the setlist again as you consider what you have experienced in the past. Think of the best show you were at. This SHOW was better. I am CERTAIN that the tapes will bear this statement out. As they promised at the end of the afternoon set on the 31st with their own rendition of the classic rock nugget, Phish let it all hang out.....waaaaaay out. They caused talk and suspicion, they staged an exhibition, everything was peaches and cream, we banged our tambourine, we did chug-a-lug and shout, and we all found out what IT is all about. And what is more remarkable is that we did so after enjoying four superb sets of music (each as long as Gloria's show) in the previous 36 hours. Big Cypress was the stuff of legends.

Personal musical highlights of the long journey into dawn were numerous. Among them I number Piper, Drowned>After Midnight, Crosseyed and Painless, Roses are Free, You Enjoy Myself, Slave to the Traffic Light, Reba, Horse>Silent in the Morning, Sand>Quadrophonic Toppling, and Wading in the Velvet Sea as the most moving points of the most remarkable musical experience of my life. There are dozens more (especially the DEMONIC Mike's Song and transcendent Antelope from the night before) but my words are merely a hollow shell of the immensity of the event. I witnessed a paradigm shift. A leap of evolution. A giant turn on the wheel of life. It was NIRVANA.

The traffic going in and out of Big Cypress is a distant memory. Though I would urge that if ever you are stuck in traffic...don't fuck around on top of your car or RV. You could die. I am radiating a glow which will permeate my being for the rest of my life. Throughout the weekend the field of the Oh Kee Pah ceremony was rich with the spirits of the Seminole tribe. I am forever indebted to their hospitality and I will be eternally enriched by their power and guidance.

I spent the last days of this grandest of adventures soaking up the Florida sunshine on Sanibel Island with my best friend and favorite partner in crimes of the mind. We returned to rainy Portland in the hope that we would bring the sun back with us. If last night is any indication of what this millennium has in store everything is going to be roses here in Portland.

I met up with a few friends at a hole in the back wall of a Chinese restaurant karaoke bar. The drinks flowed, my girls sang, I found new love (if only for the night), we danced our respective asses off to the would be rockstars of northeast Sandy boulevard, and talked of the mysteries of the universe. As the night drew to a close a visibly intoxicated member of the local Chinook tribe (or was he a Seminole spirit still traveling with me???) took his place before the microphone on the karaoke stage. What came from his mouth was a sonic train wreck. Something akin to a box of fine china being hurled down a New York City fire escape. But it WAS JJ Cale's After Midnight that he sang!!!....and he DID let it all hang out....and he WAS for real....and his performance was much, MUCH better than Gloria Estefan's on a dollar for dollar sliding scale. He summed up perfectly the difference between matter and anti-matter....matter is all about heart and soul and the quest for personal greatness...antimatter is all about the Benjamins.

Che Hun Ta Mo.

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You.

Bury the Cheesecake!

The Year of the Dragon

by gordon wilson

The year of the Dragon is almost upon us, can we live in peace and prosperity? I think that we can. New Year's 1999/2000 Bend, Oregon. Wandering through the high desert streets in a champagne semi oblivion I was lucky enough to see two bands this evening. The first one, "Unshakable Race" was playing at "Bend's Best Bet", an old bowling alley turned music hall/off track betting arena. "Unshakable Race" is a rock/reggae band from Eugene that can really play, it's Reggae music does not sound like typical cover reggae, it sounds like truly inspired reggae music. The next band that I was able to catch was a local Bend act called "Fluoride" at the "D&D Pub". This band also rocks and has a very unique and inspired sound, although more of a groove rock/jambands sound. To tell the truth I only heard a few songs from each band, because I was low on cash and could only get in to these venues after midnight, yet both bands were memorable and I am definitely looking for full shows in the future. Happy New Year!

One thing of general interest that I'd like to report on: My cat Max has always suffered from dry skin and recently he started getting this crusty black stuff on his chin which had me quite worried. So I called the vet and asked her about it, and she immediately asked if the cat ate out of a plastic bowl, which he did, and then she explained that the black chin rot was probably an allergic reaction to this plastic bowl. So I replaced the plastic bowl with a ceramic one, and a week or two later the mouth rot and dry skin on Max's back had all cleared up! An interesting discovery that I thought I should relate to other pet lovers.

Favorite CD's of 1999:

1. The Big Wu- Tracking Buffalo Through The Bathtub
2. Jimmy McGriff- Straight Up
3. Tom Foolery- Don't Tread on Me
4. Mel Brown- Live at Jimmy Maks
5. Jive Talkin Robots- South Park Blocks
6. Disco Biscuits- Uncivilized Area
7. Jorma Kaukonen- Too Many Years
8. Soular- Grasp
9. Pirate Jenny- Once Upon A Wave
10. The Jar Trio/The Departure Ensemble (Tape)
11. Pink Martini- Sympathique
12. Sonya Hunter- favorite short stories

Hang loose, and happy year of the Dragon!

Blowout Of The Century: Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons
With guests Kerosene Dream
12/31/1999 - Columbia Falls Ballroom, Doubletree Hotel, Portland, OR

  by Rich Flaminio

New Year’s Eve, 1999. A special occasion of the highest magnitude. A date that has had a party planned for it for as long as anyone can remember. Here in lovely Portland, Oregon, jamband fans had two high-quality choices for this fateful evening. At the massive Oregon Convention Center, the pride of Crested Butte, Colorado, The String Cheese Incident, would be joined by New York’s Zen Tricksters and a cast of thousands to ring in the new century in their own uniquely cheesy style. Across the river, those who craved something a little more intimate found just the tonic at the Doubletree Hotel’s Columbia Falls Ballroom, in the personage of local heroes Kerosene Dream and headliners Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons. With a capacity of just over 300, the beautifully decorated ballroom promised a more focused and personal exchange than was available in the cavernous hall across town.

Kerosene Dream took the stage first and bounced through a set of selections from their three CD’s, highlighting songs from the most recent release, 1999’s “Such Is Life”, and closing with an energetic reading of the Dead’s “Bertha”. After a short break, the band; Dave Coey ­ guitar/vocals, Bart Ferguson ­ harmonica/vocals, Al Toribio ­ lead guitar, Dave Kilner ­ bass, and Derek Brown ­ drums, joined by local musician Mike Walker ­ Hammond b-3 organ, returned with a renewed vigor and showcased the improv/groove based side of their repertoire. Songs such as “Walkin’ In My Sleep”, “Crazy”, and “Ordinary Man” all benefited from the extended jam treatment and got the crowd worked up for the fireworks to follow.

Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons finally became more than just a tiny blip on the national radar in 1999, fueled by standout performances at Northern California’s High Sierra Music Festival, and on tour with Govt. Mule. Certainly the guest slots opening for Widespread Panic, and the appearance of Joseph’s “Climb To Safety” on their most recent CD have opened the eyes of the rest of the US (and parts of Europe) to something we here in the great northwest have known for years. Jerry Joseph is one of the most evocative and emotionally charged songwriters to come down the pike in quite some time. Joseph and his Jackmormons (Junior Ruppel ­ bass, Brad Rosen ­ drums) came out at about 11:30 and warmed up the proceedings with the lovely ballad “Guardian Angel”, followed by a fiery version of “Climb To Safety” that set the stage for the midnight festivities. 12:00 AM, and everyone counted down, chugged champagne, kissed whomever was closest to them and celebrated the passing of another year and the arrival of Y2K! No bugs in this system, however, as the band welcomed in the New Year with a rowdy cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Over the next two hours, the band was joined by a rotating cast of guest artists consisting of the previously mentioned Mike Walker on organ, Kerosene Dream guitarist Al Toribio, Ben Sturgill on guitar, Jim Bone on vocals, and Jenny Conlee from local faves Calobo on keyboards. With this stellar supporting cast in tow, The Jackmormons cavorted through an energetic set that included songs from all stages of Joseph’s career, ranging from the Little Women days to songs being played for the first time. Of the new material the highlights were “Gladiator” and “Crime And Punishment”, the latter featuring an infectious descending riff that had those assembled moving en masse. By the time the last note of “World Will Turn” sounded, the countdown clock read 2:00 AM, the scheduled shutdown time. A few quick negotiations with the helping, friendly hotel staff and the Jacks were back with a double fisted encore of “Drive” and “Back On The (Y2)’K’ Line”. The show was over, but for all the folks with the foresight to rent a room in the hotel, or who knew someone who rented a room, or who wandered into someone’s room, the party had just begun, and raged on until the wee hours of the afternoon! I’m sure the spectacle across the river was worth every penny, but for sheer, raw musicianship and focused energy, you couldn’t beat The Blowout Of The Century, as it was billed. Kudos to the kind folks at Random Acts Productions, the terrific staff of the Doubletree Hotel, and everyone involved for truly making this a night to remember!

Kerosene Dream
Nothing Gets By Us
Come Undone
I Can See You
Rear Window
Phoenix
C’est La Vie
If You’ve Got The Money, I’ve Got The Time
Old Sparky
Mary Lou (Doesn’t Chew Gum Anymore)*
Bertha

Perfect World
I Can Keep A Secret
Wagon Wheel
Pictures
Walkin’ In My Sleep
Summer Days
Crazy
Vertigo >jam
Country Squire
Ordinary Man
Zero Hour

*Jerry Joseph song ­ first time played

Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons

Guardian Angel
Climb To Safety
Midnight!
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper @
North @
Gladiator @
Crime and Punishment @
Pink Light @
Ray Of Heaven #
Light Is Like Water > #
Henry > #
Light Is Like Water #
Kerosene Dream %
King Of Love %
Criminals In My Closet +
World Will Turn %
Drive %
Back On The K Line %