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Midwest
Regional Report
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Edited by Todd Justus &
Tim Ward
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Letter From the Editors I think we'd all agree that the unseasonably warm weather lately in the Midwest has injected a little music fever into all of us, prepping us for the summertime shows. There is nothing like jumping into the car, putting on a pair of sunglasses, rolling down the windows, and disturbing other drivers at stoplights with a little auto boogie. Sadly, as of this writing we have been told to prepare for snow by the weatherman. Not to worry---a lot of bands have tour dates listed into late April and early May, so we can at least visualize working up a sweat in a bar or music hall and maybe spending setbreak on a patio under the stars. For us Ohio boys and girls, all it took was the announcement of the Spring Hookahville lineup to take it up a notch...this month, we feature a review of a Ray's Music Exchange show here in Ohio and another ekoostik hookah review by the Rev. Kevin A. Robbins. Although one might argue that his reviews could be shortened a bit, we just can't bring ourselves to edit anything out for fear that we'll lose the quality and unique perspective of RevKev's take on things. We've also included a review of JMP's show at the Seventh House in Pontiac, MI, by Darren Vehar. And finally, we put together a calendar of Midwest notable dates so y'all can start working up that sweat a little early and shedding those winter pounds. Todd and I would like to thank all of the folks who have sent us emails tipping us off to Midwest bands that need and deserve some attention. We ask that you please keep it up, because nobody should slip through the cracks if they've got it goin' on, and also to send us any reviews you can from the Heartland. If you'd like some submission guidelines just drop us an email. Tim and Todd News Apparently, Mr. Bob Weir enjoyed his stay in Hookahville last Spring, because his band RatDog returns to The Buckeye Lake Music Center in Hebron, Ohio to join Deep Banana Blackout, Arlo Guthrie, The David Grisman Quintet, and ekoostik hookah for another Memorial Day Weekend extravaganza: Hookahville XIII, on May 26-28. 'Nuff said. We also think that Midwesterners are a bit excited about the announcement of Phish's summer tour schedule, which swings through Alpine Valley on 7/8, Deer Creek on 7/10, 7/11, 7/12, and Polaris Amphitheatre in Columbus on 7/14 and 7/15. And, although this isn't news, Todd and I would like to represent the Midwest beyond the Ohio borders as much as we can as we get more experience with this jambands.com editing thing...so here's a mention for The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, who have an excellent CD I'll review next month (and who actually hail from Minnesota), and The Committe, who according to Andrei Chahine, is "a stellar new Funk band at Lawrence University (Appleton, WI). They're going places. Its made up of Jazz majors and they are tight! They've been playing shows for about 5 months now and every concert brings in more people. Medeski played with them last week and Kenny Garrett's (he's Miles Davis' old saxophonist) rhythm section played with them two weeks ago." Sounds promising, huh? In conclusion, If you'd like us to check out smaller local bands in your area, turn us on to them! We need your help!
In Case You Missed It That Ray's Music Exchange with the mystique surrounding it turned out to be one hot affair. It was in a giant 2 room loft with lots of cool things to check out. In one room there was some mesh cloth strung up. 5 pieces were staggered on the wires with a few feet between each. Projections were shown on the cloth, with the truest image being on the closest cloth and the image diffused as it passed through the various layers, leaving a blurry image shining on the wall. In the main room, the room with Ray's, Big Bang Productions were at it on the wall with their diabolical computer animations. If you didn't get to see there stuff at the Drop-Inn Shelter Benefit, you don't know what you're missing. The final element to the art, was of course the music. Ray's played some wicked improvisations while staring at Big Bang's animations. New bounds were reached....
Itch the Scratch It was nice to see Ray's in a room without neckless bouncers ruining good times. Everything went golden. ranoverray
ekoostik hookah Another great thing about the older theaters around the world is that each has its own history. The Indiana was formerly a movie theater. It fell into great disrepair after many years of providing great movie memories for this midwestern college town. A friend of mine recalls seeing the now classic "A Christmas Story" in its original run at the "old Indiana Theater." A project to restore the theater brought in the monies of two families who agreed to donate, if the theater would take a new name. With monies from the Buskirks and the Chumleys, along with an allegedly equal sum from Steak and Shake, and smaller donations from others, the old Indiana got its facelift and its new name. The name change sparked a bit of resentment among numerous folks in Bloomington, prompting some to simply call it the "old Indiana", and others to name it after its other major benefactor, the Steak and Shake Theater. Setting the scene, as it is, I arrived at the Buskirk-Chumley aka the old Indiana, aka the Steak and Shake Theater, around 7:30 PM. Caught up with merchandise man extraordinaire Chris Chopp who enlightened me about the huge setlist from Bowling Green. I honestly wondered how the night would take shape. We were either in for a HUGE, HUGE show, or we were in for an average Hookah show in preparation for the monster homecoming show at the Newport that was bound to happen on Friday. Likewise, I had the chance to talk with our man behind the board, Bill and his intrepid assistant Greg. Found that they had a great sound system, which would be an incredible help compared to last time at the old Indiana. The sound in September 1999 was good, but it was a bit too echo-y. Departed the theater to get a bite to eat and found a great little Greek place less than a block away. Enjoyed some incredible vegetarian dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves, a huge gyros sandwich, and some delicious baklava. Having satisfied the urges of the body for sustenance, I walked around downtown Bloomington's array of college town shops, before heading back in to set up my taping gear. The band hit the stage at around 10:20 with an unusual opener. While I have seen Ed lead the band out with Captain Krinklebein before, it's not a common occurrence. Though I didn't think about it at the time, this really set the tone for the first set. Certainly there were moments of intense heavy songs and all out jamming, but the first set was a collection of laid back tunes, including rarities and things not tried before. The intensity level rose through a nice Rollercoaster and soared during a nicely performed Schwa! Things settled down a bit when Pass the Cider, Pass the Rum was played. This tune always makes a show for me. While it is so mellow, and inevitably folks talk through it, it is a great vehicle for Ed McGee's singing and a prime example of his ability to evoke incredible emotion through his lyrics. After Pass the Cider, Ed picks up the acoustic guitar and begins strumming. No, it's not Under Full Sail, but what is it? Another rarity, that's what. Brighter Day was a great change of pace, since I haven't seen it since 4-21-98 and this was only my second ever in 27 shows. If this wasn't enough, Roadsick Blue, done absolutely beautifully, makes a rare appearance, my first ever. Roadsick Blue's lonesome call grew into a rousing Lady Vanilla with the alternate Lady Gorilla lyrics. Outstanding set so far. If all of this wasn't enough, Cliff comes forward and he and Ed begin humming some interesting notes, only to have it grow into Burial. Wow! Chicago's power came suddenly as Dave came down and gathered up the acoustic. It was an interesting song choice considering the rather light-hearted nature of the set, and I think Dave may have sensed that. Mid-song, Dave walks to each of the guys and says something. The music begins to turn, lighten, slow, only to have the opening acoustic parts of Hookahville to emerge. Very interesting segue to say the least. That, however, leads to a different problem. For segues to really work, especially sandwiches, the songs need to be in the same key. That being said, there's no way back to Chicago from Hookahville (if only it were true in real life), so that means another song in the sandwich. Ed leans into Dave, who shakes his head, and informs the rest of the band. Hookahville ends and blends into Bad Moon Rising. It's getting creative at this point, as Ed slowly fades the lyrics of BMR only to have Eric, Cliff, and Steve re-assert the dominant Chicago jam and close the sandwich. Set ends. Whew! Being the only real hookahphile where I am sitting, I got a lot of questions about the setlist, what kind of show it was, and what to expect for the second set. Having witnessed some interesting moments myself, I explained that it was an unusual set, so who knows what will happen next set. I name a few things that could very well happen, only to have none of my predictions come true. It's good to be wrong sometimes, by the way. Ed and Cliff started set two off in an odd pose, which told me we were in for quite a ride. Bone set the tone of phat and funky for this round. Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms followed with Cliff pulling out the vocal stops. The energy got changed for a moment. That comment about phat and funky was no joke. For the first time in a long time, Find Out made the setlist. It was moody, thick, with all the goodies that Cliff throws into that tune. For all it's heaviness, it didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the audience or the dancers. My Own Way blistered to the forefront and kept things hot. Ed and Cliff cut up for most of the second set, something that they were only able to do during Rollercoaster in set one. Everything from choreography to Cliff "ashing his Camel" in Ed's hair through the wondrous act of pantomime. When the boys are having fun onstage, you can bet that the rest of us are having fun out in the crowd. Daffodils in Detroit was, once again, a welcome addition to the set. What is great about this tune is that it can maintain the energy and speed of a set, yet slow things down just a tad. While Set One had some dancers going, Set Two really caught the dancing crowd up into a reverie. Silver Train didn't disappoint the dancers at all, though I must confess that with all of the rarities, I had actually thought we might get an Arctic Song. Once again, in mid-tune, Dave begins talking to the guys, which led me to wonder where we were going. Somewhere Down the Line segued out of Silver Train which was somewhat surprising, until I looked at my watch. Almost 1 AM on a weeknight is definitely a noise curfew issue. Things rolled to a fevered pitch and it was done. Just over 2 hours of music. I begin wondering what we're going to get for an encore and I am stymied. What cover will they pull out to close this one? Ever so secretly, Eric's microphone had been moved into place during the break. When the first notes of Bloody Well Right came out, I was a little at a loss. They don't play this tune nearly enough. Eric nailed it and had a bit of fun. For that matter, everyone in the band seemed to be having a tremendous time. Overall, this show was a really good one. For the uninitiated, it may have been a bit odd. Many of the classic hookah songs didn't get played, particularly the ones that the person who is only casually familiar with the band would know. For the long time listener, some really nice nuggets got pulled out and dusted off and played incredibly well. Frankly, the folks around me got a great first show. Rarities, experimentation, strong playing, the band in a really good mood and playful. Nice, very nice.
Jazz Mandolin Project So this past summer my fiancé bought me the best birthday present ever. A mandolin. You can imagine my surprise. I was surprised. Then about a month ago I heard Jazz Mandolin Project was coming to town on Feb. 16. You can imagine my surprise. Again, I was surprised. But then I heard Jon Fishman was to be playing drums for the tour. Oh man! You can imagine... It doesn't end there. No, no. In fact, the powers that be announced that there was to be a second show added the next night. So the day of the show, I really truly had no idea what kind of magic was in store. A bunch of friends and I arrived at the show fashionably late. I do not advise this practice for any show cause it screws ya. So the show was underway and the place was just packed, but we finally found a place to nest and watch the three musicians do what they do best. I forgot to mention that the show was at the 7th House in Pontiac. A great little venue. As I said it was packed and I think most where there to see Fishman, who was nice to see in such an intimate setting. But let me tell you - the other two fellows on that stage would not go quietly into the night. Jamie Masefield's hands moved so quickly on the mandolin that it was like watching sign language from a signer on speed. I was amazed. But it was Danton Boller on the upright bass who stole the show. That man can PLAY the bass. At times he would use the bow and get sounds out of that instrument that I had no idea were possible. The only low point of the show for me was when it ended and I realized that they would be back tomorrow night and that I did not have a ticket. Notable Dates
3/15: Ray's Music Exchange/Deep Banana Blackout, The Patio, Indianapolis ,
IN
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