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West
Regional Report
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Edited by Sarah Bruner
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In
This Issue: The
Steve Kimock Band Hello all! I've just been thinking lately how happy I am to be living on the west coast: mountains, oceans, trees. Its vibrant! And the people you meet and places you encounter all have such amazing stories and wild euphoric history. Simply put, oregon is kind, in many many ways... The Crystal Ballroom, Portland Oregon: pure bliss. History dripps from the walls and creeps through the airvents decending on the dancers and twirlers. The jokers and jesters all peering out from the walls, timless expressions of secrecy, all the hidden stories and faces who have come before them, sealed within their unflinching stares. "Rub the jesters nose for good luck" was what Jerry once said, or at least thats what a head told me that night. And based on the vibe that flows through that place i believe it. If you're ever in Portland check out the ballroom just to feel the energy that bleeds from the walls: you can breath in the history. After this show i feel like a regular whos been going for thirty years, even though its only been 6 months and 5 shows. It feels like home. More so than any other venue i've been to more than once. Its my own private Idaho. Its now official: my main gripe against Steve Kimock has always been his inability to hold a band. I've now seen one Zero show, one KVHW show, one The Other Ones show, and now, one Steve Kimock Band show. PLEASE STEVE PICK A LINEUP AND STICK WITH IT! And if he were to stick with this one i'd be darned happy. The Other Ones were great in their grateful way, kimock playing a supporting role. Zero is great with Steve's playing pronounced but still a role player in a larger sense. KVHW was good but unfocused and unorganized (damn you Ray White!) The Steve Kimock Band is simply great: this is HIS band and is the most pure stripped down version of his playing I've heard. He shines with this unit. As i'm not altogether familiar with song titles here's the setlist as reported on jambands.com/boxscores: Set I: Severe Tire Damage, Why can't we all just Samba, 5b4 Funk, Baby Baby, You're the One, My Favorite Things, Hillbillies on PCP Set II: Tounge'n'Groove, Kissin the Boo Boo, Spitfire, Its Up to You, Poonk, Rocco, Tangled Hangers Me and my buddy Alex arrive about 8:20 to get tickets and it only takes about two minutes and is not even close to selling out. Doors open at 8:30 and we chill, have a beer and enjoy the ambiance. The jesters watch our every move. Strangely enough (at least to me) Phish is playing over the PA all night long: before show, at set break. All phish all night long. Not something I expected to hear at SKB, especially the fact that it was Hoist over and over and over. An interesting choice to say the least. There was no opening act so things were very relaxed. Steve and company had this beautiful venue to themselves all night and weren't in any hurry to rush things. They went onstage about 10:15 or so and took their time. A long slow stroll to the stage (with me yelling "Vega!" as Bobby walked by) followed by a long lazy tune up with jokes and laughing by all the members on stage. I have never seen Kimock so relaxed and extroverted. All night long he's laughing with huge smiles and jokes to the audience, even talking directly to us over the microphone Before then I had never ever even heard his voice. As he said after the Severe Tire Damage, "Its great to be hear in the Pacific Northwest. Every time I've been here you folks are espcially KIND (wink wink) in every way! Thanks for your continuing support!" And trust me the audience was soooo kind with the great Northwest green everywhere, the place stinking like a green house. Warmth and smiles abound. Everyone was so relaxed, especially the band. Steve seemed so at home with the audience and other band members. It felt like a private party that for us that he and his buddies were going to play. Only for us... And so the music: The opener, Severe Tire Damage was a long, slow build up of notes. Everyone in the audience was just chilling and talking and drinking as they move from silence and laughter to tuneing to a warm slow build: very gradual. It seemed to be an anxious slow crawl with the audience in anticipation as to where it would lead. It builds and builds up to a powerful jam, Pete Sears and Steve building back and forth on jumpy sporadic flutters of notes while Vega and Prarie Prince kept a fat groove going. A nice mellow opener that decidedly warmed things up. Following the opener there were the above noted comments from steve as well as a band introduction. Very cool and intimate. I almost felt like the band was going to turn to us to get all of our names: 'we're here for the long haul so we might as well know your name right?' The rest of the first set was a long eclectic mix of rock/blues/latin rhythms. I was definately impressed by the wide variety of time signatures and rhythm structures SKB used. It must be said that Steve, Bobby, and Prarie are all sooooooo tight: tight as a virgin on prom night, tight as a hot cotton shirt strait out of the dryer. They are so together they seemed to naturally master the art of controlling the groove, even when it reached its most furious pace. The only song I recognized was the long flowing 'My Favorite Things'. Not quite as nice as the other I've heard Kimock play (4/17/99 Phil and Phriends) by very nice none the less. Very flowing and jazzy. Coltrane would have been impressed. In all an excellent set. Pete Sears playing some great leads, although at times occasionally overbearing and sloppy as he kept trying to outdo himself. Kimock seemed to love it though and would just stop playing altogether and let him take over while he watched: lots and lots of laughing and smiles! Before set break, Steve: "We're gonna take a short break. I don't know what that means to you but i think you know what it means to us." It was at least an hour and the greens continued to flow for both audience and band. Second set was great and long long long. I was thrilled to hear 'Tounge'n'Groove' open it up as it is really probably my favorite Kimock song and last night it was more than beautiful. Excellent work by Pete on piano and Steve of course playing stunning slide guitar. They created layer upon layer of striking melody that bled such color and emotion. Truly beautiful music. It was a flow of vibrancy and life that streamed from the stage that definately brought me a moment of peace and solitude among the masses as I let the music course through my veins. This was my highlight and was a moment of clarity in a not so clear world. We were connected. The rest of the second set took up where the first left off. Lots of jammming. The only reason these guys are together is to jam and have fun and they more than accomplished both. The 'Its up to you' was long and flowing, with a nice crazy spacy jam in the middle. It got so far gone we almost forgot for a while what it was. There were some very distinct 'Blue Sky' teases by Steve and Pete to the point where one should almost label it 'Its Up to You>Blue Sky Jam>Its Up to You,' but I'll let the true Kimock taping heads figure that one out. But I know I heard it and so did two or three others around me, and it was wonderful. But again steve and company outlasted me. we ended up leaving 3/4ths of the way through second set, midway through 'Poonk.' It was already 1:30am and the show was still going with no sign of stopping. Having to work on Fridays sucks but I was more than satisfied with the experience (not to mention I could barely keep my body on my feet any longer...am I getting to be an old man?). Simply said this was a great, great show. Throughout, I thought about the wild and untamed spirits of the West that were partially responsible for the vibe. The history of the room, the wild sense of adventure on the part of the band and audience. I was floating on the clouds that night and in spirit I was connected to everyone and everything that had ever transpired in that room. The Ballroom is magical and the show that night was inspired, in part, by the history of the place itself. There were three players that night: the band, the audience, and the ballroom. The place has that much presence that it can play the band and audience as much as the band and audience can play it. I strongly urge all to see and feel it no matter who the players are. We are all just jesters playing in a larger show. Life here is good. The trees and plants are GREEN, the mountain is stoic and stunning, the ocean flowing, and the vibe electric. Oregon, simply stated, is more than kind.
YO MILES! at the Fillmore Auditorium
Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) Special Guests: Karl Perazzo (percussion; of Santana), Steve Kimock (guitars; formerly with KVHW and Phil and Friends, and occasionally with Zero), and Steve Smith (drums; formerly with Journey, now with Vital Information)
1st Set (1:20?)
2nd set (1:20?) True to the spirit of Miles Davis's early-to-mid 1970's "fusion" of jazz with rock, funk and African music, YO MILES! enthralled the nearly sold-out Fillmore audience last night with an often awe-inspiring improvisational artistry. As the sounds of YO MILES! soared and spiraled through the chandeliers of the Fillmore, they were also accompanied by "Joe Light Show," a psychedelic light show involving only late 1960's and early 1970's technology, but as effective and communicative as any modern system. This powerful combination of lights and music made the evening at least as unforgettable an event as the most recent YO MILES! gig at the Fillmore last October during San Francisco's Jazz Festival. The first set featured brilliant renditions of a variety of Miles Davis themes, including a dense and funky "Right Off" with a magical intro by Karl and Wadada, and a thrilling "Bitches Brew." It's worth getting the tapes of this show (which will be circulated; there were tapers!) solely for the bewilderingly riveting Steve Smith and Karl Perazzo solo. The first set closed with a raging "Agharta Prelude" that had a slow, steady, reggae-flavored opening, but which vibrated in funk by the close. A gorgeous version of Wadada Leo Smith's original composition, "Miles Dewey Davis III/Great Ancestor," highlighted the second set, as did a magnificent "Ife > Great Expectations > Maiysha > Ife" exploration. There was also an enchanting intro to "Black Satin," featuring the trio of Perazzo, Manring and Wadada. The show-closing "Willi (for Dave)" began with a mesmerizing solo on alto by Steve Adams, steadily and patiently built into a soulful, orchestral fury, and finished with dizzying sustained feedback. Though some clamored for more, the house lights went up immediately after the band members excited the stage. There had been rumors in the few days preceding the show that Carlos Santana might play. All night, there was a Gibson Les Paul center stage by the drum riser plugged into a Fender amp. Though some speculated that it was Santana's, it was actually Kaiser's, for use by one of the guitarists if their gear went down. And though, in the middle of a samba-enthused, semi-spacey portion of "Maiysha", Karl Perazzo appeared to motion wildly to someone backstage to come out and play, it turns out he was motioning to the legendary percussionist Armando Peraza, who, like Carlos Santana, was also in attendance. Though neither Carlos nor Armando made an appearance on stage, their contributions would have only made an unforgettable event that much more memorable; they were certainly were not necessary. Throughout the evening, Kaiser and Smith alternated effortlessly between their roles as performer and conductor, making sure there was air and space to the music -- which was wondrously (perhaps overwhelmingly to some) dense and complex, and only occasionally cacophonous. Whether only five or twelve musicians performed at one time, though, the music had a penetrating potency that is likely still, even a day later, scrambling the brains of some audience members. The playing by Manring, Kaiser, Steve Smith and Wadada Leo Smith alone revealed a stunning grasp of Miles Davis's electric repertoire. Although the emphasis last night was arguably more on collaborative improvisation than on individual soloistic expression, there were nevertheless numerous solos taken by everyone, and almost all were of the highest caliber of musicianship imaginable. Steve Adams's alto solos in "Right Off" and "Willi (for Dave)"; Chris Muir's spine-tinglingly precise, Frippian-like fretwork during "Corrado"; Wadada's masterful, exceptional trumpet playing throughout everything; Larry Och's solo during "Moja"; Bruce Ackerly's and Steve Kimock's mind-blowing contributions to "Bitches Brew"; Coster's Hammond and Rhodes action in "Yesternow" and "Black Satin"; Kaiser's bluesy riffing during "Star People" (sandwiched in "Calypso Frelimo"); all should be heard to be believed. The professionalism of the musicians last night deserves the highest praise. Let's hope for more from Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, and YO MILES! in the future! A beautiful poster was distributed post-show last night, and it is sure to become a collector's item, because last night's show, sad to say, was the last Bill Graham Presents Fillmore Auditorium show. On the bright side, I cannot imagine a more musically impressive and inspiring show to mark BGP's final presentation at the Fillmore. Though I've had some negative things to say about BGP at times over the years (haven't we all?), I thank BGP for their many years of service to the Bay Area music community, and for caring about the fans of the shows it presents. For much more information on the GENIUS behind last night's YO MILES! show, please check out the following sites:
http://shoko.calarts.edu/~wls/index.html YO MILES! has a double CD available which I would urge you to buy (especially if you benefit from hearing live tapes of last night's show!). It's an incredible complement to your "Get Up With It," "Big Fun," "On the Corner" and other early '70's electric Miles discs! Check out Timothy Lynch's wonderful review.
Leftover Slamon, Not Too Bad For Plan B by Jamie Minotti The orginally plan for the weekend of February 4th and 5th was to be in Hollywood at the House Of Blues watching SCI. But because as usual bands under estimate the support of kids in SoCAl the show sold out three weeks previous to its date. That is alittle complaint, and I apoligize, I'll save it for another article. We found out that Leftover was playing at a small dinner theatre in Anaheim. The Galaxy, although alittle run down, is an excellent place to see a show. Ironically SCI played there that Sunday. I've only seen the boys a handful of times and it seems to me if Vince is not drunk as a skunk in the 1st set your are in for a good show. The boys were on and the crowd was a partying. The theme for the evening was Mardi Gras as we were in the month a February. The first set was very chill although it ended with very high energy. Scatered throughout were songs from their latest album "Nashville Sesions." Overall not very impressive. After the set a cow bell began to ring and the green began to burn. The boys entered the crowed with a parade of costmes themselves and participants from the audience. What a way to enter for the second set. The boys rocked, the vibe on the stage was unbelieveble. Drew and Tye were specifically on this night although the rest of the band was equally outstanding. As the night came to the end the infamous "Hotdog" song was played as hotdogs were thrown threw the crowed. The music was great, but I don't believe you go to a Leftover Salmon show for the music alone. You go for the experience and because it may vary well be, your plan B.
Portland in March, 2000 Lately my life has felt a lot like Henri Rousseau's painting, "The Sleeping Gypsy" or maybe more like Charles Baudelaire's poem, "L'Albatros" or maybe more exactly like Euripides's "Hippolytus". Anyway it's been a while since i've been behind the collector selectric, and I have run upon many exciting and enlightening experiences. First off is the sad news that the "Jive Talkin' Robots" have broken up. Hopefully they are blossoming into five new bands of serious jammin'. Lately its been a dizzinging array of sweet rock and roll bands gearing up for this Spring and Summer/2000. The first killer show that I've caught this past month was "Cu'l an ti'" at Biddy McGraw's, an authentic Irish Pub on 3518 SE Hawthorne Blvd. These guys kick some serious booty. I'm a big Kevin Burke and Micheal O Domhnaill fan, but those guys don't play out all that much anymore, and "Cu'l an ti", sure fills the Irish traditional music void well. I don't have a clue about how to dance jigs, but these guys make your whole soul/body jump and jig with joy in whatever form you've got! Out of 5, I give these guys a 5. The next show that I was blessed to see recently was "Tom Foolery" at the "Mad Hatter Lounge" @ 203 SE Grand Ave.. This is a classy venue, very posh and intimate, with refurbished turn of the century hardwood floors, and a wonderfully relaxed and attentive atmosphere. Entering the The "Mad Hatter Lounge" is like Alice falling through the rabbit hole. "Tom Foolery" is a sextet new grass band that is smoking. Their CD, "don't tread on me" is a fine example of their talent, except that they have progressed further, and are especially smoking when they have guest musicians and singers sit in with them. It looks like "Tom Foolery" is going to be playing the "Summer Hummer" out at "Horning's Hideout" this year July 21rst, 22nd, and 23rd, which looks to be a camp out party by the lake in the Oregon wilderness, put on by savvy local promoters, "Sensory Overload", check it out, a music festival for the soul. The next mind blowing show that I caught this past month was "Actual Size", at "Biddy McGraw's" 3518 SE Hawthorne Blvd.. "Actual Size" is a jazz fusion funk smorgasbord of talented musicians. The first Monday that I caught these guys the lead singer was dressed in a pink shoulder strap dress, he was rocking the house with classic and original blues tunes. Last Monday I caught them and the lead singer was in a full tuxedo with bow tie rockin' the crowd with piano ballads, Herbie Hancock, and James Brown classics, a must see if you ask me, 4.9 out of 5. A friend of mine came in from out of town this past week, he's a smoke jumper for the forest service, and has been stationed in Jackson Hole and Fairbanks lately but he was in town the other day for a short break, and dragged me out to the "Satyricon" @ 125 NW 6th Ave.. This place is an mainstay of the Portland nightlife, and I was lucky to catch, "Larry Yes", and "Elliot Smith". These guys jam! It's not dance music, but it is poetic and good! "Larry Yes" kind of looks like a modern polka band, with accordion and fun lyrics, but it is much more. The same goes for Elliot Smith, he isn't a polka player, but he is a poet, and he plays a real humble/mean/lovely guitar. I bought "Elliott's" "Happiness/Son of Sam" CD, and am blown gently in the wind every time that I play it, very Beatlesesque. Another barroom ruckus that I've boogied down to with at "Biddy McGraw's" is "Funk Shui", these guys are a powerhouse. "Funk Shui" is emotional/primordial like Ireland I imagine. One last gig that I saw at "Biddy McGraws" and feel that I have to report on is, "Sunday night with Earl and the Reggae All Stars", these guys are the fun/jah, man! Earl is one of the best singers in Portland! "Dark Star Orchestra" are truly a force to be reckoned with. These guys sound so good, they wake one out of the deepest of funk. They verify what great poets and musicians the "Grateful Dead" are. When these guys play, it produces shivers up and down the spine! "Dark Star Orchestra" played 3/9/00, at the "Crystal Ballroom" @ 1332 W. Burnside St., one of the best venues in town, built by a dancing genius, and restored by the genius of the McMenniman's crew, for a terrific time check " DSO" out. Hang loose.
The Great Northwest Throwdown Most of my high school buddies are settling down. A house, a full-time job, a wife, kids, two cars, you know the jive. The world contains endless possibilities, but for them, like most Americans, the path worth taking is the one that's well trodden. It provides security and comfort and when the road gets rough, there are millions of others who can help show them the way. There's safety in numbers. And then there are the rest of us; we choose to dance on the periphery. My dance has taken me from the sun-baked dystopia of Los Angeles where I realized I was longing for something more out of life, something different. So I moved home; back to good ole' Tacoma, Washington, where I could take some time off from the hustle and bustle of modern life and figure out just what it is I want out of this trip. This past week, I took one step closer to coming to a conclusion. Last fall, I spent a magical week with my best friend seeing Phish, camping around the Great Northwest and then finishing the month with a week-long tour down the West Coast to Arcata, California with the Disco Biscuits. I'll never forget the communal vibe I felt at those shows and it was on my nine-hour drive home from Humboldt County that I realized I would have to return to that land of redwood forests, thundering waves, mammoth rocks and kind people. So I would search the 'Net to find a show worth returning to. On Monday March 6th, that happened. Dark Star Orchestra, the greatest Dead cover band going, was stopping for a two-night stand at the Café Tomo. When I realized this was the same week that both Sector Nine and String Cheese Incident (with the Tiny Universe horns) were blazing through the area, I knew it was finally time to get back on the road. The plan equally excited my friend Dan; so much so that he bought a new '99 GMC Safari for the occasion. We both wanted to get on the road, so we left on Saturday the 4th after bidding Seattle farewell with a smoking night of Vinyl at the Sit N Spin on the 3rd. Before I go on, I must comment on Seattle crowds and why it was so crucial that we got away from that scene. Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but as it becomes more and more like Los Angeles, we are facing increasing numbers of club-goers who dress strictly in black and are much too cool to dance and appear goofy in front of their friends. Those that do get down had better not bump into one of these black-clad patrons (who often stand right in front of the stage), for the look you may get could melt ice. So as we made our way to Eugene to check out Vinyl at the Wild Duck, I couldn't have been happier. Every time I've been to a show in Oregon, I've had a wonderful time. The crowd vibe is very positive, strangers actually talk to one another and the venues put Seattle joints to shame. On Saturday night, as Vinyl treated us to another two sets of hot Latin-funk jamming, I broke out a huge smile when I saw a Wild Duck employee collecting glasses and getting down with a kind sister in front of the stage. Now this was more like it! While I'd heard most of Vinyl's songs the night before, the collective vibe of this show, the large dance floor, the huge disco ball and the amazing decorations by Eugene's Silver People (you guys rock!) made the experience a hundred times more enjoyable than our night in Seattle. Sunday was the only day of our eight-day stretch where we weren't seeing a show and we made the most of it by taking up some of the beautiful scenery of the central and southern Oregon coast. Dan, who's done a few Phish tours, agreed with me that this was a totally different kind of tour experience; by day, see some of the most beautiful country in the world and by night, see some of the best upcoming bands this scene has to offer. After a day of being blown around Oregon's massive sand dunes, we hit the sack early, anticipating what turned out to be the best Monday of my life. First, there was the weather. The forecast called for rain, but when I awoke at 8:30 a.m., the sun dominated a cloudless sky. We hit the beach right away, gathering driftwood and rocks. And then there was the drive from Gold Beach, Oregon to Arcata. At one point, we were listening to Phish's incredible "Roses Are Free>Piper" jam from 4/3/98 and the coast came jetting out from behind a bend and stretched off into the misty, magical distance. Wow. Take my breath away. Really, folks, I can't stress enough how wonderful it is to stop and get in touch with nature on a tour. If you're the type that just has to get there, you're missing out on many of the joys of traveling. As philosopher Alan Watts was fond of saying, it's not the destination that's the reward; it's the journey. Later that day, we talked about this as we sat on Lookout Rock in Patrick's Point State Park just north of Arcata, watching the waves explode on building-sized rocks ("nature's fireworks," Dan called them). By the time we got to the Café Tomo that night, we were all smiles. Let me pause to thank everyone who was there that night; you guys are awesome. As DSO burned through a monster show (7/31/73), I couldn't stop smiling at all the kind faces I saw grooving around me. Oh, what a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzz. But it had to end. Later that night, we were driving down a bouncy, steep hill to the beach while Hendrix was crooning "Crosstown Traffic" and in our hyper-high state, we just couldn't stop laughing. We celebrated the day by playing keep away with the ocean waves in total darkness for a half an hour before finally going to sleep. Perhaps our funniest tour moment occurred the next morning. On our drive out, we came upon 25 elk grazing in a field and stopped to take a picture. As we got back in the van, an old bulldog came strolling in front of us. I was joking that it was good we didn't get too close to the elk, lest they stampede us into human pudding, and Dan said it was more likely the dog would attack than elk. Well, he didn't have anything so aggressive in mind; instead, he was a prankster. As we got situated in the van, he walked right in front of us and took a leak. I scrambled for my camera, but it was too late. But no, the dog was not done. He then assumed the squat position and well, you know. What juxtaposition: it was as if the dog were saying, "Man, you got out to be in awe of the natural beauty of the elks, well, here's another side of nature and it is not so pleasant!" Bad dog! We spent the next two nights seeing Sector Nine. For the life of me, I can't figure out why bands insist on going on stage so late in the middle of the week. In Eugene, they started around 11:15 p.m. and didn't end until 2:45 a.m. And in Portland, they didn't begin until around 11:45 p.m., and as a result, only a handful of Portlanders turned out. By the end of the show, the dance floor was almost empty and much as I liked what they were doing musically, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. So it was up to DSO to get us back grooving on Thursday at Portland's bouncy Crystal Ballroom. And boy did they! We were hoping for some disco Dead and that's exactly what we got: 11/23/78. I'd been hearing "Mississippi Half Step Uptown Tupelo" all day in my head and told Dan on the walk in we'd hear it and right as we hit the floor, the opening notes of that song began. A sweet segue into "Franklin's Tower" followed and the crowd was off and bouncing. Highlights included a first-set closing "Music Never Stopped," and from the second set: "Dancin' in the Streets," "Terrapin Station" and "Playin'>Drums>Shakedown>Playin'." Unbelievable. On Friday night, we were giddy with the realization that we'd soon be home. A week of sleeping in a cold van will make one appreciate the comforts of home: hot water, warmth and a soft bed. But first we had to throw down with SCI. After a day of hiking in beautiful Silver Falls State Park, we boogied away in the steamy Hilton Ballroom. My memory of the set list is foggy, but the Cheese blew me away with a 15-minute disco-style jam to close set one that made me realize just how quickly this band is progressing. If that wasn't enough to convince me, Saturday's show at the much-larger Paramount Theater in Seattle was. How amazing to see over 2,500 SCI fans at one of the country's most beautiful venues. The band was noticeably excited about being there and they didn't disappoint. A funky, Latin-flavored first set closed with an incredible "Late in the Evening" with the horns and they opened set II with an incredible "Land's End" sandwich. But for Dan and me the highlight was the encore. As though SCI knew of our humorous adventure down that bumpy hill on the way to the Pacific, they closed with a stunning rendition of "Crosstown Traffic." And again, I couldn't stop laughing. How sweet life is. Now, after a week of exploration, it's time again for rest. It takes stamina and courage to dance on the outskirts, yet I never feel so joyous as when I'm somewhere like Eugene on a Friday night getting down with my peripheral playmates. For me, life is all about optimizing happiness and if that means I make someone laugh with some goofy dance moves, that's what I'll do. If that means I'm strange to the rest of the world, so be it. Because as much as I wish my high school friends could know this joy, I know it won't happen. And that's fine, because in the last year, I've come to realize that the world is exactly as it should be. Who am I to judge my friends for wanting the security of a nice house? Let 'em have it. In the meantime, I'll be hiding out in the hedges, somewhere out on the periphery.
The Slip On Saturday, February 26th, I had the good fortune to catch Boston's The Slip in San Francisco's tight and cozy Last Day Saloon. This band, which seems to be leading the next class of jambands into our ears and into the spotlight seems poised to make a lasting impression on the ever changing music scene. In the tradition of artists such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Medeski, Martin and Wood, The Slip has found success navigating the uncharted realms of sound which fall in the vague unknown space between rock and roll and jazz. Following the format of long, meandering, and constantly evolving sets, The Slip manages to takes its listeners on musical journeys which venture from smooth and melodic to the offbeat and unfamiliar. And, the end product of these efforts is a music which has gained the band a small but potent grassroots following who seem fully aware of the potential of this trio. And, the potential of this band is truly limitless. Having successfully crafted their own truly unique sound, this trio has set out on a path which seems headed to some unknown destination with an irresistible allure. And, while the success this band is destined to find is still to be determined, one can count that the tens dollar nights playing local bars will not last long.
Merl Saunders' 66th Birthday Bash For most people, the date February 14th conjures up images of heart shaped candies and long stemmed roses. However, while such Cupid-inspired (and Hallmark-inspired) visions make total sense, the day certainly can be recognized for more. In San Francisco, many music savvy locals recognize February 14th as Merl Saunders' birthday. And, in the city where Merl is known as "The Mayor of Haight Street", many of these same locals are willing to forsake a night of candle-lit dinners and pillow talk to celebrate with one of the city's most treasured musicians. For almost any other performer, packing out the Great American on a Monday night would be no easy feat. But, for this particular legend, there was no shortage of friends to help usher in Merl's next year. The festive energy of an upbeat audience filled the ornate room as Merl and his entourage of musicians wasted no time in rewarding the loyal Monday evening revelers. "How Sweet It Is" served as a fitting tune to open the festivities. In what has become a standard song in Saunder's repertoire, Merl subtly sung and played his appreciation to everyone for helping him celebrate. In return, the audience used the jamming as fuel for even more inspired grooving. A classic stage personality, Merl's sparkle quickly illuminated to its usual shine. Along with the smile, Merl wore his signature black leather hat as his fingers strutted their stuff all over the ivory keys. And, in between Merl's frenzies of musical brilliance, a talented band took turns trading off solos and kept pace with the tireless audience. True to his satisfaction guaranteed recipe, Merl delighted with some music from San Francisco's most famous jamband. On this night, "Fire on the Mountain" pushed the excitement from bubbling to boiling. Merl and his friends clearly had their minds set on maintaining the high level of excitement. Throughout the whole night, Merl conveyed a sincere gratitude to all present. From the fellow musicians, to the audience, to his former teachers and his grandsons, Merl expressed thanks to each and everyone for adding to the night. However, Merl himself was indeed the guest of honor on this magical night. Each spin, twirl, smile and good vibe in the room served as an appropriate tribute to this charismatic performer. Over what now amounts to decades, Merl Saunders has earned his position as one of music's true ambassadors, and any opportunity to celebrate his continuing legacy will inspire a like-minded band of friends any night of the week. |
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