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Southeast Regional Report
Edited by Gil McLemore - gmclemore@mindspring.com

An early spring is swiftly thawing out the winter chills here in the southland, warm enough now to roll down those windows, crank the car stereo, and make the drive to a good show. This month's feature reviews a show well worth that drive, another performance from the Dish in Gainsville, this time with the boys from moe. In addition, this month's band profile introduces another up-and-coming band hailing from the southeast, Tumbleweed Junction.

Enjoy!

Band Profile: Tumbleweed Junction

Review: Gainesville, FL (2/15/99) - moe.

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Band Profile: Tumbleweed Junction

Yet another latest, greatest story emerging from the southern states, Tumbleweed Junction is staking its claim to increasing numbers of jam-loving freaks. A grass-roots band that has built its own from the ground up, the group chose a decidedly different way to go about the traditional self-promotion that has proven so successful for today's rising acts.

Originally from northwestern Pennsylvania, the group established its fan base close to home, delivering its eclectic style of jam-oriented rock first to college audiences on the frat circuit then expanding regionally to bars and clubs. Interestingly, after 2 years of touring the region, the decision was made not only to branch out to a larger fan base, but to relocate altogether to the 'promised land' of Atlanta, GA, a gamble that both paid off for the band and landed them a more suitable stage for their unique style.

After the move to Atlanta in 1995, Tumbleweed Junction continued work on their sound, whittling their line-up down to a 4-piece core, consisting of a guitar tandem, bass, and percussion. The result is a distinct, tight style, a blended hybrid of well-schooled jazz, rock, and blues, delivered kinetically on both stage and stereo, making their first full-length effort, "Out of Ford City," both an up-beat and enjoyable listen. With acoustic tinges of bluegrass and country crafted into bluesy, sometimes walking bass lines, maintained in energetic rhythm, the band's music has also proved well-suited for radio audiences, making the group a regular on Atlanta's Z93.

Gradually broadening their audience through air-play, key opening performances (Jerry Garcia Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Merle Saunders), and continued touring, Tumbleweed Junction has broken the mold of fast-rising college bands and established themselves as a southern talent on the brink of greater things to come.

- Gil McLemore, Editor

Tumbleweed Junction is:
Mark Benson - guitars, vocals, mandolin, and harmonica
Peter Haver - guitars and vocals
Justin Meyers - bass
Dave Stephen - drums and percussion

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moe. 2/15/99 The Covered Dish - Gainesville, FL

I: Spaz Medicine, Timmy Tucker*, She Sends Me, Sensory Deprivation Bank, Backwoods**, Plane Crash
II: Stranger Than Fiction, Recreational Chemistry, Dr. Graffenburg, 32 Things
E: The Faker > Meat
*w/ "James Bond" theme tease, ** Jim on acoustic guitar

Going to Gainesville, I was very nervous about getting tickets to the show.

Many of my friends were turned down in Athens just a few nights before, and the Covered Dish was no exception. 175 tickets were released at 9:00, and fortunately I had arrived early to get into the show. As for the scene, it couldn't have been nicer. A mini-parking-lot-scene was happening outside the venue before the show, and the people were more than kind to me while waiting in line. I could overhear several people discussing the previous couple of gigs, and I was beginning to form setlists in my head of what I thought moe. would play.

A group of us gathered right up front in the Rob zone and awaited the festivities, and we waited, and we waited, and we waited. I will say this in moe.'s defense, Steve was frantically fixing a few pieces of gear right before the show (I believe it was some broken lights?), and these things do happen. Because of this late start, moe. had to cut down on the lengths of both of their sets by a lot (instead of 10:30, they came on about 11:30). I am discussing this because I feel people may dog this show for the mere fact that the setlists were not very long (due to circumstances under no one's control).

As for the music itself, what a show! It was not quite the performance I witnessed at the Variety Playhouse in the 10/24/98 Daylight Savings moe.Rathon, but parts of both sets were played extremely well. Spaz Medicine started things off. Not my favorite of songs, but a good set opener. It gave me a little time to observe #2 on percussion. Jim added a very nice blend for the entire show, and he alternated between percussion, guitar, washboard, and blow-keyboards. Timmy Tucker was a HUGE surprise for me in the first set. My friend had come to the show to hear that one song, and he got a good one. The jam was typical Timmy Tucker funk, but Rob added this incredible bass effect that I will call the 'fudge-factor' from now on. Anyone who reads this that was at the show will know what I am talking about. It was the funkiest bass lick I had ever heard. All of us on the front row immediately let Rob know how much we liked his effect, and he said, "It's hard not to use that thing" (and made a gesture that his foot was being sucked over to the effects pedal to hit that special button!). Typical Rob humor. She Sends Me was next up, and I was glad to hear a new variation of this song. Instead of the usual guitar- craziness jam in the middle, a nice reggae groove was formed and the next couple of verses were sung to the reggae beat, and this came only after a very lengthy slow-reggae-jam. This jam picked up beat and led back into the old-school She Sends Me beat. Next on the list was Sensory, a fairly typical number, but Chuck was little late on a few lyrics. Backwoods was a nice break from the hectic pace of the previous songs, and then we were given a very nice Plane ride to end this unusually short (by moe. standards) set.

The set break was also unusually short, and Stranger Than Fiction took the floor. This was a great tune and one that I really like. Whenever I think of setlists before a show, there is always one song that skips my mind that moe. end up playing. Recreational Chemistry was that song tonight, and it was one of the best I had heard in a long time. Not only did Chuck and Al's extended solos blow me away, but we were all anxiously awaiting Rob's bass solo in this number. It was really tight. In my opinion (listen to the tapes), this was a great place to stick in Meat. It seemed that Rob was contemplating doing this during his solo because I could barely make out a few Meat bars, but he decided not to and led back into the rest of Chemistry. Dr. Graffenburg was nuts. I have to say this is one moe. song I could never get sick of. Grand group-jamming in this number with some nice tempo changes during the song. 32 Things ended this extremely short second set. I am not a big fan of this song because it seems to focus more on loud guitar riffs than on the cohesive group interplay we heard during Dr. and Chemistry, so I wasn't that impressed with this one. Before starting, we could hear Al telling the rest of the band that 2:00 was near, and I heard him say under his breath, "We backed ourselves into a corner." Obviously he was referring to their late start this evening.

The encore made up for the short set. This was my first experience with The Faker, and I like it. After a very slow, country beginning, the band formed some very nice grooves during the middle section leading into the unexpectedly groovy final section. The band held a nice rhythm while Al, during his solo, led the band into the final number for the evening, Meat. You had to like this song - the segue was beautiful and the song rocked.

Because it was so short, many people will overlook this show. I think some great music was played, and I also think moe. are getting better ever tour. How long will we be able to catch moe. for $10 at a nice, quaint little venue? I think the days are numbered. See them now while you can, they're a must see.

Thank you moe.

By Mark Kinch - mkinch7230@aol.com