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Southwest Regional Report
Edited by Chris Gardner - cgardner@tstar.net

Clone - 1/24/99 - Backwoods - San Antonio, TX

String Cheese Incident - 2/14/99 - Ten Mile Room - Breckenridge, CO

moe. - 2/20/99 - Tree's - Dallas, TX

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Clone - 1/24/99 - San Antonio, TX
by the helpful guy in SA with a permanent fatal error in his email addy

The San Antonio music scene is a very finicky thing. Once dubbed the "Heavy Metal Capital of the World", SA gives you just that- tons of metal and punk and raging screaming stuff and clubs that don't play anything but. Hence the experimental jam band scene is nowhere to be found...unless you look a little. And what I found was really incredible- which leads me to this submission here.

On the weekends everyone parties, as do I. So, on one of our crawls across the party scene we landed at a party on the NW side. When we got to where it was being held, we noticed instruments set up in the back- drums, bass and guitar setups. There were 100 people expected to show up for this shindig, as the master of the house said, and there were about a modest 20 or 30 there, so I believed it could get bigger. Anyways, I asked the guy who was going to be playing and he said, "some band called Clone or something or other.. want a beer?" I got a cold one and mingled for a while until 3 lanky>lookin guys pick up the instruments and plugged into the amplifiers. Everyone went to the back to hear them play. By this time around 40 to 50 people were there, and the band seemed to be pleased that the crowd was building. The guitarist(Nico -who was wearing a Phish shirt- which I liked) greeted the crowd and introduced the rest of his band, Tony on Bass and Evan on Drums, and then he just mumbled something like "hope ya all like it".

What was to follow was one of the most incredible performances I've seen in a LONG time. They started out with an original called Spaceship, which was really spacey and tripped out- kind of Floydian in a sense, but I could see these kids(and I mean kids- none of them looked older then 17 or 18) had their own groove going- something really different. The spaciness mellowed out and transformed into a really heavy funk jam- like Boosty X 10 with tight soloing by Nico(this dude ripped S*** up!). By this time my head was bouncin up and down- I found I could groove to this stuff so easily- it was like N20 in 3d form- so potent. Then came the segue, after which all of the members of the band had a huge grin from ear to ear- The Super Mario Brothers Theme! In my mind I was like- what the f***- not only does this band rock it out, but they do Nintendo game covers??? This was too weirded out- what goes on in these guys minds? The jam out of it was really hot and intense- Nico was going insane - producing these multi-dimensional solos that would have really hit the spot had I been on some mind-altering drug. The crowd seemed to dig it , though some GAP wearing preps seemed turned off by it and went to the corners of the party. After that big segue (Spaceship> jam> Mario Brothers- which took up about 30 minutes) they stopped and asked the crowd how they were doing and asked if any of that "wacky stuff" was goin round. They then said they'd be back for one more set after they downed a few beers or so. I went to all of them and started a conversation asking basically how the hell they got there chops up and all and if they were doing any shows in the next few weeks. They said they might and thanked me for the compliments and said that the scene down here is bad. They wish they could go east and hit the scene over there. We talked for a bit more then they said they were starting again.

They busted out Weigh from Phish, saying before they started that they, "Keep it in rotation when they aren't playin it in their space station!" It was a cool version- short and sweet with just a few minutes of jammin thrown in. The rest of the set went like this( Weigh> Could you Be Loved, Rangoon Luna Moth> Tweezer Reprise(!).

I wrote this so that I could give this band some attention. They certainly deserve a once over, and they could rock up some things in the next years or so. If you have any questions about the band, write me at my email address and I'll give you info on them(after the show we exchanged #'s). They only have one live recording available (called the "Aquarius Jam" tape). So, if you ever in the San Antonio area and you want something incredible and different, check out Clone before you leave.

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String Cheese Incident
2/14/99
Ten Mile Room
Breckenridge, CO
by Ian Mitchell

On the Slopes With Some Cheese

Being in the Colorado Rockies on Valentine's Day is a treat regardless of the circumstances, but, my reason for being in the mountains was just as wonderful. My girlfriend and I were celebrating our 2nd year anniversary. On a fluke, it turned out that SCI was playing just a few miles away from where we were staying.

String Cheese Incident is currently on a Winter Tour, through many ski towns in the U.S. They have made it a terrific way to tour with the band and catch some of the best slopes in the country all at the same time. With a strong blue grass background, the band plays an incredible mixture of music from Latin tunes to Celtic jams. All in all their concerts are crammed pack full of music.

In 1997, when my girlfriend and I started dating, we went to SCI on 2-27-97 at the Fox Theater in Boulder, CO. It was the first concert we had seen together, and the first time we had both seen SCI. We were blown away, and needless to say had a wonderful incident. Well, two years later we were back at it. After a fun day of snowboarding, and beautiful dinner at Cafe Alpine, in Breckenridge, CO., we were again shaking our bones with SCI.

The show was in the Ten Mile Room, a small little conference room in one of the hotels in Breckenridge. The place was considerably packed. We arrived just as The Slip was finishing up the opener, and grabbed some space in the back. After a tough day of boarding, and a hefty amount of wine at dinner, I was quite exhausted, but, as Michael Kang, Bill Nershi, Keith Moseley, Kyle Hollingsworth and Michael Travis, took the stage and began to play my energy level rose 100%. There was a small balcony in the room, and with a discerning eye you could catch a hoolahoop twirling and dancing along with the music. Once again, we were blown away. The music was simply terrific. A few members from The Slip, including a great saxophone player, accompanied the band on a couple of tunes. The horn really highlighted some of the wonderful music that was already weaving its way through the air. At about 1:15am they began to play one of my all time favorites, Jellyfish. Well, by then, I know my mind felt like a Jellyfish, and we had to depart for some much needed rest. If you have a chance to catch this wonderful group of musicians make it happen. Cause and incident is not something to be missed.

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moe.
2/20/99
Tree's
Dallas, TX
by James Dunseth

We got to Deep Ellum around 7 and headed to Club Dada, the venue moe. played in spring of '97 the last time they played Dallas, pretty small place and right across the street from Tree's. We saw a Dead cover band called Dead Thing there. It was a good way to kill time before the line started forming across the street. We finally got in line at Tree's around 8 and heard the entire soundcheck from outside. For those wanting the full details they played: Blue-Eyed Son (partial), Me & Pat & Bill & You (partial), Amazing Grace, Amazing Cue-Stick (Chuck's version of Amazing Grace), Cajun Moon, Cajun Moon (ending), & Spaz Medicine. I couldn't really make out the lyrics to Cajun Moon outside, so I was kind of hoping it was a new original that they were working on. I really liked what I was hearing from outside, so I was hoping they'd play it in the show and indeed they did.

Doors finally opened a little after 9 and everyone scurried in. A friend of mine told me that if I wanted to actually see the band and enjoy the show without getting smashed against the people around me I should go up to the balcony on the left side. So I did. I perched myself up there and was relatively free from the pushing and shoving I saw down below. It took a while, but the place finally filled up and I heard that the show did indeed sell out, 750 to 800 were in attendance.

The band finally came down from the Treehouse (backstage) around 10:15. The crowd was pumped, I was pumped, and the band seemed pumped; all good signs that the show would be a rocker.

Rebubula: The intro was really nice, with Chuck leading the way. At first it was nothing like a Rebubula intro, and I wasn't quite sure what it was. It was soft and flowing, with Rob adding just a little touch of bass to it, it was really pretty cool although only a few seconds. Chuck kept noodling along and expecting the band to follow, but they were slow getting their act together so he stopped. When he started back up he did it a little more traditionally and I immediately knew it was Rebubula. Al then told Chuck to go back to what he was doing before, and he did. The intro was really nice, not quite as experimental as some I've heard, and not as long (only about five minutes), but still pretty cool. Jim on percussion adds another nice texture to it also. The lyrical segment of the song was standard, nothing too interesting to speak of really. As the jam started up I was very impressed with Jim on the percussion set up. He was throwing out all sorts of interesting drum fills right along side Vinnie. This being my first show with Jim in the lineup, I was pleased to see and hear how well it's working out. The jam was, for the most part, led by Chuck and seemed to me to be pretty standard, very tight and solid but nothing new to me.

It: Before they started there were a couple comments made by Chuck and Rob about not forgetting lyrics and Chuck making a conscious effort not to forget any. It, was completely standard, Tin Cans & Car Tires version all the way. Jim picked up the acoustic for this one, but I honestly couldn't hear him at all. Chuck didn't forget any of the lyrics either. I really dig this song but I wish they'd bring back some sort of jam, not that every song needs one but this one does.

Bring You Down: Now we're talkin'! This always was and always will be one of my personal favorites. Jim stuck with the acoustic for this one, but I still couldn't hear him at all. There seemed to be a little sloppiness near the beginning of the jam, but that was quickly fixed by Mr. Schnier. Al worked his way through his effects pedal a little near the beginning and found a couple he liked, so he stuck with them for a while. Al was the man for this one. He was all over the place and completely ripped it up. They stuck pretty close to the Bring You Down theme, but it was a rocker all the way. Al was doing some really intricate playing with Rob filling in the gaps behind him nicely.

lylelovit.: Pretty standard, played well, not much more I can say about it though.

Nebraska: Standard, Tin Cans & Car Tires version. Al picked up the mando before they started so I was expecting Time Again or Blue-Eyed Son, and when they started Nebraska I was confused a bit. He slung the mando on his back until Chuck's talk box solo, as Chuck soloed Al played mando.

The Faker: I really dig this song. This one really got the place going. Once again Al was all over the place, ripping it up once they made their way into the jam. I remember looking around at everyone near me with their jaws dropped in awe. Al was an absolute mad man in here. As the jam dissolved and they moved to the final section of the song, the place erupted, definitely a highlight of the first set.

The first set was very solid but there was too much down time in the middle, I thought the flow got kind of broken up for a while. Seemed like more of an Al set to me. Chuck stepped back and let Al do a lot of really cool stuff. I was really hoping it wouldn't be all Al though, second set proved to be much different.

The band took a very lengthy setbreak, considering they could only play until 2. They came back on around midnight and took about ten minutes to read some of the bulletin board messages. Some guy apparently challenged Chuck to a bike race before the Birmingham show last fall, and Chuck didn't show. So, this guy challenged Chuck to an old fashioned gun duel at Tree's. He even brought Nerf guns to the show! Al counted off the paces, and when they turned on each other to fire, Chuck got nailed. I have to admit that it was a pretty funny scenario. Other highlights included a concert announcement for the Dallas band Magpu, all you folks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area should check these guys out... a really cool up and coming band. There was also a girl who requested a spanking from Al. Rob held the mic in pretty close to capture the sound, so you can probably imagine what it was like hearing that reverberate throughout the room. Once she left the stage it was down to business once again.

Head: Really crazy spacey intro that went on for about three minutes, it was really cool. My only gripe is they pretty much stopped before going into the actual song. I've heard similar intro's to this one, but they always stop just before they start the main part of the song. I'd like to see them take it a little farther and push this intro, it's freakin' cool. The first thing I noticed with Head was how cool the extra percussion is with this song. Jim keeps things moving. It kind of reminds me of a train chugging down the tracks, definitely a different feel. It settled down into the spacey jam with Chuck throwing some nice whale-like squeals out via effects pedals as Al slowly built the jam up to a roaring frenzy. They ended it in fine fashion and the crowd cheered their approval.

Don't Fuck With Flo: Jim picked up the flute and added some nice touches to the scat intro that Chuck mumbled to us. As the jam started Rob was kneeling on the stage turning knobs and pressing buttons on his effects pedals. When he finally finished his bass sounded extremely different, the only way I can describe it is "Techno-Funk Porn" bass. Damn cool, and completely different from anything I've heard come out of the "Brown Streak." Chuck began taking over a little bit at this point, doing some interesting soloing over Robs intriguing bass lines. I think it's safe to say that this one should be called "Don't Funk With Flo." This was definitely the most experimental part of the show and my favorite part of the entire evening. I was totally digging it.

Jazz Wank >: Started out with Rob basically noodling around very softly. It slowly built it's way up, getting louder and louder, and the others guys started joining in a little bit. It remained very quiet for a long time but built to it's climactic ending as usual. This was a very solid version.

Buster: I had a pretty good sized list of songs I figured we'd hear in Dallas after seeing the rest of the recent setlists, and surprisingly enough Jazz Wank and Buster were the only two on there that they played. Of course I was a little upset that the segue wasn't something a little different, but I won't complain too much, especially not after this version. Chuck was completely on fire for this one, his playing was so intense, I've never seen anything quite like it out of Chuck. Al just looked over at him and his jaw dropped. Rob even declared that the version got Chuck off his "Pussy List."

Again & Again: Surprisingly, this was my third time seeing this "Tin Cans" rarity, and they just keep getting better and better. I never would have picked this one out to be a jammer, but they're stretching this one out more and more these days. This version was particularly nice. Jim was on the acoustic guitar again for this one.

Cajun Moon: As they started up I immediately recognized the sounds emanating from the stage to be the same ones we heard outside during the soundcheck. I knew it was a debut of some kind, just wasn't sure if it was a new original or a cover. Turned out to be this JJ Cale tune. Great new cover. I'd like to see this one stick around for a while. I absolutely love the way Rob handles the vocals on this one. The percussion arrangement is really nice on this tune as well. There's even potential for them to jam this one out a bit. Al and Chuck went back and forth for a while until Rob went back into the ending vocals.

Bring It Back Home: Just as Cajun Moon finished up, Vinnie began the familiar drum beat to this one. I knew this would definitely be the last song of the set, as we were closing in on two AM. Al took us though the vocals a couple times before entering into jam territory. Al and Chuck went back and forth for what seemed like an eternity, both were completely tearing it up at this point. Finally, Al went back into the lyrics and then it dissolved into a lengthy percussion jam between Vinnie and Jim. Al and Rob slowly brought the vocals back over the drums a cappella, and they closed out the set. Very solid version and a great way to end an extremely strong set.

E: San Ber'dino: Zappa songs are always welcome in my book. I saw this on New Year's Eve, but I can definitely live with seeing it a few more times. They only had about seven minutes to go before two, so they were a bit rushed on this one. I love the way Chuck belts out the lyrics at the end, he's just totally into it. Great way to end a great night of music.

Set two was unreal. It was most definitely a Chuck set, and you can't complain about that one bit. When he's on, the whole band is on. One of the better sets of moe. I've heard in a long time, definitely worth checking out. Deep Ellum is a pretty cool place, tons of music going on all the time. Check it out if you're ever down that way.

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Por favor mande todos los submisions a Chris Gardner at cgardner@tstar.net