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Music:

There is no question that the nine-nine was a big year for the Disco Biscuits. The Philly quartet (as it was) took the goblin that was Bisco, exposed it to massive doses of radiation, fed it a steady diet of steroids and amphetamines, and then turned that monster loose on the world. The resulting path of destruction left hoards of fans tired, sweating, and unable to peal the grins off their faces. Tight jams and dislocated songs that literally took nights to complete were par for the course, as the band took themselves to a new level of playing and popularity. To the benefit of the music trading community, the Disco Biscuits have a loyal force of skilled tapers who captured most, if not all, of the music for everyone to enjoy. These are a few of my favorites.

The Disco Biscuits, 2/3/99, The Brewery, Raleigh, NC, DSBD 2
Tape 1:
A: Eulogy, Boop, Bazaar Escape > Mulberry's Dream
B: Above the Waves, Hot Air Balloon
Tape 2:
A: Radiator > Acetobee
B: Plan B > Awol's Blues

This was my first set of Disco Biscuits tapes, and they are still my favorites. I got them soon after the show on the suggestion of a very friendly trader whose name I have since forgotten. They are exceptional tapes both in terms of quality and performance, and thoroughly underrated.

Eulogy is a bit of a quiet song for an opener, but it's a nice version with pronounced vocals, and the jam, while short, really burns- a torch that hints at the grandeur that will eventually ensue. Betty Boop starts right up with a great feel. Nice grooves lead up to the interior jam where Magner is clearly in charge. Moving past a variety of ideas, he continually pushes the rest of the quartet faster and faster until the song snaps back into place. The speed vocals drop away, leaving a funky Brownstein line and dribbley noodles from Barber. The jam that evolves is amazing; it is an example of why Bisco kids speak of the band's genius. It periodically places plateau upon plateau, a scorching guitar blazing a path across each. Eventually the peak is reached and the song collapses back into the original Boop funk. It is only then that you realize just how perfect the construction was. You understand the incredible foresight that was necessary at the outset, like a chess player thinking twelve moves ahead.

The centerpiece of the single set is, of course, performance of Act II of The Hot Air Balloon. It marks the third performance of the story line, and from start to finish it is tight. I don't want to say it's perfect, 'cause what is perfection? But if I were inclined to refer to something as perfect, this would be it. Bazaar Escape is a wild run through city streets and back alleys. I recently heard a reporter on NPR talking about a song which has a lyrical reference to a bugle, followed by the music of revelry. She pointed out that she had just realized that the song sounds like what it talks about. I was shocked and dismayed that a music reporter would point out something like that. Was she kidding? This is basic music theory, presented to every elementary school child in Peter and the Wolf. Basic as it may be, however, it is still one of the most satisfying techniques a songwriter can use. The evocation of actual places, rather than more amorphous "feelings," is the mark of a truly skillful songsmith. Anyway, the tune slips along, ducking and bobbing through short jamlets and tempo changes before easing effortlessly into Mulberry's dream. The throbbing bass and smooth vibe of Mulberry's bring a huge grin to my face every time I hear it. The groovy tune forces me to utter a brief "Hey hey" in the subway station.

What can possibly be said about the Above the Waves that takes up the bulk of the B-side, stretching over thirty minutes. It is a furious trip past the tumultuous surface of torrid seas, traveling deep through strong currents and into ponderous undersea caverns of sound. At times the aquatic escape settles lightly on a dark bottom, but more often it passes hot vents and bustling coral reefs before bursting through the surface waves a half hour later, leaving you exhausted and gasping for a well deserved breath of fresh air. Even if you don't get the whole show (which you really should), check out this ATW. It's on Disc 2 of the Plan C Archives.

While the second tape starts off with very end of Hot Air Balloon, it really gets hoppin' with Radiator. Marc sounds great throughout, but the intro is really appealing- a sweet funk line. The jams go Smooth Barber solo > brief key interlude > phat construction jam. The last segment takes its time building to peak, and never really snaps. Instead it rounds out and quiets down, leaving space for band member intros before going on to Acetobee. While it's pretty hard to follow the middle of the set, this does an ok job. The instrumental portion of Acetobee is pretty and light- the bouncy flight of a red-winged blackbird on a summers day. After the rise in the segment, Brownie grates the gears, introducing a hot Plan B and the return to the Hot Air Balloon.

These really are some worthwhile tapes. They sound great, the performance is great- as I said at the outset, there are my favorites.

The Disco Biscuits, 9/9/99, Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY DAUD CD1
Side A: Chemical Warfare Brigade, Three Wishes, Radiator, Mr. Don, Morph
Side B: Haleakala Crater > Frog Legs, ATW, Wet

This is another show that is rarely mentioned when people talk Bisco, but I really enjoy it and probably for the same reason that no one talks about it. See, it's a quirky little set, opening for Deep Banana Blackout. It doesn't have many segues and it does have a handful of the shorter, free-standing Disco Biscuit tunes. It's an example of the importance of songs as songs, rather than islands.

To open, for instance, is Chemical Warfare Brigade. I happen to dig this tune, and this is my favorite version. It's aggressive and creepy in that X-Files/Government Conspiracy kind of way. Three Wishes is nice, but nothing of note really happens.

Radiator is also on the shorter side, but hot nonetheless. The early jam has fantastic interplay between Barber and Magner. The organ sounds eventually morph into a brief synthesizer interlude that is shear lunacy. The ensuing big jam has an almost desperate feeling to it, encouraged by some truly exceptional drumming.

Haleakala Crater > Frog Legs is the centerpiece of the set. It starts out light and picturesque, birds and all. It reaches a level of exceeding beauty before building up to an eruption. But the eruption does not really have a destructive tone. It is more like watching footage of an eruption in slightly slow motion with the sound off, the rivers of lava slapping up against rocks, splashing like syrup. Frog Legs is a hokey song, but it works well here. It's fun.

Above the Waves is played a breakneck speed. It's like they hit the peak too early and just have to sustain it until they find the end of the song. The feeling of desperation that was in Radiator has been transmogrophied and resurfaced here. This version works particularly well here, because it helps to really deplete those stores of energy. And the heavy-handed Wet closer finishes what ATW started.

While this is certainly an odd set, I think of it as a neat experiment in maintaining focus. It's not unlike Phish's 2/16/97 show (performed before a German TV crew) where lots of people complained that songs were truncated and non-experimental, but which includes some very hot versions of some great songs.

The Disco Biscuits, 10/28/99, Recher Theater, Towson, MD, DAUD 2
Tape I
A: Spaga > Bazaar Escape > Spaga > CWB > Basis > Spaga > Basis >
B: Vassillios > Bazaar Escape II: Shem-Rah Boo > Pat & Dex > Wet
Tape 2:
A: Magellan > Spaga > Mindless Dribble >
B: Pat & Dex > Basis > Spaga E: Down to the Bottom

This show is the exact opposite of the Northern Lights show. It is a jam lovers wet dream, slinking in and out of song after song throughout both sets, hitting on Spaga an amazing five times. I picked it up on the recommendation of jambands.com columnist and Bisco freak, Erica Lynn Gruenberg. She ranked it as one her favorite shows of 1999. From jambands.com January 2000: "There's something to be said about a show that is absolutely, without a doubt, pure evil. From the beginning of this show in the Recher Theatre, a slightly hidden gathering point in the heart of Towson, MD, the Disco Biscuits decided to take the audience captive and completely play with our heads all night long." Worth checking out, no?

It would almost be too much to try to describe every transition and twist, there are so many. Suffice it to say that it definitely has one of the darkest vibes I've ever heard from any band. Part of it has to do the pervasive story of dragon slaughter, the beast's heavy steps echoing around each curve. Part of it has to do with Magner's haunting organ, which early on establishes an ethereal mist that hangs over the whole show. Part of it has to do with Sammy's round, potent drumming. Part of it has to do with the fact that that night at the Recher Theater the Disco Biscuits were simply on.

Some points of note include the particularly beautiful jam in Chemical Warfare Brigade, an odd juxtaposition with the theme of the song and the show. Maybe going for John Wu poetic violence here? It transitions well into a nice, eerie Basis, Brownie tearing out an extended solo, drawing to mind bursting air bubbles that have risen through a Fribble. Not just any milk shake, mind you, a Fribble. Each note has a wide, extra thick shape to it. The Dragon picks up on the heavy vibe, returning for his battle with Spaga, which climaxes with a return to Basis. Whew!

Moving on, the Pat & Dex has a sick techno-ish jam with hopping frog bass and more exceptional work from Magner- a good dose of synth that matches well with Barber while continuing to reinforce the sense that there is something unseen looming overhead. Maybe it's just too big to see. The vocal jam pushes right to the edge of insanity before pounding into the end of Wet. Yeeeeeooowowow!

What really does me in, though, is the middle of the second set, which is conveniently located at the beginning of tape 2. I once saw it argued that Magellan is one of those songs that just had to be written, a sort of expression of the universal groove. It certainly is an amazing composition that really strikes people, even those (yes, they are out there) who otherwise hate Bisco. This version, however, changed my perception of the song forever. As the voyage's tumultuous journey heads towards a climax, the music drops down into stillness, the eye of the storm. Magner plays a pensive, distraught piano solo. It is achingly beautiful, Marc punctuating with sporadic swells of low-end bass. The quiet passes, clouds gathering on the horizon. And within the thunder can be heard the beating wings of the Dragon. But he never quiet materializes, Mindless Dribble taking his place. Here Brownie's beats hook up perfectly with Magner's wispy sounds, creating a current that surely leads to some sinister, albeit sublime, shore. When the band begins to stray from the course, it is Gutwillig who grabs the wheel and refocuses. The refrain that usually indicates a melancholy relaxation in Magellan, "Once around the world and now I think I'm done," here swells up in haunting, distant, repetitious, and monotonous echoes. It is absolutely awe striking, floating over an increasingly intense jam, with thunderous waves and screeching winds and even a slight Basis tease, before the segment returns to Mindless Dribble. And somehow the Dribble only gives me an uneasy grin at best.

The ending of this set is appropriately monumental, but I'll leave it for you to discover on your own. Check out these tapes and "Be very, very afraid."