JamBands.Com - November '98 -

Midwest Regional Report
Edited by Natalie Guinsler - dagny_esque@yahoo.com
Broken-down Honda Can't Dampen Jorma's Vibe
By John Marino
Oct.24 1998
Jorma Kaukonen
Chelsie's Columbus,OH
Ticket Price- 17$
Speeding down the around ten o'clock in the evening, for some reason the heater in the car is blowing out cold air...hmm. Upon exiting the highway, oh shit, it's the oil light better pull over this doesn't look good ;-(. We'll we are about a twenty minute walk away from the venue, but what to do with the car? I send my lady friend to the local five and dime to get a couple quarts of oil. Johnny Law makes his round "No problem here justa waiting for the lady to get back with some oil, oh did I mention we have a car phone." "Carry on son," or something like that. Well it really seems like a long time before she gets back and quite frankly it's freezing out, well not really. I fill the car up with oil, and it starts, all sounds good. We are about a mile away and hear some strange noises coming from the engine compartment, and to top it off the temp. gage is pegged. We push the car just a little further and coast into the parking lot of the venue, shhuewww! I get out and push the car into a parking slot, we end up taking up two spaces, and position it for tow after the show. AAA, hell yeah!
Well we are in, and it's hotter than an oven in this place. Chelsie's is your average set up, nothing special, but as we get in I see they have set up tables on the floor and no smoking signs everywhere. Wow, a respectable show at Chelsie's, this is alright, man. I talk to a couple friends. I'm getting the 'hey man we were here first' look from a couple of tapers. I would of done exactly the same thing...I got a note it's alright. Needless to say I'm very intimidated and they were fuckin with me:-). The opening act is still on, the Cowboy Angels or something. Did I mention this is my first Jorma solo acoustic experience?
An older taper buddy, Mark, helps me out and offers to put my mikes on his stand. I'm set up, and at about this time my lady friend brings me a drink, ahh. Can you feel the love in this place or what? There's aunts and uncles, grandparent's grandchildren the whole thing. Jorma comes out and does two songs electric to end the Cowboy Angels set, All Along the Watchtower and one of their tunes.
Through all that has happened this evening, I amazingly have this very relaxing gentle feeling with me :-) zen-like meditation.
It is very noisy over by the bar and some people seem really well drunk. About five minutes go by and I decide to step out back where the girls are(Chelsie's has an outdoor patio)... did I just hear a guitar tuning? Better get my ass moving. Jorma is on, virtually no break inbetweeen. He has two guitars on stage I'd say one is a green Gibson acoustic and the other a fading brown Gibson. The set is truly AMAZING his finger picking and style are soulful to the extreme. Staightforward blues, Jorma style.
Here is the first set in case any of you are wondering:1. True Religion-Walkin'Blues-I've Seen the Light-How Long Blues-Vampire Women-John Henry-Candyman-Embryonic Journey-Good Shepherd-99 Year Blues-3rd week in the Chelsea-Ice Age-San Francisco Bay Blues
Absolutely soul-full! Time to run to the pisser and see if I can't get a spot in the stall. I'm by no means any kind of vet but I've done my homework and have an understanding of the blues, but I am having a hard time understanding some of his music, oh yeah this is my first Jorma. I find myself in a conversation with this fellow, and I'm explaining to him what I thought, I'm very honest when I say to him "I think he's a really solid guy kinda stubborn, you know? I'm having a hard time understanding some of his music." Well, he says to me, "Kinda picture him just like a step above the trees kind of looking down, not really way up, but well, you know." Click!
Second set: Hesitation Blues-Death Don't Have No Mercy-Instrumental Do Not Go Gentle-Uncle Sam's Blues-Follow the Drinking Gourd-Too Many Years-I'm the Light of This World-Parchman's Farm-I'll be Alright-Truck?-Water Song-Travellin' Man.
At the end he thanks everyone for coming out.
I am not a comfortable writer or reviewer but that was my last night. Oh yeah, the car ended up getting towed home after we drove it another twenty miles (it died when we where only about five minutes away from home) We'll see what the doctor has to say on Monday.
P.S.-My name is John and here is my e-mail for anyone who would like to trade: lonesome_whistle@yahoo.com
Funk Frenzy: Galactic Wails at the Blind Pig
By Chris Kula
Galactic
The Blind Pig
Ann Arbor, MI
Oct.20, 1998
IUve noticed that in cheap action/adventure movies thereUs always one character who feels the constant need to remind everyone that RThis thingUs gonna blow!S Well, watching Galactic at the Blind Pig recently,I was that guy, as I found myself repeatedly shouting RThis funk is out of control!
And, man, was it ever!
The New Orleans-based ensemble put on one of the liveliest, most energetic shows IUve ever witnessed. From sweaty swamp boogies to upbeat Mardi Gras stomps, the funk simply DID NOT STOP. The pure groove that the six band members created on-stage poured out directly onto the appreciative audience and resulted in a night filled with both uncontrollable dancing and infectious smiles.
Each of the two sets both began and ended with the core of the band--drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Rob Mercurio, guitarist Jeff Raines, keyboardist Rich Vogel and saxophonist Ben Ellman--blowing up on their original instrumentals. They created a sound that viciously slaps you upside the head only to then pick you up from the floor and start dancing with you. Mercurio was as tight as my throat on a first date in dropping his funkalicious basslines on the crowd. Raines added to the mix the most subtle of elements, such as juicy wah work and bluesy soloing, while Vogel consistently lent greasy Hammond lines to the overall sound. And Ellman was some sort of laboratory experiment gone wrong on the sax! He handled soulful R&B honking as well as he did blinding fusion runs and, in a lot of cases, really led their wickedlylive jams.
Moore, the oh-so-funky drummer, however, was the show highlight. His skills on the kit were without a doubt some of the finest IUve ever seen--or heard! Heavily rooted in the syncopated style of New Orleans second-line parade drumming, he kept the slippery beats coming all night long, displaying an amazing ability to create rhythms ridiculously hectic yet rock solid. His solo near the end of the first set was a thing of wonder; at one point he was playing on empty beer bottles held out by his fellow bandmates. When it comes to the funk, he is the real deal!
About three or four songs into each set, singer Theryl deClouet would take the stage and perform several tunes with the rest of the band. While his presence on stage was undeniable, deClouetUs appearances kind of forced the band to take it down a notch to effectively back his singing. As a result, during these sections of the show they sounded much like your generic blues/funk band with your everyday bluesman singer. deClouetUs hilarious second set narrative of a Rrelationship that just didnUt work,S however, was unquestionably one of the most entertaining aspects of the show. At this point in the show, the women in the club, to quote the colorful singer, were Rshaking dat ass!S
As a whole, the show was one big funk-fueled frenzy on the dance floor. And this was in mid-Michigan. On a Tuesday night. In October. You know, not exactly your optimum conditions for a hot funk show. I can only imagine what these guys are like during Mardi Gras in the Crescent City when thereUs a warm breeze coming in off the bayou, the smell of spicy gumbo is in the air and the bourbon is flowing freely. Hmmn...the thought of a roadtrip comes to mind. And believe me: if Galactic is playing a show at your destination, the journey--no matter the distance--would be well worth your while.
Now, in keeping with my opening statement, let me once again remindyou...
"This funk is out of control!"
Ann Arbor Craving Another String Cheese Incident
By Chris Kula
Michigan Theater
Ann Arobor, MI
Oct. 10,1998
On the evening of Saturday, October 10th, the bustling burgh of Ann Arbor was witness to a special sort of incident. String Cheese Incident unleashed their unique, genre-bending brand of music upon the large-sized crowd at the Michigan Theater. The fantastic five piece from Colorado put on an energetic, two-set performance that left me--and, undoubtedly, the rest of the concertgoers--thoroughly impressed with the musical inventiveness of the group.
SCI took the audience on a journey through a variety of styles, delving into Latin feels, jazz-tinged compositions, rocking interludes and, their definitive specialty, rollicking bluegrass shuffles. A perfect example of the bandUs diverse approach came early in the first set in the form of R100 Year Flood,S a pop-based tune that dissolved into a funk jam (if youUve never heard wah-treated mandolin, youUve never lived!) and eventually morphed into a breakneck bluegrass ending.
The traditional backwoods standard RThe Old Home PlaceS was a pleasant feature of the first set, and was aided nicely by the solid acoustic bass lines of Keith Moseley. Mandolinist/violinist Michael Kang stole the spotlight during the stirring RLittle Hands,S his strong vocals leading the way while his majestic violin solo brought shivers to my spine. The energy picked up later in the set when guitarist Bill Nershi and drummer Michael Travis led the crowd in a acophonous group scream. SCI closed the first set with the humorous RJohnny Cash,S a down-home tale in which the black-clad singer meets his demise via an oncomingtrain.
During the relatively short set break, a local sports store sponsored a flying disc demonstration in which tiny Frisbees were sent soaring into the crowd. Much to my warped amusement, I heard a guy behind me exclaim to his friend "Dude, I just took that one in the face!"
The second set, on a whole, was significantly more jam-oriented than the first and, as a result, had a much greater level of musical intensity. It got off to a rousing start with a romping rendition of "Voodoo Chile," a song, according to Kang, originally by "the great bluegrass songwriter, Jimbo Hendrix" (after this tune, perhaps impaired by his flying disc trauma, that same guy behind me yelled RI think thatUs a Fleetwood Mac song!S). Nearly the entire second half of the show was one continuous piece of music, the songs flowing in and out of each other like a harmonious river. The segues between songs were a true highlight of the bandUs dexterity: an ambient jam section developed into a funky cover of Miles DavisU RSo WhatS while the bluesy pop style of RThe Road HomeS took a turn for the psychedelic and eventually built itself into a powerfully expressive wall of sound. A spiraling climax to the next song then gave birth to the uplifting, Calypso feel of the set closer RSmile.S The great majority of the second set epitomized the combination of improvisational creativity and melody-driven compositions that have vaulted SCI to the top of the burgeoning jam band landscape.
And the secret behind this formula is, of course, the musicians. Vocally speaking, the band was driven by strong three part harmonies on most songs, with KangUs voice standing out as the most impassioned. Nershi consistently lent beautiful lead lines to the mix, implementing one of the most dazzling acoustic guitar tones IUve heard in a while. Just as Kang, a true wizard with the mandolin, supplied the upper register with an appealing sonic layer, Moseley laid down the low end with tasteful efficiency. Travis combined the drumset with bongos, congas, timbales and other Latin percussion effects to create a rhythmic tapestry rich in color and vibrancy. Adding traipsing piano parts and wailing organ riffs, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth offered up the final ingredient to SCIUs signature sound.
Together on-stage, String Cheese Incident created a musical synergy rarely attained by many bands. In a city of all sorts of comings and goings, it was indeed an incident of which to take notice.
Phish at UIC Pavillion
by Jonathan Price
Wow! I cannot express how blissfully awesome it was to have Phish playing a three night stand in Chicago! The train ride from Evanston was a comfortable one hour trip, and the Racine el stop is right across the street from the venue. It was such a great feeling to sit down in my seat on Saturday night and know that I would be right back in the same building with the same band for two more nights after that first show was finished. Here are my thoughts on this massive treat of a local three night Phish stand that has come and gone all too quickly . . . . .
Saturday 11/7 ROUND ONE: Given Chicago's association with the blues, it seemed appropriate enough to open the run with My Soul. This song is hardly one of my favorites, but it did work just fine in this position. However, it would have been much more exciting if they had opened a three night stand with something a bit more epic or shocking i.e. Timber Ho, Curtain. Mike's Song never fails to kick the energy level into high gear, and this is especially cool when it happens very early in the show. They've been doing the first set Mike's Groove a lot in the last year, and I actually think it is getting a little bit predictable. The jam was typically fun and funky, but definitely nothing groundbreaking or terribly out of the ordinary to my ears. After they ripped that final "big" note which may yield either Simple or Hydrogen, the jam switched gears and headed in a very beautiful, melodic direction. I think they were pretty much doing a Simple jam ala 12/28/96 Philly. This jam also had something of a Mind Left Body Jam feel, although I do NOT think that MLBJ was played or teased in any way. It just exuded that same kind of vibe. OK, first set Mike's jam - where are we headed now? Two acoustic tunes as a follow up to Mike's Song was pretty crappy placement. My first time hearing Driver, and I think it is a nice little ditty. The lyrics, if I heard them correctly, seemed to have a kind of playful, nursery rhyme quality to them. Brian and Robert actually grew on me a bit after hearing it a few times this summer, and the acoustic guitar was a nice change of pace. And by the way, aren't the opening chords to Brian and Robert EXACTLY the same as Neil Young's After The Gold Rush? I really thought they were busting out an After The Gold Rush - that would have been too much! Anyway, I'm not bashing these songs because they were played with an acoustic guitar - I LOVE acoustic music - I'm bashing them because I thought their placement really sucked the energy down the toilet at an early point in the first set. We were back on track with Wedge, which I don't think that I could ever get tired of hearing. The jam seemed more extended than usual, which was great! Limb was smoking, I dug it just like I dug all the versions I saw this summer. Nice to hear this one in the first set. Fikus doesn't do much for me. Billy Breathes is almost always better than I am expecting, but again this was poor placement. Beauty was fun as per usual, nice solo from Mike. Weekapaug did rage, which was some salvation from the extremely disjointed first set. The jam was very fiery and Trey-driven; not too much funk. No typical Weekapaug ending though, it got faster and faster and faster and faster and they just ended it. I don't think there was ever a refrain of the lyrics. No typical ending, no CYHMK ending, just an ENDING. This was definitely the weakest set of the three shows. It was disjointed, it didn't flow very well, and it didn't seem to have much energy.
Although it was relatively short, the second set was oh so sweet! I feel like anything is possible when they step out on stage for set two and open with AC/DC Bag. This jam really moved me - it had some kick-ass sonic peaks and valleys that absolutely ripped me a new one, so to speak. I can't describe or remember many details of this jam, but I think it is must-hear for anyone who digs exploratory yet cohesive jamming. Ghost raged in the all-rock and no funk manner that I love. The jam out of Ghost ended on a note or chord which sounded very similar to something from the main WMGGW riff. I figured we were definitely due for some kind of breather after the Bag/Ghost combo, but instead the energy level was raised even higher with Reba. This was typically glorious, and pretty goddamn obscene (in a good way) to hear at this point in the set. Something about Farmhouse really gets to me - I was laughing, crying, and smiling when they pulled this one out after Reba. On paper, it might seem like a strange second set closer, but it was perfect. I'm told that this set was under one hour, but it felt much longer to me since I was so captivated by every moment. Short but sweet indeed. Guyute was executed perfectly. The crowd was very juiced to hear this as an encore, lots and lots of energy was radiating inside the "small" venue. I was ecstatic to see that they did not leave the stage after Guyute, and even more ecstatic that they followed it with WMGGW. Trey majorly screwed the lyrics, but what do you expect when they've only played the song 3 times in the last three years? Beginning of the second set all the way through the end of the encore was perfect - I was loving every minute.
Sunday 11/8 ROUND TWO: The first set kicked ass - it was energetic and spontaneous all the way through. There were little conferences on stage between most songs, and this is always a good sign. Taste was a surprising way to get things started. Rather than the instant energy of Chalkdust or Llama, Taste steadily reaches an awesome peak by the end of the tune even though it starts in a somewhat unassuming manner. This was a cool first set opener since my last Taste (11/19/97) was a second set closer. I love placement diversity! Carini as the second tune of the first set - WTF?!?!?! This was great to hear, and the crowd seemed pretty into it. Not an epic jam by any means, but it was just such a treat. Love Me/Treat Me Like A Fool was fun. At this point, it seemed like we could be in for a set of rarities. Those opening keys to Ride Captain Ride had me jumping up and down (something I don't usually do). Yes! I was shocked to hear this one again. Go Page! I hate Fee, but it was not so bad in the context of what we had seen so far. Nice harmonics jam at the end, I hope that they REALLY stretch out this jam one of these days. Paul and Silas?!?!?! I was present for the last US performance of this tune (10/24/95), and it was a total surprise to hear again. Now if only they'd play Nellie Cane . . . . Roggae is such a gorgeous tune, so I was psyched to hear it again even after they had just played it in Madison. I love those lyrics "I can't forget to turn the earth so both sides get their share of darkness and of light." The new WITSky arrangement is sweet, and I also like the fact that it seems to be played less frequently than most of the other SOTG tunes. It was such an appropriate opener in Raleigh this summer (you know what I mean if you were there!) and I have enjoyed it ever since. Rather than having that straight ahead country vibe of the old arrangement, the new version has this kind of hypnotic and Beatle- esque vocal delivery. For point of comparison, this hypnotic mood reminds me of the Strange Design B-side of the Free single. The opening segment sounds like some weird composite of Rift and Buried Alive. This arrangement also gives Page a ton of room to let loose with a variety of cool sound effects. Stash was a smoker. I don't recall specifics, since my eyes were closed and I was groooooving, but this was definitely an above average first set Stash. It didn't contain the stunning revelations of 7/2/97 or 11/14/95, but it was just what the doctor ordered for some end of the first set jamming. Besides, after Carini, Ride Captain Ride, and Paul & Silas, everything else in this set was a bonus :-) Cavern was fun, got everyone smiling and dancing. Trey butchered the lyrics, but what else is new? I was hoping for the "dirty" lyrics, maybe next time. Smiles and granola bars at the set break. And trying to figure out what had just happened . . . "Carini? Ride Captain Ride? Paul and Silas? All in the first set?!?! WOW!"
A rip-roaring Chalkdust rocked us right on into the second set. This version contained some serious intensity, a sign of good things to come for sure. Meat is fun, and it is growing on me, but I could have done without it since we had just heard it in Madison. Rock and Roll, and it certainly was! I don't know how this compares to the one from Vegas, but it was sweet. Most of the crowd seemed to recognize it instantly (I guess most people at UIC had also been in Vegas). I was glad to hear DWD in the middle of the second set. It was cool that they were using it as a second set closer at Shoreline, Atlanta, and Starlake to really milk that bringing down the house quality of the reprise, but I think the improvisational possibilities are much greater when it is played beginning or mid second set. I was hoping for a segue of some kind, but instead we got a super-hot DWD which found its away into some exploratory/type II territory and then returned to a killer reprise. The jam was very enjoyable - it never got too "out there," which may be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of jams you like. A little spacey jam ensued for a few minutes, reminded me of the SOTRainbow from Va Beach this summer. Piper followed, and this was fast and furious. I don't really know how else to describe it. One of the best Pipers I've heard, along with the BADASS ROYALTY known as 12/6/97 and 7/6/98. Good placement of Velvet Sea, but the jamming never reached any kind of peak. I was hoping for some of that triumphant Trey soloing over Page's gorgeous singing, but it never happened. The Antelope was very intense - a straight ahead rocker with a fierce build at the end. Been Caught Stealing was a surprise to hear again. I guess they like playing this one in the Chicago area. A very good show overall, with an especially kick- ass first set. It was a much more consistent evening than Saturday.
Monday 11/9 ROUND THREE: Is there any better way to rip into a first set than with a Llama? Pure power, excitement on the floor, and one thing was for sure - they mean business. It had been a while since my last Horn, so this one really caught me off guard. Trey nailed that solo, and it was captivating to watch him play and hear that emotion pour out. I Get A Kick Out Of You was pretty funny, kind of strange placement though. Divided Sky was powerful and well-played, and obviously greeted with massive applause everyone in the pavillion. Is the pause always so damn long these days? This was the first pause where I really payed close attention and stared at the stage during the whole thing. It was several minutes on end, and Trey was frozen like a statue. The tune was finished in fine form, and we got a very enjoyable breather in the form of Frankie Says. I love this song, it is definitely one of my favorites from the SOTG crop. Dogs Stole Things was a huge surprise. This tune was played a bit too much last summer, and I think it is nice when it shows up now as a kind of random surprise. Poor Heart was fun, with some hot picking from Trey. His solo section may have been more extended than usual. Free was incredible. It is amazing how affection for a song can return after not hearing the tune for a while. I got very sick of Free by the end of 1996, but it glorious last night! The highlight of the first set - definitely check it out. Bold As Love set closer - YES!!!! Go Page! I love this one, I'm always hoping for it and I'm always happy on the rare occasion when they actually play it. Classic opener and closer for this first set.
I was hoping for a Gin at one of these shows, but wasn't sure if it was happening since they had played it in Denver. Not only did we get a Gin, we got a sick monster of a Gin to open up the second set! The jam had some great textures, different from all the first set versions that were played this summer. This was a great one to just close your eyes and let the magic take over. I'm not sure how long it was, but they eventually returned to the main Gin theme and ended the tune. It was stunning - one of the best jams of the run. The vibe was more spiritual than the hard rocking Winston Salem version from last fall, which was also a second set opener. TMWSIY>Avenu Malkenu>TMWSIY was a huge treat as always. Well played, and so much fun. Moma Dance was smoking and funky, but I didn't think it was anything exceptional - it was just as groooovy as most of the summer versions I've heard. Slave was gorgeous. It featured the patient patented build that makes the tune so special. Floating along on my way to that apex, I wondered if Slave would close the set. Well yeah, I guess they could do that . . . . or they could jump right into YEM on the last note of Slave without missing a beat! Nice YEM, much better than the ones I caught at Atlanta, Va Beach, and Vernon this summer. Fiery jamming from Trey, I'd like to hear it again. Vocal jam was very scary, and I had nice view of the lights from the floor. I was kind of expecting a Frankenstein, and it was great to hear as usual. When they walked over to the acapella mic after Frankenstein, everyone knew what was coming next. Trey thanked everyone for the three shows, and he laughed and said "What song is it you want to hear?" Freebird! Never thought I'd hear this one at a Phish show, glad to see it has not been shelved forever. A very appropriate conclusion to three unforgettable nights in Chicago. Let's do it again next fall, shall we? ;-)