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

Local Flavor
Somebody
October 29, 1998
The Mogollon Brewing, Co. - Flagstaff, AZ
by David Larimore

On October 29th, Somebody played their second show at The Mogollon Brewing Company in Flagstaff, Arizona. For those of you who haven't seen Somebody, you're missing out. Jason Gick, bass/vox, Matt Naylor and Dave Larimore, guitars/vox, Kidd Deckard, percussion/vox, Max Katz, piano/keyboards/vox, and Corey Nowlin, drums/vox, put on a show that showed their diverse musical tastes as well as their ever-growing repertoire and on-stage creativity, unmatched in the independent music scene.

Set 1 included many crowd favorites. It kicked off with "Gravity Jack", a Larimore original. "Hash" set the mood for the rest of the set with it's laid back latin grooves. The only real first set surprise was an early "Bloodstained Person" which clocked in at just under 25 minutes!! Bob Marley's "Kaya" found itself sandwiched between Somebody staples "Cinder Block" and "Fresh Fathers Daily". The set ended with the crowd pleasing "Daily News", a song featuring different solos from different members each time they play it. (Set 1 length: 1hr. 20min.)

Set 2 would be a set for the record books this evening. Of course, Halloween was just around the corner, and what a better way to get into the "spirit" than with a funked-up version of the Michael Jackson classic "Thriller"!!!!! Keeping the energy high, the band kicked into "Minister's Daughter" and "Yahweh, Right Away", a Max Katz penned instrumental. What would follow had to be seen to be believed. Starting off with the epic "Oroblram", Somebody continued their tradition of celebrating musicians birthdays by choosing a cover only too fitting for a night like this..."Cum On Feel The Noise" shocked and rocked The Mogollon with it's first-ever appearance! Never ones to skimp on the Halloween motif, Somebody also played the crazy-funky original "Silence", with a version of "She" from the kings of costumes, Kiss, taking the middle of "Silence" to the outer limits. (Set 2 length: 1 hr. 40min.)

Somebody gave their fans permission to come out of the glam-rock closet as well as their dose of groovy/funky originals. It was a night to remember, and I, for one, certainly will, as will everybody.

To receive information about the band Somebody, visit their web site at: www.infomagic.com/~somebody

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From the Road
Losing the Ground
Galactic
November 6, 1998
Antone's - Austin, TX
by Chris Gardner

When did shows begin starting on time? Did I miss the memo? Was there a grassroots initiative to insure accurate start times somewhere? For the third time in consecutive shows, I ambled in late. Antone's, Austin's "Home of the Blues", was graciously rebubbed "Antone's, Home of the Blues, Soul and Funk" by the venue's affable proprietor, Clifford Antone, for this evening of lowdown, hip grinding funk and rhythm. There was, of course, a funk legacy before Galactic shook the foundations. Bobby Blue Bland of "Turn on Your Lovelight" fame played there throughout his career, and Maceo Parker blisters the place with a yearly stand. Galactic lived up to the legacy this night, and they added a new wrinkle, twist, and kink of their own.

We were still a few blocks away from the venue when it started. My speech slowed a bit. My legs bowed a bit. My knees lost all semblance of rigidity, and it became increasingly more difficult to constrain the seemingly unprovoked ripples that flowed through my limbs. I turned the corner onto Lavaca, and I immediately knew I was down for something wicked. There were little wisps of funk slinking along the streets, creeping through the sidewalk crevices, crawling between tire treads, scaling the worn bricks of the buildings, weaving up the legs of casual passers by, and bumping in the drafts of moving cars. I floated into the venue to catch a glimpse of the alchemists in the gold working process, and I didn't resist a for a moment the wiggles that crept up my spine or the bug catchin' grin that spread across my face. A jet stream of groove lifted me a few feet further off the floor, and I didn't touch ground until the house music told us to slink home.

Robert Mercurio lays the bed, and it is his bass that sets the presumably patented Galactic groove apart from their forefathers - the Meters and Maceo. There are no meaty bass bombs here. There is no fancy thumb slappin', no poppin', no "Whee look at me!" runs and fills to gape the caw of onlookers. There is an almost hypnotic, undulating groove. There are a series of swells rolling toward the shore. There is a humility and consistency to his bass lines that roots the groove and allows the others to explore tha map.

Stanton Moore, groovejazzfunk drummer extrordinaire and centerpiece of his own new album "All Kooked Out" with Charlie Hunter among others, cuts it up. His drumming is propulsive. His "can you feel it?" grin under those yellow tinted shades draws the most attention. It seems to take all his will power just to keep himself in on the chair.

Jeff Raines' Gibson guitar adds the edge. His solos move the groove a few steps closer to rock and roll, and Be Ellman's saxophones draw it all back to New Orleans. His honks, squawks, growls, and reckless runs add a spice to the mix that conjure visions of muddy French Quarter streets filled with dancers. Rich Vogel picks the color. His organ crawls along the underbelly, bounce under the surface, and set the head into that bob and weave at times, but he is just as likely to throw the groove through the stratosphere and further with drones, rises and fades that convince you that you have felt space. They are joined from time to time by the Houseman and his tangential vocal meanderings. While he was definitely entertaining, his vocal work seemed to detract from the groove. However, the cover of the Meters "Africa" for the encore would not have been complete without him.

The blend and mix of all the above could start a riot. The crowd was in constant motion. I have never seen so much ego free dancing outside of a Maceo Parker show. The difference is this. Galactic can turn it up to eleven. Just when I thought the revelers had reached their peak as dancers, Stanton would kick that drum, lay into that crash cymbal, and quite literally cause an eruption. In umpteen thousand shows, I have never seen an audience explode like this. The energy was palpable. People flailed in ways they never thought possible. They discovered new muscles. They stumbled on previously undiscovered motions and gyrations. Faces mouthed words and yelps, but all energies were focused on the dance and no sounds escaped. People outside stopped walking and started moving. The bartenders stopped serving to join in, and no one cared. This is groove Mach 2, a free form dance odyssey. Played until 2:30. A solid three and a half hours of music, and the audience, while spent, buzzed and hummed their way out the door.

Galactic is moving traditional funk into new realms. They are from New Orleans, home of the Funky Meters, and they know it. They could have fallen back on that legacy and milked it for what it is worth. To their credit, Galactic used it as a starting point and extended, rather than continued, that legacy. I have stared down Maceo's wailing horn. I caught the Meters in full stride. I heard George Clinton tear the house down, but I have never danced like I did last Friday at Antone's.

For more info on Galactic, check out : http://www.fogworld.com/galactic/

Please send any and all submissions to Chris Gardner at cgardner@tstar.net