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Big
Sky Regional Report
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Edited by David Shulman
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Hi all, Things are really heating up this fall in the mid-west.... not only are we experiencing a out-of-season heat spell, but the lineup of jambands making mid-west stops seems to get more impressive every month....November/December not being an exception, with the best news being there really isn't an end in sight. We are still looking for some kind folks to help contribute reviews, thoughts, observations, etc to this report. Your submissions can be sent to bigsky@jambands.com... attention David. We hope to be able to continue to expand the show listing on this report....so feel free to send those in as well. I wish you and yours the happiest of Thanksgivings. Till next month.....have fun!!!!! Cicero's
Shows (St. Louis - Delmar Loop) Nov
Mon15 Devon Allman Dec
4 Jacob Fried Odyssey w/ Static Circus Kansas
City Shows Various
St Louis Area Shows (includes some Cicero's from above)
Nebraska Report - November 1999 by Paul L. "Pro" Pearson, Ph.D. October and early November were particularly good for music, if not strictly jambands, in Nebraska. Merle Saunders and Melvin Seals performed a solid show at Knickerbocker's in Lincoln on Oct 10th and Burning Spear packing 700+ into the Royal Grove in Lincoln on the 15th. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic rocked Sokol Hall in Omaha on Oct 24th-word is that the show was cool, but the sound wasn't the hottest. Former Omaha ska cats 311 reportedly tore the roof off of Sokol in their sold-out appearance in October. Strange Pleasures teamed up with S.O.U.P. (aka Grateful Dudes) for a Knickerbocker's (Lincoln NE) show on the 16th and again on Oct. 30th at the Saddle Creek in Omaha for the annual Halloween bash. The 16th show was a definite highlight of the month for me. How often can you say, "I flew in from Hong Kong for the show tonight..."? The Dudes took the stage first (a definite rarity) and ripped off a fantastic set that included "China Doll", a stellar "Uncle John's Band-->Playin In the Band" jam, and an unexpected "Eyes of the World" before ending with "Let the River Flow." Strange Pleasures then picked up where they left off with a slow burning "Porch Song" that built tempo and tension until the tight 'give it up' break to end. The original "I Don't Want To" began immediately, followed by "Lyin' in the Sun" with some tight type II jamming. A superb rockin' "Lovelight" featuring Scott Moore on keys, moved easily into a rocked-up "Brothers" that melded it's way into a spacey light funk before heading into a short and sweet "Poor Heart." Shawn Russell, formerly of Ripple Effect, then joined on vocals for "Tangled Up in Blue." "Steve's Anti-Gov't Rag" went ballistic-starting off with funk breaks, hitting into a crazy type II powered by Erik Blomenkamp's guitar, merging into a funk rhythm from guitarist Greg Beebe and landing into a break down with a key explosion from Moore that went Floydian in a hurry. The jam didn't end there, as a "China Cat Sunflower" tease went back into a fast "Steve's" jam with "Bathtub Gin" teases before ending. (The Strange Pleasures set is available on CD for B&P-email your request to pro@strangepleasures.com.) Listening Example #9 from Kearney, NE made their Omaha debut at the Saddle Creek on October 28th, opening for Strange Pleasures and debuting 6 new originals. This talented young band has a lot of potential, especially in the person of Stuart Dietz on guitar. The usual Omaha crowd was duly impressed, and some more stage time for these cats will improve their show rapidly. The originals "Five O Clock Shadow" to open and the hilarious "Hermaphrodite Dog" were highlights. The Strange Pleasures set included a trippy jam intro into a solid "Dogs"-->"Franklin's Tower"-->chaos jam. "Fluffhead" (with "Give Up the Funk" bass teases) segued into "Steve's Anti-Gov't Rag" featuring a type II jam infused with keyboardist Moore's version of MMW's "Bubblehouse." This was picked up by the rest of the band before heading back into "Steve's" ending jam mixed with "China Cat Sunflower" and "Bathtub Gin" nods. The annual Grateful Dudes Halloween Party at the Saddle Creek was another flat-out bash. Strange Pleasures opened the night with a five song set to get the crowd in the mood for the Dudes. A crowd of 175 or so was in full regalia as the Dudes threw down some nuggets in the form of Samson & Delilah, followed by Throwing Stones-->Not Fade Away--> Goin Down the Road Feelin' Bad to close out the first set. Everyone was "Feelin' Alright" as the second set got going into "Sugar Magnolia-->Sunshine Daydream." The night ended with a crowd pleasing "I Need a Miracle" merging into an abbreviated "The Other One" (sans vocals). The Big Wu played Knickerbocker's on Nov.3 (but I was unable to attend). I also got a report back from the Medeski, Martin and Wood show in Des Moines on November 8-a full house (~1200) was present, as was DJ Logic. The sound was great and the band was en fuego, playing a two hour set of favorites and 'out there' jams, moving at will. Upcoming Strange Pleasures dates through December 31: November Thursday November 11 People's Bar and Grill, Ames IA Welch and Lincoln Way, Campustown 9 PM-2 AM Friday November 12 Benefit for North Korean Famine Aid Sokol Underground, 13th and Martha Omaha NE w/Vision, The Get, 4 Pound Robin, Uncle Sid's Music Farm Saturday November 13 Cheerleaders, Lincoln NE 9-1, 21+, 56th & Hwy. 2 opening for S.O.U.P. (aka Grateful Dudes) Wednesday November 17 Zoo Bar, Lincoln NE 9:30-1, 21+, $3, 14th and P Sts. Nebraska's Home of the Blues since 1973!! Thursday November 18 Saddle Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers with special guests: Salamanders (Omaha) December Thursday December 2 Saddle Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers with special guests: JRZ System (Omaha), jrzsystem.com Thursday December 9 Saddle Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers with special guests: formerly known as...Atma (Omaha) Thursday December 16 Saddle Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers with special guests: Sun Cured Red (Oklahoma) www.suncuredred.com Thursday December 23 Christmas at the Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers A full night of Santa Pleasures... Thursday December 30 Saddle Creek, Omaha NE 9-1, 21+,$6, penny pitchers with special guests: TBA Friday December 31 A Pleasurably Strange New Year Knickerbocker's,9th and O Streets, Lincoln NE details to follow... Check out strangepleasures.com for more information. |
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