|
Big Sky Regional Report
|
||
|
Edited by David
Shulman
|
||
|
Jambands - BigSky Regional Report, October, 2000 Issue October, 2000 brings us both the end of 17 years of Phish touring, as well as the start of what could be the last "small" venue String Cheese Incident tour ever. It will be most interesting to see how the "hiatus" Phish will be taking will effect the amount that follows SCI this fall&..and especially the recently announced Portland New Year's Eve run. By the way, December 29 looks like a very interesting show, as Steel Pulse is hooking up with SCI for what is sure to be a night of wonderful music (especially for you Reggae fans). For those fans of SCI, you might want to catch as many Incidents as possible this tour, as seeing them at small venues might not be much of a possibility for much longer. Their upcoming tour reminds me of where Phish was around the fall of 1993. It will be most interesting to see how long the "hiatus" will last, what changes might occur in the music during the time, We are also blessed with the continuation of the fine Phil & Friends tour, Ratdog, Widespread, Big Wu, Galactic, and others. I must also mention being a sports fan that fall in St. Louis this year is sure to be a classic, with both the Rams on their way to another stellar season (currently 5-0), as well as the baseball Cardinals participation in the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. What does all of this have to do with the BigSky region? Well not much, however interesting events nonetheless. I also urge you to check out the new Mimi Fishman Foundation Holiday Auction, once again benefiting both The American Glaucoma Society as well as the YMCA's Camp Lakewood. This auction features several interesting items, both music memorabilia as well as a sports related item. Please go to the link on the front page of Jambands.com, or click on http://www.jambands.com/oct00/auction.html for more details. As always, we welcome any information you might want to send relating to BigSky region jambands, whether it be announcements, band updates, member information, schedules, reviews, or simply comments. Please send to me at Have a wonderful October&.be safe in your travels and friendly to your neighbors.
Ben
Harper w/Special Guests Project Logic By Chip Schramm On Saturday September 16th, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals played a sold out show at the American Theater in St. Louis. Opening the show was renowned hip-hop DJ, Logic with his band, Project Logic. As a newcomer unfamiliar with the Ben Harper concert experience, I was quite surprised to find that both the show was sold out and there were many young students milling about outside the venue looking for tickets. The line waiting to get into the venue stretched around the block by the time the doors opened. The crowd was young and well dressed, though quite diverse. There were college students, hippies, professionals, and some like myself that had driven many hours just to see the show. I had been in the American Theater for concerts several times before, but I had forgotten how small it is. It couldn't hold more than 1000-2000 people. The décor is ornate, like an old opera house, and the acoustics are incredible. For their part, the security and staff were courteous and seemed to be really happy that they were getting paid to witness this concert. Drinks in the downstairs bar were flowing freely with prompt service. There wasn't really anything to take away from the mood of the evening. I was happy to see that several of the folks who were looking for tickets earlier had found some and made their way inside. It would have been a shame for anyone to get shut out of the show that was about to go down on this night. DJ Logic went on promptly at the ticket time. Despite the stylistic differences in Project Logic and Ben Harper's Innocent Criminals, the audience seemed to appreciate it and was tuned in well. The highlights of the short opening set were a "Bubblehouse" groove that reminded me of the Medeski, Martin, and Wood song of the same name. It seemed like Logic's set was very short, especially in light of the 1+ long set(s) to follow from Harper. It was a good combo though, and loosened the crowd up for what was to come. I want to quickly present a little background about my experience. I had heard Ben Harper on the stereo at my friends' houses many times, but never live. He was never playing anywhere that was convenient for me. I drove up from Memphis to St. Louis (a 4-hour drive,) so this show wasn't exactly in my backyard, but I didn't mind. Road trips are what make being a music fan exciting. Anyway, I was going primarily at the insistence of several friends who swore by Ben Harper and wanted me to share the live experience with them. Being an open-minded music fan, how could I say "no?" When Harper walked out on stage and sat down to play his set, he sat a Weissenborn solid-body guitar down in his lap and pulled a slide out of his pocket. I said, "Oh cool, he's gonna play some slide." My friends then immediately looked at me as if to say, "DUH!" He opened the first set with Homeless Child a moving, emotional piece. Following that he played Look Like Gold and Fight For Your Mind. The former is a sweet love song, while the latter is more of a social commentary on the importance of freedom of expression and thought. That's one of the things that quickly strike me about Harper's songwriting and performance. His work contains a consistent mix of social commentary, spiritual references, and romantic gestures. The influence of men such as Bob Marley and Bob Dylan seems to permeate a lot of his songs. I was not too surprised to find that 2 of Marley's former sidemen had played on Harper's albums in the past. Harper's delivery however, is inimitable. Throughout the evening, he would vacillate between a low, hushed whisper for some verses to a soulful wail to showcase the strength of others. His band, The Innocent Criminals, is superb. By the end of Fight For Your Mind they were fully in the groove. Bassist Juan Nelson took an extended jam that segued into Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf by Sly and the Family Stone. Nelson sang that portion himself and had those that were otherwise rapt by Harper's skills taking notice of his funky friends as well. Indeed, as Harper traded his slide guitar for an acoustic, his percussionist David Leach stepped from behind his massive kit to beat a single djimbe drum for a spirited version of Burn One Down. That was probably one of the only songs that every Ben Harper fan in the audience knew, so they all sang along. Some even did an "interpretive" enactment of the song, much to the chagrin of the local fire marshal. Other highlights of the set included Burn To Shine and Ground On Down which was followed by a long, complex jam created through the interaction of all four musicians on stage. Harper would further showcase his versatility by changing guitars yet again and playing for a while on a double-necked electric. He played a slow and moving By My Side as well as a sandwich with Excuse Me Mister into Bob Marley's Burnin' and Lootin' before finishing off the end of Excuse Me. Since I hadn't seen Harper play before I wasn't 100% sure how much he was influenced by Marley, but this provided ample evidence. After the set had ended I wondered what kind of encore Harper might pull out of his sleeve. For a sold out show, I thought he might do something special. I was right. He walked back onto stage by himself with only his acoustic guitar. He took a moment to address the audience and talked a little about how much spirituality and music mean to him. The audience stared in devoted silence. You could have heard a pin drop, I swear. He then played the song that goes along with his message, Gospel. Another song Waiting On An Angel was in a similar vein. He then said, "Since you have been such a good audience tonight I'm going to play a few more," closing the first encore with Pleasure and Pain and I Shall Walk Alone. At this point I was waiting for the house lights to come on and watch Harper walk off the stage. To my astonishment, the whole band walked back on the stage and proceeded to play more music. Harper now proclaimed, "I'm about to play a brand new song. It's called Touched By Your Lust." He played a rough and powerful new tune and segued it right into Faded. The band extended the jam out very far from there, with Leach and Nelson making noises so strange that I thought DJ Logic was being worked back into the mix. Before too much longer I could recognize a very familiar conga beat coming from the percussion. As the encore built to a climax, they segued one more time, this time into Whole Lotta Lovin' by Led Zepplin before going back into Faded to end the show. By that point, I was exhausted. My friends and I had danced, swayed and grooved for nearly 3 hours. There wasn't much left to do. We stumbled out into the cool night air to regale ourselves and try to remember where we parked the car. Needless to say, I left with an overwhelming impression of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. I think it's amazing that the so-called "mainstream" media hasn't jumped on his bandwagon and given him more exposure. That's OK though. Even if they did, you can't capture the magic I witnessed at the American Theater and seal it in a bottle. Nights like this one come along but once in a very long while.
Report from Minnesota I'd like to start this month by offering a B&P in memory of Allen Woody. He was a hell of a musician, a nice guy to talk with, and I will miss seeing him on stage. I caught Gov't Mule numerous times, but one of the nicest was on July 4, 1999 at the Taste of Minnesota celebration on the lawn of the State Capitol. This show is special because Warren Haynes suffered some guitar problems early in the show which allowed Mr. Woody to take an extended bass solo. Send a note to MNtaper@email.com if you're interested. The running time of the show was ~85 minutes, too long for one disc, so I split it in half. Each disc runs 40-45 minutes. On to recent Minnesota shows... Sorry I didn't catch you all last month. Thanks to Cam, the traveling Canuck, for mentioning some of the August entertainment in town. Too bad he was stuck outside because Yonder Mountain String Band was great in their second ever MN appearance (8/20). They'll make it three shows in five months on 10/15 - Thanks guys!!! I have to mention the opening band too: The Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs. They're a local country/blues/bluegrass group. Definitely worth checking out. My friends and I road-tripped to Madison, WI on 8/25 to catch the Allman Brothers outdoors at the Madison Blues Fest. Great show! The park was beautiful and the Mountain Jam was epic. Flash forward to Sunday, 8/27 when the Brothers played the Northrup Auditorium in Minneapolis - There was a noticeably different vibe. I attribute this to two factors: 1) Seeing the band indoors 2) Allen Woody's passing away. They still played well, but some of the fire that was present on Friday was missing. I'm a Dickey Betts fan, but LOVE the new lineup! I didn't see much music in September. Two taper friends of mine caught Ulu at The Quest on 9/20, but they were not very impressed. Perhaps it was an off-night, or the comparisons to MMW and Karl Denson (hard acts to live up to!). I'll give them a chance next time they come around. I did venture forth to see Phish 9/22, 23 & 24. 9/22 was my favorite of the bunch, but the band played well all three nights. After eight years of seeing the band, I finally got my first live Divided Sky. It was bittersweet, since I lost 15 points in Phantasy Phish, but worth it! The All Mighty Senators played the Cabooze on 10/7 (with local favorites, Big Tasty opening) but I have not yet heard from anyone who attended. I'll let you know next time.
One last comment - I can't believe that tickets aren't sold out for the four-night run of Phil Lesh and Friends at the Riviera in Chicago. Phil stands on his own as a legend, but he also has two of the best jamming guitarists out there. Get out there and witness musical history!!!! Noteworthy Upcoming Minnesota Shows: 10/15:
Yonder Mountain String Band at the Cabooze
St. Louis Area Shows Every
Monday College Night @ Cicero's Provided by James Mullins, volunteer/programmer: KDHX FM88.1 St. Louis Community radio Host of "Stumble In The Dark" Tuesdays 8:00 to 10:00 PM CST AND "The Side Trip" Fridays 1:00 to 4:00 PM On KWUR 90.3 Stumble In The Dark page: http://www.i1.net/~moby/stumble.html broadcasting on the WWW: http://www.kdhx.org (now using REALAUDIO!) request line: (314)664-3688 office: (314)664-3955 Nebraska Report - September 2000 Paul L. Pearson, Ph.D. Some changes in Strange Pleasures land since the last report. Drummer Steve Fisher has left the band, so the band is currently searching for a full-time replacement. If you are a pro drummer in the Omaha area and down with the jam scene, see the website at www.strangepleasures.com for more info. SP performed at Quixote's Lazy Summer Daze Festival II at a private location in Strasburg, CO on Labor Day weekend with Stir Fried, One Kind Favor, Manatee Junction, and Chief Broom. A crowd of 200 or so came out and spent the entire day swirling and twirling. Strange Pleasures was joined by nationally acclaimed Todd Roberson (drums) and Troy Johnson (bass) of JRZ System http://jrzsystem.com, fresh off their tour as rhythm section for Stephen Pearcy's (RATT) Nitronic and JRZ's performance at the Tommy Bolin Festival in Sioux City Iowa. SP and JRZ teamed up for shows at Omaha's Ranch Bowl and the Crosstown Café in Sioux City during September, and Todd and Troy joined SP for a jam at Omaha's Music Box (www.musicboxlive.com) on October 5. Former drummer Greg McWhorter (early 10,000 Maniacs and Strategic Air Command Band) has also been filling in on the skins. Due to the lineup change, Strange Pleasures is using the time to compose new material and (hopefully) record their debut CD. Strange Pleasures is a finalist for the Homegrown Halloween Jam at the Music Box on October 28, pitting five of Omaha's finest unsigned bands for prizes including studio time and sponsorships. Stay tuned for more details. Ominous Seapods with Strange Pleasures? Maybe Nov 3 at Knickerbocker's www.knickerbockers.net in Lincoln... Strange Pleasures is also scheduled to open for the Big Wu when they return to the Music Box on Nov. 30. Don't miss it... See www.strangepleasures.com for up to date information. For all the music in the Omaha region, check out www.omahabands.com or www.slamomaha.com. Look for The Get, Captain Kind, S.O.U.P. (aka Grateful Dudes), Planet Butter and others in the area...
|
||