|
|
Posting Board South Regional Report
Edited by Mike Jones - south@jambands.com and
Chip Schramm - hms3@compuserve.com
The North Mississippi All-Stars
by Chip Schramm
Somewhere down in Tate county, in-between Coldwater and Independence, the topsoil runs a little deeper than it does elsewhere. Just a short drive down I-55 from Memphis, a journey into the heart of northern Mississippi can feel like stepping back in time. On rainy, humid days, the highway turns into nothing more than a paved path surrounded by condensing fog. It is precisely in these very woods that I traveled to visit Luther Dickinson at his home and studio, the Zebra Ranch. Luther and his brother Cody are currently working along with Hernando gospel bassist Chris Chew to produce their first album as the North Mississippi All-Stars. The Dickinson brothers have made music together as family since their youth, encouraged by their father, esteemed rock-and-roll producer and musician, Jim. As with any young music tandem, the Dickinsons have undergone a slow, steady musical transformation in the past several years. Their inspiration has always been close to home as side projects like Gutbucket, their part-time jug band, attest to.
The sound of the North Mississippi All-Stars vacillates between loud and stringy slide guitar blues and equally powerful rhythm and soul anthems. In addition to Chew, who has been friends with Luther since they were 7 years old, the brothers have sharpened their chops by playing with a wide variety of musicians, both up the road in Memphis and on the road, all over the country. Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Leftover Salmon, and Gov't Mule are just a few of the established groups who have shared the stage with NMAS at one time or another. Considering the vast differences in style of the three aforementioned bands, it goes without saying that Luther and Cody can both tailor their playing around other musicians and learn from them at the same time. They have toured sporadically throughout the country, sometimes supporting other bands, other times by themselves. The band is about to embark on a 3-week tour as of press time. This is significant not only because on the first leg they will be opening for Galactic, but also because this will mark the first time Chris Chew will sacrifice his Sunday performances at his church for professional gigging on the road.
The first thing that struck me about the space in which NMAS record and live is the theme of the surroundings. They have one trailer in which they live and another, further back on the property, that serves as a recording studio. They worked about 5 years to put it together and get it the way they wanted it. They have erected a chain link fence around the recording studio with cold-war style razor wire running all along the top. This made me hesitate for a second before crossing inside, as I wondered if Jerry Lee Lewis ever had a compound like this. Inside the aptly named recording trailer, everything was "zebra". Zebra trashcans, zebra hand towels in the bathroom, and even zebra candles and soap were everywhere. I couldn't help but appreciate the symbolism of a wild untamable horse, equal parts black and white, as it applies to the band and its material. I had the privilege of listening to Luther overdub some slide guitar licks onto one of the tracks on their upcoming album. I was impressed by the technique he used to layer the sounds. Since there are only three guys in the band, he was actually playing multiple lines on one track, to further widen the scope of the sound. After Luther finished up in the studio, we sat down for a second and talked briefly about the past, present, and future of the North Mississippi All-Stars.
C: What were your earliest memories of making music when you were younger?
L: I got my first guitar when I was almost five. My dad hooked me up in open tuning where you strum the strings and it's attuned to the chord and open E tuning. So, I was rockin' some Bo Diddley, the beat with the right hand and using the strings with the left. That was the first song I ever learned, Bo Diddley. I still use all the open tunings. When you're young you go through phases. From the time I was 12 on, guitar's always been my thing, but I also like to play the mandolin.
C: You guys were in a jug band, too. I can think of a few bands that share that kind of influence. What was your role in that?
L: That was just perfect. We had an acoustic guitar and tub bass and a washboard. We made the washboard for Paul on his 21st birthday. That was our dad's influence because he had a jug band when he was a kid. He was always talking about the washtub bass, so Paul Taylor, our bass player from DDT, our original band, and a really talented musician, took to the tub bass instantly. Cody picked up the washboard, which was a Mudboy and the Neutrons influence. That was our dad's band with Sid Selvidge, Steve's [from Big Ass Truck] father, and Lee Baker the guitar player. Lee was one of Steve and my big influences. He was murdered a few years back and that's what broke up their band.
C: Man, that's terrible. I didn't know that.
L: The fourth member was a washboard player, so Cody took the washboard from him. We put all these influences together and it was lot of fun. We're going to do some more of that in December. We're going to record a record and then probably do a residency in Memphis or Oxford.
C: How do you mean residency? Just picking one spot and playing for a while?
L: Well, we never do that, not usually more than one or two nights in a row. We usually go to one city every Monday and then the next city every Tuesday and the third every Wednesday, and so on. That's what we're doing in November. We're playing Atlanta, Columbia, Chapel Hill, Charleston, and Tuscaloosa. We're playing those four towns. Every Monday we'll be in Columbia and then every Tuesday we'll be in Chapel Hill. That way you stay in a loop and it's actually pretty fun, man. We did it in January back in Atlanta. You make a lot of friends when you're there three or four weeks in a row.
C: Was Gutbucket before, during, or after you played as DDT?
L: That was during. We still do Gutbucket, but we don't do DDT. DDT turned into North Mississippi All-Stars, but then Paul quit to join Big Ass Truck and that's when we got Chris. I've known him since 7th grade. We went to school together. He used to sing in church and play bass in church. We'd get together and jam over the years. North Mississippi All-Stars just took over our soul. That was all we wanted to do, you know, that kind of music. People were really starting to dig it, too, so Chris was just perfect. He adds that gospel influence to the country-blues that we were playing, so it's a real good thing.
C: I hear he's gotta be back on Sundays for church. Do you plan to go on the road more than six days at a time with him?
L: Yeah, well he's missing a couple Sundays for the Galactic tour. Chris is tough, man. He's a truck driver in Memphis, so we'll go down to New Orleans to do a gig and we'll drive back. We always drive back unless we're playing two gigs. We drove back from Chicago once and also Auburn. C: So he drives a truck around the next day?
L: Yeah, and then we'll go on to the next city. He's a 24-hour man. We're gonna do whatever it takes to get him to be a full time traveling musician. Chris is an integral part of it.
C: What is it about Memphis and the revival that a lot of bands are having right now? Is that allowing you guys to enjoy being from Memphis and enjoy playing in Memphis?
L: It's great, just about everything I've ever learned on guitar I've learned from some Memphis musician. Like Mudboy and the Neutrons or my friends like Steve Selvidge and other guitar teachers here in Memphis. Memphis has some really diverse heritage. You can study so many kinds of music just from the different musicians living around town -- guys like Shawn Lane, a guitar virtuoso and Ed Finney, a great jazz guitar player who I used to take lessons from. Memphis is a breeding ground. We've all had a lot of fun growing up with all the bands and all our friends making their own way. The Lucero guys are doing really well.
Actually living in Memphis isn't really the issue because we moved down to Desoto County when I was only 10 or 11. We used to live in Rosville, Tennessee, east of Collierville, but I didn't get too serious about music until we lived in Mississippi. Our influences down here are incredible. Othar Turner, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside are what really changed the shape of my playing. You know, Cody and I grew up listening to rock or punk. Then coming down here we were exposed to a whole other world of guitar playing. Sometimes we'd hang out at Junior's joint in Holly Springs. Those kinds of influences are what created the North Mississipi All-Stars.
I'm happy that we're working on our studio and we're getting it together to where it's up and running. We recorded a CD there back in the Spring that we haven't released yet. It's gonna come out later. We're working on two of our dad's there and we're working on Jimbo Mathis' solo record there. He's the guy from the Squirrel Nut Zippers. And of course the new All-Stars record is the high point to us. We have a lot of old recordings that we just sell over the Internet.
C: How did you originally get hooked up with the guys in Medeski, Martin, and Wood?
L: We met them down in Oxford through a mutual friend. This friend of ours brought them to see us, just Cody and me, when we were playing in New York City with T Model Ford and Twenty Miles, Judith Bowers' band. We did a tour of three bands that were just guitar-drum duos. It was a lot of fun. T-Model is awesome and Judith is a great friend, too.
C: Those guys are on Fat Possum Records, right?
L: Yeah, exactly. When the tour was over, we did a show at the Lakeside Lounge up in New York City. It was an awesome show because Medeski, Martin and Wood showed up and even John Spencer came to check us out. Some of the Squirrel Nut Zippers were there because they were playing a show the next night at the Roseland. They didn't even know what was going on, they just came in for a drink. Then Iggy Pop walked in. That was pretty funny. That's how it all started. Erik Selz [NMAS' booking agent] and Elizabeth, Medeski's manager, hooked the tour up. We've really been lucky to tour with some of our favorite bands. We did the Medeski thing, we've played with Leftover, we jammed with Mule.
C: How was playing with Mule? It seems like you both have the power-trio thing going for you.
L: Man, that was so cool. Chris didn't make that tour, so we did five shows that Allen Woody played with us on bass. Steve Selvidge played bass on a few shows, but he had to get back to town to do a Big Ass Truck gig. Allen had never heard us, and we didn't rehearse or anything, but that was SO huge. He was playing on a fretless and at the time I was doing a lot of feedback, so we got into that kind of thing. There were also several nights when Chew couldn't make it on Medeski, Martin, and Wood tour, so Chris Wood sat in.
C: Did he play the stand-up?
L: Yeah, he was so bad, man he was rippin'! He just picked Chris' [Chew's] lines right up. You know, they're hard gospel walkin' and he was tearing it up on that upright! I was like, "Man isn't that hard?" and he says "No, man!" (laughs)
C: How did the upcoming tour with Galactic come about?
L: They had heard about us and then they heard our tape. Robert, the bass player, really liked the new R.L. Burnside record and he had been down to Junior Kimbrough's and jammed with the whole Kimbrough family. When we were down at Tippitina's he told me that and I was like, this is gonna be a ball. I think our two styles go together really well.
You can check out more info about the North Mississippi All-Stars, including bios on Othar Turner and their other influences on their web site.
Widespread Panic at Oak Mountain Amphitheater
September 25, 1999By Chip Schramm
There's just something about the beginning of autumn that really gets me in the groove. It must be a delicate combination of the turning of the leaves, the shortening of those long summer nights, and raucous Saturday afternoons cheering college football. Memories of college days and reunions with old friends are paired with the anticipation of Halloween, my favorite holiday, just around the corner. Cookouts with fresh food grilling make my mouth water and good music drifting across the airwaves gets my juices flowing on many an occasion.
I got to enjoy the familiar changing of the seasons and even a full moon over the last weekend of September. I made the annual pilgrimage to Birmingham, Alabama (or Pelham if you've got an atlas handy) to see Widespread Panic at Oak Mountain Amphitheater. The two nights of fun and frolic went off very well. The band showed off some polished versions of songs from their most recent studio album and mixed in some new additions to their rotation as well. Special guests joined the band on both nights. On this Saturday night, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons opened the show. Since Joseph originally wrote Climb to Safety on "When the Medicine Takes," most fans expected to hear that one, but the rest of the show was an improvisational treat.
The show opened with the same two songs that segue together on the album, Surprise Valley, and Bear's Gone Fishin'. Fresh from a European tour, the band surprised even those familiar with the live versions by the fine tuning done overseas. A few fans have commented that the album songs are somewhat shorter than other songs in the rotation, but this is not uncommon considering how much time Widespread Panic spent in the studio working on the album. What is surprising to me is the fact that songs are about the same length as they were before European tour, but they are played at what seemed to be a faster pace. Ultimately Todd Nance sets the table at the beginning of a show by deciding (probably subconsciously) the tempo of certain songs and jams. It became quickly apparent on Saturday night that Nance was intent on pushing his fellow band members to the limit by ripping out a frenzied pace to open the show. The songs seemed to have just as much jamming as any other songs the band opens shows with, but they seemed condensed because they weren't taking any coffee breaks between verses. Needless to say, all the elements of the studio recording in these two songs translated very well onto the stage.
The energy of the band seemed to feed off of the crowd at Oak Mountain. The facility has recently undergone a facelift to fix past problems up on the lawn and was packed to capacity. The lawn has now been paved over and an upper deck has been placed on top of it. While amphitheater purists might view this as heresy, anyone who has ever had the misfortune of being stuck on the lawn at Oak Mountain knows this is a blessing in disguise. The lawn sloped up and then down again like a tiny camel hump, rendering the back half of the crowd no view of the stage at all. The lawn had also become a breeding ground for fighting and other anti-social behavior, so it was time for it to go. I wandered up to the top of the upper deck on Friday night and was pleased to find that there was not much variance in sound quality, even in the top few rows.
The end of Bear's Gone Fishin' segued slowly and serenely into the jam that becomes C Brown, giving the fans but a second to hit their water bottles before John Bell sang the opening verses to this classic. Mike Houser's guitar leads were right on the money and the rest of the band landed on their feet as the previously intense jamming turned into pretty harmonies to end the 3-song segment. Next they followed with Wondering, a standard used most often in the middle of a set as a transition to another song. This one jammed right into Waker, already a fan favorite. The version of the song played live is very different from the album version because there is no bluegrass banjo accompaniment. Houser takes up the slack by adding some neat effects on his pedals and by working overtime on the fretboard. I find it very enjoyable that they can play two versions of the same song with equal success.
The band ended the first set with a three-song segment that mixed a few standards with an old gem. Right about the time Waker ended, a Panic tour veteran sitting next to me mumbled "I bet they break out some old-school in the second set." No sooner had he said it than Dave Schools played the opening bass riffs to Stop-Go, an all-time classic from the early days of the band. In the 12+ years the band has been touring, Stop-Go has probably been played a thousand times, but it had all but fallen out of the rotation in 1998 and early 1999, so this was a real treat. Bell played with the lyrics making reference to the "shady blue sky" that was feeling "cool beneath our feet," and Schools broke the jam down with kamikaze shots from the core of his Modulus Graphite thunderstick. As the song wound down, Jojo Hermann and Schools played a little head game with the crowd, teasing the David Bowie tune Under Pressure for a brief moment. My mind wandered back to a night in Pensacola when they did something similar, only to break into a chorus of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. This one was definitely a tease as Jojo broke into Tallboy shortly thereafter. The band jammed out of Tallboy, giving Sunny Ortiz plenty of time to dent his timbales before closing the set with Chilly Water.
The second set started much the same way the first ended, with Herman singing Greta and the rest of the band building to an instrumental climax that landed in the perennial sing-along song, Walkin'. While far from a highlight, Walkin' setup the segment to come very well. Without a doubt the best unrecorded Panic song is Little Lilly. Also known as First Snow or Blue Girl, Lilly has catchy lyrics and a moving hook that seem to still be in the developing stages. The chorus "Hey Little Lilly, don't believe everything you see" is also well done as Bell and Hermann share vocals with the rest of the band on back up. This was my first time to hear the song and I was stoked to see them sandwich the JJ Cale classic Ride Me High in between the beginning and the end. Hermann really fired up the vocals on this one as he beseeched the crowd to "get your knees down on the floor." This three part segment ended in drums and was the highlight of the show overall. The really scary part was that I feel the band can still improve Little Lilly a good bit. This version didn't flow nearly as well as the second time it was played, back during the New Year's run. The line "round and round we go, pretty little girl in a movie show" sounded a little forced and mechanical. While this may be the effect that Bell was going for, I suspect the lyrics will flow a little better once the band is more comfortable with the tune as a whole.
After drums subsided, Jerry Joseph took the stage and joined Panic for the next three songs. Proving Ground was slow and chunky, grinding along the bottom of the lake before bursting out into North, a Jerry Joseph song that Panic had never played before. I didn't recognize it at the time, but enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless. As with many of Joseph's songs, the hard-edged tone to both the words and instrumentation suit Panic's strengths well. I would not be too surprised to see them play it again with or without Jerry. I think it is a much more interesting song than Chainsaw City, which the band usually plays when Jerry sits in. The jam from North ventured back into the deep and murky waters of Proving Ground before a frenzied climax that crash-landed into Climb to Safety. I found it surprising that Climb to Safety would close the second set. It was only appropriate that Jerry and JB would trade off lyrics since it was Jerry's song, but the resulting pauses in the middle really killed the momentum of the band. That is certainly nobody's fault, but you can hardly expect Jerry to be on the same page with a band that has played one song a certain way for over a year, even if it IS his song.
The band treated the crowd to a three-song encore of Fishwater, Henry Parsons Died, and Sometimes, a new cover tune by fIREHOSE. I was pretty impressed that the band was willing to expend that much energy on just their second show of Fall Tour. In retrospect, I think it was a "thank-you" to the thousands of fans that packed Oak Mountain to the gills on both nights. All three songs were crisp and tight, with Sometimes being a great song with which to end the show. Mike Watt, former bassist for fIREHOSE and the Minutemen, has always been an inspiration for Dave Schools, so that seems to be the origin of the new tune. Overall, the Saturday night show at Oak Mountain was a great event. The outside elements were perfect with just a slight chill in the air to counterbalance hot, dancing bodies. The music was exceptionally polished considering it was only the second night of a long fall tour. The sound crew of Widespread Panic is to be commended, as sounds coming off of the stage were crisp and well balanced all weekend. Being from Alabama, Oak Mountain has always been like a home venue away from home for me. Hopefully Widespread Panic will enjoy playing there enough so our friends and family may continue the pilgrimage
Phish
September 29, 1999 - The Pyramid, Memphis, TNby Bob Lykos
Set I: Runaway Jim > Free, Driver, Dirt, Nellie Cain, Stash* > Theme From the Bottom, Tweezer Reprise
Set II: Gotta Jiboo> Also Sprach Zarathurstra> Down With Disease, Billy Breathes, Get Back on the Train, Mike's Song> Catapult> Mike's Song> Kung> Mike's Song > I Didn't Know> Weekapaug Groove
Encore: Cities
*w/ "Can't Turn You Loose" tease and "Happy Birthday" to Trey at end.Since the last time I had seen Phish in two stellar shows on the third and fourth of July in Atlanta, I had heard that they were maintaining the same intense performance levels. If a glance at the setlists of the previous nights was any indication, there was evidence that this would be a performance filled with rampant experimentation and drive. This show, which also happened to be the day before Trey's birthday, was not a disappointment, and was among the highlights of the tour so far. Following a few drinks in the local Pinch district, we proceeded to the Pyramid about an hour before the show was scheduled to begin. Working our way down to the parking lots, my friends and I noted that the scene experienced none of the troubles which marred an earlier show in Arizona and one later in Ames, Iowa. Everyone here was civil enough to avoid any similar confrontations with the law and other fans.
Although I had tickets for the floor (general admission by the way, a nice touch), we sat in an area to the right of the stage, overlooking Trey's side, with only a small part of the speakers pointed in our direction, about a hundred feet away. Before the show started, I wondered whether the Pyramid, notorious for its poor acoustics and ceaseless reverberations, would amply contain Phish's enormous sound. By the time the band took the stage (with Page on crutches, the result of a softball accident in Pelham, AL two days previous) and began playing, all such thoughts disappeared as the high volume and proper mix of instruments in the P.A. made any analysis rather unnecessary.
The first set was inspired music with no real surprises until the band pulled the bluegrass tune "Nellie Cain" out of the attic, a song not heard with any regularity since the 1993 and '94 tours, and rarely since. Followed by an upward spiraling "Stash" > "Theme From the Bottom" combination which also featured the distinctive Blues Brothers "Can't Turn You Loose" tease, Phish ended a solid set with a surprising "Tweezer Reprise," though its longer counterpart was suspiciously absent, one of the few times they have played it without "Tweezer." Before the song started, Trey announced that they were going to hold a contest in which the winner would receive four free Phish tickets to any show in the country if he came up with the right answer to the following question: "With the exception of 'Driver,' what do all of the songs in the first set have in common?"
Returning after a long (55 minute) break, Trey announced the much anticipated answer: "All of the songs are in the key of D" (Congratulations to our winner, "Doug Nugg"). Opening with a new song "Gotta Jiboo," which kicked of the set well with some tight funk rhythms, the band moved into the unexplored space of "Also Sprach Zarathurstra," taking a long and meandering course before finally breaking into the chorus. What followed was solid "Down With Disease" pumping the audience with enough energy so they would anticipate the slower numbers in the set. "Billy Breathes" and another new song of Trey's,"Get Back on the Train," provided a chance to rest before the show went into its most exciting segment.
The remainder of the performance was like a trip back to the early nineties, featuring a number of songs rarely played in the last few years. Beginning with a funky "Mike's Song," played through the end of the first chorus, the boys interrupted with a softly spoken "Catapult." Back into "Mike's" for a minute or two, the jam changed pace again, shocking everyone with the release of a rousing version of the infrequently heard "Kung." Another return to "Mike's" for a while revealed a steadily funkier groove taking form, before leading to a third vocal jam, "I Didn't Know," with Fishman on the vacuum and Trey moving to drums. Upon reaching the song's climax, it shifted appropriately to a steadily rolling "Weekapaug Groove" which sealed this unpredictable set and monstrous closing jam.
The encore at least, was one for which we were all prepared. With a nod to Memphis, which Phish has not played since 11/18/96, was "Cities," containing a touch of sarcasm about Birmingham ("A lot of really bad points"), and expressing their affinity for the local dining traditions ("Home of Elvis and the Rendevouz Barbecue"). The lights then went up, ending one of the most excitingly random Phish shows I have seen. It seemed that on this date, the band was close to capturing the feel of their great performances from '97 and '98.
Phish
September 29, 1999 - The Pyramid, Memphis, TNby Tim Hanby
In the last 16 years, a jam band phenomenon known as Phish has been scouring the countryside and spreading their dust on cities and venues around the world. For these four guys to step into a venue they have yet to christen is becoming a rarity. Now I must tell you that Memphis, TN is no stranger to the music scene. This is a given with Beale street and Elvis and everything but this is just the tip of the music tapestry. If you are wanting to see an outside show then Mud Island is well known for its beauty and sound. But what about inside? Well, they have that covered also. The third largest Pyramid in the world rises just two streets away from Beale Street and acts such as Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews have had the humbling opportunity to shake its foundation and transmit magical energy to the heavens above. On Wednesday, September 29, 1999, after many years of passing by the Pyramid, Phish got the opportunity to see first hand how the mystically pointed building would treat their sound. A crowd of around 13000 fit comfortably inside this unique structure as the boys took the stage around 8pm.
The talk of the lot was that tomorrow was lead guitarist Trey Anastasio 35th birthday and to sing happy birthday when the lights went down. So at around 8pm when they first walked out, the entire crowd ensued in singing Anastasio happy birthday. He seemed astonished and humbled as he took a couple bows and then cranked into "Runaway Jim." This is a typical opener giving the boys a good warm-up and Trey a chance to look around and take it all in. A nice segue into the single off the Billy Breathes album "Free" followed and got the crowd fired up and the Bassist Mike Gordon made his presence known with heavy bass lines that lead through this song. Trey Anastasio took this opportunity to experiment with his mini-keyboard he has set up this tour. This free took on some good themes as it flowed for about 10 minutes before wrapping back into the chorus. Keyboardist Page McConnell was on crutches from a softball game he played a couple days earlier in New Orleans but this did not hinder his ability to tickle the ivory especially on the song "Taste" that proved to be one of the highlights of the first set. The interplay between McConnell and Anastasio was magical as they hit many peaks and valleys of improvisational mastery. A nice ballad "Dirt" followed with a chance to see how the four mix their voices at different times to come out with a unique sound and an inspiring guitar solo to ice the whole thing. Next Mike Gordon took center stage with his traditional bluegrass version of "Nellie Cane." After a wonderful version of "Stash" that ended with the blues brothers tease of "Can’t turn you loose," the crowd again cheered Anastasio with happy birthday and Page McConnell adding in some birthday music. Trey then initiated a contest. Whoever could come up with the common thread to all the songs that they had played so far would win tickets and backstage passes to the show of their choice. Then he said that the next two songs also had the common thread. "Theme From The Bottom" proved to be a spectacular song to witness live as the textures of this song just melted together almost defining the sound that is Phish. "Tweezer Reprise" finished this set up in strange fashion in that it is almost never played without "Tweezer" but for the contest at hand it fit well.
At intermission they announced they had a winner. The answer to the contest was that all the songs were in the Key of D. To start the second set, a new tune from Anastasio's solo tour was displayed and played very well. A fast tempo and lots of room for improvisation make this tune an instant Phish tune for the repertoire. This segued into the highlight of the show for myself. Lots of feedback, distortion and delay loops lead into a "2001" to end all. They teased and played with the opening for over 12 minutes giving lighting director Chris Kuroda a chance to let out plenty of fog and dazzle the pyramid with a light show that would make even a sober human wig out! When they finally lead into the theme, it was total chaos as the energy level exploded. This version stretched out to be no shorter than 22 minutes long. "Down with Disease" followed keeping the energy level high. "Billy Breathes" cooled things down and "Get Back on the Train" got us shaking to this fun funky Trey special. What happened next seemed to send me back to the days when Phish would segue between songs like it was all written out before hand. "Mike's Song" has always been a favorite of fans and this one would not disappoint as they stopped it cold in its tracks for 4 measures and then dropped back into it like nothing had happened. Then they Stopped it again to insert "Catapult," a spoken word type chant from the mind of Mike Gordon and dropped right back into "Mike's Song." Keeping it going they stopped again cold to insert "KUNG," a spoken word chant from the mind of Jon Fishman with Trey and Fishman screaming for everyone to "Stand up, Stand up!!" Obviously this got the crowd into a frenzy and at the end of the chant they dropped back into "Mike's song." Everyone was so locked into what was going on onstage as the playfulness between the crowd and band reached epic heights. Another stop heard the chant of "I didn't Know" which is a classic that allowed Jon Fishman to come center stage and play his vacuum solo as Trey hit his drumset. "Weekapaug Groove" wrapped this set up in fine fashion leaving everyone wondering what could be played for an encore.
The Talking Heads song "Cities" was the talk in the lot with its reference to Memphis, Elvis and the river. They had to play it or would it be to cliche'? Phish opted for the obvious and played a wonderful version of "Cities" getting huge cheers during the Memphis line and changing the words to mention Rendezvous Barbecue. Nothing could top that song as it closed out a wonderful evening of contest, birthdays, rock & roll and fun fun fun in good old Memphish, TN!
King Kong at Sloss Furnace
September 17, 1999 - Birmingham, AL
It was the German Oktoberfest that brought King Konga back to town. Mercedes and BMW were proudly displaying their vehicles on the site and the beer was flowing, expensive, but flowing.
I can't say enough good things about seeing these guys live...it is just so damn good every single time. You could be in the worst possible mood and when these guys hit the stage you'll be smiling and loving every minute of the music.
The stage was set beneath a huge water tower. You'd just have to be at this place to get the idea of just how cool of a setting it was. It reminded me of the power plant where my dad works. It's a very interesting place to play a show and very cool place to see one. The guys started it all out with a hidden track from their latest release, Halo, called Say Mercy. Very good song to start off with and get a show going. It has a very upbeat tempo and makes you want to get up and move around, maybe even embarrass yourself a little bit. There isn't a bad song on Halo and if you don't believe that statement, I suggest you check the cd out and see the band play the songs live. What really got my attention at this show besides the music was that the band has a laptop computer they take on the road with them. They wire it into the soundboard and record the show digitally into mp3 format. They are the only band that I've heard that does this and I think it's a great idea and way to spread live shows around. I know there are audiophiles out there that hate getting cd-r's burned from an mp3 source because it supposedly loses some of the quality. Unless you have the ears of a cat, I don't know how you can tell the difference. I know that theoretically, yes, there is a quality loss, but I don't know how substantial the loss is.
At any rate, I commend the band for this idea and this effort. I think it is awesome! If you are interested in getting shows from the band, contact dave@kingkonga.com and he will get you hooked up with some cd's. Check out the band's website and find out when they will be playing near you!
Pat McGee Band War Eagle Supper Club
September 30, 1999 - Auburn, ALOk before I start talking about the band and the show. I just want to get this off my chest. Me and the person I attended the show with were absolutely aghast at the manners of the people in Auburn. The people at this show weren't even born in a barn, they were born in something worse. These were the rudest, most offensive, backwoods, redneck people I've ever run across and that says alot because I've lived in the south all of my life....I mean come on, I'm from Mississippi! I've taken my trophy back from the folks in Starkville as the worst college town. I have now given it to Auburn. I wouldn't care if I never went there again. I hope Pat and the band didn't receive the same kind of treatment that we did while we were there. It was absolutely pathetic!
Now, on a brighter note...the band was awesome! Well worth the six hour round trip drive! I talked to Pat informally the next day and he summed the show up fairly well, saying it wasn't as jammy of a set because they were trying out alot of the new stuff. I thought there was a good mix of new stuff and the older songs and crowd favorites. There was a little jamming to some of the regular tunes but nearly as much as usual so that there would be time to fit in more of the new songs. By the way, if you haven't heard any of the new songs, they sound great! I can't wait to hear the finished product when the band is done in the studio out in San Francisco. I think this will be the best album yet because the band is on to something with the new stuff and I like the direction things seem to be progressing towards.
Keep your ear to the ground and stay tuned for the new album to come out sometime early in the new year.
Charlie Mars Band at Zydeco's
October 2, 1999 - Birmingham, ALThis was the cd release party for the band in Birmingham. Their third album and best to date is titled, The End Of Romance. It was produced by John Keene at John Keene Studios in Athens, Ga. Mr. Keene has worked with acts such as REM, Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic in the past so that lets you know how good the production on this album sounds. Vic Chesnutt also helped the boys out and played on one song on the album.
I had been waiting on this show since I first heard about it in August. The guys played several songs of the new album during the show while still playing the old favorites and even a new Tom Petty cover. The band has a whole new attitude on this new tour, they are getting on stage and playing their hearts out as always but now they are up there kicking it hard and making their presence felt and they sound amazing doing it. They seem to playing on a much higher level now. I've watched this band grow increasingly better for the past 2+ years, I've seen the good shows and the bad shows but now this band is playing very tight and they have new songs that will blow you away and they've altered the old stuff to freshen it up and keep the crowd on it's toes.
I absolutely love this band not only because it's a great group of guys but because the music is real, it is honest, and is great great music all the way around, musically and lyrically. (see cd review below) CD Review Charlie Mars Band - "End Of Romance". This cd starts off with my favorite song on the entire cd, "I'm No Angel". I've heard this song live several times and adopted it, as did my good friend Toni, as "my" song. The song is called "I'm No Angel" and if knew my personal circumstances at the time and the lyrics to the chorus of the song, you'd understand why it easily became "my" song. The chorus goes, "We used to shine like young love but now there's too many cars and bars and miles between us." There's beautiful music that accompanies the chorus as well. It's just an excellent song and from what I understand is being pushed to radio as a single.
Some other great highlights on the album are 40 Watts and Serenades, which is just a great rock 'n roll tune. A song called Walking Years Away is another one of my favorites. It was once known as Cold Shoulder but was somewhat put away in storage for about a year or so and brought back and reworked and it made it on to the album as Walking Years Away. The lyrics in this song may be somewhat simple at first listen but there is a complexity in them as well if you really look at them. Some people will get this song and some won't. I guess it depends on if the person has been through the type of relationship discussed in this song. The fifth track on the cd, North Star, starts off with a bone chilling "call", sounds like a simple slide guitar technique running through some sort of processor. To me it brings to mind a dark night on a barren road and when the songs starts it's like you're passing a road sign that says you have five hundred miles to go before you reach your destination and the reality is just setting in on your mind....then the song kicks in to gear. I can also just hear this song being played over the PA system in Reunion Arena in Dallas for a Dallas Stars game, how cool would that be?!
The next song, Don't Leave Me Hanging, follows the same path started previously by 40 Watts, just good straight rock 'n roll tune. It's got the verses, got the great chorus hook that will have you singing right along with it even if it's your first listen.
Following this track on the disc is To Love and Be Loved. It's the closest thing to a ballad on the album. While I love this song as it appears on the album, I had a demo of it when it was just Charlie singing and playing guitar. The album version incorporates the full band and it has a great sound but if the guys ever wanted to grab your attention at a live show, Charlie performing this song solo with that new acoustic I saw at the show in Birmingham would do the trick real quick. This may be one of the best songs Charlie has written and I'm so glad that it made it on to the album.
Closing out the album are two rockers, Sunday Best, as well as, Can You Hear Me Now?. Sunday Best is another solid tune that will have you tapping your foot and singing along real quick. This too is a great song and it sounds like one the guys could have a lot of fun with live, maybe even getting some crowd participation going. Can You Hear Me Now? is a great closer for the album. It's almost like the band is saying, okay, not that you've heard the previous cds and are just finishing listening to the new one, are we loud enough for you? Are we rocking hard enough yet? Alas, it's another relationship song though. One that I bonded with for a while as well but not nearly as much as some other songs, including I'm No Angel.
All in all, check this band and this album out now. Go to http://www.charliemarsband.com and look at everything there: tour dates, merchandise, the message board, and sign the guestbook. The band is taper friendly and you'll have a great show on tape when you're done too!
CD Review: FreeWorld - Diversity
By Chip Schramm and Mike Jones
FreeWorld has been cutting deep grooves into the Memphis musical landscape for over 12 years. Though their lineup has changed with ebbing and flowing musical influences, FreeWorld's basic formula has remained the same. Through extensive live musical performances, FreeWorld has welded their tight jazz-inspired jamming to a healthy rotation of originals as well as classic covers.
During their early days, FreeWorld gained regional notoriety as a very solid jamband, mixing Grateful Dead, Stevie Wonder and traditional numbers with their own work. They have received mention from "Relix" and "Bass Player" magazines several times and more notably, have shared the stage with accomplished musicians of every genre. FreeWorld mixes Latin influence with their psychedelic jazz tincture so it should be no surprise that they held an impromptu jam session with Los Lobos in Knoxville several years back.
Bassist Richard Cushing and drummer David Skypeck are the remaining founding members, although they are joined by their mentor and fellow originator, Herman Green, on "Diversity." Green himself has played tenor saxophone and flute with John Coltrane and B.B. King, just to name a few. Brian Overstreet plays lead guitar on the album and his tightness with Cushing stems from frequent gigging as a duo called Kaleidoscope. The various lineup changes throughout the years have made it difficult for FreeWorld to tour extensively on a consistent basis, but it hasn't hampered their musical evolution, even twelve years down the road. The 1999 version of FreeWorld is still heavily rooted in improvisational rock, but the addition of several young brass players has invigorated their performances both live and in the studio. Prentice Wulff on trombone joins Steve Dolan on trumpet. Dolan also appears on Yamagata's first album, "Eveland". Both share vocals with Cushing, and Dolan isn't afraid to break it down and rap to the audience when he feels the need to cut loose. Ross Rice, talented organist and emerging studio guru, handles production chores on "Diversity." Rice also plays with Banyan, a project with Rob Wasserman that has toured nationally.
Mike Jones' review of the CD follows, and suffice it to say that Rice's contribution has helped to tighten the screws down on FreeWorld's sound. Their long instrumental jams are cut down to the meat of the material. Almost surprisingly, they fit 15 tracks on the disc. Ultimately, "Diversity" defines both the players and their attitude towards music. They have special guests throughout the album, and more interestingly, they have "party tracks" that include members of the Memphis community in the background as well as a group drum circle. Always entertaining, FreeWorld is well worth checking out. They can be found on the Internet at http://www.listen.to/freeworld
CD Review:
This is a very funky cd. The overall sound of the disc to me sounds like the perfect mix of what would happen if Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, and Widespread Panic had a baby. This cd also reminds me of a little group out of New Orleans, The Dirty Dozen.
I found the cd very listenable, makes you want to get up and groove around the house. You can clean you place up while listening to this like I did, I think it sped me up when I was actually cleaning but may have slowed me down when I was taking time out because the music was just that could.
From start to finish this cd is awesome. It's like one long continuous jam, almost like the band is playing in your living room and playing just for you. The disc clocks in right around sixty-eight minutes so that's one long jam!
"Boogie Finger" would have to be my favorite song of the cd. When I introduce this band to someone who hasn't heard them before, I think that track would be the one I would let them hear first simply because it sums up the band's sound while keeping a nice hook so that the person will remember them the next time they hear the song. There seems to be a hidden track within the last song on the disc, simply instrumental sounds. Very cool track. Chip summed this group up better than I can. I have yet to see the band live but plan on making it to Memphis soon to check them out.
Everybody gotta little itch that gotta to be scratched sometimes
There are a few things I find synonymous with the state of Alabama - college football, Lynard Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama", and Widespread Panic concerts at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater. Nicknamed the "Redneck Red Rocks," this venue has set the stage for some classic Panic moments. This year would be no different, as Athens' favorite six-headed beast once again rocked Pelham's favorite music venue.
"This town is nuts, its my kind of place" I've always said that my favorite part of the Widespread Panic experience is the friends and family you meet along the way. Sure, the music is the motivation for the gathering of the "tribe," however, it's the friendships I've forged through this band that mean the most to me. For myself, Panic shows are like a family reunion, a chance to see friends old and new, while dancing to the greatest rock-and-roll band on the planet, Widespread Panic.
This year, the Oak Mountain shows were no different, as I was fortunate to spend the weekend with some of my best of friends. "Cheers, to friends so near!"
The Friday night show led off by Memphis funksters, Big Ass Truck. Unfortunately, the venue was rather empty during their energetic, yet brief, set. However, when Panic finally took the stage around 8:20 p.m., the venue was bursting at the seams. The juice was flowing through the crowd, and the anticipation was so thick, it could be sliced with a knife. The last fall tour, as well as the last Oak Mountain shows, of the 1990s opened with a fast Porch Song. Oh yes, the whole amphitheater was "havin' a good time!"
One Arm Steve followed, as the crowd's energy increased with every note. At this point, I looked behind me to see a sea of wiggling bodies grooving to the evening's soundtrack of happiness. Makes Sense to Me followed, and although it was well received by the crowd, I had a hard time hearing some of JB's lyrics.
I was impressed that the crowd knew most of the lyrics to Blue Indian, however, I definitely prefer to hear JB sing rather than some drunk guy from Birmingham.
As the opening notes of Diner filled the chilly air, the audience let out an instant scream of appreciation. JB was "basking in the light" of this adoration, and was completely focused on the song. You can tell when JB is "on," by the way he stares blankly into the crowd, while jerking his head with every line for added effect. JB rapped about "playing dodge ball in the woods," and treated us with a fine version of the song.
After Diner, David Schools took his turn at the microphone to cover Vic Chesnutt's, Watching the Sleeping Man. In between lines, Schools was really getting his groove on, and shaking his tail like a man on a mission. I love the way Dave can work a crowd, and he had the entire Schools Zone at his mercy.
I wasn't very thrilled with Big Wooly Mammoth, and I still don't understand why people feel the need to throw lighters at the band, but the rest of the crowd seemed to be enjoying the song. Long after Jojo sang the "will somebody toss me a lighter..." line, assorted lighters and glow sticks continued to fly onto the stage. I suppose that the barrage of Bics will continue into the future until someone puts JB's eye out. I was pleased when the low point of the first set, Big Wooly Mammouth, led into my personal highlight of the show, Jack. This version of Jack was the real deal, and had JB growling like an old hound dog. The middle of the song was slow and spooky, and seemed to paint a different image than I usually visualize. It was almost as if JB’s vocals were hypnotic, and he was the pied-piper leading his faithful mice in dance. The momentum seemed to build as the song progressed, until its climax at the end. Radio Child bluntly awoke me from the trance Jack had cast over me, and was a predictable way to end the first set. During the lengthy set break, I let myself once again drift off with my favorite jester.
The second set busted out of the gates quickly with a rousing All Time Low. Once again, the energy permeating throughout the amphitheater made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It truly was a beautiful feeling. A snappy segue to Disco kept the faithful, well, discoing, until Charles and his brother made rain for L.A. I've never been disappointed with any version of Hatfield, and this evening's offering was no different. It was one of the better Hatfield raps I've heard this year. As the song wound down, JB muttered into his mic, "everybody gotta a little itch that gotta be scratched sometimes," just as Big Ass Truck DJ Colin Butler took the stage to showcase his craft.
Butler added a nice layer to the end of Hatfield, which eventually transitioned to a predictable Dyin' Man. Just his second time sitting in with the Panic, Butler seemed at ease as he worked his way into the mix. His flavorings were much more subtle than the first time he played with the band, which made this appearance flow much better than the Mud Island show last June.
Red Hot Mama followed, and once again the crowd was singling along and dancing with reckless abandon. Rumor has it that Big Ass Truck introduced this P-Funk song to Panic, and it's been in the rotation ever since. "Ride on red hot mama girl, you sure look good to me". RHM led into drums, and Butler remained on stage to add his touch. Again, his collaboration was much more smooth than the Mud Island show, and captured the attention of more people than a "standard" version of drums usually does. Near the end of drums, Schools, as he has at many shows this year, came out and dropped some bombs of his own. Eventually, the rest of the band also joined in and proceeded to scramble brains with a five-minute, space-like celebration in southern psychedelia, which briefly brought back Charles and his brother for a rare Hatfield reprise.
Eventually, this jam led into the sleepy intro of Heaven, and again, JB was focused and really into the song. He customized the lyrics to sing, "its hard to imagine, that nothin' at all, could be so exciting, or this much DAMN fun!" This brought out a deserving roar from the crowd. The set ended with Love Tractor.
As soon as Sunny started beating on his drum, I knew we were going to get a visit from the Pusherman, as he surely had a bunch of friends visiting Pelham that weekend. Ain't Life Grand was a fitting way to end a very fun show.
"In my mind I was a child, and it felt good!" It sure did!
|
| JamBands.Com is published on the 15th of every month. Submissions are due ten days earlier on the fifth of each month. Please contact the specific editor for the section you are interested in contributing to. For general content comments, please e-mail jambands@jambands.com. For all technical web site issues related to this page, please contact Sarah Bruner |