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Roadtrip of the Month
Edited by Rob Turner
by Rob TurnerThis month's Road Trip is taken by a veteran of the road, Ira Pasternack. He bopped around the Northeast recently, mainly following the band that continues to be one of my own favorites of any genre, The Disco Biscuits. I haven't been able to see the band that much lately, but it's good to hear that the scene is as warm as it ever was, even as the band's popularity continues to boom. So, let's come along if we can, and find out if the "Biscuit kids" (I like to call them "Biscuiteers") throw down more than the Pasternack family!
Written by Ira Pasternack
In the past 10 years, I've been on many musical road trips, mostly to follow The Grateful Dead or Phish. The following is an account of what I expect will be the first of many extended road trips with The Disco Biscuits. While this trip wasn't as extended as many others, it did involve a lot of travel for a several day period, plus some home town shows before and after which gave it more of a feel of a road trip. I had seen a 3 day run of the Biscuits before, but that was all local. Overall, I'd seen 14 Bisco shows before, all in the 12 months prior to this run.
Warmup: After working all day Wednesday, I relaxed for a while at home, then headed down to The Living Room for an evening with Ulu and Fat Mama. I had heard good things about both bands, but had never seen either. I arrived at the bar before Ulu started, to find a nearly empty bar. Wednesday had been jam band night at The Living Room for about the past month (reminiscent of when Max Creek used to play every Wednesday at the old Living Room), but the turnout had not been great.
Tonight, however, would be different - the local colleges were back in session, and people started strolling in as Ulu began their sound check. I checked them out, and when they left the stage for a short break before the real show began, I strolled back to the bar for a Murphy's Stout (the one random decent beer they had that night, when the selection was even worse than the normal slim number of choices at the Living Room).
Finally, with the room filling up, Ulu began to play. They sounded good, but nothing too impressive to start. People were having fun and dancing though, including one guy who was dancing right up front with light sticks in each hand. He shared the sticks with one or two other light stick dancers, and their funky moves added to the show. Things really heated up when the members of Fat Mama came up on stage for several tunes. The combined band of up to 10 members at any time got the place going, and sounded great. "Fat Ulu Mama," proved to be not a bad combo. Ulu played one last tune on their own, before making way for Fat Mama.
During the short break, I took a stroll outside to get some fresh air, and returned as Fat Mama was taking the stage. They also sounded hot, and they really got the place dancing. The light stick dancer continued to occupy the front and center area, helping to increase the energy on the dance floor. I slipped out of The Living Room at a bit before 1 am, the show wasn't quite over, but I had stayed longer than I planned to. I figured I would have many more chances to see them in the near future, since they have announced that they have moved from Colorado to Rhode Island!
Thursday - 9/9/99: After working all day, I hit the road at around 5, headed from Norwood, Mass to Albany NY. Traffic was mellow, the drive was beautiful, and I started to get excited - three days in a row of The Disco Biscuits, and the chance to spend time with old and new friends. I arrived at Dave and Sherry's (two of my friends from Phish shows) place near Albany, had a quick bite to eat, and headed to the show with Sherry (Dave was meeting us there later). We got to Northern Lights and found out there was no re-entry to the venue allowed. It was still early, so we go back to the car to hang out for a bit in the cool evening. I started to see familiar faces as other's pulled into the lot of the strip mall where Northern Lights is located in Clifton Park, NY, and I felt the energy building within me.
Sherry and I made our way inside, and it seemed that everywhere I turned I saw friends from Boston and providence. I very quickly located Phil, who'd I'd met online earlier in the week, and to whom I would be giving a ride to Worcester tomorrow. We talked for a few minutes, and I was once again impressed by how nice the people I meet at Biscuit shows are. After briefly discussing our plans for the next day, I went off to find Sherry and have a beer. I was wondering if the local band I heard was opening was ever going to come on when The Disco Biscuits solved that mystery by taking the stage. Dave hadn't arrived yet, but Sherry was happy to keep an eye out for him as she checked out the scene from her seat at the bar, so I moved up front for the beginning of the set.
The set started with one of the band's new tunes, "Chemical Warfare Brigade," and I began to dance along with everyone around me. I looked around, continued to see more familiar faces, as well as many new ones, and was happy to see that everyone was having fun. As the set progressed, I decided that I would check out the music from different vantage points. I paid a visit to the bar to say hi to Sherry, check on Dave (still hadn't arrived), grabbed another beer, and then I bopped around and checked out the band from different angles. Eventually, I decided that the right side of the stage was the place to be - room to dance, great sound, and relatively easy access to Sherry's spot at the bar. I think I went back and forth between this area and Sherry a few times, before settling in right up front for the trio of "Frog Legs," "Above The Waves," and "Wet" which ended the Biscuits set. Overall, I felt that the energy in the room rose with each song that they played, and by the time they got to these last three songs I had stopped my wandering, and was lost in the music.
After the set ended, I went back to Sherry's seat, and found that Dave had arrived just after my last trip back there. He was a bit disappointed to miss 2/3 of his first Biscuit show, but seemed to like what he saw, as did Sherry. The three of us hung out and caught up for a while, until Deep Banana Blackout started their set. I had never seen a full set of DBB, but I'd seen parts of sets at some festival shows, so I was psyched to check them out.
I did my best to get into the music, but found it difficult. This is by no means a knock on DBB, but after being blown away by the Biscuits, I found it difficult to concentrate on more live music. The sound was good, but there was a different energy/vibe that I couldn't quite catch onto to dance. So I spent most of the set hanging in the back of the bar with "Biscuit kids". The band was also hanging out, and we all mingled as we listened to DBB.
I had suspected that Dave might like Deep Banana more than the Biscuits, based on his other musical preferences. After his first experience with each I was correct, although he definitely enjoyed both bands and will see them each again in the future. When all the music was finally over for the night, we returned home for some much needed sleep.
Friday - 9/10/99: I slept until 10, before Dave woke me up to say goodbye as he left for work. I took care of some personal and family business in town, then after lunch headed to Union college, where I picked up Phil and his friend Matt. We had plenty of time to get to Worcester, and during what turned out to be a leisurely drive east, we stopped in Northampton to pick up tickets for Saturday's show. We checked out this very cool town for a bit, which somehow I'd never managed to visit. I immediately knew I'd be back many times, given the several great music venues, the general positive vibe of the town, since it is only two hours from my home in Providence. As we left town, it began to rain a bit as we drive toward some mountains (mountains in the mist???). The drive was foggy and rainy, yet peaceful.
As we headed east, we saw a rainbow on and off for almost an hour. Then, as we approached Worcester, the rain got pretty bad, making the going slow for last 30 miles. We had plenty of time though, so we got to town, located the venue, and saw people waiting outside in the rain. We went to go to get dinner, and I was able to find my way to Tammany hall, site of several past Biscuit shows. I hoped to meet some Bisco kids there, but it was quiet; we had a nice dinner anyway, although I didn't have much of an appetite, and I saved half of my meal for a late night snack. Finally, we head to The Palladium, and WOW is this place beautiful. Once of the best venues I've ever been to, and only an hour from home - once again, I knew I'd be coming here many times in the future.
Deep Banana Blackout opened the show, without their lead singer Jen who had hurt her back. Since this was the first live music of the night, I found it easier to get into than the night before. I ended up taking it easy though, as I wasn't feeling very well, and while DBB had a good sound without Jen, there seemed to be a bit less energy without her presence. Even though they were playing with one less band member than normal, DBB had started their set a bit late, and then played long, so by the time they ended all the Biscuit kids were ready to go.
After a short break in between bands, The Disco Biscuits took the stage and picked up with the same amount of energy where they had left off the night before, playing a fantastic "M.E.M.P.H.I.S." As soon as they started, I forgot that I wasn't feeling well, and lost myself in the music and dancing. The Palladium is a theater, but without rows of seats. Instead, there are 6 or 8 tiers, with tables and booths at the back of the upper tiers. The lower tier, right in front of the stage, was all dance floor, and they have fantastic ventilation. This setup allowed for plenty of room for anyone who wanted to dance (or, "throw down" as many of the Biscuit kids say).
It seemed that everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves as "M.E.M.P.H.I.S." segued into "Shem-Rah Boo," which was followed by a new song that is unofficially known as "Splattums." This was followed by one of Aron Magner's (the keyboard player) songs, "Spaga." I must say that one of the things I was not too impressed with about the Biscuits in the past was Aron's voice, but each time I hear him sing he gets better. Then, the band segued again, this time into what might be their most impressive cover song, "The Thieving Magpie." After another segue into "Voices Insane," the band closed out the night by encoring with "Aceetobee," sending us all home happy.
After the show, I said goodbye to friends in front of the Palladium, and headed back to Providence. Although I hadn't felt well earlier, I felt great after the show, and I thoroughly enjoyed my leftovers from dinner during the drive home. Got home at around 3 AM, but the completely natural high I'd gotten from the evening's music kept me up for about 2 more hours before I finally got to sleep.
Saturday - 9/11/99: In the morning, I got up, read for a while, wrote for a while, and then headed to Connecticut. It was Rosh Hashanah, and I'd promised my family that I'd join them for dinner. I spent some quality family time with my cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, grandmother, which ended with a "talent show" put on by a few of my little cousins, including a dance where all 9 kids under the age of 10 "threw down" to the Backstreet Boys. (I thought this was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen, as I saw them dance around, and compared them to what I had been doing the previous night, and would be doing again that night.)
At around 7:30, I headed up to Northampton, about an hour away. I got to town, parked, and walked by the venue. There was an early show by another band that had not ended yet, so out front there were a few bisco kids and some of the guys in the band. I walked down the street to grab some coffee, there's nothing like a double shot of espresso to energize you for a show after a few days on the road. Back at the venue, I wait as more and more kids roll in, many of whom I was seeing for the third night in a row.
On this night, there was no opening band, and we had a two-set show to look forward to. The guys in the band were talking about how they really wanted to play a two set show, after three days in a row of only one set; in order to have time for two sets, they said they'd have to start as close to 10 as possible. But the early show went a bit long, and the doors didn't even open until around 10. By 10:15, with the place about half full and the other half of the people waiting in line to enter, we heard the opening notes of "Little Betty Boop."
As people continued to come into the bar, packing the place to what seemed to be beyond the normal capacity, the energy level rose. At some point during the set, bassist Marc Brownstein wished us a happy New Year (for those of you who don't know, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year). He mentioned that his Mom had asked him why they had to play on Rosh Hashanah, and how he had explained that they were spending the holiday with "our other family". This statement totally reflected my sentiment for the evening, and hearing it from the stage made me feel great!
I had started the set in the back of the bar, and somewhere along the way I remember making my way through the place, checking out the scene from the balcony for a while, before working my way up to the right side of the stage some time before the "Hot Air Balloon" song. I was especially excited for this tune, since on the way to the show I had heard a local radio station giving away a hot air balloon ride, and I'd been hoping to hear it even before that.
As they jammed the HAB, suddenly they came to a stop, and announced a short setbreak. I stepped outside for some fresh air, and saw a couple of the guys in the band do the same. They had said it would be a 5 minute break, and that was no lie - before I even knew it, they were playing again. I made my way inside to discover they were finishing the "Hot Air Balloon." The rest of the set was as fun as any set of Bisco I've seen, the only downside being the strict 1 am curfew that forced it to end.
As we emptied out into the streets of Northampton, it seemed that no one wanted to go our separate ways. Luckily, many of us didn't have to, as we moved on to a party about 25 minutes away, and spent the night listing to music and getting to know each other better.
The next thing I knew, the sun was coming up, I was wide awake, and heading home to Providence.
Back Home: After arriving home on Sunday morning, I slept for a few hours, waking up at 1 to turn the TV on for the Patriots game. I ended up napping throughout the game, still recovering from a weekend full of fun. Luckily, I got a call that woke me up with about 5 minutes to go in the game, just in time for me to see the Pat's winning drive in the game. I watched the end of the game, then moved on to a party at a friend's house for chili and more beer.
Then, I ended the weekend with a set of The Slip, outside, under a tent, at the a waterfront festival in beautiful Providence, RI. It was great to see one last set of music to round out the weekend, and the ultimate closure on the weekend occurred when The Slip began their set playing with a guest who goes by the name of Spogga - pronounced the same as The Disco Biscuits tune "Spaga".
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