Here its is. The leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter, and the summer tours and festivals have flown south in one happy flock. We're still covered here in the Midwest, though - at least for a little while. September stop-overs by Phish and Furthur have helped take the sting out of Phish's announcement there will be no New Year's run, and besides...I'll put our regional acts against those of any other part of the country.

Everybody must be hitting the books or recovering from summer tours, because it's been pretty quiet here recently at the jambands.com Midwest Headquarters. But Tim and I are fortunate to have a pair of reviews from our

favorite man in the field, the Reverend Kevin Robbins. Rev Kev caught up with hookah and Keller Williams this month, and we're proud to share his tales with you. We also have a gem of a Hookahville review from East Coast jamband aficionado and radio personality Bill Wright. Thanks, Bill. If you're out there seeing good music or have heard about the next up and coming powerhouse band, don't be shy - just drop us a line at midwest@jambands.com. Until then, we'll see you at the show.

News

FallFest returns to Smoke Rise Ranch MURRAY CITY, Ohio The producers from Concert Concepts in Columbus, Ohio announced plans to return to Smoke Rise Ranch Resort this fall, hopeful to repeat last year's success with their FallFest Music Festival. The festival this year will be held Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th and will headline Ekoostik Hookah, a Columbus-based, nationally recognized jamband.

FallFest will also feature nationally known bluegrass fiddle legend Vassar Clements, The Shantee, Peach Melba and Matthew Abelson. There will be a variety of food and craft vendors at the festival and the show will take place rain or shine, since there is a large indoor arena on the ranch. Gates will open at twelve noon on Friday, September 29th. Music begins at 6:00 PM on Friday and 4:00 PM on Saturday.

Tickets for FallFest are being sold now at the ranch and online through TicketWeb.com. They are $30 in advance and $40 at the gate and include primitive camping and parking. For an additional fee there are RV hook-ups and cabins available for the weekend. Horseback riding and hiking trails are also a popular feature at the ranch. For more information the ranch can be reached at (740)776-RANCH. FallFest 2000 at Smoke Rise Ranch Resort

http://www.angelfire.com/oh3/SmokeRise

In Case You Missed it

ekoostik hookah
9/18/00 The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL

by the Rev. Kevin Robbins

Well friends, where to begin? Dr. Michael Frasca and I left the greater Mackinaw metroplex at around 5:10 PM. That being kind of early, to some people's ears, we left early enough to get into the University of Illinois campus town and find decent parking for the nights festivities. It's been about 6 months since I last ventured down to the Canopy, so this was going to be a treat.

The drive down was easy and quite gorgeous as Illinois is moving from Summer into Fall. Upon arriving, we set out to see who we could find. No one being

available and doors not opening until 8 PM, we set to the next great task: forage for food. After a few loops around the block, we decided upon a little Bread Company that had the feel of a brew haus. For those who've read my reviews before, you know that I take it as a personal challenge to find someplace exquisite to dine. This place fit the bill, though I had my worries at first. I forget the name of it, but it sits right next door to the Canopy. The menu included interesting variations on pizza, cold sandwiches, and hot sandwiches. What was intriguing was the combination of things they placed on their sandwiches. I don't know the style, some combinations included Portobello mushrooms, brie, and raspberry aioli; another was roast beef and caramelized onions. Somewhat different than many of the places I have found for pre-show eats. Exquisite, friends, and not too expensive for campus town "haut cuisine." Once we finished our meal we decided to head in and check out the venue.

Upon arriving inside, I had quick words with Bill, Chopp, and Greg, aka the Hookah crew. Got the long and skinny about the previous night's big gig at the Blossom Further Festival and the real deal on what went down at Hookahville 14. I have to confess that the Canopy Club holds another special place in my heart. It's an hour and fifteen minutes from my front door, is an old theater, and when mixed well, sounds full and rich. Every show I have seen at the Canopy has been a barn-burner, which, of course, means that I am expecting another barn-burner tonight. Gotta love a place like that. Upon setting up our gear, Mike and I were treated to the opening acts sound check. Wayside School, a local Champaign band, was set to open. I must confess that the sound check gave me pause and I almost recorded them. In hindsight, I wish that I would have. Reaching a meeting with Funk and a few other styles that I am hard-pressed to really classify, these guys were very good and a worthwhile support act that I might have to check out when they play a nearby bar. I wouldn't drive multiple hours to see them, but they are very talented and quite probably one of the up and coming band in the Illinois and Indiana scene.

After a much briefer than expected break, Hookah came on stage and set me back a few steps. Judging by the Blossom set list, I knew that Dave was calling the opening tune of the show. In 37 shows, I have never seen Loner open. I know it can happen. I have it on tape somewhere, but I personally have never witnessed a Loner opener. Expecting an Old Montana Red Dog, a tune suspiciously missing from Hookahville and recent shows, I was so stunned by the opening notes of Loner that I almost didn't know what I was hearing. The power of Loner as an opener cannot be overstated. The band had the crowd from the opening notes. Sliding through Loner->Grass->Loner with a rapt, and rapidly growing, crowd, The Risk appeared full-force to take up where Loner had left off. I have always loved this song as an Ed (McGee) solo tune. Frankly, I had wondered how well it would translate into a Hookah song. It's clear that the boys had put a lot of work into it and that they enjoyed playing it. Nice blend of up-beat to slower moments. Steve's solo is nice. It's got the subtleties, rather than power, that this tune calls for.

Walk Real Slow (fast) followed and kept the pace up nicely. I must insert a note here. The sound in the Canopy, while it can be awesome, can also be very bassy. The crowd had taken up the bass reflections pretty well, but with Surround, one thing became clear. Cliff came to play. Bass bombs were out and were bone shaking. Likewise, it was at about this point in the show where the monitor and feedback problems became somewhat noticeable. Nothing so disruptive that it ruined, or even dampened much, the evening, but it was clear that it may have been frustrating the boys. Have I mentioned how to this point the energy of this show was ON? People were dancing and jumping and having a good time. It was a taper's dream. People were enjoying the music and seemed content not to chat much at all. Ohio Grown followed in the wake of Surround and provided a nice counter point to the power and urgency that a full-force Surround can bring to a Hookah show. Again, I had some concerns about how this song would translate from a Dave (Katz) solo tune into a Hookah song. Wow! Not remaining a quiet solo acoustic guitar tune, the switch from acoustic guitar, with mellow electric ensemble to piano with rocking electric ensemble and back to the former was a nice balance and a great take on the tune. Not stopping for more than a second or two, a very nice Music came in at what I had thought would be the set closer. It was pretty enough, but Music isn't a good set closer. Bone turned in a nice finish and really pumped the crowd.

During the intermission, a relative newcomer to Hookah came up and asked what I had thought of set one. I told him I thought it was good, though I hadn't really taken in the energy. One of the things that I have learned from seeing bands often is the level of jadedness one gets about performances. In retrospect, I should have told him that it was a very good night of Hookah. Set Two rolled around quickly, and there is no doubt that 09-08-00 was an incredible night of Hookah. Clocking in at 58 minutes, it was a relatively short set, but my, oh my, what power it held. Dave's new tune, Change, opened the set and quickly grabbed everyone's attention. What followed was another mind-blowing experience. I have never seen them pull out Hendrix's 1983. Again, I was fumbling trying to remember what I was hearing and when I finally got it, I was stunned. 1983 doesn't get played often and hasn't appeared since May 12, 2000, so I was pretty much dumfounded. Unusually, there was no Moon Turn the Tides segue, but they replaced it with a very nice Dumpster segue. Sadly, there were only a few of us who understood what we were watching during 1983 (This is a Jimi Hendrix masterpiece, after all).

As soon as the psychedelia of 1983 shifted into the funky Dumpster, the crowd jumped back to life. Dumpster rolled into a nice finish. Another huge surprise followed. Dave picks up the acoustic and begins strumming. Going through my head and through what I know has been played tonight and the previous night, I think Indica and Sativa, but the energy isn't right. What followed was another rarity. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow is another tune that hasn't been seen since 5-12-00, and again is not played often. The mellow energy of Here Today, Gone Tomorrow was not unappreciated. Surprisingly, there was no Keepin' Time sandwiched into the HT,GT. In fact, for the first time in an even longer time, HT,GT was not turned into a sandwich at all. Picking things back up and keeping Dave with the acoustic, Silver Train brought a nice shift in tempo and the crowd ate it up. Surprisingly, this late in the set, Dave returned to the keys. Ed gets an interesting grin on his face and Moonstone follows. Another new tune. This song is tricky as it starts out mellow and goes ROCK really quick. I am going to have to listen to this one a few times. It has an unusual pace to it that I want to get a feel for. Having been rocked out, I am wondering what will close the set. That being said, apparently the band had run close to it's allotted time, considering the planned encore, and with some lack of congruity, announce that they'll see us soon. While I like Moonstone, it is admittedly not a set closer. Feeling a little off-center, I prepare for the encore that I know is coming. I had called this one from my home. Most likely, with Dave opening, it'll be an Ed encore. When I saw the voice box being attached to the mic stand, I knew I was right.

After a few minutes off-stage, the boys came back out and literally floored the crowd. Do You Feel Like We Do? was simply amazing. I remember being 10 years old and playing air guitar to this tune when Frampton Comes Alive was originally released. The tradition of covers for encores that Hookah has going can be extraordinarily powerful and this is one of them. The building shook. People were jumping high off the dance floor, cheering, and generally reveling in the fire of 70's arena rock resurrected. It was, in a word, stellar.

I went to the Canopy Club expecting a barn-burner and I got it.

09-08-00 Canopy Club, Urbana, IL
Set One: Loner->Grass->Loner, The Risk, Walk Real Slow, Surround, Ohio Grown, Music, Bone (~70 minutes)

Set Two: Change, 1983->Dumpster, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Silver Train, Moonstone Encore: Do You Feel Like We Do? (~74 minutes)

Keller Williams
8/31/00 - Some Other Planet, Peoria, IL

by Rev. Kevin Robbins

The atmosphere at Some Other Planet (S.O.P's) is an interesting one. Sitting on the corner of Main and Madison in downtown Peoria, it has, on one level, the feel of the typical small, somewhat trendy, after-work watering hole. On another level, it is becoming a place for smaller and local talent, particularly jam-oriented bands, to stretch out and enjoy an intimate place to play. On Wednesday, August 31st, it was an evening stop for Keller Williams to take the stage and thrill a very enthusiastic crowd.

I had heard Keller Williams live on one other occasion. I say heard, not saw, for very particular reasons. My first experience with Keller live was at Fall Hookahville 1999. I was working at the Labor/Information tent on the other side of Frontier Lake from the stage. I heard the performance very well, and wondered what was going on over the hill. On August 31st, those inquiries were answered.

The setting at SOP's is the definition of intimate. With a maximum capacity of 200, the dance floor is perhaps 15 to 20 feet wide. And the distance to the bar from the edge of the dance floor couldn't be much more. As he opened the show with Inhale to the Chief, I knew that I was in for quite an experience. I knew very few of his songs and had to rely on Dr. Michael Frasca's set list, even for the purposes of this review. Still, I found myself mesmerized as Keller weaved a form of magic through the seamless segues that led into songs both completely familiar such as Jack-A-Roe, Stagger Lee, Sir Duke, Low Rider, Give Up the Funk, Relaxation Station, and Chillin'. Likewise, tunes that I didn't know, such as Bounty Hunter, Tribe, Roshambo, and others, quickly became friends and gained a familiarity quickly. Best of all the majority of the set flowed with a groove that was refreshingly new and vibrant. Best of all, watching Keller Williams weave his magic going from instrument to instrument, all the while laying down scat and jazzy vocals, not entirely unlike Michael Franks, was blissful. Two sets quickly turned to an unforgettable encore of a very reggae Johnny B. Goode.

Sights and sounds combined to make a great mid-week break at a place that I hope will continue to draw good talent to intimate musical adventures.

08-31-00 S.O.P.'s, Peoria, IL
Set One: Inhale to the Chief>Hypnotize>Jack-a Roe > Hypnotize > Chillin'>Bru Loup?>Tribe>Lightning, Sideways Tree, Fuel for the Road, Sir Duke, Stinky Green>Yoni>The Wedge>Inhale to the Chief