Harvest 2000: A Talk With TDawg

By Rob Turner

Last October I had the good fortune to attend the second annual Harvest Festival in Fairburn, Georgia.  Although I had just moved from Atlanta and knew very few people in the region, it didn't seem to matter.  The festival was attended by a whole bunch of music lovers, which allowed me to form some relationships in my new home base.  There are some festivals that are known for the positive souls that they attract, and this is most certainly one of them.  I don't know if it is the mix of the of the musicians on the bill, the festival's somewhat remote location, or the low key nature of the reasonably priced on-site vending, but there seem to be no bad apples in the Harvest festival bunch.  Even the unexpected torrential rains that descended on last year's fest did not dampen spirits, nor did they cause any main stage acts to be have their sets truncated or canceled.

This year, I'm looking forward to catching Ancient Harmony, Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Code Talkers, River Bottom Band, David Gans, Deep Blue Sun, Guy Clark, and so many more great artists.  The festival will again be held at Atlanta's Back Porch, a lovely little concert site which is not far from Atlanta.  This cozy venue, and the free camping available around it, each lend to the summer camp like atmosphere of this spirited festival.  This year Harvestfest will be held between October 6-8, and for more information, including a complete schedule for the weekend, check out their web site at www.harvestfest2000.com.

It also has recently been announced that Joe Craven (from David Grisman Quintet) will be joining the festival as an emcee and wandering minstrel.  Also, David Blackmon, fiddler extraordinaire, has made it known that he also will be attending the festival, fiddle in hand.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Thomas Helland, the energy and brains behind Tdawg Productions.  This company, whose title is taken from Thomas' widely known nickname, has been producing shows in Georgia for about three years.  What follows is text from most of the recent conversation we had at the pleasantly bohemian Church Street Coffee in downtown Decatur.

RST - Last year, your Harvest Festival was my de facto initiation into the Atlanta music scene as I had just moved down here.

TDAWG - Oh yeah?  Wow!

RST - I had a memorably festive weekend.  Let's talk about some of the acts that you have this year.  I've heard quite a bit about this Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society.

TDAWG - Yeah, AVAS!  (laughs)

RST - This is a side project of Larry Keel's?

TDAWG - Yes, it's an offspring I guess you could say, of Larry Keel Experience, Acoustic Syndicate, and Snake Oil Medicine Show.  It consists of current and former members of those three bands in particular, as well as a few others from Asheville, North Carolina.  They have released a CD of all original instrumental material.  To me, this is like witnessing (the genesis of) the future generation's Strength In Numbers.  When I first saw them at Be Here Now in Asheville, my jaw just dropped.  They did a little half hour set in the middle of Acoustic Syndicate's show during Bele Chere weekend.  I was floored, and I knew I had to have them at the festival this year. They were actually going to perform on a side stage last year, but their set was washed out by rain.

RST - You will be a little more prepared for rain this year?

TDAWG - Oh yes, that caught everyone a little off guard. Anyway, this year AVAS will do the "late night jam" on Saturday, until about 4am; and I should mention, they may have some other friends sit in as well.

RST - Speaking of friends sitting in, one thing I particularly enjoyed about last year was hearing Vassar Clements play with a few different groups.  He and Colonel Bruce really tore it up during the Planet Zambee set.  Can we expect more of that this year?

TDAWG - Vassar will be in town all weekend long for Harvest Festival this year.  He'll play with Bruce again for sure.  You can expect many other guests during that performance, by the way.  There will be a sort of mini-Zambiland Orchestra kind of thing goin' on.  Maybe with a little more organization (both laugh), just 'cuz we kind of have to have some organization.  Vassar will play not only with The Colonel, but also with Peter Rowan's Texas Trio (with special guest Tony Rice), and I'm sure he'll play with other acts. On Sunday, he'll join Good Medicine for part of the Gospel performance also.  That may turn into a bit of a Zambi church service.

There should be many guests during Rowan's set also. I'm sure you remember last year Rev. Jeff Mosier (Blueground Undergrass) and Curtis Burch (New Grass Revival) played with Peter.  That should happen again, and who knows who else will jump up with Peter.

RST - With Deep Blue Sun, Ancient Harmony, and Colonel Bruce on the bill, there is a bit of a roots rock and jamband presence at the festival, wouldn't you say?

TDAWG - Sure, and you can throw in bands like The Recipe and Blueground Undergrass who are also popular to fans of that whole line of music.  They may not technically be what you might call jambands, but they definitely have the same appeal. The same crowd will dig 'em!  I've also just recently added Juice to the bill.

RST - The group from New Orleans?

TDAWG - Yes.  They're probably going to do the post-wedding celebration.  We have some folks actually getting married on the main stage.

RST - Yes, I know them, Scotty and Mary Jane.  They met at last year's festival, right?

TDAWG - Yes, and we were actually just discussing the wedding details last night.  Since they met at our festival last year, they asked if they could get married on the main stage this year.  How could I say no to that?!  They're close friends of Deep Blue Sun, so the wedding march will happen during their set on Friday.  Then right after the wedding, Juice will kick in and we'll have ourselves a big ol' wedding celebration.  Then the rest of Friday will be Zambi evening madness.

RST - Last year Ancient Harmony experienced a nice growth spurt after their Harvestfest appearance, I have a feeling that this year the same will happen for Deep Blue Sun.

TDAWG - Absolutely, Deep Blue may be on their way. I'm looking forward to Ancient Harmony's late night set after Bruce finishes. They will perform on a tent stage called Cuckoo's Nest.  They'll go up and jam for as long as they want, within reason I guess.

RST - And of course, one of the best singer/songwriters in the South, Caroline Aiken, will perform at the festival?

TDAWG - She is absolutely wonderful.  She'll also bring on some of her Zambi friends.  Friday night has a large emphasis on the local scene on the main stage. Except, I guess, for Juice, although they have ties to Atlanta.  Even John Cowan's guitarist, Jeff Autry, is from the Atlanta area.  I like the large Atlanta, Athens, state of Georgia feel that we have this year.

RST - I wonder how many people know that it is quite a coup to land Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, The Colonel, Vassar Clements and others, all for the same festival. How have you paved roads for these relationships? Has this been a gradual thing, or do you just have a gift?

TDAWG - Well, I've been going to so many festivals over the years, and one common link to the chain is Peter Rowan.  He was at all of these festivals and I got to know him.  He's the mystical cowboy.  He is just so phenomenal.  So when I first decided to do this, he was the logical first act to try to book.  It was such a privilege, and exciting as hell to have him at my first festival, and now he will have been at all three.  When he performed "Land Of The Navajo" the first year, it was amazing.  You could just feel it reverberating through the woods.  It was one of those primitive, amazing experiences.  People that were there still talk about that.  His whole set was even better last year, with Jeff, Curtis, and Vassar playing with him.  He had a new line up, The Too High String Band our of Austin, Texas.  They are the other part of the Texas Trio, a wonderful group of folks, and amazing musicians.  They actually went to Berklee, you're originally from Boston, right?

RST - Proudly!

TDAWG - Well, they met up there while at Berklee, and then moved to Austin.  Now they're in Peter Rowan's Band!  It's exciting to know that Tony Rice is also playing with them this year.

I tried to get John Cowan last year and it didn't work out, which wasn't a big deal.  But I wanted to have him this year definitely.  I ran into him at the North American Folk Alliance, a conference up in Cleveland last February.  He told me he really wanted to be a part of it this year, and I was like, "well alrighty then" (both laugh).  I've got him for two days.  He will do one main stage set, and one tent stage performance.

RST - Although I had seen them before moving here, since settling in Atlanta, I have found myself seduced by the warmth and energy of Blueground Undergrass.  I particularly enjoy their pedal steel player Mark Van Allen.  Will he sit in with anybody else this year?  Also, how much Blueground can we expect over the course of the weekend?

TDAWG - They're gonna be here all weekend long.  They will play in the slot after Peter's Texas Trio set on Saturday night.  That will probably end up being another hodgepodge of guests as well, come to think of it.  They'll be available for sitting in on Friday, and most of Saturday.  I have Good Medicine performing on Sunday morning, doing a Gospel set.  Also, Reverend Jeff Mosier will lead a Zambilacchia jam session at the end of the festival after Donna The Buffalo performs.  It will be about a 45 minute session, probably with DTB as the backing band since they will already be set up.

RST - Good Medicine is made up of Blueground members, correct?

TDAWG - Exactly, it's actually what Blueground came from.  Now it's their alter ego, you could say.  I just did a show with them at the Red Light Cafe here in Atlanta.  Good Medicine is essentially Blueground without the drums and bass.  I'm sure Mark will sit in with other bands, I would be surprised if he didn't. I could see him playing with Caroline on Friday for starters.

RST - Where is he from?

TDAWG - He's originally from Michigan.  I don't know how he wound up down here.  I've been seeing Blueground since their first show, opening for Fiji Mariners at Smith's Olde Bar in February of 1998. They haven't been around that long, but they've each been playing for a long time, just each on their own levels.  That's why they're so good and professional. They've been through so many things outside of Blueground Undergrass.  It all is starting to come together for them now.

RST -So it seems like a pretty packed weekend musically.

TDAWG - Oh yeah, Donna The Buffalo, The Recipe..Guy Clark's gonna be there who is just...

RST - A tremendous songwriter.

TDAWG - Yeah, he's the man!  Being the native Texan that I am, I take pride in all of the wonderful songwriters that come from that state.

RST - Were you ever a musician back in the big state?

TDAWG - No, not really.  I played some harmonica. (laughs)  I was just always a music lover.

RST - Where did you get the bug for music?

TDAWG - I've always had the bug!

RST - Well, what inspired you to begin booking and promoting musicians?

TDAWG - That came out of a combination of my previous work experience, and that experience turning into unemployment.  Then I realized I had my chance to do something I really wanted to do.  I was down on corporate America.  I felt corporate America was a crock of shit in many ways.  I mean, it's secure, but it's also like prison.  I would rather have some insecurity if it means I have the freedom to do what I want.  I worked as a booking coordinator for the International Host Broadcaster when the Olympics were in Atlanta.  I learned how to handle a lot of logistics at once.  I handled ten million dollars in accounts involving Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Philippines, and the Arab States.  I worked on the World Cup prior to that, and the Super Bowl prior to that.  I also did a bunch of freelance stuff.  So, with my knowledge of logistics, and my experience attending festivals as a fan, and having lived here long enough to know people, I figured I could just put it all together and do something.

RST - I understand you have decided to have part of the company go non-profit.  How has this affected your long term view of where you want to go with this?

TDAWG - Well, it helps with the longevity of Harvestfest.  That's the only non-profit part of Tdawg Productions.  Harvestfest Inc. will be a non-profit entity.  I may do other shows under Harvestfest Inc. as well.  I think it will really help everything. Many of the big festivals, New Orleans, Newport, Philly Folk, and Merlefest are all non-profit.  There is a reason for that.

RST - Is part of it that it makes it easier for corporations to get involved?

TDAWG - Yes, it's an automatic write-off.  No hassle at all.  So, I think it's really gonna help maintain and enhance the quality of the whole production and the venue.

RST - Who owns Atlanta's Back Porch?

TDAWG - There are some landowners involved.  I'm hooked up with two local folks.  They were quite willing to go forth with this venture and see what could come of it.

RST - Will any of your other events be at this venue in the future?

TDAWG - Yes, we're purposely taking small steps to make it work right.  I'll continue to do events there. When I feel the venue is built up to where it should be to bring in outside promoters, then I'll look into that as well.

RST - Maybe a jambands.com festival!

TDAWG - You know, that could happen.  It's a quality location.  It's isolated, but easy enough to get to. It's right near the airport.  You're also near a major city, but you feel like you're miles away when you're there.

RST - Has there been any feedback, positive or negative, from the surrounding community?

TDAWG - I got a call from one of the landowners yesterday telling me that the local Amoco station needed more flyers because people were asking for them.  There haven't been any complaints at all from the last two festivals.  There are five homes on the little road that leads to the site.  We'll give them all free tickets for the whole thing and try to keep them happy.  I think quite a few more people showed up from the surrounding areas than did the year before. My network of folks that are willing to help me promote in those areas has grown recently also. Thanks to them, I'll be able to cover Fairburn, Palmetto, Noonan, Peachtree City, Douglasville, and all of the other outlying areas much more efficiently.

RST - On last question, are there any artists that you haven't worked with that you would really like to see yourself booking and promoting in the future?

TDAWG - I would really like to do something with Bela Fleck.  But my dream is to have Willie Nelson play at The Back Porch someday.  That's gonna happen.  I will make that happen!

Stepping Into a Snake Pit:  An interview with Viperhouse

by Hunter Pope w.h.pope@worldnet.att.net

A band can be like an accomplished snake charmer. The highly successful outfits are the ones that can deviate a frown into a google-eyed grin. There's a lot of pressure to impress because many people's attitudes can be reptilian in origin.  For example, a bad day at work can equate into a venomous attitude when the concert-goer arrives at the venue. A crowded interior can make that person even more edgy. The smoke, alcohol spills down the back, and Friday callousness by others can make one feel like a trapped cobra in a wicker basket. The solution is a band that can transform a poison pit into hypnotized ecstasy.

About two weeks before Christmas, I remember feeling like I wanted to plant my fangs in someone. The shopping frenzy had transformed me into Mr. Tiff, and I wanted to lash out in the most unpleasant way. My friend knew I was feeling unkempt and she invited me to a coffeehouse to see this Burlington, Vermont based band called Viperhouse. At the time, I found the suggestion to be ludicrous. I was already worked up. Why in the hell would I want to drink loads of caffeine (my nerves had dwindled into frays) and watch a stupid old band? Anyway, to make a short story long, I met my friend and prepared myself for a whole lot of bitching and sitting.

        The band came out of nowhere. There were nine, maybe ten of them at the time. The flood of brass instruments melted into a sultry violin and a rhythm section with a pocketful of jive. I heard teases of Ellington and flirtations with Mingus. It took two, maybe three minutes before I jumped out of my "basket" and into a trancelike euphoria. Viperhouse turned the Natural Mystic Coffeehouse into a den of sweat. Each musician was capable of leading the band down a spiraling road of aggressive and structured improv. They had so many layers to explore and so little time. Each song was a lesson on how to tweak the barriers of danceable and thought-provoking music. The only way I could describe it is to imagine Miles Davis if he ingested a disco ball. My surly mood had been sucked into the vortex of a wayward saxophone. The band responded to the swaying mob by slithering into the crowd and putting on an "avant-garde hoedown" in the middle of the floor. Viperhouse melded into the crowd, creating a unifying force that swelled into a big old ball of bliss. I swore to never be in a bad mood again.

        A couple of weeks ago, I found myself once again in the land of the sullen. I was going through the paper (in a ripping fashion) when I came across an oasis in the advertisement section. Stella Blue, a music hall in Asheville, was proudly announcing the return of Viperhouse on September 15. I threw my paper down and went in search of the founder, the only person that could explain to me why his band made me feel so good. The manager got me in touch with Michael Chorney, saxophonist/composer and the creator of my three-hour happiness.

        The source began in Europe in 1995. Chorney was on vacation with his family, touring the beautiful towns of Italy. A flood of music poured into his head, revealing a sound that would eventually become Viperhouse. "Over here you tell someone you're a musician and they say, "Oh, that's nice. What else do you do?" Michael said with a laugh. "In Europe you tell them that you're a musician and they say, ‘Fantastic! What kind of music do you play?'"  It was nice to get a breather, to get enough space to think about what I really wanted to put together."

        Once his pilgrimage was done Chorney returned to Vermont and assembled ten musicians that he believed would manifest the notes in his head. The musicians knew Michael, but none of them knew each other. "It was pretty magical," said Chorney.  "It was such a diverse crew. I tried to put together musicians who I knew that could work together well musically. The chemistry was of such importance. I had a strong suspicion that the chemistry of these people would work real well.  It was the dream band at that point. It was pretty deliberate."         The music that swirled in his head must have had legions of sound. My assumption was that the saxophonist was a student of be-bop, with a penchant for avant-garde. True and false. Chorney grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, listening to Neil Young. He was introduced to Coltrane at Potsdam, but the jazz inclinations didn't absorb until years later when a friend introduced Michael to his collection of over a thousand jazz LPs. By 1990, Chorney had helped release four discs for the popular So-Called Jazz Sextet. He liked the avant-garde, but he didn't believe the band had a visceral quality that made people respond. The saxophonist had his feet in two camps. The opposing sensibilities finally gelled with Viperhouse. "I think it's an advantage. The attitude towards music, for want of a better phrase, is a rock-n-roll attitude, rather than a conservatory, perfect, or what I call museum music," he said. "I love the history of jazz, it's wonderful. As far as to go out there and try to recreate things like a be-bop, vernacular...what's that about eventually? I like Neil Young a lot. It's just that attitude towards playing with things like texture and atmosphere; sort of almost like the physicality of the instrument and the music and the sound and the approach is as important as being able to play thirty second notes perfectly articulated."

        Add adjustments to that list. Since my last viewing, Viperhouse has undergone a surgery of sorts. Four appendages have been plucked away (personal reasons and the rigors of a growing fan and tour base) and one, Zach Tonnissen on tenor sax and flute, has been added. From a fan standpoint, Heloise Williams (vocals, flute) had a residual charisma that will be missed. Her vocal yearnings added a primal pepper to the band that exuded a flowing sexual energy. The old members are missed, but Chorney sheds a positive glow by seeing it as more room for exploration. Ray Paczkowski (Hammond organ, fender Rhodes, vocals) and Chorney have played together since the days of So-Called Jazz Sextet, which adhered to collective improvisation. The two of them have reintroduced some of those elements back into the reformulated Viperhouse.  "The old band is like, you can get on the bus and it will eventually take you where you wanted to go, but you might have a few stops along the way," said Michael. "The new band is an express. It goes one place. You get on and that's where you're going...we decided not to look the format as filling in a hole. We kept the essential element as far as approach and the spirit of how we make music together."

        Viperhouse also has a communal personality, which dissolves the essence of conflict. "The only ego in the band is that of the collective. The group as a whole is an ego of sorts...all six of us think alike. We know when we're hitting or not. All of us can usually agree when a set was 'good' or 'bad.' With the old group seven of us could come off the stage saying it was smoking, but a few others might come off thinking it was just OK."

        Chorney likes to categorize Viperhouse as "spasm band music". "It was the derivation of the very original jazz bands," said Chorney. "Spasm bands were the street bands in New Orleans at he end of the 1800's. They were called spasm because of the way they danced. They were doing this in a place called Storyville, or the Red Light District.  Those bands eventually started getting work in the parlors and entertaining the customers. Pianos, violins, and percussion were even in these groups. That kind of music is eventually what we came to call jazz."

        The viper name came from an old school term for certain jazz musicians. Mezz Mezzrow was a clarinet player who was known more for his introduction of "non-alcoholic" elements into jazz circles in New Orleans. "Those groups were called the vipers as opposed to the 'bottle babies', who were the heavy drinkers."  said Chorney. "Violinist Stuff Smith even wrote a song, 'If You're A Viper' that was pretty well known then."         "That's where our name came from but it's not like we're all Rastas or anything," he joked. "I liked the flavor of  (the name) and the slightly subversive aspect of it."

        Michael always has a "walking stick" ready to traverse down those trails of musical expansion, but he's not above stopping on the path to look at certain compositional elements. The band is doing the entire score to Fellini's 8 ½ for Halloween in Burlington. Viperhouse has encouraged the audience to dress up as their favorite Fellini characters. In addition, a studio album will be in the works for this winter. Chorney believes it will be a success, despite the band's inclination to soar off into the plentiful land of improv. "There will be certain songs that will stay improvisational, but we have enough compositional material for two albums. We also are beginning to write material for the six-piece...there will be certain songs that we can craft in a more traditional studio way."       

  I encourage all able-bodied grumps to come to Stella Blue on September 15th. Be as spiteful and chest-constricted as you want to be beforehand.  Think about all those cars that cut you off, the out-of-service ATMs, and the tele-marketers that know when you're getting ready to lay into that first morsel. Bring all that dark energy to the forefront. Let it spill all over your face, and down to your clinching toes. It needs to be out on display when Viperhouse begins the therapy. Don't worry. They won't judge you. Just don't be surprised when you float to the top of the room.

[Hunter Pope is a writer living in the hills of western North Carolina. He also writes for the Smoky Mountain News.  You can find out more about that publication at http://www.smokymountainnews.com]

Review:  Neil Young w/ The Pretenders, Tegan and Sarah
8/22/00 - Chastain Park Amphitheater - Atlanta, GA

by Rob Turner (jbsaund@yahoo.com)

Setlist:  Motorcycle Mama, Powderfinger, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, I Believe In You, Unknown Legend, Dance, Dance, Dance, Buffalo Springfield Again, Razor Love, From Hank To Hendrix, Daddy Went Walkin, Peace Of Mind, Walk On, Winterlong, Bad Fog Of Loneliness, Words (Between The Lines Of Age), Harvest Moon, World On A String, Tonight's The Night

E:  All Along The Watchtower E2:  Mellow My Mind, Cowgirl In The Sand

Many in the crowd tonight had been at the brilliant Philips Arena CSN+Y show, and fond stories of that evening were shared with jubilance as everybody tried to ignore the fact that they were forced to wait for the doors, which opened about an hour late.  Some were perturbed, as many folks take advantage of the venue's policy of allowing people to bring their meals into the show (although coolers and bottles, which are allowed at most events, are not allowed at rock shows).

I believe Tegan and Sarah were asked to shorten their set, as they only performed five songs.  They proved to be very good songwriters, but the indifference of the notoriously rude Chastain audiences seemed to get under their skin.  The chatter was so loud it seemed to completely drown them out a couple of times, and the applause was so meager at the end of two of their songs they were compelled to address it from the stage.  They were so miffed that they asked, "How many of you are excited to see Neil Young and The Pretenders tonight?" just to goad some applause out of the predominantly self-absorbed audience members.  Chastain Amphitheater brings out many people who don't really know how to behave at concerts.  This is a beautiful venue only tainted by the many wealthy people who buy season tickets so they can have nice background music to their pretentious conversations.  I have nicknamed it "Chat-Stain Amphitheater," as the chatter is the only stain on this gorgeous place.  It is such a nice place that Venue Of The Month editor Dave Saslavsky drooled like a ten year old on his first trip to Hershey, Pa when he saw Bela Fleck with the Atlanta Symphony here last year.

This didn't bother Chrissy Hynde and her current incarnation of The Pretenders. From the low-key version of "The Loner" which opened the set, to the heartfelt, passionately sung, set closing "Needle And The Damage Done," they had much of the crowd's attention.  I had sneaked up to the second row by the time their set started, and I was immediately taken by Chrissy's ability to work a crowd.  She is a woman of advanced years now, but she is every bit as sexy and energetic as she ever was. Early in the set, there wasn't anyone around me, and she kept singing toward me, and coming up and jamming in front of me with a twinkle in her eye.  At one point, she even gave me a wink.  I was wondering if she was still married to that guy from Simple Minds or if I could ask her out...yeah right! (I couldn't help but think of the legendary Boston DJ Ken Shelton who often spoke of his love of Hynde's heiney). We didn't get "Middle Of The Road," "Precious," "Stop Your Sobbing," "Roomful Of Mirrors," or "Forever Young," but the great versions of "Talk Of The Town," "Night In My Veins," "Back To Ohio," (or is it "My City Was Gone?"), a stomping' "Back On The Chain Gang," and the encore of "Brass In Pocket," more than made up for these omissions.  During this encore Chrissy shed her guitar and prowled the front of the stage.  She seemed to make eye contact with every person in the front ten rows.  She also got down on her knees and kissed the stage that Neil was going to perform on, commenting "I know all of you would do the same thing if you were up here." She appreciates our boy.

I may not be the most knowledgeable Neil fan around, but I thought he delivered one hell of a show.  It wasn't as electrifying as a Crazy Horse show, or as hypnotic as a solo show, but there were alot of chestnuts, and I didn't budge from my seat (which was back in the fifth row for this set...dead center though baby).  As if to immediately silence any jerks mumbling about Nepotism, Neil had his sister and wife (who are the backing vocalists for this tour) each take a verse during the set opening "Motorcycle Mama."  His sister sang the "I'm runnin'" verse, and his wife sang the "Well I'm here to deliver" one.  They each belted out strong, confident lead vocals.  This was a nice bouncy table setter with a hint of raunch.  "Powderfinger" is a great choice for a follow up, as when he says, "look out mama," it makes you think he's talking to the motorcycle mama of the first song.  Also, there is a line in the set opener that says "I'm here to deliver, I hope you can read my mail," and! "Powderfinger" has the line, "I think you better call John, 'cause it don't look like their here to deliver, the mail."  I got a kick out of it anyway.  It wasn't the full-blown, balls-to-the wall "Powderfinger" that we have been treated to on past tours, but he enunciated very well, and seemed more interested in delivering the lyrics than the anger of the song.

I grew up on the Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere album, so when he donned a straw hat and offered a note-perfect version of the title track of that album, I was overjoyed.  I don't think I had caught this one live before. This is when the show really started to kick in for me, as the pedal steel and piano sounded absolutely spectacular.  Neil brought forth an elegant lead vocal on "I Believe In You," and again the pedal steel was very sweet. Unfortunately, some young drunken boys were talking incessantly... I found it really odd that these same people were asking me to sit down as well.  I obliged, but I told them I would sit down if they would shut up.  They agreed, but the guy to my left really wanted to dance so he didn't seat himself.  Then the pricks behind me pulled off one of the most selfish and arrogant maneuvers I have seen in twenty years of going to shows.  They went to security and had SECURITY USHER THE GUY OUT OF THE SECTION during "Unknown Legend."  The guys behind me then proceeded to high five each other, slap each other on the back, and laugh loudly.  All I could do was pray for these guys that they won't be assholes there whole lives.  Oh yeah, they continued to talk loudly during some part of every quiet song Neil played.  It's a MUSIC event people, not a TV SHOW.  Dancing is not nearly as rude as asking people not to dance so you can see the artist whose music you are talking over!  Dancers could help by trying to sit when it's appropriate, but I for one would NEVER ask anyone not to dance at a show. And what could be so important to talk about that can't wait until the end of the performance that we've all paid good money to see?  Maybe it's just that I was got spoiled growing up in Boston where most people know how to behave at concerts, and, for the most part, how to be respectful of an artist and the fans that support the artist.  Can't these Atlanta yuppies (it's a problem at alot of large scale shows with quiet moments down here) just go talk over the latest action movie, or N'Sync show, or something else more in tune with their tiny little attention spans?

Anyway, I found the electric take on "Unknown Legend," was even more of a celebration of the lovely woman in the diner, than the original. I think this is when the dobro came out as well.  The pedal steel player also offered some tasty lap steel and dobro at various points during Neil's set. The dobro was particularly interesting when it was used on a couple electric songs, and it was a driving force during a couple of acoustic numbers. Ironically, "Dance, Dance, Dance" was performed after this guy was unceremoniously removed.  Like many times on Neil's 1999 solo tour I found it interesting to see him perform a song that isn't on any of his albums - although it was oddly familiar.  He followed with two from his Silver and Gold disc that came out this year.  First, "Buffalo Springfield Again" was nice, I was pleased that some in the crowd picked up on the humor that is in this song, as there were a couple of moments of audible laughter.  Then, "Razor Love," was mesmerizing, Neil seemed to be immersed in his delivery, enunciating every syllable with gut-wrenching emotion.  I think he really loves "From Hank To Hendrix" as I have seen this one at most of the shows I've caught since it was released on Harvest Moon.  "Daddy Went Walkin'" (also on Silver and Gold) was outstanding, many heads that weren't moving during much of the show began to bounce during this one.  Neil talked about the farm that his Dad has up in Ontario, and reminisced a bit.

By the way, there was other banter.... He joked about now having a "tuning farm" and later when tuning a couple of times he mentioned "oh, it's back to the farm again".... He talked about playing Atlanta's Fox Theater with the Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Beach Boys in the sixties, punctuating it with a "how 'bout that?!".... He also mentioned that the steps up to some botanical gardens here are haunted, "I don't know why, they just are.".... He also said, "This is a nice place you got here" very similar to his comment on the Austin theater on the Silver and Gold video.  The next five songs were for the hard cores.  They were all rarities, and it allowed the mainstreamers and the drunks some time to have more conversations, or get bored, or walk around, or go pee.  "Peace Of Mind" was pure elegance, and they romped through "Walk On," during which we started getting a little peek at some of that crazy, heavy Neil lead work.  This song is on the On The Beach album which, by the way, is kind of hard to find on CD.  "Winterlong" (which only appears on the Decade compilation) was a spine-tingler, and "Bad Fog Of Loneliness," was sung with brilliance.  He really was into singing the "I dream of sweet caress from you" lines. Again, it's a real treat to hear another song that is Neil penned, but unreleased.

My friends Dave Saslavsky and Matt Carlson had each reported that "Words (Between The Lines Of Age)" was the highlight of the Hartford Neil show. This definitely proved to be the case again tonight as his stellar lead vocal and the two crushing instrumentals took me on a tremendous inner voyage.  The first jam started with some piercing pedal steel lead work, which led to some crafty but incisive Neil playing, before culminating with some dual Neil and pedal steel lead.  The second jam started quietly, with the pedal steel gradually building the wave 'til it was big enough for Neil to leap onto it and explode with notes and fiery, ageless energy; a more than welcome assault on my hungering senses...God bless Neil Young.  This was amazing, and the applause at the end of the song (and every song that followed) was THUNDEROUS!

"Harvest Moon" was sweet.  "World On A String" sounded a bit edgy, almost defiant in an electric setting.  Right when this one ended the roadies leapt into action to set up an alternate keyboard area for Mr. Oldham, as Neil took over the main keys for the set closing "Tonight's The Night."  Neil again was completely inside the song, with a soulful, moving lead vocal.  He even put on a shaky voice the two times he sang about how his old buddy, and roadie, Bruce Berry used to "sing a song in a shaky voice."  (The song is an ode to Bruce who was a roadie and close friend of Neil's, and he passed away in the seventies.)

"Watchtower" was a killer... and that's not just 'cause I'm a Dylan freak. Neil shredded each solo in stellar fashion.  During the third verse (Neil turned it into a four-verse song by repeating the first verse at the end) after he sang "a wildcat did growl" Neil got a wild sounding noise out of his guitar.  When he wrapped up this verse, he launched into the most vicious, scathing, beautiful lead of the night.  He again thwacked my eager soul into blissful submission.

Neil actually left the stage, many in attendance left the building, but then Neil returned for a second encore.  "Mellow My Mind" was appropriate after this mayhem.  He even had a hint of a wry grin as he sang "make me feel like a schoolboy on good time, jugglin' nickels and dimes."  As this song ended, I noticed that there were just over ten minutes left before Chastain's non-negotiable 11 o'clock curfew.  Not sufficient time to offer "Hurricane," and give it a full workout, but enough time for a superior rendition of "Cowgirl In The Sand."  The jam before the last verse was transcendent, and Neil played with the noise of the final jam right up until 11 o'clock on the button.

This is a tour for fans that appreciate all of Neil's material.  If you just want to hear the songs that get continually rammed down your throat on the radio, you might want to sit this one out.

Review:  Bloodkin
9/1/00 - Smith's Olde Bar - Atlanta, GA

by Julian Eldridge (j.s.eldridge@worldnet.att.net)

Simply put, the best Bloodkin show I have ever seen.  By a long shot. v Going into that show, here was my frame of mind:  I am accustomed to bands choking, or at least not delivering 100%, when the tape is rolling (they were recording for a live album this night).  I was not particularly excited about seeing Bloodkin this night.  I go through cycles, as far as Bloodkin goes...  I won't see them for a while, then I'll get a hankering to see them, and I'll see a few shows, and I'll get my fill and get tired of seeing them, so I won't go for a while.  I was at the 'I've had enough for a while' point, I went only to lend home town/home team support and be a cheering voice for the ambient tracks.

Not only did they not choke, they delivered an outstanding, top-notch performance from top to bottom.  They were tight and energetic.  They were in a solid groove all nite long, and you could just tell that they knew their mojo was working big-time. Additionally, Bill McKay (formerly of Derek Trucks Band) sat in with them all night on keyboards, and this added a whole new texture to their songs. All this combined to really push a continuously building and multiplying cycle of energy from the stage to the crowd and back.

Rather than go through the whole show, I'll use 2 songs as examples:

1.  Makes Sense To Me.  with a little bit of rearrangement, they took this, one of my least favorite songs, and turned into a surprisingly captivating, enlivening tune.  I didn't even recognize it until Dannys started singing the words.  I have never been one to use 'creative' or 'inventive' when it comes to describing Bloodkin's performances and renditions of songs, but this MSTM was, by virtue of it's creativeness and inventiveness, the best MSTM I have ever heard.

2.  Quarter Tank Of Gasoline.  Danny on acoustic, Eric on electric.  While I agree with 2 Arm Steve that the overriding tone of this song is one of evil or sinister foreboding, this particular version explored a half-dozen additional emotional elements, beyond the sadness/melancholy that is the hallmark of the distance between the narrator and the girl passed out in the passenger's seat.  Danny's unbelievably soulful lyrical renderings gave this version a previously unknown level of of depth and range of emotion, and created a chapter or scene in an ongoing series of events - similar to the Dead's ability to tell a part of the story but in telling just that part, opening you up to what had come before and what was to come after (see:  Me & My Uncle, Jack Straw, Peggy-O).  This version held out hopefulness that this gap might be bridged in the future, maybe due in part to reflected joy at remembering perhaps what used to be happier times between the two before this trip.  The ghosts were on this night not just demons from the past but perhaps angels of the future as well.  And I got the sense that this was not just a wandering, goalless trek into the night. I was now aware of not only a purpose/'push factor' to being in the car, on the road, but also a destination/'pull factor' beyond the Florida line, and that maybe they would somehow manage to get to the point where they had enough fuel, this time, so they could reach their destination and meet whatever lay in store for them there.

Like I said, the best Bloodkin show I have ever seen, by a long shot.