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International Report
Edited by Evan Newman - newmando@hotmail.com

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Widespread Panic
August 10, 1999 - Amsterdam, Netherlands

by Pat Goodwin

On August 10, 1999, Widespread Panic kicked off its 14-show European tour in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. This was Panic's 3rd visit to the city in the past 18 months. There must be something about this place that keeps them coming back. It could be the quaint streets that wind along the never-ending canals. It could be the coffee shops that have an abundance of some of the best herb you will ever smoke or it could be a city full of the friendliest, most open-minded people in the world.

The band had just finished a two-night stand in Aspen, Colorado some 30 hours before when they came onstage for soundcheck. They all looked to me like they had just awakened. The check was the strangest that I have ever witnessed, as it was pretty much just a bunch of jams. When they were done I asked drummer Todd Nance how Aspen had gone. He replied "Hey, Bobby played with us man and hey, well I think I am taking a nap." As the crowd gathered inside the old church now called the Paradiso, we were all pleased to see the floor pretty much full. That 3-night dream stand in Amsterdam just might eventually happen. Most of us who did not go to Aspen had been hanging around a few days anyway.

The band hit the stage a little past the scheduled nine o'clock start time. They opened the show with the very appropriate Travelin' Light. It seemed to me that they were all much more awake now as they looked out over the smoke-filled, hazy room. When they next went into Sleepy Monkey, all I could do was smile and laugh. The jams in this tune seemed much more eerie than usual. The energy in the crowd was tremendous as I think we were all very glad to be in a place where we could enjoy our pleasures in such a relaxed state. The Georgia freak anthem Henry Parsons Died followed as the crowd found its groove. I loved the spaciness of the Raise The Roof that came next as those of us in the taper's section stared at the cloud at the top of the roof. The sounds of Junior then pounded away as we re-found our dancing shoes. Keyboardist Jo Jo Hermann then belted out Blackout Blues. For some reason as he belted out the line "moving back to Mississippi, before I lose my mind," all I could think of was CATFISH! Tallboy then reminded us that we were in Europe to party. C Brown wrapped up the first of 20 some Europe sets to come. Setbreak was a blast as many of us found friends that were doing the tour that we had been unable to locate before. There is an unwritten rule about Amsterdam: if you have not been lost there then you have not been there.

The second set opened with what is the Spreadkin's favorite cut off the new album, Surprise Valley. I love the theme of the song, which is the spirit moves in all things. This version was well played as many people told me it was their first live listening. The boyz were now hitting stride as they broke in to Arlene. It was incredible as the crowd sang along with the line "woke up this morning about 10:13, six pack of stout and a stick of sensi." The killer Jo Jo tune Dying Man followed, then Makes Sense to Me. The meat of the show was next: Pleas>Swamp. Swamp is a Talking Heads classic that was debuted last Halloween in New Orleans. The words hit home on this night as much as they did on that crazy fall night in the Big Easy. A tremendous jam followed that flowed in to Drumz. Bassist Dave Schools came back out for the latter part of drumz as he would for the rest of the tour. I will never forget a couple of weeks later when I caught an English bouncer in London bopping his head to the music. I asked "do you like this band?" He replied, "that bass player kicks ass!" I replied "yes sir he certainly does!" On this night Dave was quite animated and was laying down some funk to the beat of the drumz. A very short Maggot Brain followed onto one of the band's staples, Driving Song. The instrumental Breathing Slow took us into the set closer, Radio Child. I was very pleased to see all the band smiling as they left the stage.

The crowd definitely earned the encore as the boyz started into another Talking Heads cover, City of Dreams. Hugs were all around as lead singer John Bell sang about the romance of adventure and travel. The hugs started again as JB changed the Germany and Europe line to Amsterdam and Hamburg. They left again to thunderous applause. I was amazed to see the band reappear again. The always-quotable JB said into the mic "we got confused, thought we were leaving, but ended up right here." The closer was All Time Low, as all of our principals were reaching an all time low.

My advice is if you have never been to Amsterdam - get your butt there. It's a smoker's paradise, but on this trip I also saw VanGogh and Rembrandt paintings. Oh and when lost I ran in to a Sunday morning flower market that is one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed. Expect to see Widespread Panic back in Amsterdam in early 2000. Personally, I will be there with or with out my favorite band.

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A New Realm of Music Has Arrived

Throughout this past decade, music has never been so diversified. From alternative to hip-hop to the recent latin explosion, never before have music fans been bombarded with such a wide array of musical styles. As we approach the end of the century we might ask the question: What musical style will carry us into the new millennium? The answer, may lie within three guys form Toronto who call themselves The New Deal.

What started out as an escape from the boredom of being a house band has turned to a musical phenomenon that leaves improvisation music fans worldwide in awe. The music is unique and eclectic, combining the pulsing sounds of electronica (DJ's) and the energy and flow of a jam band. The one element that puts The New Deal in a class by itself is that their sound is live, no samplers, no overdubs and no loops. The New Deal has taken improvisation music to a new level; Dance oriented music that is fully improvised.

The band has been in existence for the past ten months, it consists of three musicians who have been a huge part of the Canadian jam scene for years. Each member hails from separate bands that were key in the development of improvisation music throughout Canada. Darren Shearer, a former member of Gypsy Sol (a once fine Toronto funk band) is on drums as well as performing an incredible beatbox. Bassist Dan Kurtz hails from the latin influenced Que Vida and has been an integral part of the rave scene in Quebec, so is quite familiar with dance music culture. Many local fans recognize the name Jamie Shields as being the backbone of Toronto jazz funksters One Step Beyond. Now, the Keyboardist/Moogist has climbed to new heights and opened up a whole new world as a member of The New Deal.

The interplay between these three musicians is quite astounding. They have managed to marry the two most revolutionary styles of music (electronica and improvisation) into one awe inspiring form. The New Deal have created a viable and legitimate alternative to both the music of DJ's and jambands alike. Comparisons to bands like Medeski Martin and Wood are likely. The similarities lie in the musical setup(both three piece outfits) as well as the input of improvisation. The difference being that The New Deal is fully improvisation as well as being more focused and in tune with dance music (MMW being more focused in the jazz realm). Experimentation and the ability to go outside the norm of contemporary dance music makes The New Deal a rare musical entity.

One night in Toronto last October, a musical epiphany occurred as the three members of The New Deal reached new heights in their musical performance. "A rare night where the musical stars were in alignment" says Shields. Fortunately, the show was recorded and has become the bands first official release. "This is Live" has sold several thousand copies worldwide on the Mo'Funk label domestically and Time Warp label overseas. The album, with it's ambient rhythms, infectious beats and intensified jamming defines what The New Deal is all about. The band recently performed at Berkfest in Massachusetts where according to a few fans left the crowd pretty "freaked out". Along with Berkfest, The New Deal have performed with such notable acts as Fun Lovin Criminals, Los Lobos, The Roots and Soul Coughing. The band is planning to take their unique sound to Europe later this year which should propel the band to international appreciation and recognition. Look for The New Deal in the east coast U.S. in early October continuing with a west coast run from October 16 to October 30. They will be performing in Ontario in mid-September (Kingston Sept.15, Toronto Sept.17).

The New Deal is the real deal. A futuristic sound performed in an organic and natural way, fully improvised. The music has arrived. Check out The New Deal at: www.mofunk.com.