Concert review - Saul Williams and guests

8 November 2009 (Fox Theatre, Boulder CO)

This show was part of the first national Afro-Punk tour, as an outgrowth of the Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn. Afro-Punk is a multicultural scene, giving a rallying point to outsider urban kids. The community fosters a punk attitude, where political expression, skate culture, and music all come together along with non-simplistic view about racial stereotypes and expectations. The tour continues from here out to California and up the coast.

Saul Williams is an excellent choice as headliner for this tour. His poetry and performance identify well with the Afro-Punk aesthetic and he's fairly well known nationally. Most the people I talked to before the show said that he was the main draw. They were ready to be moved by his words and his beat.

The night's entertainment split into two halves. The American Fangs and Earl Greyhound provided a more traditional rock band show, while CX KiDTRONiK with Tchaka Diallo and Saul Williams took more of a punk/rap approach.

DJ Musa

Denver turntable artist DJ Musa wove throughout the whole evening. He started the show, running an ongoing series of mixes, and also filled the time during the stage changes between acts. With a pair of digital Midi turntable controllers and a MacBook, he threw together some typical laptop grooves with some scratching. The mixes were not bad, with lots of the expected hip hop beats, but he also tossed in some punk and Nirvana to keep the crowd's ear. One particularly sweet transition was when he smoothly flowed from Public Enemy into Living Colour's Cult of Personality, which features a cool, off-beat guitar riff.

American Fangs

Houston's American Fangs started their set at top speed and never slowed down. The brownian motion on the stage set a punk mood, but the band is very polished and tight. The music was more of a thrashy hard rock. The frantic, restless vibe was a good start for the main attractions.

The songs were catchy enough. They sounded a bit like the Arctic Monkeys -- which is a great club sound. That was one hardworking drummer and their lead guitar player knew how to pose while he shredded. I've talked about "snotty boys with guitars", American Fangs are "angry boys with guitars".

During the set break, I talked to their singer, Gabriel. He said that they're enjoying the Afro-Punk Tour, but the drives can be pretty long -- they drove 22 hours to get to Boulder from New Orleans. After this tour, they're planning to record a new CD. Their last one, which they were selling for $5 at the show, had been recorded by their guitar player. Go to their site and listen to Le Kick, it's their contribution to the Afro-Punk sampler and it's a great rocker.

Earl Greyhound

Earl Greyhound is a trio out of Brooklyn. I kept counting and there were only three musicians every time -- but when I shut my eyes and listened, I'd come up with a bigger number. Their sound is thick, where the guitar shifts roles between fills, lead, and rhythm. Such a rich guitar tone: beautiful ringing guitar, fluid leads, and echo saturated psychedelic sound. The bass playing was smooth and melodic, featuring a light distortion and flange. Rounding out the sound, the drums were rich and syncopated, driving the beat, but never simplistic. The interplay of the male and female vocals reminded me of X, even if the music was completely different.

The first song of the set recalled Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, which set the tone for the rest of the set. The Led Zeppelin sounds persisted through a full set of epic songs, which featured some interesting chord progressions. Occasionally, they evoked more of a My Morning Jacket progressive rock sound. They played a new song that sounded like Pictures of Matchstick Men, with a droning vocal part echoed by the fill guitar. Sometimes, the bass and guitar twinned one another until they veered apart. This was hard rocking but complex music, in contrast to American Fangs.

I'm sorry that Earl Greyhound didn't have a CD for sale. I also would have liked to have talked with them after their set.

CX KiDTRONiK with Tchaka Diallo

And now for something completely different. When CX KiDTRONiK and Diallo hit the stage, it was a hostile takeover. They brought a low-fi musical approach, stripping things down to synth trigger beats and samples backing a mix of rap and punk vocals. At the same time, they created a visual spectacle, with sideshow antics and silly string. CX KiDTRONiK acted like he was in a manic Three Stooges movie, rolling on the ground and jumping up on his table full of gear. After a fairly short set, they closed with Shout, singing along with the old Isley Brothers record. That gave us a chance to catch our breath before Saul Williams

Saul Williams

Saul Williams had a backing band with guitar, keyboard basslines, and CX KiDTRONiK on synth percussion. He played a number of songs from his latest album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust. If you aren't familiar with Saul Williams, he performed in the movie Slam, doing spoken word/poetry. He pulled out stylistic elements of the Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron. As Saul said in Sha-Clack-Clack (and performed at the show), he "is that nigger". The punk noise of the last set arose again, but this time in service to the words. He exhorted the audience, laid out political and racial identity philosophy/questions, and rocked the house.

The music may have been there for the words, but everyone pulled their weight. Genre jumping from punk to reggae chank, to hip hop beat, to Fishbone rock, Saul and his band raised the roof while raising consciousness. Another crowd pleaser was Convict Colony, off the new album. Later, he even covered U2's Sunday, Bloody Sunday in a punk version. His singing there may not have been the strongest, but he made the song his own. The last song of the set, with a descending line like Bela Lugosi's Dead, spiraled into chaos. Saul came back out for an encore of a couple of songs.

Driving home after this four hour show may have called for black coffee, but I'll recommend Kamikazes for the show itself.

More photos on my Flickr.

Concert review - The Booze, Earl Greyhound, OK Go

14 April 2010 (Bluebird Theater, Denver CO)
Some concert lineups will always be a mystery to me. Why did the B-52s lead off Joan Jett and the Who, back in 1982? Last night had me scratching my head again. Three bands, each with a different sound, historical feel, and musical statement. Fortunately, I handle cognitive dissonance well and enjoyed the show.

The Booze

First up, the Booze took us back to 1965 for a Merseybeat celebration. The music sounded like the Animals with a touch of the Yardbirds, while the bandmates each took a slightly different approach in crafting their retro fashion statements.

Left handed Randy Michael covered most of the lead guitar duties. Front man Chaz Tolliver brought a manic energy. In constant motion, he channeled Keith Relf of the Yardbirds, even playing a bit of harmonica. He also reached for some Mick Jagger strut.

The Booze slammed through their set, each song quickly leading into the next. This kind of polish also harkens back to the British Invasion era. Their grooves were right and period perfect. These guys are totally sincere about this; there's not a whiff of irony. Even though the crowd was young enough that their parents were too young to know the original inspirations, they could respect the energy and party mood that the Booze created.

Earl Greyhound

If the Booze hit the mid-'60s, then Earl Greyhound took us into the heavy sounds of late '60s/early '70s hard rock. The volume kicked up and things got really intense. Within a matter of seconds, the crunch of Sea of Japan drove all other music out of everyone's mind. This time, they had a bit more stage time compared to their spot on the Afro Punk tour. They used it wisely to pound through songs off the new album, Suspicious Package.

Live, they continue to have an incredibly rich, thick sound. Matt Whyte demonstrated that he's a master of guitar echo and feedback, manipulating his sound from a heady maelstrom to a wailing howl. Then, the music would crashing into a throbbing roar as he drove the rhythm. His stage presence is fairly inwardly focused, but he still made a good audience connection.

Kamara Thomas showed off her mastery as well, tearing up the bass and striking Jimi Hendrix poses as she nailed her breaks. Even while she amazed us with her playing, she'd throw her head back and raise a chill with her incredible voice.

It's hard to pick a favorite song of the night. Oye Vaya was spectacular, with nothing held back, but Shotgun edged it out. This version was looser and trippier, flowing with the moment, but it still built into a more aggressive piece, with Ricc Sheridan's drum work spurring the song into a full cathartic experience. His drums are physically imposing and even his fills feel like body blows. As good as their albums are, this is truly a band to catch live.

OK Go

The full crowd filtered in during Earl Greyhound's set. While they enjoyed the mayhem, they were really here to catch the headliner. OK Go had enough equipment to set up to provide a nice pause before shifting gears again, this time into a contemporary take on '80s power pop. Their sound is catchy and mostly upbeat.

While the whole band did a fine job of playing, frontman Damien Kulash was really the star. He had a loose, conversational style to his banter that felt very casual. Whether he was thanking Denver for not mugging them (or killing them) or talking about sin and getting back to God ("I do shit you can't even imagine. I do shit I can't even imagine"), the audience basked in his attention. Hamming it up a bit, he often came across as a bit smug, but that stage persona fits him well and didn't hurt him with the crowd.

Much as their unique videos have garnered a lot of attention, OK Go's stage show was full of interesting elements, from a confetti cannon to the small video cameras feeding the backdrop screen on some songs. There was even a handbell version of What to Do. Sometimes, it was a much spectacle as it was a rock show.

OK Go played a good selection of past hits and new songs off Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. They led off with the older Invincible, which was quite a bit looser than the album version. That led right into the newer White Knuckles, which had the audience singing along. With every song, the crowd got more ecstatic. When Kulash came off the stage to play Last Leaf in the audience, that was almost too much. They also did one cover, of the Pixies' Debaser, with Kulash attempting to imitate Frank Black.

The set ended on a high note. Damien brought up a young guy from the audience who had posted a drum cover video on YouTube. While he added some drum work to the song, Damien coached the crowd on singing the bridge. It was a great set closer.

The encore added some more gimmicks, with special light up instruments (complete with frickin' lasers). At some level, it almost seemed like too much, but nobody in the theater was complaining.

As I mentioned, this was weird line up of acts, so there was no single drink for this show. Maybe a Tom Collins to start, followed by a Mackeson Stout, and finishing up with a Long Island ice tea. Not necessarily a drink menu I'd enjoy, but the concert was just fine.

Many more photos at my Flickr.

Top concerts of 2010 - Jester Jay edition

My Favorite Live Shows
I saw fewer concerts in 2010, but there were still plenty of high points. There's a special kind of magic abou a live show. An artist that seems decent on CD can reveal deeper qualities on stage. It's a chance for performers to connect with us as people at the same time as they show their own transcendent connection to their music. I raise a toast to all the musicians I saw this year, even those that didn't make this short list.


Muse with Passion Pit (2 October, Pepsi Center, Denver)
Muse missed their show in April when weather blocked some of their show gear from making it her. They rescheduled for October and it was all for the best. Passion Pit opened the show. Their dance-centric pop was okay, but not a great match. That didn't matter much, since the beginning of Muse's set reset the audience's memory. The show was sheer spectacle. The stage set up featured three large elevator pillars, intense lighting, and lasers. The music was more than strong enough to equal the presentation. Muse's heavy post rock sound kept the audience engaged and energized. The combination rivaled that Pink Floyd show your dad told you about.


Red Sparowes with Caspian and Fang Island (26 April, Larimer Lounge, Denver)
Another great evening of post rock intensity. These three bands meshed together relatively well. Fang Island opened with a looser, more joyous set. Caspian built a wall of throbbing guitar sound. Their stage energy was thrashy, in contrast to their tight arrangements. The drumming provided the focus to channel the guitars and the emotion. Red Sparowes were more inwardly focused, which gave their set a a more detached feeling. The carefully layered textures and the swirling hypnotic sound built a psychedelic trance that served as the perfect ending for this concert/trip.


OK Go with Earl Greyhound and the Booze (14 April, Bluebird Theatre, Denver)
What a weird line up. The Booze provided a mod, mid-'60s vibe. Their polished set and tight arrangements were nice. They led into one of my favorite new bands, Earl Greyhound. Their hard rock, power trio sound built up the energy for the show. Kamara Thomas' bass work and singing continues to amaze me. Earl Greyhound sounds great on CD, but their live show is simply stupendous. Their bombast contrasted nicely with OK Go's tight power pop. OK Go may be one of the more recent bands built by the internet, but Damien Kulash and the band showed that their gimmicks (the treadmills, the light up guitars, etc) are in service to crafting great songs. The show and the sound were tight.


Macklemore with Binary Star, Observatory, and Jimmy Hands (12 November, Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins)
The openers here were good. Binary Star, in particular, built up the energy. But Macklemore's triumphant return to Colorado was the main event. His stage persona was so genuine and warm that an audience couldn't help but connect with him. His joy at being on stage and getting to do what he loves came through. At the same time, his flow and insightful perspectives made the songs click just right. His producer, Ryan Lewis joined him and laid down some sweet backing tracks, too.


Bisco Inferno [Disco Biscuits and friends] (29 May, Red Rocks, Morrison)
The friends included a long list of interesting electronic artists: Pnuma Trio (from Boulder), Belgian DJs Aeroplane, Crystal Method, Glitch Mob, and German duo Booka Shade. The rhythms and jams continued from the afternoon til late in the night. All the acts were fine, but I particularly enjoyed the Pnuma Trio's jazz dance mix. Crystal Method worked the crowd and built up some great energy. Also, the Glitch Mob's set was impressive, with instrument swapping, laptop solos, and trippy soundscapes. Of course, the pinnacle was two full sets of the Disco Biscuits. The lighting, the costumed crowd, and the hypnotic jams created a neo tribal ritual. Biscuit shows generally meet this description, but the Red Rocks setting added its magic as well.


Gomez with One eskimO (8 March, Ogden Theater, Denver)
One eskimO opened the show weak on stage presence, but strong in sound. Kristian Leontiou's voice and the intriguing musical arrangements pulled their set together. Their big single, Kandi, was the high point of their show. Gomez nailed their songs with a looser, jam feel than the studio versions. The progression of songs seemed effortlessly inevitable: choreographed, yet casual. Their balance of psychedelia and pop was also perfect.


Flobots with Digable Planets and Air Dubai (10 December, Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins)
Air Dubai, from Denver proved to be a promising opener. They featured a tight rhythm section and band backing a pair of talented rappers. Speaking of tight bands, Digable Planets was backed by an incredible set of musicians. Cee Knowledge recreated the band's original jazz hop vibe. The Flobots, though, owned the stage. Their music and stage choreography were fluid. As good as their records are, they must be seen live to truly appreciate what they have to offer.


Cymbals Eat Guitars with Bear in Heaven and Freelance Whales (1 April, Hi Dive, Denver)
Freelance Whales brought their shimmery, indie pop, packed with interesting instrumental arrangements. Bear in Heaven played a synth-touched, post rock sound. These guys are great musicians and their set was exciting. Cymbals Eat Guitars transcended their studio sound to land somewhere between Pavement and the Replacements. Their great dynamics were just a bonus.


Good Gravy with Jonestown Potion (22 January, Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins)
Both of these local bands were standout. They each had the right dedication to the groove, even though they leaned towards radically different genres. Jonestown Potion's progressive jazz was mind blowing. Good Gravy continued their ongoing improvements to deliver two strong sets of jam grass. The group was more comfortable than before, without sacrificing any of their chops.


Honey Gitters with Novalectric (18 August, Aggie Theatre, Ft. Collins)
Novalectric's southern fried rock was good, if a little out of balance. The Honey Gitters expanded on their core jam grass sound to get a little wilder. This show featured more freeform jams than I've heard them explore before. These guys could easily appeal to fans of the String Cheese Incident and other favorites of the festival circuit.

There you have it. Ten wildly different shows, but all hitting the spot in a way only live music can.

CD review - Earl Greyhound, Ancient Futures (2010)

Punk came along to poke at ridiculous, self-indulgent excesses of '70s rock. After glam rock spectacle and cocaine driven ego rock, it was time for a change. And yet, something precious was lost in that simplifying fire. Today's post rock bands reach for that missing intensity, but rarely hits the joyous or exultant ambition that many early '70s bands aspired to.

Earl Greyhound is a throwback to that golden age. Though their music evokes Led Zeppelin and other great classic rock bands, they sound more like a contemporary band of that era finding their own musical path. Their power trio line up leaves plenty of room to show off monster skills while requiring tight playing. Last year, they made my top album and top concert lists. They are on my short list of must-hear bands. Ancient Futures is an EP recorded as part of their sessions for Suspicious Package.

Three songs clocking in at over 21 minutes gives a sense of the scope. Epic grandeur is the only way to describe this EP. Suspicious Package had the two part song, The Eyes of Cassandra, which was closest to this kind of reach. On Ancient Future, Earl Greyhound has taken the time to let songs grow organically, without worrying as much about structure or short attention spans.

Hellhound begins with a laid back jazzy vibe: just a loose vocal and simple keyboard chords. Then, it effortlessly unfolds into a chorus marked by richer, guitar driven groove while the vocals soar. Acoustic guitar, counterpoint backing vocals, and powerful drum work push it forward. The song structure takes on a looser organization than a simple verse-chorus. Each short section flows out of the last, but sparks a sense of unpredictability.

Lady Laser features Kamara Thomas' voice in a mix of heavy and soft. The pounding drum start and grinding guitar verses are fused to a lighter, psychedelic chorus section, which whipsaws expectation before setting up a jazzy keyboard soul bridge. The lyrics are straight out of 1970, too. Maybe a bit too theatrical for a modern band, but perfect here.

Finally, The Fall and Rise of Mu follows the pattern of bands like early King Crimson, Traffic, and Jefferson Airplane. A long introspective beginning takes its time to set the mood. The song lulls you into a receptive state as little elements filter in. When the vocals start the lyrics provide some trippy imagery. But the soft yin always flips to a hard yang as the band throw in some harder edges. Eventually, the song flows through classic progressive rock, Black Sabbath style heavy metal, wild jamming, and more modern sounding hard rock.

Ancient Futures came out in November and is available on their site. I'm already anxious to see what they'll tackle next. Garrett Oliver's fine Brooklyn Brown Ale is a fitting toast for this fine Brooklyn band.

Top albums of 2010 - Jester Jay edition

Top Albums of 2010
I rarely choose to review something I don't like. So, now, at the end of the year, I'm realizing the downside of having listened to so much music. It's difficult to pick ten albums. I have to leave off great bands, like Kaiser Cartel, Deluka, Kraddy, Tumbledown, Gigi -- see, I could easily pick a top 20.

Buckle up and let me share my absolute favorites.

Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This
Manic energy infuses Fire Like This. Blood Red Shoes erase the lines between post punk, indie rock, and modern hard rock. Despite being a drum/guitar duo, they wallop with a full sound that doesn't disguise their musical complexity. while the songs tend to split into post punk choruses and indie rock verses, they avoid becoming formulaic by throwing in contrasting bridges that careen off in a new direction. At a surface level, their indie rock sound evokes the Arctic Monkeys, but Blood Red Shoes have a deeper bag of tools to draw upon. Standout track: Count It Out. (original review)

Alain Johannes - Spark
Alain Johannes presents us with a rich, multi course meal of an album. Spark is a loosely connected concept album that deals with his loss of life partner/collaborator Natasha Schneider. The songs shuttle from mood to mood, jumping from style to style. It's held together by the strange attractor of Johannes' loss. Layered with looped guitars, intricate parts, and polyrhythms, the album develops a flow as wild as grief, as fickle as memory. Standout track: Make Gods Jealous. (original review)

Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer
Post rock/post metal, Red Sparowes are creating a type of modern classical music. There's a strong element of psychedelia, reminiscent of Pink Floyd, but the band uses that genre as a tool for exploring and expressing some quite interesting musical themes. Movement by movement, the songs create elaborate sonic mindscapes. Introspectively moving. Standout track: In Illusions of Order. (original review)

El Boy Die - The Black Hawk Ladies & Tambourins
It was fate. I almost didn't get to this in time, but El Boy Die made it to my ears just in time. The moody experimental folk that permeates this album underlies a wild sonic journey. The songs are usually centered on a simple guitar line and straightforward vocal arrangement. But then other elements are layered in to take the songs into a deeper space: tribal chanting, musique concrète, tatters of psychedelia. Taken as a whole, and that's how the album deserves to be heard, The Black Hawk Ladies & Tambourins is a strange ritual waiting for us to witness. Standout track: Moona Luna Tears. (original review)

Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea
Drink the Sea, appropriately enough, has a tidal feel: the arrangements are full of hard hitting hooks and retreating breakdowns. The Glitch Mob's electronic sound is very visual and evocative. Unlike some of their contemporaries, they capture an organic energy that adds depth. Glitchy artifacts mesh with sensual bass and organ lines. Each song offers its own mini-story, subject to the listener's discretion. Standout track: Starve the Ego, Feed the Soul. (original review)

Earl Greyhound - Suspicious Package
Earl Greyhound offers a serious power trio line up. Like the classic trios of the past (Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience), they are all virtuoso musicians who drive their hard rocking songs with an elegant economy. That focus doesn't mean that any of these songs are simple, though. The band mixes together Latin beats, psychedelic jams, and retro rock grinds to create a heady mix. You can hear influences from Led Zeppelin and Motorhead to the Doobie Brothers. Standout tracks: Oye Vaya and Shotgun. (original review)

Daft Punk - film score from Tron: Legacy
Daft Punk deserve full credit for creating such a strong film score. Their work for TRON: Legacy stays true to their electronic/house musical roots, yet sets up the recurring motifs and themes to accompany the story. The integration of the orchestra with electronic sounds is the key to their success. These short pieces may not fully resonate with Daft Punk's fan base, but they do mesh well with the film, creating the kind of updated sound that director Joseph Kosinski was looking for. Standout tracks: Derezzed and Adagio for Tron. (original review)

Lazerbeak - Legend Recognize Legend
Looping and layering from a beatmaster: Lazerbeak from Minneapolis' Doomtree hip hop collective. Let go of any preconceptions, because Legend Recognize Legend is more of an alt rock album without direct connection to hip hop. There is a strong electronic influence, but it's tied to a full palette of other instruments. It's tightly engineered, with some Peter Gabriel style rhythm touches. Standout track: Foothills. (original review)

Pas Chic Chic - 12"
My biggest problem with 12" is that it's a mere two or three songs (depending on how you count it. Still, that's 26 minutes of driven trippiness from Montreal's Pas Chic Chic. The opener is a krautrock groove while the closer (Premier Souffle) is an electronic tinged psychedelic journey. This latter song slowly unfolds and builds in an early Pink Floyd mode. Beautifully introspective. (original review)

Shadow Shadow Shade - Shadow Shadow Shade
Shadow Shadow Shade offer a grab bag of sounds, from post rock to psychedelic to retro rock. It's hard to pin down, but the mix is consistently interesting. The thick vocal harmony mix and intriguing drum arrangements are stellar as these songs shift gears and expose yet another unexpected twist. Despite this, the album is not in the least chaotic. Stand out track: Line 'Em Up. (original review)

CD review - Earl Greyhound, Suspicious Package (2010)

I got a taste of Earl Greyhound when they opened for Saul Williams on his Afro-Punk tour last fall. I wanted more...well, now it's here. Suspicious Package (due out April 13) is a rocking wonder of an album.

There are scads of retro touches and familiar sounding bits scattered throughout, but this is no Frankenstein creation. While not a concept album, there's a definite flow, from start to finish. The opening song, The Eyes of Cassandra, is split into two parts and starts with a late '60s jazz organ groove. Then it picks up a Latin beat before evolving into more of a psychedelic, art rock juggernaut. All of this in one cohesive song! Similarly, the last song, Misty Morning, builds from a mellow beginning to a Lenny Kravitz style soul, crashing into a classic jam band crescendo.

As good as those tunes seem, they're not quite the high point of this great album. That honor is split between Oye Vaya, which has gotten some early exposure, and Shotgun. Oye Vaya screams right out of the gate, nailing the target of Led Zeppelin (Immigrant Song) meets Heart (Barracuda). It rocks hard. Matt Whyte and Kamara Thomas' vocals are tightly intertwined. And Ricc Sheridan's drums flail over the top while locking in on the beat.

Shotgun kicks off like old Motorhead before building into more of a progressive rock space. Kamara Thomas pounds the hell out of her bass and brings the right level of vocal intensity to the lyrics:

I am nobody, nobody is who I am
I am a traveler on this land
And nothing, nothing, nothing remains

I am nobody, nobody is who I am
I am a traveler on this land
I am a wanderer on these sands
And I got down on my knees and pulled in my hands
And on the great wings of a great bird
I was carried to a temple, where I heard the word

The lyrics roll out like the tide, escalating every time it comes back to that "I am nobody, nobody is who I am". It's easy to get lost in the flow and just surf through the song.

As I mentioned, there are plenty of familiar teases like the Doobie Brothers' Taking It To The Streets in Black Sea Vacation and Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding in Bill Evans. But it never slides into pastiche. Instead, they blend these influences into the satisfying fullness of Suspicious Package. Pour a bottle of Stone Ruination IPA and raise a salute to serious rock.

Music news - Relevant rewards

Ignoring the biggest news of the week, I'm going to resist the urge to comment on Whitney Houston.

Photo credit: Ya'akov via Flickr/Wikipedia Commons

Instead, I'll focus on the Grammys, 54 years of "peer-presented" recognition of artistic and technical achievement. True confession time: I've never been that interested in the Grammys or any other awards shows. They've never struck me as particularly relevant. For that matter, the music industry itself doesn't seem all that relevant these days either. Record companies, through the RIAA, continue to wage war on their customers and the music scene keeps fragmenting, providing indie and DIY musical acts niches to achieve some commercial success.

Sure, the Recording Academy, the Grammy Foundation, and MusiCares support the arts and do more than merely provide an annual show with a few awards. These good works should be appreciated. Additionally, the Grammys' peer recognition should represent something more than pure money.

Still, because these peers are all tightly tied to the Music Industry (in caps), it still amounts to a popularity and record sales contest. That's probably not a big deal, though. The people who faithfully watch the Grammys every year are most interested in seeing their fan love be rewarded. I don't begrudge anyone their enjoyment of the Grammys.

But personally, I'm more interested in the micro level of fan validation: introducing my friends to my favorite music and seeing them fall in love, too, or sharing my joy with fellow fans at a show. I'm sure that Eric McFadden, Earl Greyhound, and Dengue Fever would love to win a Grammy, but they're all close enough to their fans to appreciate that practical connection.

Because it's all about the music.

A personal note about connection

When I started writing this blog six and a half years ago, it was really just a way to capture the concerts and albums I was enjoying. What started out as fairly brief write-ups blossomed into longer explorations and a huge influx of new music into my iPod.  Eventually, I branched out into playlists and interviews, most creatively with my Mash Up Summit. Over time, I started receiving lots of music submissions that helped me discover a host of great artists whose music has moved me. Many of these people are not as widely known as they deserve or they weren't when I first came across them: Macklemore, Matt Stevens, Team Spirit, Atomga, That 1 Guy, Bike for Three!, Earl Greyhound... there are more than I can count.

Looking back on this run, I am proud of how I've grown as a writer. That said, this blog grew into a second, unpaid job. To be fair, this has really just been a hobby and I've been well aware that there's not any money in this kind of writing. But I've come to ask myself, what do I want to get out of this, beyond the satisfaction of polishing an 800 word essay? Ultimately, I don't think it's money or fame,but engagement. Connecting with fellow music fans and artists would close the loop for me and make it less of a solitary activity. And there are a few musicians that have been responsive, but the truth is that most of my readers are just finding me by when they google some group or album. They drop in, skim my post, and move on. At this point, I get a little over 1000 hits per month and around zero comments. I don't think that's a flaw with me or my readers; it's just the nature of review blogs and the internet.

I want to find a way to forge a connection with people and I'm not convinced that being a critic is the best answer. Other forms of writing may provide a path or I may focus on sharing my own music. In any case, I'm not shutting down Jester Jay Music, but I probably won't be posting music reviews on a regular basis.

Thanks to all of the creative people who have shared their work with me, to David Harris for letting me write and edit for Spectrum Culture, and to the friendly PR people I've met over the years.

Feel free to respond to this with a comment or message, but I'll understand if you don't : -) Cheers!

Recording review - Smoke Fairies, Blood Speaks (2013)

Shadowy reflection remains open-ended

Like a stone dropped into inky black waters, there’s no recourse but to surrender and sink into Smoke Fairies’ murky swirl of hypnotic grooves. This is shadow music where voices from the subconscious interrupt idle musings, where meditative clarity is stripped down and revealed as obsession. Blood Speaks is a stunning collection of modern and retro psychedelia, moody pop, and folk rock sensibility. Echoes of older bands, such as Jefferson Airplane and It’s A Beautiful Day, bubble up through the solemn sounds of the Cowboy Junkies as Fairport Convention nod knowingly. The songs rely on pensive, layered arrangements to support the ghostly vocals, but each is a necessary part of the whole. Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies almost merge into an amorphous entity as their guitars intertwine and their voices blend together. Their close harmonies recall Heart or Fleetwood Mac, but harnessed to a darker riptide. Their singing often drives the feel of the songs: a bruised, but detached Suzanne Vega sound on “Version of the Future” or a delicate Kate Bush warble on “Daylight.” The pair has a unique dynamic sense, less tied to volume than levels of energy and intensity.

Blood Speaks sets the hook immediately with the obsessive drone of “Let Me Know”. It’s driven and unsettled; the guitars throb against the slower swell of subliminal bass in the right speaker. The verse starts out with quiet defiance:

You’ve got the power to bring me down
But I’ve got some sense and I’m gonna let it go
I see you coming like a wave of stones
But my destruction is mine to own

But the chorus reveals the rotten core to that confidence. Like an insomniac’s vicious, circling thoughts, it’s a mantra of regret: “Let me know where I went wrong/ I want to know.”

“Hideaway” is less damaged by love, but remains bittersweet. The gentle guitar sway on the verse is borrowed from Jefferson Airplane’s “Come Up the Years” while the singing leans towards Tori Amos and Kate Bush. The softer sections are bedecked with subtle details: light touches of keyboards and interlocking guitar lines build a beautiful rhythmic complexity while the vocal lines offer a taste of English folk. During the chorus intensity, strings and wordless background harmonies add to the disquiet. The tension between the lazy flowing verses and the clenching chorus accents the ambivalence in the lyrics, where relationships can keep fires alight but they tame a spirit’s wildness. Ultimately, though, the self-destructive weight of habit seems to lock the conflict in place.

Smoke Fairies have built their sound on a mix of American and English influences. Their time here, starting with a year-long relocation to New Orleans in 2002, led to recording with Jack White and breakout success at the 2010 South By Southwest in Austin. But the folk influences of Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention shine through their work. Blood Speaks builds on the brooding sound of their earlier albums, but shifts away from the heavier blues vibe they’ve used in the past. “The Three Of Us” is the only holdout tune, with a mercurial slide guitar. Like Earl Greyhound’s hard classic-rock psychedelia, the deconstructed blues riffs color the piece, but it’s too rich to be pigeonholed. Davies and Blamire bring their paired voices closer then further apart as they present the Zen koan of the lyrics, where a shallow storyline delivers a set of deeper philosophical questions. Answers, of course, remain elusive. All of their songs seem to thrive on a lack of resolution.

Unlike a lot of spacy psychedelia, Smoke Fairies don’t slip into self-indulgent lead guitar posturing or epic, meandering sonic excursions. Instead, each song is immersed in shadow, a morsel of twilight texture that invites reflection, if not illumination.

(This review first appeared on Spectrum Culture)

CD review - The Pimps of Joytime, High Steppin' (2007)

Brooklyn must have an incredible music scene because so many great bands from there are going national lately (including my favorite, Earl Greyhound). The latest one I've heard is the Pimps of Joytime (PoJT). My friend Brent texted me from a Michael Franti show to tell me about them and a quick search delivered the party to my ears.

High Steppin' is a couple of years old, but I also got a chance to hear three new unreleased tracks that I'll talk about at the end of the review.

First of all, Brian J and the band have studied under the masters. You can hear the inspiration of Sly, Stevie, George, and Carlos from song by song. The PoJT are products of their generation, so the sound is updated a bit with some samples and rap. And although there's a hint of Prince's falsetto vocal style on High Steppin', they've got their own take on classic funk and soul. They like to toss in some Latin beats to keep it interesting and their jam band party feel makes them a joy to listen to. I really need to catch them live to get the full effect, I think.

High Steppin' kicks off with PJT's High Steppin', an old school album intro track. They use a looped set of spoken samples to set a beat, which the band formalizes. Scratching samples, funk guitar, and other instruments come in to built a groove.

With the intro out of the way, the album slides into it's strongest song. My Gold uses complex poly-rhythms and a repetitive guitar figure to set up an Afrobeat feel. The falsetto vocal adds a touch of Prince or Sly Stone. By the time the song hits the solo, it can't quite decide whether to be Afrobeat, funk, soul, or psychedelic jam. It's all of those things together, swirling in a hypnotic stew. The PoJT effortlessly slide between genres, while maintaining the African foundation. This version is just under four minutes, but it's easy to imagine a 10 or 15 minute live version.

Another strong track is Bonita, which takes a Santana style groove and kicks it into modern Latin dance pop territory. The percussion and horn stabs are note perfect. While the guitar is keeping, it doesn't dominate the way Santana would, which gives the piano and horns more room to run.

The rest of album is pretty tight, from the Stevie Wonder feel of She-Do to the P-Funk keys and horns of Workin' All The Time. There are three tracks that seem out of place: the toasting DJ and solid reggae of Tea Time, the early '60s revival ballad of We Can Find a Way, and the odd mish mash of Hey, Mr. J. The first two aren't too jarring but the last one bounces between new wave, soul, Adrian Belew style pop, and a Latin section. It's the only distraction from a finely crafted album.

So, if that's the Pimps of Joytime from 3 years ago, how are they now? There are three unreleased tracks all available on their MySpace page. Janxta Funk is a hopping party funk groove, with a tight, P-Funk, Up For the Down Stroke feel. It's very danceable. Blues Wit You hits that Santana space again (think Oye Como Va), with some great lyrical flow. There's a lot going on in the underbrush: free floating, jazzy flute and solid bass licks. Finally, Pimpin' Music starts with a scratched loop, club beat intro and delivers another booty shake, sounding like classic soul dressed up for the disco.

The Pimps of Joytime are a great funk/soul band. They seem to bounce between the East and West coast, so catch them live if you can. In the meantime, grab High Steppin' from ITunes or Amazon. I'll toast Brent with an Anchor Liberty for turning me on.

Concert review - Megafauna, with Instant Empire, Bear., Hillary Hand & the Roseliers

19 June 2014 (Moon Room at Summit Music Hall, Denver CO)
Sometimes, there's no justice. Thursday night in Denver couldn't seem to summon up enough interest to go out and catch some music, so the crowd was disappointingly sparse. That wasn't fair for wait staff or the bands, but all four acts on the bill took it in stride and summoned up their enthusiasm so the lucky few of us there got a full night of energetic and entertaining performances. It's just a shame there weren't more people there to appreciate Megafauna's show along with the three regional bands that opened.

Hillary Hand & the Roseliers

Hillary Hand & the Roseliers from Colorado Springs opened the show. Like most ampersand bands, "somebody & the somethings", the Roseliers provide a showcase for Hillary Hand's songs and voice. That's not an indictment of the band's ability; they were talented set of musicians. But they muted their own personalities and playing so that Hillary Hand was never eclipsed.


Most of the time, the players seemed caught up in their own parts, although the backup singer, Melinda Hand, did interact a bit with rest of the band and with us. Where the others either checked in with Hillary or stared down at their instruments, Melinda looked around more, smiled, and made eye contact. Unfortunately Hillary came across as fairly shy and a bit nervous, so she didn't command all the attention that she could have.


Despite that, she and Roseliers had some very good material, with interesting structures and contrasting soft and loud moments. The tunes varied a bit in style, from a light country feel reminiscent of Emmylou Harris backed by a more modern rock band to dreamy pop songs. Hand had the vocal versatility to follow along, from a subtle twanged folk to ethereal fragility. She also seemed adept at finding a harder edge under the velvet. The guitarist, Joseph Degalia, stood out the most musically, with some nice chops. He had a good ear and a subtle touch, especially on slide. He never upstaged Hand, but his fills added some complexity against her keyboard lines.


By the end of their set, I appreciated their nuanced style. Then they threw a real curve ball. "Run Like A Rabbit" launched with a synth-pop/electro-pop feel that didn't mesh with their earlier sound. The band was more than competent enough to pull it off, but it was a weird outlier. The rest of the songs had a kind of eclectic continuity, but this felt a bit odd.

Bear.

If the Roseliers had a handle on soft to loud transitions, Bear. took that a couple of levels further, playing a good set of indie rock that featured plenty of thrashy breaks. Songs would settle into a solid drive, driven by the syncopated drums and punchy bass, but then interludes of cathartic frenzy would erupt as if the band couldn't withhold any longer.


Frontman Will Livingston dominated the stage with a huge personality and big movements. With his unpredictable shifts of persona, he was entertaining like somebody's drunk uncle. He was personable and clearly meant well, but he was mercurial as he surrendered himself to the music and acted out. When he was seriously engaged in the song, he radiated an intensity, but he could flip and be fairly meta and "ironic" too. Livingston spent most of the set on guitar but switched to keys for the last couple of tunes. He flailed around less on keyboards, but he still bounced in his seat.


The second guitarist, Bruce Butler, didn't try to compete with Livingston. He was quiet on stage, but he was an excellent player, laying down some metallic riffage and memorable fills. Bass player Dylan Camacho was also quite focused on his playing, but had a good physical presence with constant movement as he effortlessly held the bottom end. Rather than random motion, though, he favored more choreographed moves.


Most of their songs had a quick hard edge, but they also played a new tune that was poppy and uplifting. At the end of that final song, Livingston thanked us as it seemed to wind down, but then he ran to grab his guitar for the final chord. I'm not sure if this was a stunt or reaction to the sound problems he had had with his keyboard, but it was just another bit of sudden movement to cap their set

Instant Empire

Watching Instant Empire on stage, I have no sense of how these six guys ever met and came together. Various pairs appeared reasonably matched, but overall, they seemed to come from different ages, core musical backgrounds, and fashion styles. Despite that, their music was very well-executed, with each player knowing his role and smoothly covering his part. They played a mix of punk and post-punk rock, but they had a very immediate sound, without much sense of retro aspirations.


In general, I really enjoyed them, although the horrible fuzzed out keys on the first song were fairly off-putting. Imagine something like a staticky loose cable, but tuned, and you'll have an idea of what I mean. Fortunately, he picked some more complementary patches later in the set.


Lead singer Scotty Saunders owned the stage with his theatrical flair. Every moment had the perfect stylized gesture and facial expression. He'd prance one moment, then lunge forward menacingly in another. At times, his over-emoting got right up to the edge of campy, but never crossed over, in large part because it seemed like a natural part of his personality. It also helped that his vocals showed some diversity as they ranged from shout rap-singing to tight new wave crooning to punk proclamation. Most of the band let Saunders take the spotlight, but bass player Aaron Stone challenged him in his bid for the crowd's attention. The interaction was positive, though, with Stone being more exuberant than attention-starved.


It's also worth noting that this was the first show for Instant Empire's new drummer. He did a great job keeping up with the rest of the band as they flew through the tunes in tight formation. Their show was an energetic springboard to set up Megafauna's performance.

Megafauna

Megafauna's Dani Neff is not one of the most impressive female guitarists around, she's just one of the best guitarists period. She has enough jaw-dropping talent to sidestep the whole question of gender. Where many strong women players are forced to either trade on their sexuality or try to out-butch the boys, Neff doesn't acknowledge either of those paths as necessary or interesting. Taking in her performance at the Moon Room, I didn't miss that kind of posturing, because it was all about the music and face-melting, ear-shredding tone that Neff could wring out of her guitar.


I'll confess that, like most guitarists, when I watch another player, I often think about how I would approach the piece myself and judge their skills. Someone might be a little quicker than me, but I might still feel that my phrasing or tone are better. Neff's mastery of the guitar left me nothing but humbled and grateful to witness it.


While she could have carried the show completely on her own, the rest of her band rose to the challenge, showing off their own significant technical skills. Bass player Bryan Wright was a second focal point, both musically and visually. Reflecting the band's earlier lineup as a trio, he took over some of the rhythm guitar duty, easily tracking all of the twists and turns to these songs. Drummer Zach Humphrey was a busy player, building up syncopated complexity on the straight rock sections, but also driving the more interesting time signature changes. He had a dramatic sense of dynamics; he could knock the shit out of the drums, then drop back to cymbal work when the tune called for it. I did feel a little sorry for John Musci, the rhythm guitar player, because he spent most of the set completely in Neff's shadow, but his contribution to the foundation was important.


Megafauna led off with tribal drum beat and guitar whine of "Hug From A Robot," which set the stage for the rest of the night. The song borrowed heavily from classic rock, with a bit of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" crossed with Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic". They mine some of the same veins as Earl Greyhound, juxtaposing an insistent rhythmic drive with more thoughtfully paced vocals. Like many songs in their set, the band could dissolve from a throaty roar of fuzz to shredding out a flurry of notes.


After staking out their claim to classic hard rock and then edging into early heavy metal, they quickly expanded their musical sensibility and became harder to pigeonhole. Songs might incorporate blues, then fusiony jazz. They usually stayed centered on that dark heaviness, but even if they were locked in a psychedelic grind, they could turn into utterly unique directions. This constant possibility of surprise held the audience enthralled. Hypnotized by the groove, we were carried along, whether they leaped into hardcore thrash or shifted into El Ten Eleven or Trail of Dead style post-rock. Although Megafauna favored these lightning quick stylistic jumps, they were always in service to the song, much like their surprising time or key changes.


Through it all, Neff retained a rock star presence, knowing how to pose for effect, but never letting up her guitar assault. She'd casually slash at her guitar, but the sound was anything but sloppy. Even at the ecstatic height of a solo, she struck with precise control. The band's forays out from their hard rock core gave her plenty of room to vary her playing from wicked minor pentatonic runs to outside, chromatic riffs that naturally interlocked with the bass. More than just a guitarist, though, Neff adroitly covered vocals, changing character to fit each tune. One song might feature a less twangy version of X's Exene Cervenka style punk, but she could also summon a good gothy darkness like Siouxsie Sioux and a haunting, ethereal tone that suggested Björk in her saner moments. Of course, her singing didn't diminish her playing at all.


Bottom line: if talent ruled the world, we would be Dani Neff's loyal subjects. Barring that, we'll have to settle for worshipping her and Megafauna by buying their album on Bandcamp.

More photos on my Flickr.