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PHOTOS: Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (Eugene, OR – 3/20/12)
Seattle-based jazz/groove saxophonist Skerik brought his new band Bandalabra through Eugene’s Cozmic Pizza on their debut tour / West Coast CD release. The quartet made up of Skerik (sax), Dvonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), and Andy Coe (guitar) played two sets (over two hours) full of loops, noises, experimentation, funk, jazz and groove. Their debut CD, Live at the Royal Room, can be purchased at shows and probably soon via Skerik’s website.
SKERIK’S BANDALABRA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Skerik’s Critter’s Buggin’ Site (no official Bandalabra site yet)
- Skerik’s Bandalabra on Facebook
- Skerik on Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Dead Kenny G’s @ Mt Tabor Theatre (Portland – Oct 2010)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – July 2009)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – Oct 2008)
- Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – May 2008)
- Cozmic Pizza’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Ani DiFranco at the Roseland (Portland) on 3/31.
~Dan – np: Silver Mt. Zion – Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly Upward
Skerik’s Bandalabra Spring 2012 Tour Dates
- Thursday March 15 – Conway, WA @ Conway Muse
- Friday March 16 – Olympia, WA @ Olympia Ballroom
- Saturday March 17 – Seattle @ Nectar
- Sunday March 18 – Bend @ Players
- Monday March 19 – Welches @ Skyway
- Tuesday March 20 – Eugene, OR @ Cozmic
- Wednesday March 21 – Applegate @ Applegate Lodge
- Thursday March 22 – Arcata @ Jambalaya
- Friday March 23 – Sacramento @ Harlow’s
- Saturday March 24 – San Francisco @ Boom Boom Room
- Sunday March 25 – Los Angeles @ Bacchanal
- Monday March 26 – Los Angeles @ The Mint
- Tuesday March 27 – San Diego @ Winstons
- Thursday March 29 – Portland, OR @ Goodfoot
Holy F*ck – live on Q
Canadian live electronic/groove artists Holy Fuck hit Studio Q with Jian Ghomeshi a few months ago. It was a fave of mine on the Q podcast. Well, now the video for the session is online… “Red Lights“…
And “Latin America“…
~Dan – np: Marc Ribot – Shoestring Symphonettes 
Medeski Martin & Wood – 20 Download (reblog)
Today is the day… the first two songs are available for download. Go to the original post (below) for info on how to get Medeski Martin & Wood’s “Me2” and “Shackman“…
Medeski Martin & Wood – 20 Download
Medeski Martin & Wood have been around for 20 years. And to celebrate, they’re digitally releasing two new, never-released tracks each month (starting March 29th), for a total of 20 tracks by the end of the year.
You can pre-order the entire package now for only $9.90… right HERE. If you wait until after March 29th, the price per download is $0.99. So, act now, and get the new tracks for essentially half price.
With the pre-order, you will be alerted by email when the monthly 2 tracks become downloadable! The first two tracks will become available for download March 29th, 2011. See below for the release schedule for the remaining tracks:
4/26/11 – Tracks 3 & 4
5/31/11 – Tracks 5 & 6
6/28/11 – Tracks 7 & 8
7/26/11 – Tracks 9 & 10
8/30/11 – Tracks 11 & 12
9/27/11 – Tracks 13 & 14
10/25/11 – Tracks 15 & 16
11/29/11 – Tracks 17 & 18
12/20/11 – Tracks 19 & 20
If you happen to be in Oregon, specifically Portland, check John Medeski, Billy Martin & Chris Wood out TONIGHT at the Roseland Theater!
~Dan – np: Colin Stetson w/ My Brightest Diamond – New History Warfare – Judges, Vol. 2
REVIEW: Dead Kenny G’s & Trio Subtonic @ Mt Tabor (Portland, OR – 10/16/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
OK, so I have to start this out with an apology. I absolutely wanted to see Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. I had been up in Portland for a third night in a row (driving back to Eugene late each night)… and was thus quite tired and I couldn’t possibly stay for their set (which was posted to start at 12:30am). It’s a running theme on this blog… I miss them for one reason or another. Last night wasn’t gonna be a missed opportunity. Alas, it ended up as such. Damn. SO, JFJO, I’m sorry. I’ll do better next time. I dig your new one, Stay Gold. I’m getting old. I have no other excuse for bailing at midnight.
So, unfortunately this amazing triple modern jazz bill turned into an pretty damn good double bill for me.
Trio Subtonic started things off around 9:30. No Radiohead as in the past, but still a great groove for their 45 minute set. They really are what I’d consider to be Portland’s own Medeski Martin & Wood. Great piano-based three piece combo. They’ve got two killer albums out over at CD Baby (aka the best indie CD seller in the universe).
Skerik, Mike Dillon, and Brad Houser hit the stage after a short set change…
While also a three-piece modern jazz combo, the Dead Kenny G’s definitely weren’t a repeat of Trio Subtonic’s sound. Fitting with their name, they bring powerful elements of punk rock and a “fuck you” attitude to a jazz trio. Mix some sax groove from Skerik with some harder edged beats, avant-garde squeaks, gonzo drumming, and punk vocal belts…
I’d seen them before (at Sam Bond’s in Eugene), but it was nice to see them able to spread out a little more on the Mt Tabor Theater stage.
Setlist: over an hour
- Death Panel
- Birther Blues
- Black Goldman Sax
- “Black Death”
- unknown
- Bewildered Herd
- I’m Your Manager, I’m Your Pimp
- unknown
- Yeah, Cat
- Improv with some JFJO guys
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- DKG’s Site
- Skerik’s Site
- DKG’s on MySpace
- Skerik on MySpace
- Trio Subtonic’s Site
- Trio Subtonic on MySpace
- JFJO’s Site
- JFJO on MySpace
- Prior Related Reviews~
- Skerik / McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Oct 2008)
- Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s (May 2008)
- Skerik / McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (July 2009)
- Trio Subtonic @ Lewis & Clark (Oct 2008)
- Trio Subtonic w/ Sex Mob @ Goodfoot (May 2009)
- Mt Tabor Theater
Check out more DKG’s tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Milli Vanilli – Girl, You Know It’s True
DEAD KENNY G’S & TRIO SUBTONIC PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
DKG’s Fall 2010 Tour Dates
| Date | Venue | Band |
| 10.9.10 | Coda San Francisco, CA |
With Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle and Black Frames |
| 10.10.10 | Harlow’s Sacramento, CA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.12.10 | Forestville Club Forestville, CA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.13.10 | HumBrews Arcata, CA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.15.10 | Sam Bond’s Garage Eugene, OR |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.16.10 | Mt. Tabor Theater Portland, WA |
Dead Kenny G’s and Jacob Fred Jazz Oddysey |
| 10.17.10 | Chop Suey Seattle, WA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.18.10 | The Top Hat Missoula, MT |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.19.10 | Knotty Pine Victor, ID |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.20.10 | The State Room Salt Lake City, UT |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.21.10 | Aggie Theater Ft. Collins, CO |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.22.10 | Cervante’s Otherside Denver, CO |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.23.10 | Davey’s Uptown Kansas City, MO |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.28.10 | Kessler Dallas, TX |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.29.10 | Momo’s Austin, TX |
Dead Kenny G’s and Hairy Apes BMX |
| 10.30.10 | La Bon Ton Roule New Orleans, LA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 10.31.10 | The Blue Nile New Orleans, LA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 11.12.10 11.13.10 | Bear Creek Music Festival Live Oak, FL |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.1.10 | Momo’s Austin, TX |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.2.10 | Kessler Dallas, TX |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.3.10 | The Deli Norman, OK |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.4.10 | Eclipse Tulsa, OK |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.5.10 | Chester’s Fayetteville, AR |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.8.10 | Momo’s Austin, TX |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.9.10 | Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, LA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.10.10 | DBA New Orleans, LA |
Dead Kenny G’s |
| 12.11.10 | Martin’s Jackson, MS |
Dead Kenny G’s |
Holy F*ck – Red Lights (official video)
Holy Fuck‘s new video for “Red Lights” (their 2nd single from this year’s Latin) is adorable and dance-worthy…
Director: Brian Borcherdt & Michael LeBlanc
Production Co.: Slowlover Films
Executive Producer: Michael LeBlanc
DOP: Michael LeBlanc
Editor: Phil Prates
LATIN is one of my favorites this year. Go check it out on the Amazons.
Holy Fuck. Inspired by Kittens.
I’ll be seeing HF tonight at the Holocene in Portland, Oregon. Review with photos to be posted on Friday.
~Dan – np: Metallica – Ride the Lightning
Holy Fuck’s Sept/Oct 2010 Tour
They’re at it again… never letting up, the live-groove-electronic foursome of Holy Fuck is most likely coming to your town (unless you unfortunately live in somewhere in Nowheresville). You should do whatever you can to make it there! You won’t be dissappointed…
http://holyfuckmusic.com/tour/
Holy Fuck’s 2010 Fall Tour
- 8 Sep Zanzabar Louisville, KY
- 9 Sep Bottletree Birmingham, AL
- 10 Sep BOMB Festival at Howlin’ Wolf New Orleans, LA
- 11 Sep Mohawk Austin, TX
- 12 Sep Walter’s Houston, TX
- 13 Sep Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL
- 14 Sep New Earth Music Hall Athens, GA
- 15 Sep Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
- 17 Sep Black Cat Washington, DC
- 18 Sep (Le) Poisson Rouge New York, NY
- 19 Sep Paradise Boston, MA
- 20 Sep Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA
- 21 Sep Soundlab Buffalo, NY
- 22 Sep Brillobox Pittsburgh, PA
- 23 Sep Midpoint Music Festival Cincinnati, OH
- 24 Sep Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
- 25 Sep Grog Shop Cleveland, OH
- 26 Sep The Magic Stick Detroit, MI
- 27 Sep London Music Hall London, ON
- 28 Sep The Studio at Hamilton Place Hamilton, ON
- 29 Sep The Phoenix Toronto, ON
- 30 Sep POP Montreal at Espace Dell’Arte Montreal, QC
- 1 Oct Red Dog Tavern Peterborough, ON
- 2 Oct Capital Music Hall Ottawa, ON
- 3 Oct Little Montreal Sudbury, ON
- 5 Oct The Pyramid Winnipeg, MB
- 6 Oct Louis’ Pub Saskatoon, SK
- 7 Oct Republik Calgary, AB
- 8 Oct Pawn Shop Edmonton, AB
- 9 Oct Pawn Shop Edmonton, AB
- 11 Oct Element Victoria, BC
- 12 Oct Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, BC
- 13 Oct Neumo’s Seattle, WA
- 14 Oct Holocene Portland, OR
- 16 Oct Teasure Island Music Festival San Francisco, CA
- 17 Oct Echoplex Los Angeles, CA
- 18 Oct Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ
- 20 Oct Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
- 21 Oct Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ
- 22 Oct Firebird St. Louis, MO
- 23 Oct Radio Radio Indianapolis, IN
I’ll be at the Portland gig, fo’ sho’…
~Dan – np: Portland Cello Project – Daytrotter Session 2010
Holy Fuck nerd out about their gear
Canadian live-electronic groovesters Holy Fuck recently did a great little three-parter for Dickie’s Sounds where they totally geek out about their gear. Music nerds, watch now!!
Matt about his drums…
Brian and his keyboards, film reel, etc…
Graham on his keyboards and V-Tech…
No fourth part with Matt McQ’s bass… alas, maybe another time. For those not in the know about Holy Fuck… they’ve put out one of the best albums this year – LATIN. Go get it… you won’t be disappointed.
~Dan – np: Illy B (Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood) – Drop the Needle
REVIEW: Charlie Hunter @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 5/18/10)
Charlie Hunter‘s new CD Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid was the first CD through the gates in 2010. The CD is named after a saying from an undisclosed curmudgeon musician who used to pull that on his players (no, it’s not indicative of Charlie’s payment habits).
The album is a fun jaunt full of the groove-laden jazz that Charlie Hunter fans know and love. It’s a highly recommended purchase for 2010… (pictured to the right)
The current “Evening with Charlie Hunter” tour is slightly stripped down compared to the album… it features Hunter on guitar, Ron Miles (trumpet) & Eric Kalb (drums). They hit the WOW Hall stage just after 8pm and played two sets and a long encore… well over two solid hours. All three men played effortlessly… their first set was smokey and soulful. Their second set was a bit more upbeat with more solos, including a few standards mixed in with the Neglected tunes.
Eric and Ron were very tight players, with stunning solos in their own right. Eric had a great feel, and while I think Ron stayed in the shadows more during the sets, the trumpet flavor he added to the trio was a perfect fit.
One of the most amazing things from the night was watching Charlie play. His seeming ease at which he plays bass and guitar on one instrument is stunning (and curse-worthy for the guitar aficionado in the crowd). If you weren’t watching the stage, you’d easily be fooled that it was a quartet and not a trio. It’s quite an amazing thing to see and hear. He’s so unassuming about it, too… a showman without the show-off attitude.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Charlie Hunter’s Site
- Charlie Hunter on MySpace
- Ron Miles on MySpace
- Eric Kalb on MySpace
- Charlie ‘Neglected‘ interview on NPR Music
- WOW Hall
~Dan – np: Method of Defiance – Inamorata
CHARLIE HUNTER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Medeski Martin & Wood @ McDonald (Eugene, OR – 2/25/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This was my fourth time seeing the great trio of Medeski Martin & Wood… and the second time as an “evening with,” which tends to work out nicely for a weekday concert. No painful opener to sit through, and less likely a late show time.
We got to the venue only a few minutes before they went on. They came out around 8:20 and started off with one or two from Zaebos, their album from John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels series. From there, they hopped right into a Medeski-keys-oriented tune and a more exotica piece. Overall, their show last night was definitely more of the MMW groove show, versus a improvisational MMW “messin’ around” kind of show. 
Sure, at one point illyB pulled out the ducks calls while Chris and John noodled around, but then they ripped right back into the more lyrical pieces.
McDonald had the floor set up with chairs for the evening, which was a shock for me. The crowd started out in chairs, but by the third song, they were moving up the aisles and dancing. 
When MMW came back out for the second set, it was pretty much a dance party… well, a dance party with a bunch of pesky chairs in the way.
I’ll post the setlist when/if I find it… again, I recognized a couple Zaebos tunes, 
plus I’m pretty sure they played “Amber Gris,” “Padrecito,” “Amish Pinxtos,” “Reliquary,” “Free Go Lily,” and a few more Radiolarians tracks. Don’t quote me on all of those songs, but it was definitely a Radiolarians-heavy show.
Setlist: (thanks, nastyshadows!)
- Set 1: Agmatia
- Pappy Check
- Broken Mirror >
- Disrobe >
- Open Improv >
- Padrecito
- Amber Gris
- Set 2: Free Go Lily
- Jean’s Scene
- Reliquary
- New Planet
- Cloud Wars
- Encore: Bass Solo >
- Chubb Sub
Two hour-long sets plus encore (which started out with a nice Chris Wood bass solo). Excellent show. Medeski Martin & Wood do not disappoint.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- MMW’s Site
- MMW on MySpace
- Nov 2008 McDonald Theatre – Concert Review w/ Photos
- McDonald Theatre
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Dave Holland Quintet – Critical Mass
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (9 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (21 pics)
February 2010 Tour Dates
- 17 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
- 18 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
- 19 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
- 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
- 21 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
- 23 – Petaluma, CA – The Mystic Theatre
- 24 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Crown Room
- 25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
- 26 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
- 27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market
Medeski Martin & Wood – Radiolarians III
I saw the Radiolarians III performance in Eugene last year. It was GREAT!! Well, yesterday, MMW announced the record release on the MySpaces…
Pre-order on AmazonRestlessly inventive improvising trio Medeski Martin & Wood are set to release the third installment of The Radiolarian Series on August 4th, 2009. Recorded in December 2008, Radiolarians III perfectly sums up the themes, motifs and styles laid out in the previous two Radiolarians records.
There is an epic feel at play here, as the choruses rise and swell out of low-lying grooves and polyrhythms. Highlights include the passionate and gritty traditional “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” the anthemic “Undone,” and the Latin-influenced acoustic opener “Chantes Des Femmes.” Overall, Radiolarians III finds the trio doing what they do best, melding genres and improvising. What results, is maybe the strongest and most cohesive album of the entire Radiolarians Series.
Woot.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – O’o [with the Dreamers, Electric Masada, The Gift crew of musicians]
no free download or torrent here. support indie music.
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Medeski Martin & Wood’s “Amber Gris”
click for Vimeo video linkThis is the music video for “Amber Gris“, the first single off of Medeski Martin & Wood‘s newest release, Radiolarians II. Radiolarians II is available now.
Video Credits: Filmed, directed and edited by Billy Martin. Digital Effects Artist: David Gottlieb. Additional camera operators: Leigh-Ann Beverly, David Kent, Alan Martin, Dakota Martin, Matthew Mcclain, John Medeski, Kenny Raduazzo and Chris Wood. Special thanks to David Gottlieb, Aaron Bessel, Bill Gilman, James Marshello, Matthew Mcclain , Grey Gersten and Leigh-Ann Beverly
~Dan – np: Guy Klucevsek – Dancing on the Volcano
REVIEW: Medeski Martin & Wood @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – – 11/15/08)
FYI… my PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Keys player John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood make up one of my favorite groove and experimental jazz trios on the scene today. I’ve seen them twice prior (once only casually, once as a hardcore fan), and this third time was again in the clearly hardcore fan category.
This tour from Seattle to Reno is the last of three short jaunts in 2008 that are all part of their Radiolarian experiment. This special series – named after a type of single-celled organisms with remarkable exoskeletons – sees the trio getting together for five days to hammer out new material. Then they go on a brief tour to practice the pieces live, after which they cut a record of the new material. Instead of the standard industry practice of write -> record -> tour, MMW will write -> tour -> record.
The opener was no one. This was an “Evening With MMW” type of thing. Which, IMO, just rocked. It’s not to say that an opener might not have been enjoyable, but sometimes you just want to dig into to the real deal.
Medeski Martin & Wood were on top of their game. The hit the stage around 8:20pm and played a 1st set that was about 60/40 on the experimental vs. groove jazz. Their experimentation seemed a little bit more cohesive than, say, their Live at Tonic from a few years back. I dug it a lot, but some of the crowd was definitely itching for their more danceable, groove-oriented jazz. They ended this first set around 9:30pm and took a break…
(click for larger)
I toyed with the idea of leaving… I mean, I just saw 70 minutes of fantastic MMW. I’m glad I stayed, though. They hit the stage again around 10:00pm and played another solid hour plus of 120% groove. Great vibe, great fun… at one point all three were playing percussion of some sort. They also had a more rock tune in the bunch. Near the end of their 2nd set, I went to the “lounge” area to see what it was all about. I grabbed a beer and partially watched the encore via the TVs in the lounge (a weird but convenient trend in concert going these days). Near the end of the encore, I had to see it from the floor. Fantastic show all around!!
MMW’s setlist for tonight? Ha! I could only tell you that it was a smokin’ 2++ hour show… but song names and jazz music are usually hard to recollect. If I get wind of a set list via the MMWSetlist site, I’ll post it here. It may very well have been all Radiolarians Part 3 outside of the encore (which had been “Crosstown Traffic” at recent shows).
Their newest album, Radiolarians 1, is out now and is fantastic. As is their John Zorn / Masada Book Two album, Zaebos… Radiolarians 2 & 3 are expected out early 2009, I imagine. I’m glad to be part of the Radiolarians 3 performance this swing through Eugene. They’re going in to record Radiolarians 3 over Thanksgiving (or so said the merch lady).
The Appropriate Linkage:
Next show… tomorrow (Monday the 17th) is Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy at Samurai Duck in Eugene. OTC is a great eclectic instrumental band (similar to Jason’s other band Estradasphere but without the “metal” aspect). I wish it weren’t late on a Monday at a dive bar, but it promises to be a VERY good show nonetheless.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works XXI: Belle de Nature / The New Rijksmuseum
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
REVIEW: Stebmo & Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – – 5/31/08)
Well, last night started out with a stuffed helping of veg food from our mostly monthly Veggie Supper Club here in Eugene. No FBI agents were in attendance… or were they… hmmm… we made biscotti, sweet potato gnocchi with mondo bizarro sauce. They was also fine wine, eggplant tapenade, flatbread pizzas, a nice chard dish, polenta lasagna, and a freakin’ amazing chocolate dessert. Oh no, my stomach a’splode!
Anyway, I hobbled/waddled over to Sam Bond’s Garage for a night of jazz afterwards. Good thing I was full, too… Sam Bond’s got some killer veggie grub (surprisingly killer for bar food). Before the show I picked up Stebmo’s self-titled CD (with Eyvind Kang, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, Todd Sickafoose, etc) and one of Skerik’s CDs (with Eyvind Kang, Tim Young, etc). Skerik, running the merch at that time, noticed my Secret Chiefs 3 shirt. \m/
Stebmo (aka Steve Moore) started the night around 10pm. I had heard some of his samples from CDBaby; so I knew a little about his sound. Apparently he’s also played in recent live versions of Sunn O))) & worked with Sufjan Stevens & Bill Frisell… or so says his bio. Though he also plays trombone, his set was comprised of keyboards and electronics/loops. He played 40 minutes and had a good mix of experimental and groove-oriented pieces. Perhaps a bit like the organic/melodic elements of the Album Leaf mixed with the building nature of an Explosions in the Sky set mixed with a heaping handful of electronic jots & tittles like those that may have hit the Kid A cutting room floor. I found his set thoroughly enjoyable, as did most of the packed house (80-100 people is my guess).
Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio is Skerik on tenor sax (from Seattle), Brian Coogan on Hammond B-3 Organ & Simon Lott on drums/trumpet (both from Baton Rouge). I’ve heard of Skerik many times via various NYC downtown scene musicians. The Trio went on around 11pm… I stayed for over an hour of their set (12:15am or so). I wish I could have stayed, but I was BEAT.
Anyway, they started out in the experimental / free jazz realm, but didn’t stay there the whole night. Their set was a plethora of sounds… much of it very groove oriented (probably due to the Hammond B-3 throughout). They seemed to be having fun playing together, too – – which ain’t bad to see. :)
Simon (on drums) was fun to watch… he worked well in both the groove and grooveless/experimental compositions. He also pulled out a tiny trumpet for one of the songs which mixed well with Skerik’s sax. Skerik’s sax sound was nice a full (I guess I’m more familiar with alto sax), and he (again) played a good mix of groove and free jazz. On one of the songs he played what I think was a talk box through his sax which was unique to my concert going experiences thus far. Many a guitar talk box, but nary a sax talk box. Fun stuff…
(not from last night’s show)
Great show! I’m glad they stopped by, and I hope they stop by again in some form or another.
Where they’re heading next?
Jun 3 2008 Lion’s Lair [Stebmo opens] Denver, Colorado
Jun 4 2008 Trilogy Wine Bar [Stebmo opens] Boulder, Colorado
Jun 5 2008 Aggie Theatre [Stebmo opens] Fort Collins, Colorado
Jun 6 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (McCoy Tyner Stage) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 10 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 11 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 12 2008 Kuumbwa Jazz Center [Stebmo/Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3) also on bill] Santa Cruz, California
Jun 13 2008 Boom Boom Room [Stebmo opens] San Francisco, California
Jun 14 2008 Hopmonk Brewery [Stebmo opens] Sebastopol, California
Jun 15 2008 Red Fox Tavern [Stebmo opens] Eureka, California
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/43304272 (Skerik)
- http://www.myspace.com/maelstromtrio
- http://www.myspace.com/syncopatedtaint
- http://crittersbuggin.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
- http://www.stebmo.com/
- http://sambonds.com/
Upcoming shows: Or Not to Be (Hamlet Zombies), Jude Christodal in PDX, Bill Frisell/Eyvind Kang/Royston in Eugene… and maybe a JoFederigo jazz show (I’ve got a free dessert coupon; so why not?)…
~Dan – pp: The Book Show – Episode 14 with Richard Dawkins
np: Bar Kokhba Sextet – Masada Book Two: Lucifer
PS- this was posted to Skerik’s MySpace:
“Kickin it with Origami Barack Mandela!! from Tomo in Eugene!!“
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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