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Midwest
Regional Report
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Edited by Todd Justus &
Tim Ward
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Good news, everyone! We've got some major review action going on this month in the Midwest regional report. I think everybody is getting geared up for the spring and summer music on the way, and Todd and I are no exceptions. Without further ado, time to put the spotlight where it needs to be...but first, we'd like to give it up propa-like to bands who need a look-see: Eric
Lambert from Hammond, IN [www.ericlambert.com] See you all in Grooveland!
3/4/00 - The Big Wu - Barrymore Theater. Madison, WI by Nick Ousley 3-4-00 was The Big Wu's third time playing the famous Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI. The previous encounters had been legendary in terms of the Wu's short touring history. Thus, the show had a great buzz in the air (in more ways than one). Reports after the show stated attendance was over 800 folks, not too shabby for grass roots promotion. The show started off with Bloodhound, which is a great choice for an opening song. Tonight's version had a Ska flavor to it, which is very different from the Bluegrass sound that it sometimes has. The next few songs: Red Sneakers, Precious Hands, Don't Think Twice It's Alright and a newer Wu song, Jazz 88, are all somewhat rarities in their repertoire. You know a band feels at home when they bust out songs like these. During the middle part of the first set the energy in the venue started to build with S.O.S. The bridge is often so far out there it borders on all out Space. It reminds me of what it would be like to be on a tossing ship in a hurricane. A few more songs rounded out the set and all were well played. To send the crowd into the break they played House of Wu, which got a big smile on every face. After a typical long Wu set break, they led off with Elani, without the segue into Oxygen. In my book this song is strong enough to shine on its own. With a large population of Minnesotans in the crowd, the Minnesota Moon got a loud reaction from the crowd. Next up came a intense version of Althea by jambands.com monthly contributor Jason Fladager. This song really got the energy level in the crowd to another level. The real "meat" of the evening began with Allgood, which was played in its more natural fast tempo, which segued nicely into Texas Fireball, which has a tinge of Two Step and Swing. With the crowd wrapped in the groove they segued into a group sing along for Lovelight, and when everyone thought the band could go no further they segued back into Texas Fireball. After all of this intense jamming, Handle the Spam and the countryish tune Sundown gave everyone a chance to catch their collective breath. The next few songs Funky Bug and Break of Day are personal favorites of mine and they were both good versions. To close out the set they played the old Jerry Garcia Band song Ride Mighty Glory, which got the crowd into an uplifting, frenzied groove. After a few minutes of cheering, the Wu obliged us with an encore and started up a strange jam that seemed to have no direction. Longtime Wusters knew that only a phat Red Sky could come out of this jam. But after a few moments of a massive Red Sky a drunken guy felt it necessary to run around on stage and ruin a historical Wu moment. Security was forced to physically remove the guy who caused the band to take a few minutes to regroup. Thankfully Wu bassist Andy Miller broke the crowds silence by going back into some funk and the rest of the band followed. After noodling around in a jam they segued into Dancing with Lula, which has improved a great amount since its inception. All in all, this was a great night of friends and great music. Set
List: Set
II E: Jam> Red Sky>** Jam> Dancing with Lula *unfinished
3/10/00 - Smokestack - Cross Street Station, Ypsilanti, MI by Dan Moyer Once again, Smokestack made their presence felt at Cross Street Station in Ypsilanti. Smokestack combines many styles of music to get your booty shaking. By blending jazz, rock and bluegrass, Smokestack has managed to find a sound all their own. Cross Street was filled with smoke and people as the band took the stage. They opened with the up-beat "Send my Regards" with keyboardist James Sibley singing out his smooth groove. From there they went on to play the funked out melody "Shafted" with guitarist Chuck Newsome singing. "Shafted" went into a samba jam, which flowed directly into "Ghost," a saloon kind of country tune with bassist Thom McNeil laying down the words. Smokestack continued making folks dance as they debuted "A leg and a foot," a Caribbean song that made everyone wish they knew how to salsa. Smokestack ended the first set with "Dreams we Dream" into a "Bakersville" jam into the Pink Panther theme. After jamming that out the band went back into "Dreams we Dream," wrapping up the first set and giving the dancing fools in the audience a well-needed breather. Set two opened with "Well you Needn't" a Thelonius Monk tune which again got everybody up and dancing. Later came the country twang of "Why did you do me Wrong" with Brian Williams kicking a fast-paced rhythm. With the time approaching 2 AM and the crowd wanting to see more, Smokestack came back and finished with their new tune, "Lovely day for Fishing." This song blends the vocal harmonies of Thom, James and Chuck as they sing away to this jazz, pop, country silliness of a song. The crowd was very pleased as Thom told a fishing story to wind up the night. Smokestack once again got people moving and grooving all night with their fresh sound of jazz, rock and bluegrass as well as hints of funk and blues. Smokestack was in perfect form as they awaited their Saint Andrews Hall appearance on April 13. Check out Smokestack MP3s and show dates at www.smokestack.org
3/24/00 - ekoostik hookah - Miami University, Oxford, OH by Mark Frost Well, as always, we got a late jump on a Friday night show, so we were kind of worried that we may miss some of the first set. Although the show time was listed as 9 pm on the website, we were relieved when we reached Oxford to find out that on the handbills passed out to students, the time was listed as 10 pm. So we had a 1/2 hour to spare. We stopped at a friends' place to pick her up & head off for the show, but then decided to relax and have a few Sierra Nevadas after we found out the updated start time. But, of course, we hung out a little too long and while we started out our hike across campus, I heard a very recognizable wail in the background. I told my friend, "Sweney !!! You hear it ???". He looked at me and was like, "Are you serious ??? How can you tell ??". Then we both looked at each other and laughed, because at that time Steve hit an extra high note and Jason also realized that if anyone can tell that sound from a 1/2 mile to a mile away, it would be me! As we approached, I made out that it was 'Surround' and with an educated guess, I figured we were only 1 or 2 songs into the set, which was thankfully correct. When we showed up, the boys were still in the middle of the 'Surround' jam and I couldn't help but notice the massive crowd and how cool the venue set-up was. The stage was built off of the Miami Univ.'s Student Union, and the area in front of the stage was packed in with many students mixed in with some familiar hookah-faces. Everyone was jamming. We made our way through the massive crowd to try to find a good spot to jam/dance, and then we ended up on the opposite side of the crowd in just about the same spot we entered from the other side. We figured, "Oh well...I guess we party here." It was cool though, as we were surrounded by a lot of friends & familiar faces, so I was cool with that. And since there was a daffodil garden directly in between us and the stage, we were left alone pretty much and the sound was hitting us directly because of it. And it was loud !!! I was pleasantly surprised. Jamming to the first outdoor hookah show of 2000 and it was turned up a lot higher than expected on a beautiful early-Spring evening....I knew we were in for an interesting evening. And I believe right after the boys played 'Surround' and Ed started talking to the crowd to say his "hellos", I believe he said something like, "What a beautiful night for an evening," which made me chuckle. Haven't heard 'Been Down That Road' the last few shows I've been to so it was a welcomed jam. The harmonies for that song always bring a smile to my face. Then came the song I wanted to hear again, 'Lax,' which I haven't been able to catch in its entirety due to trying to prevent friends from getting booted from the Newport or whatever the hell else I get into. So, I finally got to take in the whole thing. I haven't been able to check Dubba's site for the lyrics to this yet, but I need to because they sounded pretty cool and the reggae jam in the middle is great. hookah's range of musical taste bridges all gaps and, I believe, can touch anyone's soul. Especially with a very large crowd (I'd say in the neighborhood of 1,500 to 2,000 here) that normally wouldn't attend a jamband show. I know a lot of people were "turned on" last night; I could hear it in conversations around me and see it in their faces. A very successful event for hookah, I think. Some other highlights to a great first set were EVERYONE shakin' their booty to 'Walk Real Fast' and 'Backwoods Rose'. Also, the familiar trumpet-blowing Cliff at the beginning of Peter Tosh's reggae classic, 'Burial'. I also noticed a nice echo effect to 'Treehouse' off of the campus buildings during the "Barbie dolls & comic books" verse. Love those outdoor shows. Ed then borrowed a pink flamingo cap from someone in the audience which looked funny while he was jamming to the next few tunes. The flamingo bounced back and forth atop his noggin'. Great look for you Ed. Then, everyone cheered to the familiar-to-all beginning of 'Loner'. I laughed knowing that there were a lot of parents in town that weekend, and they were hearing 'Loner'. Not too many people yelling "I'm a stoner !!!" at the end, because quite frankly, there weren't too many there. But, enough to get it yelled loud enough to frighten a few parents, administrators, policeetc. Good fun! During set break we walked around looking for some refreshments to quench our thirst, finally got to talk/hug much of the family...which is always nice. I'd say about only 15-20% of the crowd took off to probably hit the clubs, which was welcomed in my opinion. So I could get some more groovin' space and only the people who really wanted to "hear" the music remained. But the crowd was still very large and more shakin' and bouncin' was then evident with the newly found space. Plus I was getting tired of getting shoved by young kids trying to make there way through the crowds....quite annoying. You don't ever see that from the most obnoxious concert goer at a Hookahville. Why ??? Because everyone (even with their own problems/faults) is usually pretty polite when in large crowds. 'Ecstasy' started the next set...another smile donned my face thinking about if the parents, etc. were catching the lyrics. Thought I heard a NFA tease at the end, but I could've been imagining it :). An extra-groovy 'Hush' was probably my highlight of the evening. I really jammed to that. Being so loud, the crowd took that one real well. Probably the funkiest jam of the night, and everyone was shakin' their booty. A lot of the girls were spinning and shakin' off to the side of the stage and I couldn't help but laugh at the Oxford policeman standing near them checking them out. He looked like a heavier Willford Brimley, the Quaker Oats commercial guy, and if I could've given him a "penny for his thoughts", I would have. I'm sure it would've been interesting. By the way, kudos to the cops there. I don't believe they harassed a single soul. No harm, no foul. The crowd was a little too loud gabbing during 'Tea Rose,'and it was hard to hear those beautiful lyrics. Another super-rockin' 'Slipjig'... enough said. I'm sure you all agree this song is always a treat. Then, I believe, 'Bone' was giving a message. I hope all that remained took it to heart. Our way of treating each other with smiles and hugs is much nicer than a shove and scowl. I hope they caught that. Encore time. What will it be? Oh yeah...'Clap For the Wolfman'. This tune has become a fav of mine since Hookahween. Can't believe I never listened to it that much before hearing the boys do it. A very good Guess Who tune. By the way, Polansky added the Wolfman Jack voice-ins, which I don't believe I noticed before. Totally cool. I thought that would be it, I was sure city ordinances were getting tested, but the boys went right into 'Blue Sky'. That familiar Allmans tune ended the night real well. A gem of a show.
Sector 9 @ The Blind Pig, March 24, 2000 The Blind Pig is a small intimate bar near downtown Ann Arbor that houses many of the bands who lack the popularity to fill the larger theaters such as Hill Auditorium and the Michigan Theater. The bar has a small, somewhat cramped stage in the back with a dance floor to the front and a limited seating via barstools to the side of the stage. In the front of the venue lies the bar and more seating. The walls are decorated with mirrors and rock n' roll memorabilia such as newspaper articles on the death of alternative icon Kurt Cobain and original sketches of the late guitar guru Jimi Hendrix. The stage lighting is simple, yet impressive for a club of its size, consisting of a set of color stage lights; the rest of the club is lit primarily by black lights. From the dance floor the acoustics are quite nice, but the sound from the seats in the side and the front tend to be a bit echoy and hollow sounding. Another aspect of the sound that I appreciate is the soundman's acknowledgement of and respect for the ears of the audience. It is a rare occurrence to leave the Blind Pig with ringing ears, a trait often associated with small venues. Other nice touches are the extensive beer selection and complementary popcorn. The doors opened at 9:30 with the crowd slowly trickling in as the opening act, a local DJ, took the stage. The DJ played for about an hour spinning a mixture of electronic dance music ranging from techno to drum & bass to trance. The bar remained extremely empty with no more than a handful of people dancing until around 11 oclock. As Sector 9 came on the stage at around 11:30, the crowd began to fill in with the dance floor and limited seating next to the stage beginning to fill up some. However, the crowds for the evening were exceptionally low due to a type-o on the publicity fliers around campus which advertised the wrong date. The Sector 9 crowd is often an eclectic medley of fans from various musical backgrounds and lifestyles. A large portion of their crowd draws from the rave scene of nightlong dance parties fueled by electronic music and large quantities of ecstasy and LSD. The band also attracts a significant number tie-dye and patchwork clad fans of hippy music. Fans of jazz also typically attend sector 9s shows. For those who havent heard, the music of Sector 9 eludes yet includes nearly all musical genres. Their sound can best be described as an eclectic improvisational jazz; however, attempts to label their music tend to pigeonhole their unique sound and limit what their music is truly capable of. Sector 9 concerts are extremely powerful experiences that border on religious experiences to their fans. Upon taking the stage, the band played for two and half hours, stopping only once for an onstage break of four or five minutes. The band has built their fame and a dedicated fan base on their dedication to long powerful jams. During the 2-+ hours they played, the song count was around six or eight songs, the shortest of which was ten minutes, with the longest at over a half hour. Their jams are less like songs and more long musical journeys. Undergoing many tempo and mood changes, their improvisations often start as slow soft melodies and build to a raging fury with many false climaxes that whip the audience into a frenzy. Throughout the entire concert, neither the audience nor the band knows exactly what is going to happen next. Just when it seems as if the songs intense crescendo will break into calm musical valley, the tempo increases again, building more and more suspense. Sector 9s sound is an overwhelming sensory overload that batters its way into the brain and demolishes conscious thought committing all of the brain and body to the music and dancing. For two-plus hours the dancers flailed around the dance floor in a whirl of bodily limbs while the people sitting on bar stools lining the room sat awaiting each coming musical note and tempo change. When the lights came on following the end of the show, the faces of those in the crowd showed that once again The 9 did not disappoint.
3/30/00 - ekoostik hookah - House of Blues, Chicago, IL by the Rev. Kevin A. Robbins (Christian Church, Disciples of Christ) Back to the House of Blues, what a great idea. While my favorite venue to see Hookah is still the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO, I can heartily say that the Chicago House of Blues is rapidly catching up. Having seen the band play there on 4 occasions now, I can easily say that I have yet to see a less than stellar show. March 30th rivaled some of the best performances that I have seen anywhere by ekoostik hookah. Clearly, the boys came back to Chicago with something to prove: we can rock the House of Blues and make it OUR venue. The evening began with a remarkably powerful Backwoods Rose opener. Strangely enough, as odd an opener as I may have once considered it, some of the best shows I have seen have opened with this song. Unusually, Backwoods Rose didn't end, but segued into Good Times. Nice move. Good rendition. And again, there is a brief silence, if any, and Springtime Again leapt from the amplifiers. Now my attention is fully focused. A three song segue is incredibly uncommon, outside of the usual sandwiches. It was about this time that I said to myself, "I knew this was going to be good, but I had no clue that it was going to be like this." Ed unleashed Lax and it had an incredible effect. I knew the place was pretty full, but when the reggae break began, I learned how full. As soon as the crowd, many of whom had never heard the song, heard that break, it erupted into a loud cheer. The energy was way, way up when Eric and Polansky kicked in the drum intro to Chicago. Wow! Red Hot. The only way to describe it. The place was shaking. People were dancing. Ed and Cliff were getting into their play routines. The show, which had previously taken off, was ascending to great heights! Time for a breather. Anthony's Song brought the temp back down just a bit, before the segue into Grass kicked it right back into the stratosphere. During the break that followed Grass, Ed gave a shout out to some guy named Kevin Robbins for a happy birthday. Likewise, seemingly surprised by this, Steve played a brief verse of Happy Birthday. Hats off to the band for making my birthday, and I celebrated a day late for the show, a great one. Through Hiker continues to grow as a song. The jams were very nice. The Amazing Grace was well appreciated, at least by one crowd member. Everytime I hear this, I love watching the crowd. It's good to dance to a spiritual, every now and again. :-) Checking my deck, it seemed early to end set one, but I didn't see how to top that Through Hiker. The song ended, but the set continued. Cliff stepped up and began the opening of John Henry. The dancers in the house who were beginning to be danced out, leapt up and had a ball. Ok, now we're about at set end, good closer. Song ends, set continues. As soon as the first piano tinkles kick in, I knew we were getting a Slipjig set closer. This Slipjig began as a mammoth. The intro was long and spacey. I really wondered at times how they were going to bring it back in, but Dave hit the piano notes, collected the band, and the phat, funk began. This Slipjig rivals the one played on the second night of Fall Hookahville 1999. Simply remarkable. Song ends. Set ends. Everyone is drained. The course of the night is set when the first set comes in at nearly 1 hour and 20 minutes. Over the course of the set and at set break, a number of people came up with greetings and good wishes. I love this family. Additionally, there was some time during the first set and at set break for speculation. Second set: Viper. Opener or closer. Gotta happen. Never played at HoB before and this is a night for it. Tons of people, the band is being infused with their energy, this place is going to explode before the night is over and Viper is the tune to bring the House of Blues down. Let's wait and see. Second set opens with a very nice Reelin' In the Years. There is something about this song in this position. It works. Upbeat, technically a little difficult, particularly in timing and lyrics, and a tune that folks unfamiliar with hookah know and love. The crowd responded nicely. My Own Way again brought some powerful vibes back into the crowd. While Reelin was a nice opener, MOW took us back to the energy level where the show left off at the end of Set One. I was concerned when So They Say kicked in next. A song so slow, so soon, seemed odd, but it worked well. As the fast ending kicked in, it was clear that the energy was on and the band was going to take this show further than probably even they may have suspected. Daffodils in Detroit emerged from So They Say and the dance crowd responded with enthusiasm. As I have said before, this tune is an interesting blend of upbeat and pace calming. When placed back to back with So They Say, however, it lifts the pace and allows the groove to get going very nicely. Seeing an opportunity to turn out a nice sandwich, Dave picks up the acoustic and we get a stunning Indica & Sativa->Red House->Indica & Sativa. Keepin Time was a blistering follow-up. Sweney broke a string somewhere in the middle of the song and STILL produced some of the most stunning pyrotechnics that he produces in that tune. This was so impressive that Ed remarked about the amazing 5-string guitar solo with "Did you see that shit?" It's getting late in the set, about an hour, so when Bone begins, I think "Last song, or a Somewhere Down the Line closer." Bone continues the energy and ends without a crescendo, but with the tinkle of the vibes that indicates one thing: Viper's Drag. Twenty-seven minutes of Viper's that ranges from slow to fast to jamming to melody to stunning. Again, this has to be the end of the set. Song ends. Set ends. Everyone is, again, wiped out. About this time, I begin to wonder about the encore. I should have known. With Polansky on tour, someone's gonna get a Jesus Is Just All Right. I personally love this song for obvious and not so obvious reasons. Great way to end the show as everyone was on their feet again. Dancing, sweating, singing. What a great night. I think that the manager of the House of Blues will be a little more prompt inviting hookah back. The place was pretty full. 830+ paying customers along with a lot of tickets that were given away. Quite a crowd. Bar seemed busy and stayed that way most of the night. As I said before, they came with a mission and I think it worked. They came, they saw, and they conquered.
4/02/00 - Halias - The Balcony, Oxford, OH On Sunday April 2, the music fans in Oxford, Ohio, got a treat when Deep Banana Blackout finished out their latest tour. I overheard they are taking a well deserved week off. A great new local band called Halias opened up and got the kids dancing before Deep Banana took the stage. Halias played it's sixth show after composing more than twenty new songs over the winter. These songs grasp the roots of jazz, funk, traditional rock/blues, and reggae. Truly a band to look out for, they're playing around the midwest this spring as well as next fall. So far, the summer seems to involve some bluegrass/acoustic side projects, traveling, and song writing time. I have seen this band three times and the place is jammin' everytime. Halias
4/2/00 The BalconyOxford, OH
4/8/00 - String Cheese Incident - Madison Theater, Peoria, IL Last time I checked out String Cheese was at the Vic over Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago, and they were fantastic! Usually when I build up my expectations of a band after the first time, I get let down. NOT THIS TIME! These guys are RED HOT! The drive to Peoria from Chicago was not bad, 2-3 hours of cruising down flat open highway is a good span to jam to music and unwind your mind. Got to the hotel, conveniently located across the street from the Madison Theater. A funny blend of hippies and weddings was taking place in the lobby as everyone secured their rooms for the evening. We went out to the parking lot shortly before showtime and the scene was very good. Although the show had sold out, there were very few people showing up without tickets, which is usually the main cause of trouble at concerts. No out of control partiers ruining the scene, very peaceful, and the local officials were very friendly and pleasant to deal with all day. Met a few friendly people we hung out with for while and introduced us to a friend of theirs who was great. The crowd was a little anxious to get inside as the wind was blowing pretty good and most people were not wearing warm clothes. Managed to get a seat on the floor near Michael Kang on the left and the theater is small enough that there really are no BAD seats. Even the balcony people had a great time! As the band started playing, you could feel all the positive energy in this place. This was maybe the best crowd I have ever seen at any show, including the Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, etc...The band quickly sensed it as well and got into some great grooves early on that kept getting better. I couldn't remember the setlist, but I had heard the band really jammed Jellyfish to the Nth the night before, so the likelihood of hearing that favorite was very slim. Early on in the first set, a guy with a poster which read "TEXAS", was pushing his way to the front with a few friends. He was good spirited, but had plenty to drink, so we let him go past us so we didn't have to keep bumping into him when we danced. He was pretty funny, holding up the sign and screaming for the band to play this song throughout the entire show. I thought it was a little obnoxious, but the band didn't seem to mind and almost the entire crowd was very respectful of one another. A great version of 100 Year Flood, Hey Pocky Way and lots of supercharged extended jams made the evening pass quickly. Although the band was to go on at 8:00, I think they started closer to 8:30. The show went until nearly 1:00 am, and the band had a lot of fun getting the crowd to chant, clap and raise the roof on the house. By the end, I was so excited I began shouting (along with 1/2 the floor audience) for TEXAS along with drunk guy. Although the band did not play the song, they did feed off the tremendous positive energy of the crowd. For
anyone who has not had the chance to see these guys--GO NOW! While
they still play in intimate settings where you don't have to wade
through 70,000 people to go to the bathroom. Michael in particular
seems to get off on the crowd, he tears into the mandolin and plays
the crowd as well as anyone I've ever heard. He also jams on the
electric violin (or some instrument like that), creating otherworldly
sounds and quick knee-slapping, pulse pounding dance rhythms that
are a lot of fun to groove on. He also did this thing where he shouted
out the note as his guitar played the same note, the effect being
like the electric notes were coming out of his mouth--MIND BLOWING.
Michael, keep it up! In fact, every member of this band is very
talented and there is no question these guys are in hot pursuit
of that MAGICAL "IT". The range of sound they posses and the fiery
jams should satisfy even the most discriminating jamband fan. I
hope I can get a copy of this show fast! Wish I could make the trek
to Costa Rica to witness an international incident. These guys speak
such a primal, universal musical language the natives of any country
will easily become Cheeseheads. Keep spreading the good vibes, and
keep it positive fans! Notable Dates 4/15
SCI - Majestic Theater - Detroit, MI
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