The Benevento-Russo DuoLARGEPlay Pause StopBest Reason to Buy the SunPrelude – The Mother of All Jams: Gordon, Russo, Anastasio, Benevento and Lesh“Ah, yesh, the main event called the Super Jam, took place on Saturday and most fans did not know who would play. I figured my old friend Trey wouldn’t be able to play since he had a gig in another state opening for Sir Thomas Petty of Heartbreak Ridge. Alas, thankfully, I was wrong. Lesh played with the boys for a while and we had a wonderful prelude to the highly anticipated Trey/Gordo/Duo/PL&F tour.”RR: Like many lucky folks, I popped up at the Bonnaroo Super Jam and that was the first time I caught the four of you together on stage. How did you feel? Were you nervous about things beforehand?Part I – Play Pause Stop“the platoon o’ two offered edible morsels of songs that are featured on their new album, Play Pause Stop and nuggets from their initial release without straying too far from the melodic canon. Quite frankly, the Duo appeared to want to familiarize the crowd with their material while, hopefully, offering something fresh and permanent in virgin B/R skulls. Benevento was polite and accomplished on keys and crowd quips while Russo played tight but loose and loud on drums. No jams, but a slice of what could be quite a cool little ride.”RR: What’s your assessment of the new record?Best Reason to Buy the SunPlay Pause StopBest ReasonsongsA-B-ARR: That’s interesting about that shift in the Duo’s sound over the course of your last two studio albums because you just toured with Treya musician who has been refining his song craft in a very explicit manner over the last couple of years.RR: You didn’t have guest musicians on this recording after loading Best Reason with Duo-plus performances. Any particular reason to the shift in thought process?Best Reason to Buy the SunPlay Pause StopRR: Let’s look at the Duo’s songwriting process on the new album. For example, who wrote “Something for Rockets?”RR: On Play Pause Stop, is it an accurate statement that the majority of songs start off as simple ideas that get really complex before a return to a basic melodic theme?RR: You do have that Valhalla Viking chant on the title track.Part II – Who Needs A Bassist?“Hap-Nappy” had Gordon on rubbery funk bass guitar and lead vocals with Benevento contributing sax sound effects on keys on this new number. Another Trey solo track “Spin” followed and was going down quite well until it hit a Gordon-led jam passage for another set peak as the band threw out their carefully-scripted notes and went for the edge of the universe and succeeded in their very trippy and exploratory journey.RR: Jake Szufnarowski from Wetlands Preserve also booked artists at the Knitting Factory in New York City and got the Duo the residency in 2002. Is that how you and Marco got the ball rolling?RR: You guys hate bassists, don’t you?RR: And somehow you end up with Mike Gordon. “It’s Zeus or nobody.”andRR: “Honestly, we’re not snobs. It’s just the way things turn out. They ask us. We’ll get back to you, Phil.”RR: How did Mike initially get involved with the Duo?RR: That led to touring which produced a superlative version of Phish’s “Foam.”RR: The 2005 Bonnaroo show is a good example of that.RR: You also played a surprise Thursday night gig at Roo 05 out in the field of the Main Stage area for about a hundred people. I saw that one and it was fairly tight.RR: Later in 2005, you raised further eyebrows with Mike on “You Enjoy Myself.”weirdPart III Benerusso Treydon OverdriveRusso, as he would throughout the brief G.R.A.B. run, really kicked the collective group in the ass while pushing the tempo upstage front and center. Again, Anastasio and Benevento developed a solid rhythm rapport with their penchant for funk groove templates, and, well, writing about the brilliance and 2006 MVP status of Mike Gordon may appear a bit superfluous but Cactus was rock bottom brilliant.RR: I was asked by friends about Trey/Mike/Duo activities earlier this year because of some interviews I had conducted and I was coy about details. However, the four cats are out of the bag so I can ask a few questions. How did Trey get involved with the Duo?Bar 17non-forcedRR: I saw several shows on the Phil, Trey, Mike and Duo run and the Duo opened up in front of sparse crowds in a weird mixture of Wookies, older fans that are still enjoying a variety of music, jaded Deadheads and veteran Phish tour rats. Unfortunately, I probably fall into all of the above categories but what did you think of the crowds for the Duo?thatRR: Well, lots of music festivals have been like that. I’ve been to some beasts that have lasted over fourteen hours in a day. I don’t think that’s very unusual.RR: How did you deal with having a similar setlist with Trey, Mike and Marco when you toured with them from June through July?RR: I guess the title track from Trey’s Shine would be a classic example of that. “Shine” had a controversial impact on the jam scene when it came out because of the pop song’ vibe. The Royal WE didn’t want that sort of thing from Trey. WE wanted electric superhuman innovation 24/7melodies be damned. But Trey, Mike and the Duo found a way to kick that number in the ass and spark heated jams.RR: I suppose a few songs lost that stigma during the tour.RR: Did you get to spend a lot of time with Trey and Mike offstage?minuteLovelessLovelessRR: Joe, since you brought him up, I want to talk about the influence of a solid management structure. Sands is quite an amazing cat. When I met him, I was floored by his ability to see right through things and get to the truth of a situation.amountRR: I grew up at a time when Peter Grant, Zeppelin’s manager, was the figurehead and Brad definitely reminds me of someone who I’d want blocking tackle for me so I could get through the next show with a limited amount of bullshit.RR: When the tour news hit the streets in the spring, there was a bit of stress in the jam community that the combination wasn’t going to work. The Duo backing Trey doing his Shine material? Then, even the most jaded fans suddenly woke up and saw the potential. It is sad that sometimes the reaction to what one would consider good news is still riddled with doubt. Alrightthe tour went well. What happens next? Is it a situation that the quartet could work together in the future but for right now, the Duo is doing their thing and Trey and Mike are off on their own tangents?PNCRR: Mike led a great jam in Hartford out of “Spin” into “Mr. Completely.”PNCa lotPart IV – The Reverse and Forward Buttons on the Duo Machine“During the second set opener, “Chicken Lickin,” Marco Benevento sat in on Rhodes while Walter graced the B-3. “Aqua Fresh,” had Joe Russo filling Moore’s chair as he manically smiled, not just keeping time but forcing the band to loosen up even further until everyone had the same madcap gleeful grin that he sported. Benevento returned on “The Switch” – an astounding B-3 and Rhodes dimension-altering jam that had the band reaching beyond themselves, seeking new groove terrain.”RR: How was the recent Fuji Rock Festival in Japan for the Duo?RR: I’ve heard so many theories about the wonderful openness that the Japanese have about western music. What made it such a great experience for you?RR: You speak of a band “sound.” Was the Duo’s direction talked about or did the band grow organically without a lot of verbal communication? What sort of conversations were you and Marco having at that time?stillRR: Righta weird, old theatre converted into a concert venue.RR: When you do guest spots are they all unrehearsed seat-of-the-pants events, do you work things out ahead of time or does it matter?RR: Bustle in Your Hedgerow is playing again this year; although, Scott Metzger will be missing due to family matters back home. How did that band get its origin?RANASeriouslysuck. It’s Jimmy PagekilledplaysRR: I just saw another famous duo last weekSteely Dan. They were the Lords of the Studio in the 70s without touring too much. Do you ever envision a time when the Duo gathers together hot shit musicians in the studio for about two years and just hangs out and records great music?
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