Blog Archives
FAITU#31
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#31)
1996-10-14 – SHACK PARTY V
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1996-10-14 ticket stub
Source info:
1996-10-14.gefell-m300.4679.t-flac16 [TSP1996#16]
– SET I (tracks 1-7) –
– SET II (tracks 8-15) –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#31)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
– SHACK THOUGHTS — SHACK PARTIES I-VII ’96 –
Listen to these gigs. Listen to all of these gigs — it’s the best advice I can give you. These Shack Parties, where the band played for 7 Mondays in a row at the Knitting Factory in NYC, encompass such a wide range of the band’s talents and musical interests that a summation would simply do the music an injustice. Whether you dig a certain track or guest through this run, you have to admit that each guest brings something unique to the mix which in turn causes the band to react and shift, making the music they all create something adventuresome and real for that moment only. There are also plenty of moments where it’s just the trio and you’ll love it. As they explore both groove and open space with/out guests, it is clear this is a band out to make inspired music.
Oren Bloedow’s speech during Set II of the last Shack Party puts it best … so take a listen and Shack-out with these near 20 year-old musical explorations …
1996-10-14 ticket stub
– SHACK PARTY V THOUGHTS –
The official release of Shack-man, this night finds the trio playing through much of the album, out of order and with some further explorations, to play out the first set of this gig — light on actual spontaneous composition improvisation, but full on manipulation of the tunes makes this a HOT set. I mean, the start of ITAHTLMJ has Medeski on *piano* and it sounds SOOOOO cool!
2nd set returns to the Shack Party format, launching off a groovy Good Golly Miss Molly with Dean Bowman wailing it (I dig this one!), the players head out from there, dabbling in some Hendrix references but really just pushing the music into full on improvisations, to wrap up with the Mingus classic, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat … I can’t help but feel I could do with less of Bowman’s vocals through the set, but having the FUZE on guitar along with Logic makes this a minor “complaint” … it’s a very fun playful set …
Head into your Friday Afternoon In The Universe with Medeski’s piano tinkering to start ITAHTMJ, and let the music flow over/through you …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#30
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#30)
1996-10-07 – SHACK PARTY IV
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MMW 1996-10-07 ticket stub
Source info:
1996-10-07.unknown.82482.t-flac16 [TSP1996#15]
– SET I (tracks 1-3) –
– SET II (tracks 4-9) –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#30)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
– SHACK THOUGHTS — SHACK PARTIES I-VII ’96 –
Listen to these gigs. Listen to all of these gigs — it’s the best advice I can give you. These Shack Parties, where the band played for 7 Mondays in a row at the Knitting Factory in NYC, encompass such a wide range of the band’s talents and musical interests that a summation would simply do the music an injustice. Whether you dig a certain track or guest through this run, you have to admit that each guest brings something unique to the mix which in turn causes the band to react and shift, making the music they all create something adventuresome and real for that moment only. There are also plenty of moments where it’s just the trio and you’ll love it. As they explore both groove and open space with/out guests, it is clear this is a band out to make inspired music.
Oren Bloedow’s speech during Set II of the last Shack Party puts it best … so take a listen and Shack-out with these near 20 year-old musical explorations …
Knitting Factory
– SHACK PARTY IV THOUGHTS –
So this is WAY cool — I love when this happens! I was about to write that the opening of this 4th Shack Party contains one of my favourite improvisations from the run, maybe ever — I threw on the groove to listen as I write and it hit me: “That’s a tune! I know that tune! From where … ?!” A few years ago I discovered that a groove played during Nov-Dec ’96 labelled as an improvisation since the shows was actually an unidentified song — the “improvisation” was always the same groove, so that’s an MMW song to me! I named the tracked “Binghamton Slide Groove” because the first show I found containing the song was 11/2/1996 from Binghamton, NY — the song was played a few more times and then never heard from again … or so I thought, and it turns out this Shack Party version is actually the first known performance of the tune — it’s a great melody and groove, I don’t know why the band would drop it, but you can check it out at the opening of this show and Danny Blume adds some real nice guitar over the track (even has a cool little breakdown). From “Binghamton Slide Groove” the music moves to Open space before illyB cops a short Drum Solo leading to the start of the next groove, the first full Improv of the night, and the group moves through two more distinct improvisations before the last fizzles down to some nice piano from Medeski before it just drops into a thunderous vamp while Billy introduces the musicians. Rob Scheps has once again joined the guys on stage as well, a Shack Party regular, and his playing fits in perfectly with the players — you can hear Scheps getting more comfortable as he returns each week. The trio alone close the set with a Shack-take on Ellington’s Wig Wise, including an extended drum interlude — set break.
G. Calvin Weston joins for the start of the 2nd set, so he and illyB get things moving with a Drums jam (I’ve seen Weston with MMW in another setting, and he and Billy are kindred spirits — they have an extended history). Scheps once again steps up on sax, and Dean Bowman comes out to deliver some Dean-Bowman-like vocal riffing (coolest part is the initial take on the Murder by Numbers lyrics, but then he goes off the rails a bit for my tastes, per usual). Likewise, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat features Bowman’s vocal input with varying success (IMHO), but then IMPROVISATION takes over the remainder of the set — sans vocals — and the results are one of the BEST RUN OF GROOVES over this whole run. It’s just the trio at first, but then Danny Blume returns to the stage for what I can only call an Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus IMPROV! VERY COOL! Blume remains for the following section of groove that erupts into a celebratory climax, before fizzling down again and leaving only the trio on stage to wrap up the evening with one final kick at the Improvisatory-can, which begins with this wild melody being bowed by Chris on the stand-up and things just get wackier and more fun from there … by the time John lands on the piano … whoah … or maybe this is a song too? …
This is one of my personal favourite overall gigs from the Shack Party run, and hope it helps you enjoy this Friday Afternoon In The Universe, as we head into Canadian Thanksgiving – HAPPY T-DAY, MY FELLOW CANUCKS!
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#23
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#23)
2010-02-27
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MMW 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
Source info:
2010-02-27.rode-nt5.107380.t-flac16
– SET 1 (tracks 1-7) –
– SET 2 (tracks 8-18) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#23)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
This week’s FAITU pick is leaning on the first set for why I chose it, although Set 2 has plenty to offer as well – I also wanted a 2010 gig and to pick a show from the West coast since I’ve focused a lot of FAITU picks on the East coast. But Set 1 is just a perfect shape and feel all around. Excellent variety in song choice both in terms of era and composition: we get some oldies, and newer tunes along with the recent Radiolarians influx, all covering a wide range of musical styles while remaining quintessential MMW. Having spent most of 2008-2009 focused on Radiolarians, the guys are now nailing those tunes with master manipulation and infusing the sets with more variety than the previous 2 years. The Fall of 2010 will see some astounding balls-out improvisation, but in the spring that improv is kept within the confines of tunes for the most part, and this show milks that in spades.
Medeski 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
– SET I –
The gig begins with a John Zorn composition from MMW’s contribution to the Book Of Angels series, the album Zaebos (#11 in the Zorn BoA series). While the band did play the actual Zaebos album in Europe on tour with Zorn in the summer of ’09, only four tunes from that album have made any usual contribution to a regular MMW setlist, and on this night it’s a tune that they seemed to dig in the opening slot: Agmatia. The composition has Zorn written all over it, but of course, MMW put their own stamp on it. (I only caught one gig in 2010 and this tune opened the show I saw too – it was wicked cool in that slot!) Showcasing some frenetic drumming from Billy, swirling keys from John, and stellar plunking from Chris on the acoustic, this tune’s got it all!
Wood 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
Junkyard is such a raunchy sounding tune, I loved it from the first listen when shows circulated during the Radiolarians 2 tour. I mean, listen to what that guy (Medeski) can do with a frickin’ Melodica! It’s unreal … he has such a personal touch on the various keyboards he’s played over the years, and has said numerous times that he prefers the older tech that requires more of a touch to how the keys sound, not like a synthesizer. The keys are his voice and he wants to be as close to that sound as he can be, and it really pays off EVERY time he touches a set of keys. Chris has some dirty slide playing in here and hefty plucking, and illyB works the tambourine and the kit with such control that you forget how hard the guy is working. Love the moments where John and Chris lock-up in the melody, and then the way it splinters off with each part. Comes to almost a grinding halt …
Martin 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
But Billy kicks a funky beat and HELL YEAH, 3rd Disrobe of the tour (3rd show in a row as well), and I just loved hearing them do this tune at the time with the more mature sound they have at this point – and that’s no knock against the ’97-’98 Disrobes! Just awesome to hear … funky keys, bowed upright bass, and a funky beat – I’m sold. (Side note: When MMW played Disrobe the following spring, March 2011, Billy spoke about the tune and said that the spring ’11 performances were the first since the late ‘90s – apparently he forgot they dug the tune up on the 2010 winter tour the year before … but he’s probably not tracking that as closely as I am.)
The guys slide into Dollar Pants, another odd tune to my ears that seems almost jarring when present in the flow of a set, but in a good way (like when they cover Coltrane’s Syeeda’s Song Flute, as I noted back in FAITU#16). There’s just something about the overall tone of the tune that makes my focus/concentration twist. Chris is loving the bow tonight, and Dollar Pants has him bowing ALL over the tune – it’s a very cool aspect to the song’s composition.
Wood 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
Free Go Lily, a tune from the Radiolarians 1 batch, provides some clear and obvious dancing relief with its New Orleans vibe, just good old fun through some intricate interplay. As it will sometimes more than others, the build in the main jam of the tune takes on some dark overtones, much to my delight. And the tune wraps itself up nicely.
Billy invites up “that really old guy from Seattle”, and Skerik makes his way to the stage after some cheers from the crowd. What ensues is probably the main reason I picked this gig – Flat Tires has such a WILD structure, and Skerik’s presence here only adds fuel to the fire. From the open playfulness of the intro/verse sections, to the maddening cacophony of the full drive in the chorus, this just needs to be heard for you to, well, for you to hear it. You won’t be disappointed …
Medeski 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
– SET II –
Not going into grave detail here, but I do dig the flow of this 2nd set as well, just the first is pure fire. Amish Pintxos zaps out a starting – love those “stabs” at the keyboard (temp name for the tune during the R2 tour was “Stabs”). We get some older school MMW with I Wanna Ride You, some further Radiolarian colouring from R2 & R3 tunes – wonderful piano work, as usual, on Riffin’ Ed, the Walk Back move > Broken Mirror is cool, and Amber Gris is a wonderfully anthemic tune, usually found in the last slot of the set – but then the walloping bassline from Uninvisible erupts into our ears and the band slams us home with high energy. Again, their mastery of their tunes is just incredible as they twist, tweak, bend, and break the rules.
Martin 2010-02-24 @Crystal Bay Club Crown Room, Crystal Bay, NV
Baby, Let Me Follow You Down, an old traditional tune you might know from Bob Dylan’s more rocking cover/arrangement, but MMW’s version of the song is all about sweet peace …even the build is soothing … John has some nice keyboard play in here moving off the piano for a portion of the song, before returning to twinkle the ivories into the night air for us … end of show, and hopefully another welcome Friday Afternoon In The Universe …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#22
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#22)
2011-08-26
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MMW w/ Cyro Baptista + DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Source info:
2011-08-26.sl.neumann-tlm170.115868.t-flac16
– ONE SET (tracks 1-19) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#22)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
In August 2011 MMW played 4 Fridays as part of a residency celebrating their 20th year together – this week’s FAITU pick is the last Friday. (We have the first Friday streaming, but the 2nd Friday was never recorded and the 3rd Friday is actually lacking Medeski, and I haven’t posted that show here on TSP yet.) The guys and guests are basically set up in a circle of sorts, with the audience surrounding on all sides and from multiple levels in this area of the museum.
MMW w/ Cyro Baptista + DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Billy & Logic get things started, after a brief explanation from Billy that the set’s going to start with some duo Turntable Sessions with everyone taking turns playing with Logic. illyB begins a soft snare shuffle of sorts, adds a bit of fill then Logic’s sounds start creeping in – this remains fairly abstract for the most part, little in the way of what we might call “groove”.
John & Logic continue the abstract explorations, with a seamless transition of Medeski swapping in for illyB. But at about the 2min mark of the Medeski/Logic Improv we get a sweet killer groove – I’m presuming the beat is coming from Logic in here since Billy is supposed to be gone (kinda hard to tell!). Space sounds emanating from both the keys and the turntables, but the accompanying groove feels good, if not perhaps a little familiar … reminds me of something Mago-ish, but not quite … eventually this drifts into open space …
DJ Logic 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Chris & Logic begin after another seamless transition with Wood focusing on some wacky bowed action for the beginning of the interplay, with Logic responding in kind – this creates a perfect Halloween soundscape! Once Chris drops the bow though we get some great plucking work from him, with Logic once again following Wood’s lead by moving from the haunting sounds to dropping a beat. Chris moves to electric around 4min and this just plunks along real smooth-like. Chris digs deeper as the beat wears on – this is an incredible solo from him over Logic’s sounds! PHAT!
The session comes to a quick pause before Cyro Baptista jumps into the fray. Things begin like the sound of outdoor bugs, then Cyro starts whooping/chanting, Logic drops a beat, and things take on a very tribal-like feel. Logic plays with some vocal samples a bit too in reaction to Cyro’s vocals, there’s just some wild crazy sounds at times, all driven by this beat from Logic and the whoops/chants from Cyro. This peters out to silence …
Cyro Baptista 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
A twinkle of keys, bassline drops in with some cymbal work along with Cyro/Logic colouring, and BOOM! Sugar Craft, a Logic sit-in staple, is off and running – oooh yeah! Cyro’s hand drum work in that space at the top is PERFECT! The 5 of them work this old MMW classic up, around and over. There’s a wonderful mid-tune percussion/DJ breakdown, and when the head of the tune returns it feels so good. It’s a short version of the tune, which leads out in a trippy way – Cyro adds so much fun to the MMW flavour!
The Sugar dissolves into a murky organ-led Improv, lasting only a minute or two but with contributions from everyone on stage, creating some more Halloween soundscapes. This works as almost a bridge or lead into the next Improvisation, where Chris kicks in a groovy bassline and everyone jumps on to ride this for a few minutes before it falls apart into an Open Improv of sorts, driven mostly by the Drums/Percussion, but lasting only momentarily before we enter …
Chris Wood 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
The Church Of Logic – oh, I REALLY dig this groove! This version sounds like a bit of a spazzed-out take, choppy, anxious and jittery. The ’98-’99 takes on this tune were considerably smoother … but this is a VERY rare tune for the band to pull out and a treat to hear. Their treatment of many older tunes during 2011 sounded a little odd, unfamiliar to the band, making for fresh or odd takes on some of these older tunes. So this is a bit of a frantic prayer session in the Church of Logic before we head into another hyper-version of an older tune, but with a twist …
Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho Improv pushes out away from the tune proper, just using it to frame the improvisation that drives and pulses forward into another Improvisation that almost uses what sounds like the Down The Tubes bassline from the MSMW Out Louder release, but not quite. Nevertheless, that bass gets this next section really moving before it mellows down a bit after a couple of minutes into something from a reggae dream … drifting off …
Billy Martin 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
The organ Back & Forth begins, and this tune is like a circus event jammed into a few musical minutes – the song sounds carnival-esque. Billy jumps in on snare and a bass drum pulse under John’s organ; Cyro starts some wacky chanting with Logic adding some sounds; then Chris kicks in with that KILLER bassline for this tune, soloing over this mess of sound … a brief lull of sorts, Chris jams back in on top of it all – this is nasty! – and then another lull before the tune proper finally kicks in. I love this track, which showed up in ’06 and hung around for a bit until the Radiolarian tunes obliterated its set presence, but 2011 saw the band basically abandoning Radiolarians as they played mostly requests and improvisations throughout the year, which in turn coloured song selection at shows not following those “rules” they had on the spring and fall tours. There’s a pause when the tune finishes, and Billy talks about how they donated the tune to Patagonia to raise money for the environment. Not sure if you can still order the album or the track, but here’s a link with more info.
No Ke Ano Ahiahi is up next, and is nice and soothing after some of the hard groove and chaos we’ve heard thus far – this tune is ALWAYS welcome in a set, at least to my ears, and generally has excellent placement no matter where it’s found. It always feels right.
John Medeski 2011-08-26 – August Residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, NY
Partido Alto starts hopping, VERY playful opening – this tune is PERFECT for the 5 guys on stage to mess around with. Lots of space and they all are so familiar with the tune. Good, good fun.
Another small break and then, at the request of DJ Logic, they send us out with the groove to end all grooves: BUBBLEHOUSE! ‘Nuff said … a pleasantly groovy Friday Afternoon In The Universe at the Whitney Museum …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
THE SHACK STREAM
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD ANOTHER SHOW!
FAITU#17+#18+#19
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE
(FAITU#17 & #18 & #19)
2002-09-26
2002-09-27
2002-09-28
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~ 2002-09-26 ~
John Medeski @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-26.neumann-ak40.12562.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-5) –
– SET II (tracks 6-17) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#17)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 **
– SET I –
Pulling noise from space, the band jumps into the abyss and builds such a solid groove by the 4min mark it has to be planned – doesn’t it? NOPE! On fire is what they are! @4:40 the intensity turns up to eleven, John hits the Clav HARD and things are digging deeper, then the touch lightens a bit while the hold of the groove remains. illyB is breaking it down while John is really messing around and Chris attempts to hold a through-line for the bass. @6:48 or so John twinkles a melody of something – what is that? Man, this opening improvisation is rich, rich, rich! Things lock in more firmly and the trio rumbles along nicely playing this brand new tune they just composed on the spot, and continue to compose until the beat keeps pulsing but John lays down some smothering key work until everything dissolves to nothing @9:49 where a quick hit of the keys begins a shift into our next journey, something more slow and methodic. Nice ride from Billy, smoky Wurlitzer (I think?) from John and Chris establishes a plunkily falling bassline. Suddenly, another new song written within the first 20min … wild. This slinky groove leads to more Open Improv exploration that eventually leads into the full on blues we’ve been feeling as we head on down to …
Lonely Avenue, one of MMW’s oldest covers, this Ray Charles classic never disappoints – and the trio’s treatment of this tune is always raunchy and nasty. This performance lives up to the hype, with John seeming especially murky in his organ sounds which bleeds over nicely into the spacey introduction for the next tune, taking up the last minute of this track before it rolls over to track #3 and we are …
Uninvisible leading to heady beats and dancing – oh yeah, that fuzzy bassline comes in, so HEAVY you can *feel* it, John’s making some atmosphere, and then illyB kicks the beat. We vamp, just loving that bassline, and now John comes in with his main melody playing off Chris, and the groove feels so solid. SO SOLID. LIKE CONCRETE. But fluid, like water … out the end of Uninvisible Pappy Check appears and moves ever so nicely into the set closing Partido Alto – some of these transitions between tunes are just so good.
John Medeski @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
– SET II –
Some open space is explored and John’s honking the Melodica a bit, and just towards the end of the track you start to realize they’re about to hit a Ten Dollar High, and the price is right my friends – cheap but quality. Love how this builds and builds with John on the organ into kind of a hammy classic ending which burbles into a Bass Solo descending into the eerily groovy Shacklyn Knights where a short Drum Outro leads us out to hear the sweet Creole Love Call (that’s John’s part) coupled with the bassline from Your Name Is Snake Anthony (thank you, Chris) all while illyB kicks it down. This medley arrangement appeared during the spring ’02 tour with the Uninvisible Horns led by Steven Bernstein, but has remained as the way MMW bring Snake Anthony to the live stage (aside from a July ’02 performance where Col. Bruce actually tells the Snake Anthony story … kind of).
A Drum Solo runs out of Snake Anthony’s Creole Call and begins the driving groove of the 2nd half of the set, exploring some nice kit work from illyB before he just starts pounding it and we are on Fire! Hendrix-style! And, where there’s Fire, there’s Smoke (or vice versa, usually) and that Smoke evaporates smoothly into The Dropper – damn, I wish I could catch this tune live! – and that drops crazily into Felic, which is one of the wilder tunes from The Dropper album, not to mention from MMW’s overall repertoire. Felic is just nuts! The charge of Blue Pepper brings us back to more earthly planes, sorta, to wrap up the set.
And for the first of 3 nights in a row, we get an I Wanna Ride You, this one fully electric, preceded by a brief Organ Intro from John – love when he does that. The next 2 nights will find this tune in the encore slot again and again, but with some twists …
** Friday, September 27, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-27
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-28
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
~ 2002-09-27 ~
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-27.ew-z30x.29153.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-8) –
– SET II (tracks 9-16) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#18)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-26
MMW 2002-09-27 ticket stub
** Friday, September 27, 2002 **
– SET I –
Not so noisy as the previous night’s opening, instead it’s more moody and murky – it’s like John’s just laying his arms on the keys at times, maybe. Clattering percussion from illyB, some bird calls, and Chris is doing some high-over-the-bridge bowing, moving back onto the neck. Thumps from Billy as this Open Improv keeps veering away from groove in favour of sound exploration. At some point in here you either start chuckling or gain a deep focus – or both. After the 4min mark the band starts to begin an inkling towards something more melodic …
When track #2 starts the band had already laid the ground work and they jump into a groove that just keeps pushing and developing. Man, these cats listen to each other so well. Subtle responses and twists. We’re into bluesy territory here, but post-5min that really becomes evident. @7:35 the groove breaks down to like an elemental level, still moving, tweaking – cool sounds from John in here as well as what Chris is pulling out. Billy moves over to some percussive toys. @8:19 Chris begins a weird strum and things begin to get a little stranger before heading out into even more open space – @10min things get real loose and over the next 6min or so the band follows each other away from any semblance of composition and melody. We’re once again in chuckle/focus space, and all you can do is enjoy the ride. Just as the track reaches the end there’s some great interplay developing between Chris and Billy, then Billy drops out and we get some alone time with Chris and his bass – music to my ears. The solo begins delicately out of the space he and Billy were just sharing. This turns into a nice solo, well built and a great journey that almost never gets into that wild space Chris reaches until one minor outburst just before 2min, which he reins in, then begins that nice walk down the line …
And we’re moving into Shacklyn Knights – ooh this is a weird and groovy tune. It’s got a haunting quality to it that doesn’t really reach a height, the developing groove sounding like it might fall apart, but then vrooosh, the tune is rollicking along in full force now beginning a run of tunes to keep you dancing till set break. The Knights leads to a Drum Solo > C-Jam Blues > Buster Rides Again – this run is hoppin’ quick with energy. Then a Big Time > Jelly Belly pairing closes the set in a fine PHAT groove celebration.
– SET II –
There’s that HEAVY bassline again: Uninvisible kicks off the set with a bang! The tune gives way to some Open Improv exploration that finds itself nicely flowing into Lifeblood – oh, it feels good when illyB starts that weird shuffle. In an interesting and unique move Lifeblood peels away into a Bowed Bass Improv Solo, accompanied for a while by some scattering sounds from John and Billy, until it’s just Chris who eventually drops the bow and begins hammering his way to another Ten Dollar High; $10 and solid grooving later we’re hitting a Pappy Check and it once again, just like in the previous night’s 1st set, leads into Partido Alto – but listen to each night’s take on this move. The percussive Partido opens into a Drum Solo, not too long before Billy drops the Fire beat and the other 2 jump in … fizzling down to Smoke for closing the set – I love the slink of Smoke’s feel.
In the encore slot Organ Intro > I Wanna Ride You takes us out again, only this time John moves to Melodica and we get an Acoustic Outro to the song – the guys basically play into the taper’s mics, so it sounds SUPER SWEET! As always, WE LOVE THE TAPERS and are so grateful they’re out there …
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-28
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
~ 2002-09-28 ~
Billy Martin @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
Source info:
2002-09-28.neumann-ak40.12564.t-flac16
– SET I (tracks 1-6) –
– SET II (tracks 7-15) –
– SHACK THOUGHTS –
FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN THE UNIVERSE (FAITU#19)
The Shack Project celebrates MMW @25 years!
After a few weeks absence, I’m back with *3 shows* to hopefully make up for my lack of FAITU picks the past 2 weeks. So this week I’m sharing FAITU #17, #18 & #19, which are a run of shows in the U.S. Northeast from the fall 2002 tour (there was a 4th gig on that run as well, but it’s never circulated). There’s some repetition in song selection, considerable variance too, and just full-out incredible improvisation on display. Fall ’02 saw the opening improvisations stretching out more than ever before becoming a common tactic for starting a gig throughout the rest of MMW’s career. The tunes, mostly from The Dropper and Uninvisible albums (plus some other favourites), that are repeated see some interesting treatment, placement, and song segues – each gig offers something unique in this way in addition to each beginning with some hefty spontaneous composing … now to the replay tape …
Chris Wood @Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX 2002-05-10
** Thursday, September 26, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-26
** Friday, September 27, 2002 ** >>> 2002-09-27
** Saturday, September 28, 2002 **
– SET I –
Billy starts us off with an open beat, then John ZAPS our brains harshly for a moment, letting it fizzle out then another zap, not so intense as the first, some sounds from outer space, then it seems a little while before Chris contributes with a simple two plunk pulse. Billy has moved to the kit by now with this broken shuffle. John is still in outer space. Chris starts adding more notes and colour to his line. Billy tries finding a beat, something to drive things a little more. Just after 3min it sounds like things are jiving into a more cohesive whole, then it stops briefly, Billy kicks in a quicker beat, and what was just happening in a darker space takes on a more positive vibe, still coloured with dark undertones – these last 3 nights have started with incredible exploration of some dark places. 5min and my head is boppin’, but shucking to the side with jabs and bleeps, after 30secs the groove digs deeper – like all 3 of them, you can hear, lay into it. @6:40 we seem to be heading away from groove, full-on oppressive keys, and then what’s this? Oh, @7:25 illyB comes in nice and light, John hits the Wurly, (I think?), and this has a nice comforting vibe coupled with some slightly unsettling sounds – is that Chris making that banging pipe sound? I think so … thumping, then it takes a bit more life before there he is in a deeper register, filling in the bottom. By 10min the pace has quickened as the piece that began just over 3min ago develops into a 2nd section. The band rides this out, just nailing it, pushing the groove further, to the point where it starts to splinter while still holding tight – damn, I love those moments! – there’s almost like a brief swing around 18min, just before the groove does pull apart and things get a wee wacky for a minute or so, swelling into a noise of sorts undercut with some gospel pulse, until we are enjoying a mighty fine …
Philly Cheese Blunt! Suddenly this seems like the culmination of the past 20min, leading us to this revelation, this gospel. Preach it to me!
The Dropper > Open Improv/Intro > Sequel is one of the most interesting sections of these three gigs. The explosion into open space out of a killer The Dropper leads *very* uniquely into a weird open intro into Sequel – so Sequel, instead of beginning in a high energy space, starts in a more subdued way. VERY cool. Then a heady Big Time closes out the set with some head boppin’.
– SET II –
2nd set begins with DJ RPM sitting in for a Ten Dollar High, which is fun but he’s not asked to stick around for the rest of the set …
Then Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho charges up the crowd and leads a run > Think > Drum Solo, followed by a jivin’ Blue Pepper – these are dance numbers, folks! Shake it! Things get a little sultry with a stellar Bemsha Swing/Lively Up Yourself medley – like, can you hear these tunes separately now, without hearing traces of the other? I can’t.
Then the set ends with an Uninvisible one-two punch in Pappy Check > the title track, featuring some cool playing getting us from the Check into Uninvisible territory to close the set.
And then a familiar encore … just before John slams in with his organ, we hear Billy say, “This one’s called ‘I Wanna Ride You!’” And we’re off …
These 3 gigs showcase nicely what the band can do with similar tunes, which they tend to focus on for a tour or stretch of time, and how playful and adventurous their approach can be. But we also see the advent of larger sections of Improvisation, a welcome development in their gigs … the band just gets tighter and more daring …
enjoy the grooves,
dug
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