Folks, I haven't archived a single article for almost a year now and my apologies. The Phreshwater team, although dispersed countrywide, are grooving right along in life. I've been putting serious thought into going back into the water full force either web or print or both. What do you think of that? Drop a line and let me know what you think! Here's one from the deep pool of articles that took place 2 years ago on Halloween night in Ashe-Vegas... by yours truly. I hope you are all doing well - we're not dead yet!
Trey Anastasio Band - A Bag Full of Tricks and Treats! 10.31.02
The chill of autumn winds stirred steadily in downtown Asheville NC bringing the Halloween crowd into the proper spirit. Phans gathered merrily outside the Asheville Civic Center costumed and lubricated with microbrew and goo-balls. Even the Asheville Police Department was rather bubbly for a ghoulish evening, which could be attributed to the positive mass consciousness that was brewing outside the doors for this general admission show.
Just before the first set the crowd was really amped. We were all treated to a full on costume show that was highlighted by a small raucous parade of cartoon heroes: The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Velma, Scooby-Doo, and Elvis all dancing in a train around the civic center. There were at least 3 Bucketheads, 2 Evil Knevil's, and some dude dressed up as a lawn chair with green patio carpet draped over him with his head protruding from the seat!
The first set kicked off with a screaming version of 'Night Speaks To A Woman' and if a minute passed it could have been an hour! You could tell Trey was loose, relaxed, and ready for a long night. The band was just getting warmed up through 'Mozambique', 'The way I feel', and 'Curluse Call' (?) the entire crowd pulsating and leaping everywhere you could see. Trey conducted the band and entire musical experience like Frank Lloyd Wright, designing architectural masterpieces right before your eyes with hand signals, telepathy, and numerous contortions. The set rounded out with an insane run of 'Olivia'> 'Windora Bug '> 'Tops Off' where Trey encouraged the screaming crowd by taking off his shirt and swinging it madly in the air which resulted in a whirling crowd fresco of t-shirts, hats, and even a few breasts poking up and out for some fresh air! But the set STILL wasn't through! The 'Tops Off' pep-rally incited the band into 'Chapeau Mauve' (?), a stellar rendition of 'Ether Sunday', and closed the set with 'Last Tube'. I thought for a brief moment that there would be no intermission and we would just dance until sunrise! All I can say is 'WOW!'
The second set got whipped up in similar fashion with 'Money, Love, and Change'> (Killer unknown Jam)> Drifting > Gazebo. Jennifer Hartswick was just beaming all night while cutting staccato trumpet riffs and singing her ass off! the entire rhythm section's performance is beyond my ability to describe how tight they held it all together with Cyro Baptsita crazily pounding his tower of timbales and birdcalls to boot. Trey just kept giving sporadic doses of guitar prodigy throughout the night and into 'Sultans of Swing'. The encore, 'Push on til the day', was equally impressive and I seriously thought it might never stop when Trey went into a barrage of feedback trickery with sonic screams and overdrive auditory meltdowns to the rabid delight of everyone present! And then, like Nikola Tesla resurrected on stage, Trey captured the sonic feedback into a ball of tangible energy and tossed this imaginary sphere of sound into the crowd where it was 'tossed' back into his hands and then 'passed' around to the band members on stage! It was a great ending that was impressive to all my senses.
This was a show that I will never forget. It was non-stop excitement and high energy musicianship from every angle. Trey Anastasio looked and appeared like he is ready and prime for the upcoming Phish events with full confidence and evergy. What an amazing Halloween!
Review: S. Remington
9.03.2004
Larry Keel and Curtis Burch - The Newgrass Experience
Artist: Larry Keel and Curtis Burch
Title: Larry Keel - Curtis Burch and the Experience
Year: 2002
Label: Little King Records
Style: Bluegrass
This insightful collection of mountain lore and super-charged new-grass is fueled by two living legends of acoustic music. Larry Keel, flat pick guitar champion and founding member of McGraw Gap, joins forces with Curtis Burch the internationally renowned dobro master who has graced the stage with other Bluegrass giants such as Norman Blake, Doc Watson, and Ralph Stanley. This collaboration, which is dedicated in memory to genius Bluegrass singer and songwriter John Hartford, also features a talented supporting acoustic ensemble including Billy Constable (Hypnotic Clambake), Woody Woods (Blue Rags), Jason Krekel (Snake Oil Medicine Show), Mark Schimick and Jenny Keel (Larry Keel Experience).
The first track, ‘In the Plan’, features Curtis Burch on lead vocals and dobro in a sure-footed version of this classic written by The Dillards. The Experience rises next for a high-mountain thrill ride with ‘Carolina Sunshine’ and ‘Never Get On A Train Again’- a newgrass electrified rendition originally performed by the Everly Brothers.
Jason Krekel, on mandolin and lead vocals, heads up a brilliant cover of John Hartford’s classic ‘On the Road’ – A zany musical dissertation of the effects of jet-lag played in hyper-waltz time signature ( I give this version a very hefty A+, which is saying a lot coming from a seasoned Hartford fan!). On track 5 Larry Keel presents a hand-crafted composition entitled ‘The Door’: A bluesy, head-bobbing, number packed with Larry’s raspy vocal musings and greased lightning on the fret board. Then Larry and Curtis gladly throw a habanero into the pot and get down to business with a roof burning rendition of Tut Taylor’s ‘Black Ridge Ramble’.
I’ve always had great joy whenever hearing John Hartford’s ‘First Girl I Loved’ and I am equally impressed with this collaborative version including the haunting guitar and dobro interludes which weave themselves gently between the lyrics of this timeless tale of love past and present. This disc also boasts three other Keel compositions ‘Kite Song’, ‘These Things’, and ‘Smile’ which are impressive displays of Larry’s songwriting talent that make him one of the most important artists in acoustic music today. As an added bonus on this CD we are treated to ‘Pennies In My Pocket’ (written by Curtis Burch, Sam Bush, and Mark Olson) which features a bluegrass knuckle-sandwich of Curtis Burch on dobro and Billy Constable on banjo.
I’m sure that if you are a serious Bluegrass fan that this CD is a no-brainer to add to your collection. Larry and Curtis are two of the most talented and hard-working dudes who have ever played acoustic music. You can really feel the emanations of the great time these two must have had with The Experience rambling through these choice cuts in the studio. Isn’t that what great music is REALLY about? I’m sure John Hartford is looking down from the clouds right now knowing that he is not forgotten and honored that these two friends are playing his songs and having a blast in the process.
Review: S. Remington
CD Review originally appeared on PhreshWater.com in November 2002
Title: Larry Keel - Curtis Burch and the Experience
Year: 2002
Label: Little King Records
Style: Bluegrass
This insightful collection of mountain lore and super-charged new-grass is fueled by two living legends of acoustic music. Larry Keel, flat pick guitar champion and founding member of McGraw Gap, joins forces with Curtis Burch the internationally renowned dobro master who has graced the stage with other Bluegrass giants such as Norman Blake, Doc Watson, and Ralph Stanley. This collaboration, which is dedicated in memory to genius Bluegrass singer and songwriter John Hartford, also features a talented supporting acoustic ensemble including Billy Constable (Hypnotic Clambake), Woody Woods (Blue Rags), Jason Krekel (Snake Oil Medicine Show), Mark Schimick and Jenny Keel (Larry Keel Experience).
The first track, ‘In the Plan’, features Curtis Burch on lead vocals and dobro in a sure-footed version of this classic written by The Dillards. The Experience rises next for a high-mountain thrill ride with ‘Carolina Sunshine’ and ‘Never Get On A Train Again’- a newgrass electrified rendition originally performed by the Everly Brothers.
Jason Krekel, on mandolin and lead vocals, heads up a brilliant cover of John Hartford’s classic ‘On the Road’ – A zany musical dissertation of the effects of jet-lag played in hyper-waltz time signature ( I give this version a very hefty A+, which is saying a lot coming from a seasoned Hartford fan!). On track 5 Larry Keel presents a hand-crafted composition entitled ‘The Door’: A bluesy, head-bobbing, number packed with Larry’s raspy vocal musings and greased lightning on the fret board. Then Larry and Curtis gladly throw a habanero into the pot and get down to business with a roof burning rendition of Tut Taylor’s ‘Black Ridge Ramble’.
I’ve always had great joy whenever hearing John Hartford’s ‘First Girl I Loved’ and I am equally impressed with this collaborative version including the haunting guitar and dobro interludes which weave themselves gently between the lyrics of this timeless tale of love past and present. This disc also boasts three other Keel compositions ‘Kite Song’, ‘These Things’, and ‘Smile’ which are impressive displays of Larry’s songwriting talent that make him one of the most important artists in acoustic music today. As an added bonus on this CD we are treated to ‘Pennies In My Pocket’ (written by Curtis Burch, Sam Bush, and Mark Olson) which features a bluegrass knuckle-sandwich of Curtis Burch on dobro and Billy Constable on banjo.
I’m sure that if you are a serious Bluegrass fan that this CD is a no-brainer to add to your collection. Larry and Curtis are two of the most talented and hard-working dudes who have ever played acoustic music. You can really feel the emanations of the great time these two must have had with The Experience rambling through these choice cuts in the studio. Isn’t that what great music is REALLY about? I’m sure John Hartford is looking down from the clouds right now knowing that he is not forgotten and honored that these two friends are playing his songs and having a blast in the process.
Review: S. Remington
CD Review originally appeared on PhreshWater.com in November 2002
8.07.2004
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon - The Biology of a 'Clone'
Its title notwithstanding, CLONE is a wholly original collaboration between acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke and bassist Mike Gordon of Phish. For Kottke, it is the 25th album (excluding compilations) in a career that dates back to 1968. From the beginning, the Minneapolis-based guitarist has dazzled fans and fellow musicians with his uniquely propulsive fingerpicking and deep, resonant voice. Since 1983, Gordon has established himself as a virtuoso in his own right as bass guitarist and founding member of Phish, the quintessential jam band from Burlington, Vermont.
This recording marks a departure for both musicians. CLONE is the first "band" album Kottke has ever made, in the sense of being a true, fully credited collaboration with another musician. It is also Gordon's first musical project outside of Phish. Shot through with skewed, surreal humor and casually brilliant interplay, Clone is a captivating collaboration between two master musicians.
And to think it all began with the word "eleemosynary."
Eleemosynary is essentially a highfalutin synonym for "charitable." Mike Gordon dropped the word into an essay from his book Mike's Corner, a collection of whimsical short pieces he'd written for Phish's newsletter. Leo Kottke, after being given a copy by longtime fan Gordon, made note of eleemosynary's appearance. The only other time he'd seen it used was in John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman. At that moment, before they'd ever played a note together, guitarist Kottke realized that bassist Gordon - who possesses the same sort of disarmingly playful intellect - might make a fruitful collaborator.
"That's what really got my attention," chuckles Kottke. "That and the fact he's easy to talk to. He's one of those people, unlike me, who can walk up and say hello to anybody on earth and be perfectly at ease with it. So I got curious about what he was doing."
Gordon already knew plenty about Kottke, having seen him in concert as far back as 1983. Mike and bandmate Trey Anastasio considered him their favorite acoustic guitarist. So when Kottke came to play Burlington, Vermont, in 1999, Gordon was ready. He had taken one of Kottke's earliest solo instrumentals, "The Driving of the Year Nail," and overdubbed an original bass line. Backstage, he presented Kottke with a tape of the revamped song, as well as a copy of his book and Phish's latest release, The Story of the Ghost.
"I had always been a fan," Gordon recalls, "and it just dawned on me like a flash that I would click with him, both personality-wise and musically."
Some months later, Kottke contacted Gordon to say he liked the bass part Mike had added to "Year Nail." Eager to explore the potential chemistry, they got together a few times to jam. At the end of a daylong session at Trey's Barn studio in Burlington, they improvised a pattern that got them excited. Just as "eleemosynary" had broken the ice, this one riff - which can be heard at the beginning of "June" - cemented their union. "It made us think we should try to write music together," says Gordon.
"I've had the experience of playing with people where things fit really well, you have a lot of fun and pretty much get what you want," says Kottke. "But I've never had the experience of locking in before the notes are happening and finding out that you can do things literally in unison. It really was a shock to me.
"We only had a lick," Kottke continues, "but based on that we committed ourselves to do a record. We jumped in over our heads without a second thought. It could've been disastrous, but it really worked. We found out we could write together, which is really what happened."
Another session, this one in Kottke's hometown of Minneapolis, found them finding a groove on the Kottke-composed "Disco." "I started playing along, and he described it as 'having foot,'" Gordon says with a chuckle. "He said that one would be good for us, 'cause people could stomp their feet to it." At that point, Clone began taking shape.
Between January and June 2002, Kottke and Gordon convened three times at the Burbank, California, garage studio of producer Paul DuGré. A freewheeling spirit of "anything goes" pervaded the sessions, as they challenged each other in ways that were novel for both of them. "Playing with him was pushing my style to a new limit," acknowledges Gordon, "and he claimed it was doing the same thing for him. So it just felt great, and it had foot."
They drew upon a choice set of uniquely slanted songs, among them "Car Carrier Blues," whose narrator worries about driving behind those car-carrying trucks for fear that the rear automobile will fall off, and "From Pizza Towers to Defeat," a surrealistic ditty (written by cult hero Bob "Frizz" Fuller) that makes lyrical references to a train robbery and Richard Nixon in drag.
Of course, Kottke played guitar and Gordon played bass, and both sang. But they also delved into a whole other realm of "found" noises and instruments to spice up the mix. Mike played a "resophonic bass" - a custom-made instrument with the body of a dobro and the neck of a bass - on "Arko" and "With." Kottke played "the Condor," a prototype guitar synthesizer made decades ago. It was so bad, it was good - especially on the bizarrely humorous title track.
"The strings were really rusty and it was dangerous to play," laughs Kottke. "It had this controller with these huge vanilla, barstool-red and turquoise panel buttons on it that said things like 'choo choo train' and 'surf.' It was awful! Half of it didn't work and it made all this noise, but it had something, so the Condor is all over 'Clone.'"
Kottke and Gordon also played percussion on pots and pans from DuGré's kitchen and flew in noises from something called a "lollipop vibrator." In "The Collins Missile," Gordon plays "skull flute" - a plaintive, high-pitched sound made by cupping one's hands and blowing through the thumbs.
"Laughter was important," says Gordon of the sessions, which even had their own mascot: a neighborhood cat.
"Ralph was her name," says Kottke. "This cat was really peculiar. It would run across the street whenever we showed up. And when we brought it in the studio, it played everything: walked on the guitar, on the bass, on the piano, on Paul's control board."
This feline spirit of daring carried over to Kottke and Gordon, who happily followed their collective muse wherever it led them. "There was no strain," says Kottke. "It was the easiest record I've ever made. It was completely unstructured and spontaneous. There wasn't any idea we were trying to express some message or anything. We were just looking for that click."
- Article originally appeared on PhreshWater.com in October 2002
This recording marks a departure for both musicians. CLONE is the first "band" album Kottke has ever made, in the sense of being a true, fully credited collaboration with another musician. It is also Gordon's first musical project outside of Phish. Shot through with skewed, surreal humor and casually brilliant interplay, Clone is a captivating collaboration between two master musicians.
And to think it all began with the word "eleemosynary."
Eleemosynary is essentially a highfalutin synonym for "charitable." Mike Gordon dropped the word into an essay from his book Mike's Corner, a collection of whimsical short pieces he'd written for Phish's newsletter. Leo Kottke, after being given a copy by longtime fan Gordon, made note of eleemosynary's appearance. The only other time he'd seen it used was in John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman. At that moment, before they'd ever played a note together, guitarist Kottke realized that bassist Gordon - who possesses the same sort of disarmingly playful intellect - might make a fruitful collaborator.
"That's what really got my attention," chuckles Kottke. "That and the fact he's easy to talk to. He's one of those people, unlike me, who can walk up and say hello to anybody on earth and be perfectly at ease with it. So I got curious about what he was doing."
Gordon already knew plenty about Kottke, having seen him in concert as far back as 1983. Mike and bandmate Trey Anastasio considered him their favorite acoustic guitarist. So when Kottke came to play Burlington, Vermont, in 1999, Gordon was ready. He had taken one of Kottke's earliest solo instrumentals, "The Driving of the Year Nail," and overdubbed an original bass line. Backstage, he presented Kottke with a tape of the revamped song, as well as a copy of his book and Phish's latest release, The Story of the Ghost.
"I had always been a fan," Gordon recalls, "and it just dawned on me like a flash that I would click with him, both personality-wise and musically."
Some months later, Kottke contacted Gordon to say he liked the bass part Mike had added to "Year Nail." Eager to explore the potential chemistry, they got together a few times to jam. At the end of a daylong session at Trey's Barn studio in Burlington, they improvised a pattern that got them excited. Just as "eleemosynary" had broken the ice, this one riff - which can be heard at the beginning of "June" - cemented their union. "It made us think we should try to write music together," says Gordon.
"I've had the experience of playing with people where things fit really well, you have a lot of fun and pretty much get what you want," says Kottke. "But I've never had the experience of locking in before the notes are happening and finding out that you can do things literally in unison. It really was a shock to me.
"We only had a lick," Kottke continues, "but based on that we committed ourselves to do a record. We jumped in over our heads without a second thought. It could've been disastrous, but it really worked. We found out we could write together, which is really what happened."
Another session, this one in Kottke's hometown of Minneapolis, found them finding a groove on the Kottke-composed "Disco." "I started playing along, and he described it as 'having foot,'" Gordon says with a chuckle. "He said that one would be good for us, 'cause people could stomp their feet to it." At that point, Clone began taking shape.
Between January and June 2002, Kottke and Gordon convened three times at the Burbank, California, garage studio of producer Paul DuGré. A freewheeling spirit of "anything goes" pervaded the sessions, as they challenged each other in ways that were novel for both of them. "Playing with him was pushing my style to a new limit," acknowledges Gordon, "and he claimed it was doing the same thing for him. So it just felt great, and it had foot."
They drew upon a choice set of uniquely slanted songs, among them "Car Carrier Blues," whose narrator worries about driving behind those car-carrying trucks for fear that the rear automobile will fall off, and "From Pizza Towers to Defeat," a surrealistic ditty (written by cult hero Bob "Frizz" Fuller) that makes lyrical references to a train robbery and Richard Nixon in drag.
Of course, Kottke played guitar and Gordon played bass, and both sang. But they also delved into a whole other realm of "found" noises and instruments to spice up the mix. Mike played a "resophonic bass" - a custom-made instrument with the body of a dobro and the neck of a bass - on "Arko" and "With." Kottke played "the Condor," a prototype guitar synthesizer made decades ago. It was so bad, it was good - especially on the bizarrely humorous title track.
"The strings were really rusty and it was dangerous to play," laughs Kottke. "It had this controller with these huge vanilla, barstool-red and turquoise panel buttons on it that said things like 'choo choo train' and 'surf.' It was awful! Half of it didn't work and it made all this noise, but it had something, so the Condor is all over 'Clone.'"
Kottke and Gordon also played percussion on pots and pans from DuGré's kitchen and flew in noises from something called a "lollipop vibrator." In "The Collins Missile," Gordon plays "skull flute" - a plaintive, high-pitched sound made by cupping one's hands and blowing through the thumbs.
"Laughter was important," says Gordon of the sessions, which even had their own mascot: a neighborhood cat.
"Ralph was her name," says Kottke. "This cat was really peculiar. It would run across the street whenever we showed up. And when we brought it in the studio, it played everything: walked on the guitar, on the bass, on the piano, on Paul's control board."
This feline spirit of daring carried over to Kottke and Gordon, who happily followed their collective muse wherever it led them. "There was no strain," says Kottke. "It was the easiest record I've ever made. It was completely unstructured and spontaneous. There wasn't any idea we were trying to express some message or anything. We were just looking for that click."
- Article originally appeared on PhreshWater.com in October 2002
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