Saturday, December 30, 2006

Merry Goo Year



Eric Slick with Project Object, Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, NJ 12-29-06

Merry Goo Year courtesy of John Lennon, The Beatles Christmas Album, 1964

So all is slow in blogland on Christmas week - I think most people are on holiday physically or mentally. I've been holding out talking about Friday night's Project Object show at Mexicali Blues to see if any other people wrote about it and I could post their reviews as well but I've been coming up empty so the hell with it, I'll go first.

But before I do, if you live anywhere near Northampton, MA, the band is playing a gig there tonight at the Pearl Street and if it's just half as good as the show I saw Friday night, you are really in for a treat.


So there's a shot of Eric, Ike Willis, and bassist Dave Johnsen

Yeah, Mexicali Blues was AMAZING. But before I talk about the music, I must do the food. I've been all over America and Europe and that was hands down the best bar/music venue food I've ever had. Here's their menu. I had the Mexican spring roll and the mussel chowder, which I think had saffron...it was so fucking good I never wanted it to end.

But enough about my serious food addiction, let's talk music. Crescent Moon was the opener and they were punk and fun and sounded like a hell of a lot more than just bass and drums. I spoke to bassist Dave Dreiwitz before he took the stage and he was hoping the crowd of Zappa freaks there to see Project Object would be open to their music and I don't think he had anything to worry about - people really, really dug them and I think if he had CDs of that night's gig for sale after the show, he'd have sold out.

Unfortunately, we were busy stuffing our faces with the aforesaid food while they were playing so I didn't get any shots of Crescent Moon, damn it, but here's one Gary took when he saw them play at the very same venue a few months ago:



Anyway, so then Project Object took the stage, and from the first song in, they were amazing.


Here's the set list:

Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me?
She Painted Up Her Face - Half A Dozen Provocative Squats - Shove It Right In
Montana
T'Mershi Duween - The Dog Breath Variations - Uncle Meat
Uncle Remus
Ms. Pinky
What's New in Baltimore?

Keep It Greasey
Outside Now
I Have Been in You
Flakes
Broken Hearts Are for Assholes
I'm So Cute
Inca Roads
Sy Borg
Baby Snakes

Echidna's Arf (Of You) - Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?

It was hard to believe it was only their second show of the tour; hard to believe that they didn't even get to have that many rehearsals because all of their musicians are working/touring with other bands simultaneously; but oh man did they rock.

The set list is about 50-60% different from the spring tour and yeah, yeah, as Eric's mother, I loved the additions -- particularly the drum solos and all his vocals. Eric is pretty active singing and hamming it up with these guys and it's really cool and interesting for me to see how he individually approaches his stagemanship with the various bands he's in. With Project Object, he's like class clown and it's great! With Chris Harford, he's laid back steady beat drummer, and with Adrian...well, he's more...hmmm...reflective while insanely rocking out at the same time...I can't think of a better phrase and Eric will probably read this and want to shoot me for the entire paragraph so Er, let me apologize now in advance.

Here's a pic of guitar great Robbie "Seahag" Mangano (by the way, these photos are courtesy of Gary)



And here's keyboardist Erik Svalgard:



Anyway, like I said, I couldn't find anything in the way of reviews yet but I did see this on the Ween Forum Board

"Show was great tonight...Dave Dreiwitz' band Crescent Moon opened and they were pretty dang good too..


The kid on drums for both acts is a monster!!! Fantastic guitar playing all through the night...."

*****

"Reply
Re: Lastnight's Project/Object show, Bit Torrent

Quote: The kid on drums for both acts is a monster!!!


Holy Shit..I'll second that.Eric Slick I believe. 19 years old and unfuckinbelievable..found my self at times tuning everyone else out and zoning in on him..it's like he's one with his kit..amazing..add a lil Seahag and Soulboner to the mix and it was on! Those dinner tables in the middle of the dance floor gotta go..."

******
Reply

"i saw the Adrian Belew trio a few months ago, it was Belew, Eric Slick, and Eric Slicks sister on bass."
*****

"Soulboners gf was telling me about that trio and how awesome it was. She said his sis is just as much of a virtuoso as him."
******

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a broken record with these forum board quotes I find but I can't help it, they make me smile from ear to ear. Damn I wish I could be at the show tonight. Gary is going to the Eagles game at 4:00; Julie is working, so I get to spend New Years Eve pretty much alone until later tonight and I can't say I'm unhappy about that at all. I never liked going out on New Years -- I hate crowds of people and banquet style food and ugh, kissing strangers at midnight. But worst of all, I hate New Years resolutions.

Err..anyone got any? Feel free to post. Or, feel free to post that you hate them, too.

If I find any reviews or anything else of note happens between now and midnight, I will be back. If not, Merry Goo Year!

Later,
xo

5 comments:

  1. Last summer I saw Eric and Julie alongside Adrian at the Zappanale festival.
    In one word: WOW! Eric is a true genius behind the drums, and makes a perfect team with Julie and Adrian.
    I get really excited hearing Eric's involved in a Zappa-project with Ike, and that they're actually coming to Zappanale! Can't hardly wait.

    Very cool blog by the way. Keep it up.
    Cheers,
    Jeroen from Holland

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Weasel!

    I'll be at Zappanale this summer, too...I can't wait! I went once before and it was an experience of a lifetime. In fact, I just wrote to the travel agent to find out about the entire ten days of Zappa including the street naming in Berlin and if I get to go to that, I won't believe it!

    Ha ha - yeah, no worries about my stopping the blog anytime soon. I love it as both a vehicle to promote the kids, my books, and a place to vent.

    Ack, LisaA, good luck with the nicoteen taming. That's the one addiction I never had...ha ha...well, at least there was one.

    Red shoes? The angels wanna wear mine...(Elvis Costello, 1978)

    ReplyDelete
  3. my resolutions are to listen to more new music, take better photographs (my new camera arrived today!), write MUCH more -=and better=-, make and keep friends, eat healthier, sleep less, walk more, (and not scare blog mothers that i'm into their daughters... ACK!)

    blessings to you Rockin'Blog Mamma!
    xo,
    dd.

    (what is Zappanale? how far west does it go?)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hippy Holidaze To the Slick Family!!

    First. Thank you thank you thank you for the fantastic assortment of the finest cookies available. They didn't last long with all the people I had over around the holiday week. Everybody that had them loved them as well as the story of Julie and Eric playing in The Belew Power Trio with Adrian. I've always been one to spread the word. :)

    Second. Thank you thank you thank you for posting the link to the Zappateers download of the Project Object show. I have it and tell Eric... get 'em to bring the show out west. I don't see any way that I can get to the east coast .... please please please bring them out west! Please. I drove down to the desert to see the Dweezil and the Zappa Plays Zappa band last Saturday night. The show was okay. It was oversold - too damn crowded - but the music was phenom. Dweezil really shows the love for his father and his father's music. It was a treat to go.

    Third. Thanks for posting all the wonderful pictures. The spotted curtain is such a great effect and the shots that Gary took are really nice. And what a great idea... getting Gary the nicer camera. It's a gift that really will keep on giving! Smart woman.

    And about the resolution. I never make them. I don't see the point. Why wait for discipline. Embrace it instead. I went out on the 30th (ZPZ) instead of the 31st! I was actually happy when I saw the show was planned for the 30th instead of NYE. We have a desert cabin and a nice group of family and friends gathered for the festivities. Boy what a night! Even some snipe hunting was in session!! Or so we had them believing! HA

    And about this exciting cache of information... you better stuff it down a little better 'cause the next time I see some coming out the sides.... I'm gonna pull it all the way out!! Come on, just let it out. You know it's not good to keep stuff inside!* ;P

    xoxoxo -Tickledrop

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rena, I just saw this comment.

    What an awesome person you are.

    And I think I've must have worn my Belew shirt at least 20 times since you sent it to me...I'm so in love with it that I'm actually washing it inside out on the gentle cycle because I want it to last forever.

    And that chocolate...oh my god.

    I'm glad you enjoyed ZPZ. I really cringe at the flame wars that erupt over Project Object vs ZPZ. They are both making music for god sakes and getting Frank's genius out there. Why there should be this "who is better" stuff is beyond me.

    Especially when you consider the sad state of the music industry today. What ZPZ and P/O are doing is so far and above what everyone else (well, except for Adrian, Fripp, and the jam bands like Umph and Benevento Russo etc.) is doing it's ridiculous.

    Yeah, getting Gary a new camera was pretty smart, huh.

    Have a wonderful New Years and yep, I heard all about that house of yours in the desert and I want in!

    ReplyDelete