Side Four Live!

Adrian, Gary, and Eric joking around pre-Dayton show. I have so many cool photos I can't decide which ones to post so the following are a mish-mash of both the Dayton and Newport shows with many more to follow - these are just a few of the ones I uploaded from Gary's camera...I haven't even gotten to my camera yet.


Proving that (1) Gary's new camera does indeed take awesome portraits and (2) daughter Julile is beyond gorgeous even if she did put me through hell last night (don't ask...normally I would blog about it but let's just say she made it to New York last night but not before tearing out my liver and spleen first with worry)


Yes, I know. I'm supposed to put the "finale" photos at the end of my post, not the beginning, but I am in a complete tizzy -- I just spent an hour making Eric an awesome vegetarian lunch and got a phone call that Julie wanted me to make her one, too, which Eric has to bring to NY with him now...she's lucky I'm even speaking to her let alone making her lunch! Heh. Have you noticed both of my kids have me waiting on them hand and foot? Oh well. They are so, so worth it.


Eric Slick and his amazing new Paiste cymbals...these are so outrageous you can't believe it.


The Master himself, Mr. Adrian Belew


And the most beautiful lunatic...I mean, bass player, in the universe, Ms. Julie Slick.

Just kidding, just kidding. Let's just say Julie had a difficult time getting from the airport in Newark to New York City last night and I was expected to perform miracles back here in Philadelphia in between worrying that she wasn't feeling well...anyway, it all worked out and I love that little lunatic more than life itself. What's a night's sleep, anyway. As I said, the bottom line is, she did get to New York City in time to record Jon Anderson of Yes and I'm still alive and sane enough to write about it.

Anyway...

Heart be still. It's true. Side Four Live was recorded Saturday night. Oh my god. My kids are on a CD with Adrian Belew. It's finally hitting me now. Well, somewhat -- I need to have it in my hand to be sure it's really happened. That, and the accompanying DVD which I understand is extremely cool - full of both concert footage and interviews. Arghhh...I want it now!

From a fan's journal...and let me add that with all of the below entries, I did not correct any of the authors' spelling errors, etc. so please don't blame me (heh)...I merely copied these as is:

"A couple weeks ago a friend of mine emailed everyone to say the Adrian Belew power trio would be playing in Dayton at the Canal Street Tavern. As my alma mater, Wright State University, is having a big alumi even this weekend including a Model UN reunion I decided to go. I haven't been to Dayton in months, and some of my best friends live there so a visit is always full of good food, conversation and music.

I've seen Belew before, back on the Lone Rhinoceros tour, and with King Crimson, so I knew it would be a great show. Belew is a very unique guitarist, capable of getting sounds out of the guitar no one ever dreamed of. He once explained how to do that to my friend Alex, and his explanation was clear and lucid. Could Alex go home and make them? No, even though his high school band played the Yes catalog and selections from the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was simple, logical and from another planet. But when you get discovered by Frank Zappa and then David Bowie asks you to play with him, well, you have to have talent...

(Note from me: I had to edit here. Our fan did not know Adrian was previously in King Crimson and I just couldn't leave his post up as is...where he debates if Ade was good enough to try out for the band or something...though in all fairness, our fan says Yes. Heh. And thank you Gary for pointing this out to me..I kind of skimmed through it and didn't pick it up on the first read).

Okay, continuing on...

But his rhythmn section was very cool and new. The Slicks. Julie Slick just turned 21 and plays bass. Her brother Eric is 19 and their drummer. These kids have chops out the wazoo, beautiful timing and their playing is just so tasty. Great show.

Of course while David Bowie and the Talking Heads have made a few hit records, King Crimson is a band for musicians. You don't get shrieking teeny boppers at a Belew concert. You get serious music lovers and serious musicians. I spent the concert chatting with Tim Dozier, former drummer and arranger for the seventies funk band Slave, who was just a huge Belew fan. He was totally jealous when I told him I'd seen Crimson and a nicer guy you couldn't imagine. Belew's pretty nice too. This wasn't a show where people put on airs and acted like stars, we were there for the music and they were happy to play it for us. And with a Newcastle costing a mere $3.50 life was good.

If you get a chance to see Belew, do go. You'll hear stuff no one else on earth could play. And you'll hear the Slicks, who have wonderful careers ahead of them."

From Progressive Ears:

"Took in the Adrian Belew Power Trio last night at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton Ohio..i was told to be ready to be blown away, and i was,but not by Belew [that was a given, i assumed]...his backing band, the Slicks, were incredible!! 19 year old brother,Eric, playing a very, very high energy percussion and his 21 year old sister Julie, just ripping a bass line underneath everything...i was thoroughly impressed with them...it's always great to see 'Ade', he has so much fun playing, and the crowd feeds off his energy...an extended version of 'Beat Box Guitar' was the highlight, with a mid-song improv jam...several Crimson songs ['Dinosaur', 'Elephant Talk', 'Frame by Frame', among others] where played flawlessly...if you get a chance, check this tour out, you won't be dissapointed!!!"
*****

"Eric was the first drummer to graduate from the School of Rock in Philly. He also tours with Project Object. I've seen him twice and is a very approachable and funny guy."
*****

"I saw them at the Zappanale last July, and was equally blown away. Got to hang a bit backstage too, and they're all very cool and easy going. Adrian is still one of the great guitarists of our time."
*****

"True! It smoked! They were all totally friendly and approachable as well. Adrian banged his head very first thing on one of the low-hanging Bose PA cabs, which must've hurt like hell, but he joked about it all evening. He literally has a million sounds - some exquisite and ethereal, some very ugly; all great. What impresses me most about him is his independence, how he can pick a difficult part (even a beat ahead to allow it to reverse-track!) and sing a line that seems completely contrary to it. Similarly, when his gear occasionally misfired, he'd just smile and adjust, and make the glitch fit in. The kids are fantastic allright, Eric on drums in particular last night, just a ball of fire. Definitely, catch them if you can. This micro tour winds up tomorrow I think, but there will surely be more gigs since they love touring and playing together."
*****
From yet another fan:

"...Saturday night, Feb. 17, my girlfriend and I went to see Adrian Belew (with Julie Slick on bass & Eric Slick on drums) at the Southgate House in Newport, KY. What a kick-ass show! We were close enough to shoot him with rubberbands (not that I would wanna do that) and there were only about 150 to 200 people in attendance which did not even half-fill the place. Maybe the bad winter road conditions have something to do with the small turnout, as it did snow all day. It was a live recording, and they rocked the joint anyhow. It was such a great experience to closely see Adrian's expressions as he plays, he just tears it up from the inside out..."

There's also a ton of reviews coming in from Adrian Belew's Yahoo Group which I'll probably post tomorrow along with more photos of the band in actual concert.

Anyway, both kids are with Jon Anderson in New York, I've got the house to myself, and I really, really, really need to write.

Until tomorrow...

Later,
xo

Hey Ho...Ohio

There it is - my official new book cover, complete with blurbs, as it will appear in bookstores across the universe. Well, this is a high res photo so the colors are off...on my screen, the lipstick on the apple looks blue, etc., obviously it's going to be red, but that could just be my computer. Anyway...

Yay!

But naturally, that's not the real cause of my excitement this week (though I might also add that I've been extremely lucky in the acceptance department lately with short stories coming out in many magazines over the next couple of months...hooray!)

Nope, the real reason I'm jumping for joy is:



The Adrian Belew Power Trio - featuring Julie Slick on bass and Eric Slick on drums, who are back out on tour!

Okay, so the family left for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, this morning...digging out of a foot of ice in Philadelphia to get the Jeep out and heading towards ten feet of snow in Ohio.

I am trying not to hyperventilate.

Poor Eric. His flight to Cleveland was cancelled yesterday due to all the bad weather and thus, so was his gig with Project Object. Luckily we already had the plan in place for his dad to drive Julie to Cleveland today for their gig with Adrian Belew but I know Eric was bumming bigtime over the cancellation of the P/O gig.

But hey hey, there's tonight's completely sold out show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Friday in Dayton, and the big show/recording of Side 4 Live in Newport, KY (see post below for all details and links) to look forward to, and the weather forecast is good; in fact, they had better luck clearing ten feet of snow from Ohio than our lovely City of Philadelphia had clearing a couple inches. There is something very corrupt about our city government but I'd best leave that alone right now.

However, I'd be lying if I said my heart won't be in my mouth until I get the phone call that they've arrived safely. It's a seven hour drive to Cleveland assuming there's no traffic or ice...and soundcheck is at 5:00 p.m. tonight. They did leave at 7:00 a.m. so that's giving them ten hours...but still.

Ugh, I'm not happy unless I'm worrying. And let's not even discuss Julie flying out of O'Hare Airport in Chicago to get to New York on Sunday to record Jon Anderson's new CD...I can't even bring myself to look at the Chicago weather forecast.

But all that aside, to say I'm excited right now is putting it mildly.

And in case anyone reading this is planning on attending any of the Ohio shows, the trio will have a special treat. They are offering limited edition CDs of an eleven minute version of Beat Box Guitar Live with original artwork and autographs by all three members of the trio...they will even customize them for you. Sun Ra used to do this and now his doodled CDs are collectors' items.

I know if I were lucky enough to get one of these, though, I'd have to be reduced to eating cat food for dinner before I'd part with mine.

And how cool that all three members of the Adrian Belew Power Trio are fantastic artists...funny, I thought that being a painter was Julie's true calling in life. Her artwork is incredible and she studied at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and University of the Arts even as a child. When she draws a portrait, it looks like a photograph jumping off the page. If the family didn't take my camera with them to Ohio, I'd be taking a photo right now of Julie's drawing of Gary and Eric when they were, ironically, stuck at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on the way home from the west coast gig with Adrian.

I noticed a couple mentions of the trio in two Ohio newspapers, namely, right here and right here.

Anyway...I'm going to spend the next five days in hermit mode, writing my little heart out, but of course I will be back with blogposts as I hear from the family as to each Power Trio performance and other amusing little anecdotes of which I'm sure there will be plenty knowing this gang -- though now I have to share my stories/audience with this Grand Master Blogger...and a very fine author in his own write.

But I mean, come on. How can I compete with stories which contain mentions of Robert Fripp's willy?

Err...I guess you'll have to read my actual books for that, huh. (Insert evil, wicked grin here) Links to purchase on the right. Get 'em while they still have the old "collector" covers...in a few weeks they will be gone. Ha!

Later,

xo

A major snow? Oh say it isn't so!

My youngest son, Monty, frolicking during our last blizzard

So like for the first time in...ever...I am actually praying for no snow this week. The schedule around here is so crazy and awesome...but yikes, if we get a blizzard we're in big trouble.

Anyway, here's some of the cool stuff going on.

Right now Eric is on his way out the door.

"Where ya goin', Er?"

"I'm going to Rock School to hang out with Jon Anderson."

Jon's in town to do a bunch of shows. Eric first met Jon in 2005 when he played a gig with him at the LA Knitting Factory -- they did an amazing version of Heart of the Sunrise which they also recorded together on the Rock School Soundtrack.

Speaking of Jon Anderson...it gets crazier, but continuing on with this week...

5:00 tonight Eric heads for Wilmington, Delaware to rehearse with Project Object for their gig at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this coming Wednesday, February 14.

Yeah, he's flying to Cleveland on Wednesday, just when they're expecting the snow.

Okay, I'm just not going to allow myself to think about that.

The next day, Gary and Julie load their gear into our Jeep and take off for Cleveland where Julie and Eric will perform with Adrian Belew at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday, February 15.

Friday, February 16, the Adrian Belew Power Trio performs at The Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio.

Saturday, February 17, the Adrian Belew Power Trio performs at The Southgate House in Newport, KY where they will record their new CD, Side 4 Live, in front of, you guessed it, a live audience.

Sunday morning Gary and Eric are going to load all of the gear back into the Jeep and take the eight hour drive back to Philadelphia. Julie, on the other hand, is getting on a plane for New York City, where Jon Anderson has requested that she record his two shows at B.B. Kings House of Blues on Sunday, February 18 and Monday, February 19. It appears that both of these shows are sell-outs but I'm not entirely sure.

So yeah, my daughter is going to go straight from recording her first CD as a performer with Adrian Belew to producing a Jon Anderson CD within two-three days of each other.

I know I've said it before, but in my next life, I really want to come back as my kids.

So now you know why it simply cannot snow this week. Everyone say magical chants, light candles, do whatever it is you do.

Later,
xo