Adrian Belew Power Trio: Last night at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia

Photos of Julie Slick, Adrian Belew, and Eric Slick 8-14-06 at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia -- courtesy of Katie Jacoby, rock violinist extraordinaire

Ha ha - it's 2:00 p.m. and I'm just getting to this blogpost -- I bet you all thought I'd have this prepared at 5:00 a.m. today due to the excitement/hyperventilation factor.

Well, you're right. I would have, except Gary and I had breakfast at the Down Home Diner in the Reading Terminal Market this morning with Adrian, his wife, Martha, and Julie and Eric so now I'm hyperventilating/all excited from that and am finally at this moment two hours later starting to calm down. They are all off to Atlanta to play the Acoustic Planet Tour tomorrow with Bela Fleck and Umphrey's McGee and Gary just dropped me off at home on his way in to work -- I don't know how the hell he can work after the last 24 hours. I'm still way too "high". (From the show, from the show. Sheesh.)

What can I say? Last night was the most amazing show yet. The hometown Philadelphia crowd came out in droves and was so supportive and enthusiastic that the band really felt it and there was like an electric current running to and from the stage.

I only cried once. I was too into the music to get emotional. And when Adrian was announcing the band and stuff he pointed to Gary and me as Julie and Eric's parents and then I fielded about a million compliments from people surrounding me for the rest of the evening so that kept me smiling, too.

Though when Adrian announced to the crowd about his plans to record Side Four Live with Julie and Eric, I almost required CPR.

Thank you so much to all of you who came out to the show, especially the Rock School kids like Katie Jacoby, Zach Bukowski, Carolyn Pagnotta, Rachel (ack..I don't know her last name), and Courtney Drew who made it despite just coming off a strenuous two week tour with Rock School, and of course Eric's true blue friends like Branden King, Larry Allen, Eric Svalgard, Yani (I Can't Spell His Last Name), Rachel II (another Rachel not affiliated with Rock School whose last name I do not know, either) and Louie Graff who also were there to cheer him on. Okay, yeah, that was another teary eyed moment for me -- watching Eric's friends hug him with such pure joy for his success. I know it meant a lot to him.

And oh wow, there was strong support from so many of Gary's old pals...he had a whole cheerleading section at the show, too. For those of you into Devo, the Spud Boys were there and yep, Gary's friends as well.

I have to admit I loved meeting my blog readers...I had a whole bunch of strangers (well, now they're friends) come up to me and introduce themselves and tell me they've been keeping up with my family's exploits on a daily basis and wouldn't have missed the concert for the world.

Sigh...seriously, that was a true sigh. I wish I could repeat last night all over again. It was so, so great.

But hey, in a way I do. As I've mentioned, the kids bought me a trip to Florida for my birthday this week so I'm flying down to Tampa on Friday to see the show in St. Petersburg. And yes! Jerry Outlaw of Bogus Pomp is opening for them, which is so cool I can't take it.

Speaking of opening acts, on the east coast portion of this tour it was Saul Zonana. Do me a favor. Click on that link and listen to Saul's music. He's fantastic! Adrian produced his CD, and I've been listening to it for the past half hour. I'm really, really loving it. Saul's a great guy, too -- it was a lot of fun swapping stories with him backstage as well -- I didn't realize that he was the bassist for the Crash Test Dummies. Gary and Saul got to talking, and here Saul will also be opening for The Adrian Belew Power Trio during the west coast swing but he's driving all by himself...then I got a brainstorm and said to Gary "Why don't you go with Saul on tour and share driving, etc." and the plan was hatched and we're running with it.

So lucky Gary gets to go everywhere from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco for most of November. The west coast tour has really shaped up and they are going to be visiting a lot of cities...Austin, Dallas, Phoenix...etc.

I will stay home and take care of the dog.

And write another novel or seven.

Yeah, so, the show last night gave me the chills; breakfast with the Belews this morning was so much fun because I really, really like them both and Adrian is hilarious..he makes these deadpan jokes that crack me up.

Last night he made the obligatory "Please visit the merch table" statement but then he added "and buy CDs from my beautiful wife or she will put a curse on you.......all of your babies will be born naked!"

Anyway, I could ramble for hours but instead I'll post a few emails I received:

The first is from a family who are part of Rock School in New York City:

"Just wanted to drop a line to say hello, and let you know PGSORM-NYC was at the show at B.B. King's in NYC last Tuesday night (August 8th). We had a couple of tables on the floor and loved the show!!! Julie, Eric and Adrian were amazing ~ even inspirational to the young students that we brought.

Break a leg tonight in Philly!"

Next, an email from a cool lady who saw the NY show:

"Hi Robin,

I’ve been reading your blog which I came upon via Eric’s blog via Adrian’s site….. ah, the wonder of the internet. First, let me say that I enjoy your writing…. Second, I had the pleasure of catching Adrian’s show in NY this past weekend. I was blown away by Eric and Julie – so young, so talented! They didn’t miss a beat. You must be so proud!"

Here's a comment addressed to Eric I just read on Eric's tour blog from someone at the Philly show last night:

"Well, as noone else has responded I guess I'll be the first to say "Wow". Minor snafus with Julie's fretless aside, the show at World Cafe was nothing short of amazing, incredible, unbelievable...in short...there aren't enough adjectives to describe.

Adrian is blessed to have found you and your sister. If anyone reading has any chance at all to see you...well they'd be crazy not to.

Thanks for giving me such a memorable night of music!

I've no doubt that I'll be hearing more from you..and I'm busy now talking to family and drumming up some audience for the FL shows!!"

Oh wow. Thank you! And if you do drum up your family in Florida to attend the shows, tell them to come over and say Hi to me! Well, I won't be at the Thursday night gig in Jacksonville but Friday and Saturday, I am soooo there....

From Katie Jacoby's mom, Esther, who came to the show with her husband/Katie's dad Dave despite the fact they have to be in Washington, D.C. today:

"Dear Robin,

Fantastic show last night!!! Adrian is VERY lucky to have Julie and Eric in his band. Your kids are phenomenal is every way possible. We really enjoyed the concert last night and look forward to the Live Recording concert. Please keep me posted!

Katie took these pics last night. Enjoy!

Love,
Esther"

I love Esther. And thanks for those pics, Jacoby family. As you can see, I've already put them to good use.

Here's something on the Planet Crimson forum board which just made me lose it altogether:

"Unbelievable.

I was going to start with some kind of aphorism about conviction or focus, but this isn't the kind of thing you can put in formal terms. Adrian and the Slicks shook the World Cafe with enough ENERGY to power half of Philly during a blackout. Eric had recently mentioned in his blog how much he and Julie were looking forward to playing back in their hometown for family & friends, so Dog_None and I had suspected they might be a little more stoked than usual. But this blew any expectations out of the water. The enthusiasm on both sides was overwhelming. They raised the roof with the first song and never looked back.

The Slicks make an interesting complement to each other. Eric was the classic wild-man drummer, somewhere between Animal (the Muppet) and Keith Moon, while Julie simply pulled off that oh-so-cool unruffled bass player look like a seasoned pro (think John Entwistle if he'd moved and swayed now and then). We stood on the far stage-right side of the room, so Julie was the closest one to watch, and I was just as stunned watching her playing as with watching Ade. She's a much busier player than Tony Levin has ever been, but it never once seemed to crowd the others or lack a solid underpinning rhythm either. She tapped, plucked, picked, strummed, slapped and somehow always came out with something just perfect for the song.

The Mistress commented to me at one point how into it Ade was getting; but then, he could hardly not be while facing such energizing bandmates. "Beat Box Guitar" turned into a trippy abstract improv in the middle, complete with Pink Floyd-y atmospherics and humpback whale noises (even including a brief phrase of "Discipline"). They even had people dancing to "Madness" (!). Because it was such a great evening ("I've always had some really special times playing in Philadelphia"), Adrian was inspired for the first time on the tour to try "Walk Around the World" - solo with an echo box. And just when I was almost going to pick that jaw up off the floor.

It was obvious what a great time they were having, just from watching Eric and Ade mug & laugh like two kids in a candy store from start to finish. AB was feeling it enough that he announced he'd like to come back to the World Cafe for a couple shows when it's time to record Side Four. Be still my heart. If it happens, I'll be there every night. ("Honey? We don't really need to buy furniture, do we?")

Incredible. Just incredible.

As near as I can remember:

Writing on the Wall
Dinosaur
Ampersand
Young Lions
Matchless Man
Beat Box Guitar
Drive (AB solo)
Walk Around the World (AB solo)
The Lone Rhinoceros (AB solo)
Madness
Of Bow & Drum
Big Electric Cat
Frame x Frame
Three of a Perfect Pair
--------------
Elephant Talk
Thela Hun Ginjeet"

Excuse me. Serious weeping here. I need to collect myself.

Okay. Whew. I just went through a box of Kleenex.

Oh. I know what I forgot to tell you. Guess who hung out at soundcheck last night and were blown away:

This guy and this guy who are, of course, members of this band!

Dave, who is Adrian's roadie, took pics of Eric hanging out with them which I will post as soon as I receive -- Dave is with the trio on the whole tour so in case Eric forgets to ask him (as if), I'll get him to email them to me when I see him in Florida on Friday.

Okay. That's enough excitement for one day.

I need a nap.

Later,
xo

Tonight at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia -- Adrian Belew Power Trio!

Okay, obviously that's Eric and Julie on stage -- but if you peer behind them, you'll see Adrian Belew talking with their dad, who really has the hippie thing going on these days in like every way imaginable. Yay, Gary! The guy to the left of Eric is a musician from a French Zappa cover band.

Heart be still, The Adrian Belew Power Trio plays Philadelphia tonight. I'll be the one jumping up and down screaming and fainting up at the front of the stage. Funny. As I'm typing this, I'm remembering another conversation Gary and I had at BB Kings Tuesday night with Adrian Belew and his engineer, John Sinks. Gary and Adrian both saw the Beatles live (can you imagine?) and talked about the audience going into one long extended scream and it was the same way when A Hard Day's Night was released into movie theaters. Girls fainted and shouted throughout. Never having had the, um, privilege (gag) of attending boy band concerts, I wonder if that kind of thing still exists. Probably, huh. Bah! I want to hear the music!

Anyway, last chance to buy tickets for tonight right here. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio on tour - raves and reviews part II

Julie Slick on stage performing at the Grand Finale at Zappanale in Germany a few weeks ago

So the cool emails and reviews continue.

First, there's a fantastic interview with Julie (and Eric) over at Big Bottom News for Bass Players, but, you know me and you're probably tired of me saying it, I'm far too OCD to just give you the link, here's the actual interview:

"This month’s Under-Exposed Bassist is Philadelphia native Julie Slick, graduate of the Paul Green School of Rock Music, Music Production student, and at 20 years old is currently touring with guitarist extraordinaire, and Frank Zappa alumnus, Adrian Belew. I caught up with Julie at the Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY, a 75 seater on the Hudson River where Adrian had just finished a scorching set with his lastest power trio. Rounding out the trio is Julie’s brother, 19 year old drummer Eric Slick.

First bit of background: The Paul Green School of Rock Music is as much a phenomena as an institution. Instead of teaching kids Sousa marches and trying to graduate them to soft-jazz arrangements, The PGSORM puts rock instruments in their hands, starts them with three-chord thrillers, and moves them through increasing levels of complexity, culminating in the “Omega” program: performing the Music of Frank Zappa. The school is experiencing some rapid growth lately, and has been the subject of a major documentary film release, but Julie and Eric were members of the first class of musicians to complete the curriculum. The Zappa connection led to Adrian performing Zappa’s City of Tiny Lights (a Belew feature-piece during his short tenure with Zappa’s band) at a Paul Green School show, with Eric and Julie as his backing band. “We played that song about 3,000 times with the Rock School. Paul invited us up to play with Adrian even though we had graduated. Adrian was looking for a drummer and after the show he told Paul Green that he was looking for a bass player too.”

Eric and Julie received and invitation from Adrian to formalize their impromptu audition: “It was like: finish midterms, learn these 15 songs in three days, fly down to Nashville, come back, take finals, go on tour. I’m still tying to digest the whole thing.” In an interview that Adrian did in the run-up to headlining the Zappanale festival he talked about his project with Julie and Eric: “Secretly I am drawn to the role of teacher but likely they’ll end up teaching me more than I’ll teach them. I needed a clean slate, to start fresh with players who aren’t ‘jaded’ to the oppressing music business, people who respect my work and are willing to put as much into it as I do.” More background and tour updates can be found at the website of Julie’s mom, author Robin Slick.

Julie plays with a very calm, almost serene demeanor, and a very relaxed approach to the instrument. I have seen her perform twice with Adrian Belew, and she switches deftly between pickstyle, fingerstyle, tap, slap, and some flamenco-ish flourishes, all while avoiding “bass face” or distractions. “I think it is most likely my natural approach. I worked very hard when I first joined the rock school. I remember listening to Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 and just crying because I couldn’t get it. Paul was my teacher and he wasn’t even a bass player, so I pretty much made up my own technique. By the time I had played for about a year and we had learned the Zappa stuff, watched movies like Baby Snakes, and Cream videos. I always had all of these resources. I guess subconsciously took things in. I also just have music in my blood. My dad (Philadelphia guitarist Gary Slick) is an awesome guitar player and I have a lot of support from him, and access to his amazing guitar collection… we just have so much music in the family. I did have to work on some of the things like slapping, tapping were things that didn’t come natural… I never had to tap until I learned these songs. I never played Elephant Talk. I can feel myself building up the stamina and I try to make it sound as much like the Stick as possible.”

Julie has been playing a red 2001 Fender Jazz bass as her primary rig on the Belew tour. She has also been doubling on a Gibson fretless on loan from her Dad. “I learned on that bass, actually. It sounds like an upright bass, almost, because of the Gibson pickups.” She owns a Music Man Stingray and a new Rickenbacker, but chose the J for the versatility. “I think that the Rick would sound excellent on some of this stuff, but I needed a bass that I could slap on. I ended up trying Jazz basses and not liking them, trying P basses and not liking them, and then finally I found that bass… that bass just fit right with me.”

On the opportunity to tour with her brother Eric: “Eric and I used to play songs on my synthesizer, with Eric playing bongos… songs about my mom. Eric and I have been playing together for the past eight years, bass and drums, we’re pretty comfortable with each other and it works out when you are so comfortable with two thirds of the band going into it.”

With a degree in music production on temporary hold due to the tour, Julie will be working on a new studio, producing, and rehearsing during her “downtime,” and heading out with Adrian Belew for another tour in late 2006. To see a young player land a dream gig and have no trace of “rock star” syndrome is rare. Knowing the Slicks it isn’t surprising. They seem to have found that balance between work ethic, fun, and skill that players of all ages could learn from."

Thanks to Pete Brunelli of Doot for writing and posting this...and I see he's got another blog where he has this to say about the Belew show in Piermont, NY Thursday evening:

"DOOT! (Pete and Stephen) took a ride out to Piermont, NY to catch Adrian's power trio at the Turning Point. Eric and Julie Slick are jelling nicely and we got to hear Adrian with his full assortment of gear. At Zappanale his gear never made it (his guitars did), but we were treated to a thrilling performance with Adrian knocking out his set through a Marshall Half Stack. That was an outdoor festival. The Turning Point is a 75 seater in a little village on the Hudson. In short, an amazing place to see a player like Adrian Belew.

This show was a real thrill, and I'll be sharing some pics very soon."

Again, thanks Pete -- that was amazing.

And now for some more comments I've received via my blog and Eric's:

Joe said...

"Tuesday's show in Times Square was one of the best shows I've seen in years. You Rock kid. I hope you have a great career. I saw Mr. Belew on the flight from Frankfurt to Newark and I assume you were the young man with the School of Rock T. I'm sorry about your friend Ken. That was a tragedy.

I didn't know what to expect on Tuesday night, but you guys performed like the pros you are and just blew us away. Having just seen Zappa plays Zappa at the Beacon about a month ago, my buddy and I looked at each other after Ampersand and said "This kid is better than Bozzio." Have fun in Philly, you deserve to enjoy it. You've earned it."

Tickledrop said...

"See Eric. :) I remember after the first show in Indy telling you that your Ampersand was the best. I think the drumming you do on that is just amazing. So fast. It's what I looked forward to the most the next night in Ohio.

How cool Joe. I saw the ZPZ show out west in San Francisco. Terry was injured, but I believe you when you say Eric is as good. Wait. I think you said better.

I look forward to the tour coming out west."

Joe said...

"Yup, Bozzio must've blown out his arm for a reason, age does matter. It's nothing for us old guys to be ashamed of. Just don't tell Mr. Belew, obviously he doesn't believe it.

Bozzio was great at the Beacon in June, but Eric was amazing at BB's the other night.

Maybe it is because I respect and admire Mr. Belew so much and I empathized with his recent personal loss, but I was just pulling for this band. Eric and his sister really did Adrian a solid and held up their end with class, enthusiasm and style. We spotted the barefoot sis before Adrian pointed it out, and by that time she had really caught our attention with her suberb mastery of the bass. Eric kind of hits you between the eyes right away and then builds from there.

My other friend said, "I knew it would be good, but I had no idea it would be this good." I felt the same way. I new Adrian Belew would be great, but I can't believe the level that Eric and his sister performed at. It was truly amazing and exciting.

Thanks for a great show Eric!."

Ice said...

"Eric...Julie...Adrian,

I have seen every show that Adrian has played here in Pittsburgh for the past few years. I am extremely excited for tonights show. I read this entire blog at 5AM and really enjoyed the perspectives...especially Julie's description of the trip to Europe from Nashville.

I hope that you all have some time to chill after the show, at least for a bit...I have to run to another show where my drummer is jamming with another band.

Also, "Joe" said that he couldn't believe the level that you and your sis' played at....would he expect anything less from Adrian? Would the "White Rhino" tour with mediocrIty? I think not! The Side One tour threw "Big Mike" on the Bass with amazing results...not bad for a guitar player!"

Andre' Cholmondeley of Project Object says:

ADRIAN BELEW NEWS

"Adrian is on tour right now with his amazing new POWER TRIO, featuring my good buddies ERIC SLICK (drums) and JULIE SLICK (bass) - as you probably know--Eric is the DRUMMER FOR PROJECT/OBJECT! The NYC show at BB King's on Tuesday was just INCREDIBLE -- huge sound, power-pop-fusion-experimental-soundpainting-madness-exhilirating-
guitarification!! Don't miss this tour -- It's short but sweet and only hits a few stops - GET TICKETS NOW!! SOME SHOWS ARE SELLING OUT, you do NOT want to miss this -- Setlist includes the BEST of Adrian's ENTIRE catalog, great new stuff from SIDES 1,2,3, and of course some 80s KING CRIMSON CLASSICS!"

So yeah, I'm loving this, and thanks to those of you who keep writing and leaving these great comments on my blog and Eric's tour blog, which, I noticed, he updated again! Yeah, Eric!

I see the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sunday edition has a listing in their Entertainment Section today:

"Monday

Sideman star Guitarist Adrian Belew livened up music by David Bowie, Talking Heads and Frank Zappa, but aficionados know that he's a quirky, accomplished solo performer as well. He plays at 7:30 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. Tickets are $25. Call 215-222-1400."

I probably mentioned this before, but one thing I'm really excited about, other than tomorrow night's show which will probably be the highlight of my "career" as a mother, is that for my birthday this coming Thursday, Julie and Eric bought me airfare and three nights in a hotel down in Florida so that I can catch the last two shows on this portion of the tour. I've never been to West Palm Beach and am really looking forward to it and can't believe J&E were so generous and did such a cool thing for me. Wait. Yes I can. As I mentioned to a few people, these last couple of months I've been waking up every morning pinching myself that all of this is really happening. And it just seems to keep getting better and better.

Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio on tour -- more raves and reviews

Adrian Belew, Eric Slick, Julie Slick on stage in Piermont, NY August 10, 2006

Thanks to "Jim" from Piermont who saw the show and was kind enough to forward me the above photo, as well as this e-mail:

"Hey Robin,

Great show at the Turning Point in Piermont last night. You have two VERY talented kids."

Speaking of e-mails from appreciative fans who've been catching the shows on this tour, they continue to pour in, so I'd like to share some more of them here:

From David Bertoni:

"I travelled 500 miles this week -- from Maine to New York -- to let
my 16-year old son, Alex, experience Adrian Belew, a real treat for
any young guitarist.

And, yes, the show was unforgettable.

But the highlight was when your son walked across the stage and gave
my son one of his drum sticks. He will never forget it.

You have two amazingly talented children -- a real gift to the world."

From Carl Wurtz of Indiana to Eric, a copy of which I received:

"I'm a huge Adrian fan. I was very fortunate to see your show in Indy. Honestly, I was blown away. Even though I know how great he is, he is still astounding.

As a drummer myself, though not as good as I once was, i enjoyed watching your command of the drum set. I know how difficult it is to play King Crimson song, because I am pretty much unable to, and you handled them with skill and apparent ease.

And what can I say about your sister, the power she exudes from the bass was
unbelievable. Her range of material was quite impressive as well..."

Here's one that really thrilled me, from Josette, John Hawken's woman -- and click on her name...wait until you see who she is...I need to get back in touch with her and swap some stories! Teaser: She went on the road with Jimmy Page at age 16 and never looked back:

"I see your children are playing on Monday in Philadelphia... I'm going to see if John can go and check out the ticket availability and hopefully we'll see you again there. John never saw Adrian play live, and I mean it when I say he was TOTALLY blown away by your daughter and son. Even with the complexity of what Adrian was doing, he kept whispering in my ear, referring to your children, "did you hear what she/he just did!!?? That was BRILLIANT!"
xoxoxo
Josette

I almost died when I read that.

Here's another from "tohu":

" I was there, Tuesday night (wouldn't have missed it for the world!)...

You have EVERY reason to be proud - It wasn't Julie & Eric's technical virtuosity relative to their ages alone which amazed; but the FEROCITY of their playing, the manner in which they stood toe-to-toe with a man like Belew! My skin was raised in goosebumps, through the first three songs!

Julie's equanimity, while pounding out these fierce songs played originally - remember, all! - by the likes of Tony Levin & Les Claypool, was stunning...The Crimson-y encore, with Thela Hun Ginjeet & Elephant Talk (with Julie hammering-on the part originally played on Chapman Stick by Levin), after an intense set of metrically & melodically tricky songs, let all of us Crimson/Belew fans stunned...

And Eric appeared as nothing less than the next Terry Bozzio, lifting up from his stool, as Bozzio would, smacking & then tamping cymbals, and working beautifully with that snare & the double kick pedals...

It was a privilege to see your kids, that night; and, believe me, they'll have a lot of people following their careers, looking for their names, in the future--just as people followed Belew or Bozzio, after their tenures with Zappa..."

That one caused me to burst into tears as well.

Then, I heard from John Wilcox. Click on that link for some amazing photos and review, but of course I'm going to post the review here anyway because you know I'm way too proud to merely post a link:

"Adrian Belew – B B King's, NY, NY 8/8/06

Money in the bank is the phrase. If you have a stage & Adrian Belew, you're all set. With King Crimson, with the Bears, or solo - it doesn't matter. Your ears are guaranteed an adventure. This time around, it was Belew's power trio, rounded out by 19 year old drummer Eric Slick and his 20 year old sister Julie on bass. Don't let their youth fool you - this rhythm section kicked colon!

The set featured songs from Belew's recent Side 1, Side 2, & Side 3 albums as well as a few older solo gems, and a clutch of Crimson numbers. Writing On The Wall, Dinosaur, &, and Young Lions kickstarted the evening. The Slicks were rhythmic devils propelling Beat Box Guitar into overdrive. Another new tune - Matchless Man - followed. The crowd shouted out for Zappa & Belew paid tribute with a verse from City Of Tiny Lights before jumping into Madness.

The Slicks left the stage to Belew and he revved into Drive with included a section of the Beatles classic Within You, Without You. Next was a heartfelt Lone Rhinoceros that drew cheers from all. A trio once more, the band plunged headlong into a smoking take of Of Bow And Drum and a superfast version of Big Electric Cat. The main set closed on a Crimson note: Frame By Frame & Three Of A Perfect Pair. Encores were Elephant Talk and Thela Hun Ginjeet. Belew was all smiles & playing the neck off his Parker guitars all evening. Julie & Eric Slick were packed with energy & seemed to bring nothing but joy to Belew as well as the crowd. I want more!"

Thanks, John. That was amazing.

Also, A.D. Amorosi had this to say in the City Paper this week:

"Slick Ambition

Adrian Belew plucks his band from the Paul Green honor roll.

by A.D. Amorosi

Rock/pop
By now, you know Adrian Belew — guitarist, art squawker extraordinaire — formed a power trio with two alums from Philly's Paul Green School of Rock. You know because I announced it here. But what do you know about bassist Julie Slick other than that she produced Thom Lessner's Sweatheart CD? Or her drummer brother Eric other than that he's part of the Project Object and Ween universe?

Julie, 21, and Eric, 19, played shows with Belew (known for stints with Zappa, Fripp and T-Heads) at New York's Knitting Factory in March. It was love at first kerrang. Eric gives tops of the props to Green for pushing the drummer to audition twice for Belew. "Especially since I chumped the first one." Within weeks, the trio would be ready to tour with its circa '68 Jimi Hendrix Experience vibe.

"When I found out I was in the band, my initial reaction was, "How could we possibly do this music as a trio?" remembers Eric, thinking that the density of Belew's complex musical structures and heavily orchestrated layers of sound was a near impossible fit for three peeps.

"Adrian proved my theory wrong though, as he's a forward-thinking individual who manipulates all of this brand new guitar technology in order to create a pocket orchestra" says Eric.

As for Julie (who has played with McRad) she too had been pushed by Green to impress Belew. But she was even more surprised than her brother by the immediacy of the invitation. "Paul called me and asked me if I had been practicing. I said, 'Yeah, of course.' 'Good well, how'd you like to be in Adrian Belew's band? You have to learn 15 songs and go down to Nashville this weekend to practice them.'"

The 15 songs were mostly from Belew's new CD, Side One — recorded with Les Claypool on bass and Danny Carey on drums. "Talk about being intimidated," says Julie.

With new songs like "Madness" and "Beat Box Guitar" extended into lengthy jams nightly, look for the Slicks' improvisations — incorporating drum 'n' bass and African rhythms with heavily distorted Jack Bruce bass lines and seagull guitar noises — to be recorded for Belew's next CD, Side Four. "That's the one thing missing from currently released live records," says Eric. "Where's the ambition?"

Do you think I'm a little bit excited about Monday's show in Philadelphia?

I know I'm leaving stuff out - I have more emails, reviews, photos...but fear not, I will come back and add stuff over the weekend.

Oh yeah, Eric has updated his tour blog! And Sid Smith at DGM Live has noticed!

Later,
xo

Tonight! Phaze in the (New York) City!

Tonight, in New York City, we celebrate Phaze in the City with a reading at the Happy Ending Lounge.

I'll be reading an excerpt from Another Bite of the Apple, which just received a glowing review at Coffee Time Romance...here's an excerpt:

"Ms. Slick has written a fast paced story that will have you turning the pages very quickly".

If I have time, I will also read from my latest release, Buenos Noches, Justine. Check out the brand new cover:



Ha ha. I lead many lives, huh.

Speaking of that, I received several fantastic e-mails and reviews of the Adrian Belew Power Trio's gig in New York City and I have a bunch of stuff to post in that regard but I want to keep my various lives separate (yeah, like that's possible but at least I make a feeble attempt) so look for those in a post tomorrow.

As for now, it's 3:30 a.m. and I guess I should go back to bed. I've become a vampire in my old age.

And no, I won't be writing about that any time soon.

Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio in New York City

Adrian Belew, Julie Slick, Eric Slick on stage last night at BB King's, New York City

You know, I'm getting choked up just typing this.

How can I possible tell you about the magic that was the Adrian Belew Power Trio last night in New York City? From the opening notes of the first song, Writing on the Wall, I really had to struggle to keep it together. I was shaking, holding back tears...but the sheer genius of the music and the musicians and the obvious pure joy they were having on stage immediately got me out of weepy Mom persona and into full rock music afficienado mode.

This band is amazing. I'm not saying that because Julie and Eric are my offspring...the chemistry of this trio is freaking insane. Incredible is not strong enough a word. The crowd gave them two standing, screaming ovations...and BB Kings, on a hot summer Tuesday night in New York City, was almost completely sold out. I think there may have been some standing room only spots left by the bar, but it was PACKED. I had an incredible seat in the center of the venue and I was watching the audience reaction -- they were completely blown away.

Let's talk about some of the people in the audience who came up to me after the show and couldn't stop raving about Eric, Julie, and Adrian (who looked twenty years old up on stage last night).

I want to start by talking about the first man who walked over and almost caused me to have a seizure. John Hawken. When he introduced himself to me and then proceeded to tell me how much he enjoyed the show; how brilliant Julie and Eric were -- and he went on and on about them, about their technique, their stage presence, etc., it was hard for me to even take in what he was saying. The whole time my brain was saying John Hawken, John Hawken...I cannot believe I am talking to John Hawken.

"John became a founding member of Renaissance -- a band formed from the ashes of The Yardbirds, the band that had birthed legendary guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Former Yardbirds Keith Relf and Jim McCarty created Renaissance with the help of Keith's sister, Jane Relf (vocals), Louis Cennamo (ex-Steamhammer (Rod Stewart's old band) on bass) and John Hawken on keyboards."

Do you have any idea how many times I played that Renaissance album back in the seventies? Do you know I still have it on eight-track? Kings and Queens is one of the most brilliant songs...oh my god...I can't do this proper justice and besides, I'm crying right now. Holy cow. I hope I can finish this post.

Okay. Then, I met and continued to receive outrageously fantastic raves from Kevin March of Guided by Voices, Dave Dreiwitz of Ween, Jon Paris, Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors, Saul Zonana, Project Object's André Cholmondeley and Robbie "Seahag" Mangano, Bill Saunders and his lady Nancy, and John Wilcox of Prog Sheets and also a talented comic book illustrator (the Elvira series, for one and who reads my blog and of course teased me about Neil Gaiman).

And I admit it, I was totally stoked to have an all access pass and eat backstage with Adrian and Martha Belew. Martha, by the way, is incredible. She's drop dead gorgeous, funny, smart, and does double duty as Adrian's manager. He's a very lucky man, but then again, she's a very lucky woman because Adrian is one of the sweetest, most non-pretentious rock stars I've ever met. Still reeling from the death of his long time engineer Ken Latchney, last night started out as bittersweet as it was the first show in ten years Adrian performed without Ken behind the soundboard.

However, in Ken's spot last night was the absolutely fabulous John Sinks, long time engineer for Robert Fripp.

Anyway, I can't wait for the show this coming Monday at World Cafe Live. Hey, have you bought your tickets yet? If not, click on that link! This show will make your freaking soul rise, and, -- as John Hawken remarked to me, it will restore your faith in music.

Oh my god, I still can't believe I had a conversation with John Hawken.

I guess you have to be a serious music fanatic, but there you have it. I'm going to be high for days between Adrian's genius and the show last night, the stellar compliments I received about Julie and Eric from the above mentioned luminaries, and well, hanging out backstage at BB Kings with Camp Belew.

I know John Wilcox among others are reviewing the show so as soon as they are written, I will post the links. I'm still way too excited/hungover (sleep deprived hungover, that is -- didn't get home til 2:00 a.m. and inexplicably woke up four hours later) to think straight.

So. More on the music later, more photos, reviews, etc. once I return to normal.

Ha. As if that'll ever happen.

Later,
xo

Tonight in New York City -- The Adrian Belew Power Trio with Julie and Eric Slick

Julie Slick, Adrian Belew, and Eric Slick in Amsterdam -- July, 2006

Do you think I'm a little bit stoked? I finally get to see The Adrian Belew Power Trio tonight at BB Kings in New York tonight. Be prepared for an onslaught of photographs and weepy words tomorrow.

Thanks to Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Michael Klein for blurbing Julie, Eric, and Adrian Belew in the Magazine section of this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's a link to the on-line version of the article.

Eric got some way exciting, major news this morning as concerns an up-coming tour while the Belew tour is on hiatus and I'll talk more about that later in the week but can you say closing show/party at CBGB's? That's just a small hint of what's to follow.

Okay, gotta fly and make sure things are washed, packed, etc....sound check is in New York this afternoon. Oh my god, I'm so excited!

Later,
xo

Samba with me, baby...(oy)

"Normally a trip to Buenos Aires would make anybody excited, but investment banker Justine is hardly enthused. On business with two male companions, one of whom once rejected her advances, Justine is certain the trip will be as boring as her job.

After a few drinks and the dulcet tones of handsome Dario's guitar, Justine's mood improves, and she resolves to enjoy herself. But with whom will Justine spend the noche, enigmatic Dario or playful Christopher, the former object of her affection?

From the author of Three Days in New York City comes this hilarious, sexy Samba."

Sooo...yeah, I admit it, I dabbled in a bit of erotica again -- I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself. If that little tease has you interested, you can read the (ha ha NC17-rated) excerpt and if you are still intrigued after that and want to make Phaze and yours truly very happy, you can purchase the entire 7,000 word Samba for the low, low price of $2.00 right here!

And of course if you would like to hear me read said excerpt, along with excerpts from Three Days in New York City and Another Bite of the Apple, please join me in New York City this Friday evening at The Happy Ending Lounge. Here's the official press release:

"Several Phaze authors will give New York an earful this Friday. Phaze authors will be doing a book reading on Friday, August 11, 2006 between 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Happy Ending located at 302 Broome Street. The authors will be reading from their published works at Phaze as well as read from their personal collections, which will include short stories, excerpts from novels and poetry.

Authors participating in this event are Leigh Ellwood, Robin Slick, Petula Caesar, Stella Price, Alessia Brio, Cassidy Kent, Will Belegon and Bianca D'Arc.

After the reading, authors will be signing their work, which will include CDs and print copies of their books."

I actually found that press release on a brand new search engine that my good friend Ellen Meister turned me on to -- I think it's better than even Google! Here's the link for LIVE!.

Naturally, being an OCD freak, I immediately "lived" myself (I guess that's the word we're supposed to use instead of "googling" ourselves?) and found a photo I didn't know existed along with a review of my reading at Community College which I did know existed but since it's probably the best review I've ever had, what the hell, I will post it again, this time with the photo. (By the way, I am wearing a black t-shirt, but it's got a pic of Bob Dylan on it which is why I look uncharacteristically dressed in another color. Trust me on this. There are no other colors in my world, other than dungarees and I've even taken to wearing black jeans/baggy black khakis lately instead of the usual blue)



"...Finally, Robin Slick, novelist and former editor of Philadelphia Stories Magazine, discussed her first novel, Three Days in New York City. The sequel to this novel, Another Bite of the Apple, will be available soon. Instead of reading a portion of her novel, Robin treated the audience to a mini memoir, sharing her experiences of feeling like “a dork” while attending a reading and book signing with her twenty-something rock star son. Her memoir brought this otherwise mundane event to life. It was witty, riddled with humor, and true to life. The audience felt the simultaneous thrill of meeting a writer she admired and the utter mortification of her son being forced to endure his mother’s actions as an adoring fan."

Of course, this was the essay I read about my "pal" Neil Gaiman, and hmm, that reminds me, I still need to get that piece published somewhere. I'd sort of forgotten about it...but anyway, speaking of LIVE!, holy cow, when I clicked on images for Neil, I entered some sort of nirvana/utopia because there are literally 7,423 photos, many of which I'd never seen before, such as this one:



Deep breaths, Susan, okay?

Yeah, I know. The combo of that photo along with my above-linked erotica excerpts are almost too much to bear on a Monday morning, so I will leave you guys alone now to, um, reflect, and I will be back later with tons of music news...after all, the Adrian Belew Power Trio kicks off the east coast portion of their tour tomorrow night in New York City and I can't even believe this, but it's going to be the first time I see them! So that's at least two days I'll be spending in New York this week -- the show tomorrow night and my reading on Friday -- and who knows, maybe I can act out my first novel and spend Three Days in NYC!

(Shameless self-promotion, I know, but in case you can't make it to NYC Friday night, that's the link for an autographed copy. Oy. I suck at this. I must now slink off out of cyberworld and work on my new novel so I can stop blushing and self-flaggelating myself)

Later,
xo

Why the author has not felt like blogging this week...

Why am I hiding behind my shades again? Why haven't I blogged since Wednesday?

Man, what a tremendous hassle I've been through for the past several days. And all because over a year and a half ago, I wrote some nasty things in this blog about a superstar rock and roll "phony". Meaning, I did a piece about a guy who is ultra rich and famous and has many fans despite having absolutely no talent -- someone who has been blatantly ripping off the public for years and years and laughing all the way to the bank.

Somehow, when you google this guy's name now, the first thing that comes up is an actual photo at the top of the page -- and this isn't Google images, this is Google itself, and when you click on it, it actually gives the link to my blog and the post I made in 2005. How do I know this? Over the last couple of days, I've been getting literally hundreds of hate emails from his fans who are now reading my aforesaid blogpost. At first I was so pissed off I was going to write a new one where I shredded him even worse, but then I realized it would frustrate said fans more if I simply removed the old post and when they click on his photo over at Google, they will find nothing. So that's what I did.

As if this wasn't bad enough, I got into trouble again a day later.

A very cool and talented reporter in the Philadelphia area is going to try and do a story about Julie and Eric and The Adrian Belew Power Trio before their show at the World Cafe Live on August 14 (and click on that link and get your tickets! I spoke to WCL and the show is selling out with just a week more to go). Naturally, as a good reporter he googled the kids where much to my mortification he found a little blurb I wrote a month or so taking a bit of offense with what he'd written about J&E in our local newspaper when they were first hired by Adrian Belew. I mean, I didn't trash the guy, but I did, um, beg to differ with a few things he wrote and well, he found my blogpost where I spelled it out. Luckily, he's a good guy and funny as hell and copied my blogpost and sent it to me in an email with the notation "I still like you anyway" because by that time, we were emailing back and forth and he had kind of a handle on me.

But nevertheless, I almost had a heart attack.

Therefore, in an effort to bury my head in the sand, I went out to dinner the other night with Julie at a very trendy downtown restaurant which shall go unnamed. Why won't I name it? Because literally minutes after eating there, Julie came down with scombroid poisoning. What the hell is scombroid poisoning? I never heard of it before in my life and I'm assuming most people reading this don't know what it is, either, which is why I gave you guys the link. It was one of the most terrifying nights of our lives. Julie got the symptoms within minutes from a dish -- marlin with fruit salsa -- which was one of their "specials" that evening but at the time, I thought she had sunstroke because she had been out earlier that afternoon in good old Philadelphia 102 degree summer heat. When we got home and did internet research we realized right away it was scombroid poisoning so after things calmed down a bit, I telephoned the restaurant to let them know so that no one else would get sick. I actually called them all apologetic, first prefacing my phone call with "I'm not litigious, I would never sue you for this, but I think you should know..."

And the girl who answered the phone just kept saying "Okay" and didn't ask me what Julie ordered, even though there were three specials that evening; she didn't ask how Julie was doing nor offer to pay for any medical expenses; she didn't even put her manager on the phone. All I got were three dumb-assed "Okays" which caused me to slam down the phone and immediately go on line to email the restaurant. Only in spite of having a sophisticated website, for their contact information they have no email address, just the same phone number I called. I've been debating what to do. I would send them an old fashioned snail mail letter but what's the use? I certainly don't want them to send me a gift certificate for a free meal there. (By the way, they have no air conditioning. They lied and said it was on but trust me, they sat us under a ceiling fan and then served us warm water. I never, ever should have let Julie order fish...she's a vegetarian who will eat it on occasion but I guess she'll have second thoughts about that now) So I could do you all a public service and name the restaurant and go into more graphic detail about what happened to Julie...but I don't want any more hate mail and my luck, it will end up being ME who gets sued. But if you live in downtown Philly and want to know the name of the place, email me, because it's really obvious they don't have proper refrigeration and you can save yourself a night of projectile vomiting among other highlights.

In case anyone is wondering, Julie is now fine...she was very sick for several hours but after two antihistamine tablets took effect, she finally crashed out and woke up feeling better tho' hungover from the medication.

In other, better news, Eric has finally updated his tour blog. And we're all way excited about the resumption of the tour starting Tuesday night at B.B. King's in New York City. I'll be there of course and if anyone from NYC wants to meet up, drop me a note.

Okay then. Here's the plan. From now on, I'm going to try and use this blog for positive things only. My writing successes, my friends' writing successes, and of course, all of Julie and Eric's successes. Oh, and Neil Gaiman, who, in this photo, looks very much like Julie the night she had scombroid poisoning. Flushed and pink, that is...only on him it looks beyond good, huh.



So yeah, only positive things here from now on.

And if you believe that...

Later,
xo

Playing catch-up

Eric Slick, Adrian Belew, and Julie Slick backstage at Zappanale on July 16, 2006

So it's time to play catch up on all the news happening around here as concerns Ms. Julie Slick, Mr. Eric Slick, the Adrian Belew Power Trio, etc., etc.

First of all, Andrew Greenaway penned his annual diary of Zappanale 17, but of course me being me will cut and paste one pertinent part right here. However, please click on the link as Andrew does a great job of summing up the various performances and there are more mentions of my family, including the elusive Gary, within.

"...it’s time for Mr Adrian Belew’s set proper. Outside of Keneally and Vai, he’s one of the few whose career away from Frank has been truly apart and worthwhile. Stripped to a three piece with borrowed/missing effects, he was just unfassible (though his vox did get a little lost in the mix somewhere). Young Eric and Julie Slick (on drum ‘n’ bass) were amazing – I already knew Eric was, but the barefoot Contessa was equally impressive. Adrian is rightly proud of this current Power Trio – saying “Gee, I wish I could do that. Don’t you wish you could do that?” after ES’s audacious drum solo. Only 19 and he knows how to. What more can I say about this elixir? How did Julie manage to replicate Tony Levin’s stick on her fretted bass throughout Elephant Talk? How good was the lone rhino on The Lone Rhinoceros? Shame they were unable to play Matchless Man due to the absence of Ade’s backward guitar gizmo..."

United Mutations has a nice blurb on their site and again, here's a little teaser:

"... Headliner Adrian Belew did what everyone expected from him. He played an astonishing set: old and new songs, both from his solo career as from King Crimson.

I was told that his gear-box was missing, but I don't think anyone noticed. The loop-box worked and the feedback sounded like it should. Another highlight. And with former PGSoR's Julie Slick on bass and Eric Slick on drums this power trio was the perfect ending of an impressive festival..."

The Zappateers have a ton of photos in their scrapbook (obviously click on Z17)...

And so does Mose Moses -- click on news and photos.

Another favorite would have to be comments from this guy, who says:

"...So I can say that Adrian Belew knocked out a killer set despite not having any of his regular amps or effects. He is admittedly gear-dependent for some things, but if you are a listener you know that a lot of his music is clean or straight guitar. So he toughed it out by playing the set with his parker fly into a marshall half stack. He had a boomerang that I think he packed in his luggage, but it was only used a few times.

The result is that I can go to my grave knowing that I got a really special chance to see Belew melt some faces, and I saw it from the rail in front of the stage. Jaw freakin dropping. Big Electric Cat with just that pure raunch tone. Heaven. Adrian was bugged about the gear delay (it showed up 3 hours after his set), but the set itself was spectacular. His trio with Eric Slick and Julie Slick is super heavy. Look for a shot of Julie in the Girls with Basses thread. Eric is about 19 or 20 years old and is already one of the best small-kit rock drummer I have heard. Julie is a few years his elder and she is everything you could want in a rock bassist. These siblings are "grads" of the Paul Green School of Rock Music (see: Rock School, the documentary)."

Naturally, I had to see what the "Girls with Basses Thread" was and um, almost had a heart attack -- not really but I was momentarily taken aback as I wondered what treatment Julie would be getting when I found the applicable "shot of Julie" he mentions as here was the first photo/post I came across:



But no, I should have known better and here's how they posted about Julie:



"I caught Julie with Adrian Belew at the Zappanale 17 festival in Bad Doberan, Germany, July 16, 2006. Her brother Eric is the drummer in Adrian's new power-trio. She can rock that bass, for real."

So how cool is that?

Anyway, things have been crazy here as the kids get ready to resume their tour with Adrian Belew this coming Tuesday night at B.B. King's in New York City. Julie has been working non-stop building her dream state of the art recording studio where she hopes to record various bands during her down time on the Belew tour. Eric meanwhile is picking up gigs galore, including a few with Dave Dreiwitz from Ween and Chris Harford that are very, very interesting. Some possibilities include playing an outdoor gig at Grand Central Station in NYC and oh my god, opening for one of the headliners at a huge closing concert planned for CBGB's at the end of September. I think Eric may also be doing a gig this weekend with some of his fellow musicians from Project Object and as soon as I get those details, I'll immediately post where and when, though I vaguely remember him telling me something about "Newark, NJ" when I was in and out of sleep last night...I crashed on the sofa because my bedroom air-conditioning picked a major heat wave to die on me. It was awesome Eric came home when he did, because normally I would have been asleep at midnight, and instead I was instantly wide awake, which meant I immediately turned on the Jay Leno show so that I could maybe, possibly, fingers crossed hear Lisa Kudrow plug Ellen Meister's fabulous new book. And she did! She did! Lisa narrated the audio version and she told Jay a funny story about how she thought she had to do different voices of all the characters instead of just doing a straight read...and so that's what she did, and she was warm and wonderful but I think all of us who are Ellen's friend and watching Lisa all had collective heart attacks when for a brief moment, she totally forgot the name of the book, paused, stammered, and then blurted out "Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA". She didn't say "by Ellen Meister" but oh my god, how insanely fantastic was it that she just happened to be a guest on Leno (to plug her own Emmy nominated DVD) the same day Ellen's book was released.

Can you say superstar? Cos' that's what Ellen is going to be.

I have more writing and other news but this post is already too long and I need to save something for later or tomorrow so...

Later,
xo