Odds and Sods for Friday, April 18, 2008

Ack, life continues to be extremely tough right now - without going into it, let's just say for the past three weeks, Gary and I have personally been experiencing on a daily basis various events that could be right out of Michael Moore's (hey, click on that link - it is awesome) Sicko (another great link - I gave you the blog which is current and important, damn it and gives you some insight on what a debacle a McCain presidency would be, as if you don't all know that already). It's hard not to be completely beaten down and demoralized...and we're dealing with what is allegedly one of the best hospitals in the country.

Anyway...this is the happy, Republican hating, I love music and writing blog so let's go in that direction instead.



Eric has been on tour this week with Delicious and Crescent Moon, doing double drum duty, and above and below are some photos of Tuesday night's show at John and Peter's in New Hope, Pennsylvania courtesy of "Fredington" from the Ween forum board, which also contains some pretty cool commentary:



"Great time! Delicious plays heavy, spacey instrumental rock. Their web site is called "satansjamband.com" and that explains their sound perfectly. The first CM set was their standard approach. Aside from the covers already mentioned, they also did some Instant Death classics, including Doesn't Really Matter, Pharmaceuticals (with a DD trumpet solo in the middle) and Hammer to the Skull. The second CM set was crazy. It was entirely improv (aside from a couple of covers), and entirely badass. Most of the time it was DD and Andrew Weiss on bass and Eric on drums. Andre from Delicious joined in on guitar for a few jams. On one jam, Eric played bass and Andrew played drums -- and it still sounded badass. Toward the end, Ed Wilson came onstage and played DD's bass, with DD taking over trumpet and vocals -- I forget what he sang. DD took the bass back for the encore and Ed sang Missisippi Queen."
*****


"yeah nice to see the folk. I couldn't stay late because of the sucky job I got these days but got to spend some time shooting the shit with Kirk, Dave, Andrew, Eric etc.

damn that kid can play the drums."
*****


"Thanks guys~ what a blast....
Delicious was a tasty treat....image that left us wanting more~
hope they play J&P's again sometime soon. I esp. loved
it when both the bass player & the guitar player were right
up into their amps grinding the feedback....just amazing.

Dave & Erik put on a great show, per usual, which included
a few special guests; both the guitar player from Delicious
(Andre'?) & the bass player too...as well as Andrew Weiss
taking the stage for a few songs....very cool.
At one point, one of Erik's drumstick's went flying out of
his hand, & in an instant it looked like he pulled another out
of his shoe...without missing a beat! That kid rocks!
I don't have a setlist, but hopefully someone else might....I know
Dave played "Fearless", which always is a fav.....

Great to hang out with those of you that made it~ I'm still smilin'....
definitely worth being tired for."

*****
Hey, I cannot help but notice bass player Andrew Weiss plays in his bare feet. Remind you of anyone?



Here's a You Tube of the Andrew Weiss, Eric Slick, and Dave Dreiwitz jam mentioned above. Interesting stuff!



By the way, if anyone reading this is in the Vermont area, Eric will be playing with Delicious tonight at Nectar's in Burlington.

And then tomorrow he comes home...and...gasp...is moving out! Yep, it's true - he is renting a very cool house; his girlfriend, the gorgeous Katy, is moving to Philadelphia this weekend as well...and no worries, I'm not losing a son because he's still close by and oh God, guess who is moving back home coincidentally? Julie has decided to return, figuring that by this time next year, she'll be able to buy herself a mansion somewhere between the money she saves by living here and the money she earns working at least three jobs simultaneously. Not only does she tour and record with Adrian, she works as a server at an awesome restaurant in her down time and also has her own studio where she records local bands. In between that she has also become a huge hot yoga devotee and I'm pretty much expecting her to end up teaching that as well. I need to take a photo of her diploma just received from Drexel University - yep, there's a gold Magna Cum Laude seal on it...way to go, Julie, graduating in the top 1% of her class.

While I am on the subject of the trio, I think I missed linking an awesome review by the fellows at 1600 TV. So just in case I did, here it is now:

Three of A Perfect Pair

INCOMPARABLE: Julie Slick, Adrian Belew, Eric Slick- Still Making Beautiful Music Together

The Adrian Belew Power Trio returned to Jammin' Java in Vienna for their second show in just under a year, this time at the very end of the tour and holding absolutely nothing back for their final SOLD OUT performance. From the opening notes of their first song, Writing on the Wall, to the last echoing feedback of Crimson-era compositions Neurotica and the autobiographical Thela Hun Ginjeet (wherein Belew, on tape loop, describes an ugly confrontation with would-be muggers in London), the band was even tighter and more practiced than their last trip. At the same time, this visit found them more relaxed and confident than ever, stretching their wings and experimenting, improvising, and building to wild crescendoes, only to stop on a dime and come back together in unison.

The capacity crowd was then treated to another intimate, intense performance, showcasing the material that is featured in the band's new release, the live "Side Four." The disc captures the sheer joy of this band as they give it their all, playing with reckless abandon and staggering musicianship, especially impressive for a bassist and drummer barely old enough to vote! As a good musician and close friend once observed, it's enough to make longtime players lock themselves in their rooms for months on end trying to learn the chops that Julie and Eric Slick demonstrated so effortlessly, or else make you throw your instrument down (perhaps in many pieces) because you know that you'll never be as good as they are if you spend every moment you have left trying...

Nonetheless, as a non-musician, I dwelled on the positive and inspiring side of that equation, wondering what new tricks (and perhaps which old favorites) Mr. Belew and Co. would have up their sleeves. And as always, I was not disappointed. Saul Zonana, co-producer of forementioned "Side Four", warmed up with his uniquely expressive blend of vocals and guitar, with songs that ran the gamut from Beatles-influenced pop (Mr. Blue, Midnight Rain, If I Don't) to more provacative and daring, edgier songs, using guitar loops and occasional drum programs for good effect. He too has used the last year to hone his skills, especially as a guitarist. I look forward to his next release to mark his progress as a songwriter.

The Power Trio played much of the new album, but also many favorites from Adrian's solo career (Matchless Man and Drive were standouts once again), as well as several of the songs he co-wrote as a member of King Crimson (Dinosaur remains among my favorite songs of all time, and their rendition of Three of A Perfect Pair was spot on). Naturally, the arrangements were different with a trio format, but none of them suffered for it. In fact, it breathed new life into some of the songs, propelled by Eric's furious barrage on drums (I have to wonder how many heads he must go through in a year!), with Julie more than capably playing Tony Levin's best licks, while adding some twists and more than a few original touches of her own. Afterward, she told me that she follows her brother's drumming and really plays off of him- and credits their amazing empathy and affinity that allows them to anticipate each other and flow in flawless precision. I don't think I heard a sour note all night- and I was listening pretty closely!

Other highlights were Adrian's transcendent solo on Within You Without You that has apparently become a staple, as Eric and Julie take a well-earned breather; Ampersand, which found the band tearing up the stage in glorious cacophony; and Big Electric Cat, a favorite from Adrian's first solo record, the ambitious "Lone Rhino," still luxuriant with the same innovation and whimsical charm that makes it's way into all the music that bears his imprint, 25+ years later...

So, the good news is: they're coming back AGAIN, to the Ram's Head in Annapolis on June 6th! Well? What are you waiting for?? 'Cause you KNOW that show will be sold out too-

And while you're at it, sign the petition to put this most deserving guitar hero in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame! The link is below- and it also contains a nice outline of Adrian's career, recordings, and contributions to the world. If they can induct Madonna (who has yet to do anything remotely approaching rock n' roll music) the least we can do is put this guy in there for all the great work he's done! (At least, as long as he promises not to play a guitar rendition of Like A Virgin when they honor him!)

Sign the Petition!

*******

Meanwhile, I have a bunch of writing news and I also want to tell you all about my reading in New York City this past Monday but I am waiting on some photos from the event so I guess I will make that a separate post next.

Right now, though, it's back to stressful matters at hand..

Later,
xo

Time out for some political commentary...

Look, all of you know I despise Republicans and think Bush and Cheney should be arrested for war crimes. But I just received this email from Peter Coyote about last night's Democratic debate in Philadelphia and I feel compelled to post it here because it's so, so true and infuriating:

Peter Coyote

An open letter to Charlie Gibson and George Stephanapoulos

Will Bunch: Thursday, April 17, 2008

Dear Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos,

It's hard to know where to begin with this, less than an hour after you signed off from your Democratic presidential debate here in my hometown of Philadelphia, a televised train wreck that my friend and colleague Greg Mitchell has already called, quite accurately, "a shameful night for the U.S. media." It's hard because -- like many other Americans -- I am still angry at what I just witnesses, so angry that it's hard to even type accurately because my hands are shaking. Look, I know that "media criticism" -- especially when it's one journalist speaking to another -- tends to be a genteel, colleagial thing, but there's no genteel way to say this.

With your performance tonight -- your focus on issues that were at best trivial wastes of valuable airtime and at worst restatements of right-wing falsehoods, punctuated by inane "issue" questions that in no way resembled the real world concerns of American voters -- you disgraced my profession of journalism, and, by association, me and a lot of hard-working colleagues who do still try to ferret out the truth, rather than worry about who can give us the best deal on our capital gains taxes. But it's even worse than that. By so badly botching arguably the most critical debate of such an important election, in a time of both war and economic misery, you disgraced the American voters, and in fact even disgraced democracy itself. Indeed, if I were a citizen of one of those nations where America is seeking to "export democracy," and I had watched the debate, I probably would have said, "no thank you." Because that was no way to promote democracy.

You implied throughout the broadcast that you wanted to reflect the concerns of voters in Pennsylvania. Well, I'm a Pennsylvanian voter, and so are my neighbors and most of my friends and co-workers. You asked virtually nothing that reflected our everyday issues -- trying to fill our gas tanks and save for college at the same time, our crumbling bridges and inadequate mass transit, or the root causes of crime here in Philadelphia. In fact, there almost isn't enough space -- and this is cyberspace, where room is unlimited -- to list all the things you could have asked about but did not, from health care to climate change to alternative energy to our policy toward China to the deterioration of Afghanistan to veterans' benefits to improving education. You ignored virtually everything that just happened in what most historians agree is one of the worst presidencies in American history, including the condoning of torture and the trashing of the Constitution, although to be fair you also ignored the policy concerns of people on the right, like immigration issues.

You asked about gun control -- phrased to try for a "gotcha" in a state where that's such a divisive issue -- but not about what we really care about, which is how to reduce crime. You pressed and pressed on those capital gains taxes, but Senators Clinton and Obama were forced to bring up the housing crisis on their own initiative.

Instead, you wasted more than half of the debate -- a full hour -- on tabloid trivia that for the most part wasn't even that interesting, because most of it was infertile ground that has already been covered again and again and again. I'm not saying that Rev. Wright and Bosnia sniper fire and "bitter" were never newsworthy -- I myself wrote about all of these for the Philadelphia Daily News or my Attytood blog, back when they were more relevant -- but the questions were stale yet clearly intended to gin up controversy (they didn't, by the way, other than the controversy over you.) The final questions of that section, asking Obama whether he thought Rev. Wright "loved America" and then suggesting that Obama himself is somehow a hater of the American flag, or worse, were flat-out repulsive.

Are you even thinking when simply echo some of the vilest talking points from far-right talk radio? What are actually getting at -- do you honestly believe that someone with a solid track record as a lawmaker in a Heartland state which elected him to the U.S. Senate, who is now seeking to make some positive American history as our first black president, is somehow un-American, or unpatriotic? Does that even make any sense? Question his policies, or question his leadership. because that is your job as a journalist. But don't insult our intelligence by questioning his patriotism.

Here's a question for you, George. Is it true that yesterday you appeared on the radio with conservative talk radio host Sean Hannity, and that you said you were "taking notes" when he urged you to ask a question about Obama's supposed ties to a former member of the Weather Underground -- which in fact you did. With all the fabulous resources of ABC News at your disposal, is that an appropriate way for a supposed journalist to come up with debate questions, by pandering to divisive radio shows?

And Charlie...could you be any more out of touch with your viewers? Most people aren't millionaires like you, and if Pennsylvanians are losing sleep over economic matters, it is not over whether the capital gains tax will go back up again. I was a little shocked when you pressed and pressed on that back-burner issue and left almost no time for high gas prices, but then I learned tonight that you did the same thing in the last debate, that you fretted over that middle-class family that made $200,000 a year. Charlie, the nicest way that I can put this is that you need to get out more.

But I'm not ready to make nice. What I just watched was an outrage. As a journalist, you appeared to confirm all of the worst qualities that cause people to hold our profession in such low esteem, especially your obsession with cornering the candidates with lame "trick" questions and your complete lack of interest or concern about substance -- or about the American people, or the state of our nation. You embarassed some good people who work at ABC News -- for example, the journalists who worked hard to break this story just last week -- and you embarassed yourselves. The millions of people who watched the debate were embarassed, too -- at the state of our political discourse, and what it has finally become, at long last.

Quickly, a word to any and all of my fellow journalists who happen to read this open letter. This. Must . Stop. Tonight, if possible. I thought that we had hit rock bottom in March 2003, when we failed to ask the tough questions in the run-up to the Iraq war. But this feels even lower. We need to pick ourselves up, right now, and start doing our job -- to take a deep breath and remind ourselves of what voters really need to know, and how we get there, that's it's not all horserace and "gotcha." Although, to be blunt, I would also urge the major candidates in 2012 to agree only to debates that are organized by the League of Women Voters, with citizen moderators and questioners. Because we have proven without a doubt in 2008 that working journalists don't deserve to be the debate "deciders."

Charlie, I'm going to sign off this letter the way that you always sign off the news, that "I hope you had a great day."

Because America just had a horrible night.

Odds and Sods for Wednesday, April 9, 2008

If you only knew all the reasons I have not been blogging...

But I think I will spare the details - just know that since the first of this year, Gary and I have gone through a series of mind-boggling events, any one of which would bring most people to their knees -- and they just keep coming and somehow we are still standing but let's put it like this - we're only managing by holding each other up.



All I can do at this point is shake my head and be thankful the two of us live a day at a time and also have a dark sense of humor.

Anyway...

Let's talk about some good stuff.

Over the past several months, I've mentioned (more than once har har) a little documentary I'm in, written and produced by my pal Kimberly Wetherell, which is making the rounds of several film festivals. Well, guess what. "WHY WE WAX" won BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY at the Phoenix Film Festival this past weekend!!!

The next festival screenings are in Indianapolis, at the Indianapolis International Film Festival, screening on April 25 & 26 and it's also just been accepted by the Portland Women's Film Festival, screening on May 16th.

Here's an interview with Kimberly's co-producer, Amy Axelson. I feel that I should, um, clarify that my contribution to the film is talking about growing up at the beginnings of the Womens' Liberation Movement and how we didn't even wear a bra let alone shave our legs -- I know I was young at the time but I am pretty sure no hippie worth her salt would have ever considered a bikini wax and I would normally have added "and I doubt they were even invented yet" but after seeing Why We Wax, I learned otherwise as you will as well after watching this clip:



In other news, I will be in New York City this coming Monday, April 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. for a reading at the Boxcar Lounge.



I'm going with a brand new essay called "My Brilliant Writing Career" which sounds sarcastic and okay, okay, it is, but actually I have had some good news in that regard lately so it isn't as bad as it seems and I should probably change the title to "My Brilliant Film Career" though with my recent "successes" in both co-starring in a short film and writing a story upon which another film making the festivals is based, I can't really say that, either...but oh boy do I have a story about something else.

Here's the first paragraph of the essay I intend to read:

"So right before Labor Day weekend, 2007, I got this email:

Dear Robin,

I am a Movie and Television Producer/Director based in Los Angeles. I recently read your book Three Days In New York City - and wanted to discuss with you the possibilities of adapting it for Film and or Television.

Please contact me."

And from there, my friends, it all goes rapidly insane.

Anyway, here's a couple more pics of the Boxcar Lounge - very nice garden, huh - and an article about just how cool it really is:





Yeah, so when I said I did have some good news in writing world, I just wanted to announce I have a new agent, Claire Gerus, and so far it has been a real pleasure to work with her.

"Claire Gerus has been Editor-in-Chief of two publishing houses, worked for eight major publishers, including Harlequin, Rodale, Random House and Doubleday, John Wiley, Kensington, and Adams Media, written articles for national media, and taught corporate communications to such clients as IBM, Kelloggs, Mutual of Omaha, and Procter & Gamble.

In 1996, she established a thriving business as a New York literary agent, selling publishers books on a wide variety of subjects: business, history, memoirs, religion, health, spirituality, psychology, politics, pop culture, and women’s studies.

She has sold a 3-million copy health bestseller, and brought film star Esther Williams’ story to Simon & Schuster. It went on to become a New York Times bestseller and is now being made into a feature film.

In 1999, she joined Kensington Publishing in New York and founded Twin Streams Books, an alternative healing imprint. Later, as Executive Editor at Citadel Press, she acquired and edited a variety of titles: celebrity biographies, self-help, relationship, spirituality, new age, diet books, and health books.

From 2001-August, 2002, she was Executive Editor at Adams Media, where she published the first biography of Laura Bush. She also published a wide range of new age, business, self-help, and inspirational books.

She is presently working as a literary agent and book development consultant. Among her clients are an ex-CIA agent, a psychologist, ten CEOs, a private eye, a scientist on the verge of a major health breakthrough, a specialist in Soviet history, and others too fascinating to describe in just a few words."

So I am pretty psyched about that, yes.

I also mentioned that on April 20, 2008, I am a guest on a radio program known as The Writing Show and my spot is aptly named "Is There Such a Thing as an Erotic Comedy?"

Trust me, there is.

On to music news, and I hope you've read this far, oh music lovers who stop by, because today at 2:00 p.m. eastern, Trent Reznor will be interviewed via telephone over at XPN radio, and you can catch the live internet stream right here. According to XPN, Trent is going to discuss his upcoming tour, the new CD, and hmm, do you think he'll be mentioning the musicians who participated? Like, um, Adrian Belew? Oh, and by the way, if you click on the link, you will see new shows have been added to the upcoming Adrian Belew Power Trio tour and there will be even more additions within the next few weeks.

I was teasing Eric yesterday that while he may not be rich and famous yet, he's at least getting there. Semi-famous, that is, anyway. (Insert smiley face here) (Oh, and you need to scroll down when you click on that link)

Speaking of Eric, and when don't I, tomorrow he begins an eight day tour with Delicious at Toy Eaters Studio in Jersey City, New Jersey. You gotta love that name...

And yay, someone posted a You Tube of the Adrian Belew Power Trio which Eric gives a thumbs up - he says this one finally captures the energy/quality of their performance...you can hear the audience singing along but damn it, it's only an excerpt! I need more!



Okay, I must go back to polishing my essay and practice reading it out loud for New York on Monday night, but as usual, if there is any breaking news, I will be back.

Don't forget to tune in to XPN Radio this afternoon and hear what Trent Reznor has to say. It could be very interesting...

Later,
xo

The Adrian Belew Power Trio - Another Side Four Live Review

Music Street Journal has an amazing review of Side Four Live today, plus interviews of the trio. Oh, heart be still! While the review is posted for free, to obtain access to the interviews and lots of other cool stuff, please consider subscribing to Music Street Journal right here. You won't be sorry, and you'll not only be supporting writers you'll be supporting great music as well.



"Adrian Belew

Side Four

Review by Sonya Kukcinovich and Grant Hill

Side Four is the Adrian Belew Power Trio live follow up to his already well received Sides One, Two and Three. With everything from the cover art work to the unique song titles being steeped in the Belew tradition of coming at you from left field, his musical approach actually makes total sense, with a unique respect for harmony, melody, sound, texture, color, and feel. Our first impression was that we were totally blown away with the fresh, unique sound of this amazing power trio. With the young virtuoso siblings, Julie slick on Bass and Eric Slick on drums, the trio delivers an amazing tour de force well worth a serious listen. Frankly, we haven't given this CD much rest over the past month. The writing is incredibly compelling, extremely well balanced and diversified, and chock full of both Belew's unique and interesting approach to the guitar, plus a cadre of interesting musical effects that layer depth, complexity, and insight into a very unique composer/performer. If you haven't heard this CD, please go ahead and buy it! Progressive rock fans shouldn't be caught unaware of the importance of this fine music, especially in a time where great music can be difficult to find consistently. Get your copy today, and please visit Adrian Belew at http://adrianbelew.net.

Track by Track Review
Writing On The Wall

This piece immediately grabs one's attention with its forceful intensity. Eric Slick's driving percussion is underscored by Julie Slick's aggressive playing and Adrian Belew's heavy, distortion oriented treatment of both harmonic and melodic guitar elements. "I see the writing on the wall!" croons the legend, and even if he didn't you would believe he did! What an amazing piece to open a live album, a song that makes one want to rock with the force and intensity of the composition itself.

Dinosaur
We absolutely love this song. The tongue in cheek double entendre is well felt, musically speaking. "I am a dinosaur. Somebody's diggin' my bones!," sings Belew. One can't help but smile at Belew's poetic insight to lyric writing. This is a rhythmically interesting piece full of unique chordal treatments throughout. Plus it's just a really cool song! We think you'll love it!

Ampersand
Leave it to Adrian Belew to come up with a song title based on a punctuation abbreviation! But etymology seems to be an interest of Belew's, and he's just as creative with his treatment of words as he is in his musical offerings. This is another powerful song, with strong emotive images that develop as a result of both the lyrical lines and the unique harmonic/melodic combination. We really dug it during the live show, and it continues to grow on us - kudos!

Young Lions
The percussive opening almost has a 42nd Street feel to it with Eric Slick's heavy tom playing, but we quickly recognized that these were rock elements at play, not swing. The sound is booming and strong, and, of course, the melody line works its way into an incredible Belew solo. We really enjoyed the repetitive rhythmic section, mostly because it is performed with perfect execution and not a hint of anything overplaying the length of the pulsating rhythm. This one could easily be the album favorite of many, however we reserved that honor for the song which followed.

Beat Box Guitar
"Beat Box Guitar" is an amazing song, and Grant constantly plays this one at least twice when he drives with it in the car. Many kudos here, well evidenced by the 2006 Grammy nomination for best rock instrumental. Not only is the guitar work superlative, the free section has all three members of the trio existing in their own worlds, but the resolution entrance is so perfect that it fits like a glove. The solo sections are simply amazing, and all three players drive aggressively through the number. Julie uses the entire instrument here, so incredibly deftly that one gets drawn into the intuitive intensity the three members of the trio exhibit with such skill and ease. This is a five star song, for sure!

Matchless Man
Soulfully, Belew sings, "Here I am, a matchless man, trying to set your world on fire!" How cool is that? Or should we say hot? In any event, this slow, almost bluesy arrangement evokes many feelings and emotions. Musically, it's rather funky and R&B oriented in a certain sense, yet it retains those same amazing proggy characteristics that define Belew's musical status. It's another excellent number for you all to enjoy!

A Little Madness
One might actually feel a little crazy after listening to the harmonic dissonance over the top of this number. This is truly a performance art piece. I'm not sure I would enjoy performing it myself, but one gets the feeling that if the song reflected the state of someone's mind, you can actually feel the confusion or pain of emotional dissonance. Psychological insights aside, this piece sounds almost experimental, but it adds a unique compositional style that exists nowhere else on the album. Belew deserves high praise for daring to include such a unique song on this CD.

Drive
"Drive" is the kind of song where Belew takes a little solo break and allows the Slicks to rest. The song opens with a sample of a car starting, then fading as it drives into the distance. Belew layers in a repetitive eighth note pattern that evokes feelings of driving through the countryside and looking out the window at the scenery along the way. It is a thought provoking and almost internalized kind of song. What kinds of images do you see and feel when you listen to it?

Of Bow And Drum
This is one of the more musically complex songs on the CD. It is a bit pop-like in a certain respect, because it certainly is catchy. But like everything Adrtian Belew does, the song seems simpler than it is. There is a rich depth and breadth to this song, and it just feels really good and positive. This is a great song to groove to!

Big Electric Cat
Have you ever felt like a big electric cat? Yes, it's another winner and one of the best songs on the CD. This one is rhythmically powerful while allowing the listener to groove into a compelling melody line and with plenty of room to solo and be creative by the trio members. We love this song because there seems to be lots of things going on, but Belew especially requests of his musicians that they do not overplay. Here is a song where the three find a perfect balance.

Three Of A Perfect Pair
While we haven't had the opportunity yet to dig more deeply into the lyrical content, it's clear that Belew is up to his semantics again with this King Crimson cover! But isn't that a sign of a good songwriter, when the lyrics themselves just grab your interest? And isn't it even better when the title makes you want to hear the entire song? Well, in fact this song is better than than the cool title. This is another upbeat, powerful and enjoyable number. As we compare the current trio version to the original King Crimson one, the most striking difference is how Belew compensated for performing as a trio versus a quartet. The original version is a bit slower, tempo-wise, and opens a little more space for Robert Fripp's playing. It's also more tightly structured, which underscores the free-jazz comparison for the current power trio. It seems that the Slicks add an extra level of aggressiveness while the original sits there in the pocket and grooves.

Thela Hun Ginjeet
Like the prior track, we were delighted to compare the current version to the King Crimson original. As much as we love vintage King Crimson, the lower octave vocal doubling by Tony Levin in the original makes that version feel slower, although the trio version does seem a bit more uptempo, generally. Bruford's playing is somewhat more articulated and theory driven compared to Eric Slick, who just powers through improvisationally, again making the newer version more aggressive. Julie, too, takes creative liberties here without overplaying, adding some bass harmonic depth that we hadn't heard before. We think you'll love the new version! We're not certain at all what the title means, but we do know that this song is an excellent encore as well as closer for the album. The syncopated opening melody line has just enough edge to really make the listener feel like grooving on this one. The entire album is a musical experience that we feel will one day be viewed as a vintage classic. This great song closes a great CD, and has made us serious fans of The Adrian Belew Power Trio. If you haven't yet availed yourself of this fine music, go out and buy this CD!"

Awesome!

Again, I cannot post the actual interviews here as it would not be fair to the magazine - like I said, I just subscribed and paid a small amount for access, but it is well worth it.

Later,
xo

Odds and Sods for Thursday, March 27, 2008

So there is nothing better than bringing me out of an Adrian Belew Power Trio post-tour depression than an email from the Belews with a whole new fresh and tasty list of upcoming shows in May, June and July! Yeah! I cannot officially announce them yet, but I understand two are already up on Pollstar and others are already posted on the venue pages themselves. If you do go to Pollstar, just a heads up that the Milford Music Festival date listed for June 7 is no longer accurate as the fest itself has been canceled this year.

And it appears that there is a return to one venue with a legendary Trio of Terror tale behind it. I think it's a pretty safe bet Julie will be recreating certain events...

Speaking of Julie, Gary took this photo on Sunday - she needed a pic for Bass Player Magazine -- but they ended up using another so since I love it and didn't want it to go to waste...



Ugly, isn't she? Yeah, so all is great in her life - an interview in the June issue (I think) of Bass Player Magazine, touring most of the summer and beyond with INSANE countries being mentioned, and finally, her college degree. I am not sure of her exact final grade point average but she either graduated magna cum laude or summa cum laude - it's that close and that good.

In Eric Slick world, he's got a ton of gigs coming up with Delicious and a few with Crescent Moon...in fact, on what appears to be Eric Slick drumming marathon nights, Crescent Moon will be opening a few of the Delicious shows.

But tomorrow evening, Crescent Moon will open for Queen Diamond at the Black Lodge:



Should be an awesome night. Queen Diamond is made up of some of the finest women musicians, both past and present Rock School All-Stars.

Here's a review which popped up regarding the Adrian Belew Power Trio performance in Harrisburg:

"...Years ago, a friend and I were discussing the concept of Power Trios. At the time, Rush was the only band which we felt embodied this concept. This was long before I listened to Primus or any other trios that I would consider in this light. Friday night, the wife and I went to see the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Let me tell you, the name fits! Even though I have listened to Side Four many times over (mine's autographed :P ) and heard a couple of bootlegs of last year's tour, hearing it all again live with almost the exact same set-list (the only change being the addition of a new song: "E") was a joy to behold. I highly recommend one pick up the CD at Adrian's website. For that matter, you should pick up all the Sides: Side One, Side Two, Side Three, and Side Four. One and Three feature Les Claypool on bass and Danny Carey on drums, Two is all Belew (and my favorite of the Sides), and Four is a Live show with the Power Trio. You can't go wrong with any of them.

On to the show! As I said, my wife went with me. This was more from guilt than anything else, I think, as she said she felt bad for not joining me for RF and the LOCG. I had no problem with that as I knew that music wasn't her cup of tea and while hoping she would enjoy the ABPT show, I was still a bit weary that she might not. My fears were unfounded and she had a great time. So much so, that she asked when they would be returning to our area while on the way home. Yay! Score one for Ade and the Slick kids.

We were third row center for this awesome event. Notice in this first pic (sorry for the crappy cell phone pic) that there are only 2 heads between me and the stage. My ass didn't like it (we were in temporary chairs as opposed to the cushy theater seats) and it let me know, but the rest of me was very happy with our location.

The show opened with the California Guitar Trio. I was excited to hear them and didn't even know they were going to be there until the day before the show. They were awesome and their cover of Echoes by Pink Floyd was spot on. As soon as I heard the first "ping" I thought "Are they going to play Echoes?" Seconds later I knew for sure and enjoyed every second of it for PF was my first love in music. While not 22 minutes long like the original, they still nailed the seagulls in the middle and just sounded awesome. They also did a nice cover of Tubular Bells and towards the end of the song, their soundman jumped onstage to accompany on a melodica. Very cool. The wife wasn't as impressed with these guys as she was with ADPT, but as I said, that's not really her cup of tea.

Soon after the CGT left the stage, the ABPT came on. No introduction, no pomp and circumstance, just the three of them walking on with Adrian bouncing into his "guitar center" taking a quick bow and then jumping right into "Writing on the Wall." This was followed by "Dinosaur" which had a wee comedic moment during the dinosaur sounds: Adrian looks over at Eric (Slick on drums) and says "a baby dinosaur" and then proceeds to make a wee dinosaur sound. They laughed, we laughed, and then they were back in the groove. At one point during the show, I looked over at my wife and said "She's phenomenal!" in reference to Julie (Slick on bass). My wife agreed whole-heartedly. This made me feel good as it was then that I knew she really was enjoying herself and could appreciate the level of musicianship that was involved here.

The other thing I'd like to point out was the level of happiness on stage. It was so refreshing to see a band on stage having the time of their lives doing what they loved to do. All three smiled at one time or another, Adrian being guilty of this on multiple accounts. At one point during a few of his jams, he would be sitting on his stool doing incredible things on his Parker Fly, and he would suddenly look up at the audience and smile a smile that would belie the fact that he was "at work." Simple grins that said "I'm having a blast doing this, I hope you are, too, and by the way, listen to these funny sounds." It was almost a 4 piece when you consider how much a role Humor played. I can't wait to see them again and hope I'm able to.

My only complaint: the ass who sat in the row behind us and was constantly yelling "Woooo" at full volume. During Beat Box Guitar, he must of yelled at least 15 times. It got annoying very fast and at one point it looked as though Adrian was getting tired of it. About halfway through the show I looked over at the ass and he was telling his friend something to the effect of "I don't care if people don't like it, I'm having fun so fuck 'em." One other offense: speaking loudly during the CGT set. Obviously not one who was familiar with the KC style of listening. When you're at a show where everyone is acting like that, I can understand people doing it. However, at this event, everyone stayed in their seats and gave their full attention to the people on stage. Except for this guy. The only sour note on an otherwise wonderful night.

Well played, Ade, et al."

Yeah, I'll say.

Here's some more shots Gary took at the final show in Vienna:







And here's some backstage shots taken by Ms. Julie Slick - there's the tour's opener, Saul Zonana, also pictured above, with Gary and Andre Cholmondeley and another photo of Eric who, what else, either practices or listens to music before the shows:





Anyway, I guess that's a wrap for now - I have writing news - I'm doing a reading in New York City on April 14 with a group of freaking literati royalty and I'm scared to death but what's new about that -- I am still deciding what to read, i.e., two new short stories, a non-fiction essay I'm currently working on, or a chapter from one of my books; an interview I did on a radio show will be broadcast April 22...all kinds of stuff, really, but I'll discuss it all later in a future, separate post.

Right now I need to finish final edits on 39 and Still Holding Him or my publisher will have my head!

Later,
xo

The Adrian Belew Power Trio - Wrap Up

What a week. I do in fact have Adrian's devil bug -- I think I have set the world's record for being flu ridden/head cold stricken in the past six months after boasting to Gary "See? Since I stopped working nine to five do you notice I'm never sick anymore? Remember how I used to get at least four head colds a year? I cannot even remember the last time I sneezed!"

Yeah. Right. Next time remind me to keep my big mouth shut. When I'm not coughing, I'm blowing my nose; I can't taste anything (a true tragedy) and my eyes feel like they are bleeding. All I can say is: How the hell did Adrian get on stage every night with this and put on the performance he did? I haven't even been able to properly walk the dog all week. Sheesh.

Anyway, because I feel crappy and not particularly witty, this is a good opportunity to merely post some photos and some links/reviews coming out of the tour which I have been gathering like a good little publicist.

I left you last in New York and did not get a chance to mention the Harrisburg show. Alas I was not at the final show in Vienna, but Gary took amazing photos so they will be included in my next post where hopefully I will be back to my normal (as if) self.

Have I mentioned how much I love the California Guitar Trio? They were the band's opener in Harrisburg as I previously mentioned, and I immediately bought their new CD after the show (okay, I didn't buy it - they insisted we take it as a gift and I cannot thank the band enough -- I've been listening to it non-stop) as well as a recording of the show we saw...the CGT records all of their shows and then offers them for sale right after. This was especially great since Julie and Eric played with them so now I have it on CD for posterity.

Here's a couple shots of the band members taken by Gary Slick Friday night -- and Gary took all of the photographs in this post...I told you he mastered the new camera!

Paul Richards:


Bert Lam:


Hideyo Moriya


Oh wow - I just saw this...it's on the CGT website, from Hideyo's road cam. It is a must click! If I had the energy, I'd copy the entire page here but I think it's easier for you to go to the site yourselves and while you are there, do yourself a favor and pick up a CD or seven.

I should have figured this out, but I did not know they met as original students of Robert Fripp (the year Eric was born!) in 1987.

"Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo first met in England at one of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft Courses in 1987. After completing several of these intensive courses, the three toured worldwide with Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists. Wanting to continue working together after the League had run its course, Bert, Paul and Hideyo convened in Los Angeles and founded The California Guitar Trio in 1991, honing their intricate original compositions, surf covers, and classical re-workings."

From Paul Richards' Diary...and I must admit this totally cracked me up because trust me, I pictured the whole scenario though J&E tell me they saw them coming and "staged it" for their pleasure:

"On Friday night, we got to do a double bill concert with the Adrian Belew Power Trio at the Sunoco Theater in Harrisburg. CGT played a one-hour show, and the audience was really into it, with lots of bursts of applause during our set. We had a long drive from Charleston that day and were feeling a little tired, and I think Bert was a little nervous because Harrisburg is his hometown. Thanks to the audience for making this a great show. We invited Eric and Julie Slick to play with us at the end of our set. They are so much fun! And we enjoyed hanging out with them after the concert too. I don't know remember when I laughed so hard watching them jump on their beds and pillow fight as we approached their hotel room."

Ha! I guess that's their version of doing a Keith Moon. (Thank God)

And now for some assorted, glowing blurbs I've been collecting from all over the universe since the tour began last month:

From the Projekction Forum Board:

"Oh man what a show (sold out). The Trio was a awesome well oiled machine for the last gig of the tour. I knew what to expect seeing them last year, but I was even more impressed this night. Everyone was firing on all cylinders. A flawless show music and tech wise. John did a great job on the mix. It sounded much better then the show last year.

I brought my dad along and he was very impressed, and it was cool introducing him to Ade after the show. As we were leaving Ade said, "Bye Dad." Now my pops knows why I gush over how talented Adrian and the trio are. Chatted with Martha briefly pre-show. Saul's set was nice.

Wall opened in all it's fury. What I would give to see Les Claypool's reaction on how bad ass Julie is on bass, especially on this tune. Great opener.

Dinosaur was perfect. The Trio adds so much to KC songs, they sound more like a 5 piece band. Nice crowd response.

Ampersand had a awesome drawn out jam.

Ade asked how many of us were in the crowd since he couldn't see the crowd with the stage lights. Someone yelled out there are 10,000 of us, and Ade joked thru out the show about playing to such a large crowd.

Young Lions opened with a killer drum intro from Eric, I told him after the show he is a beast. I would hate to be his kit w/ all the beating it gets. I am still slackjawed how great of a drummer he is and what he gets out of it being a small kit. Lions was awesome, prolly the best version I've heard, its a top 5 Ade song for me, so always a thrill hearing it.

Beatbox was amazing. Again Eric had me amazed, as well as Ade and Julie. Ade's solo's last night were just on, incredible.

Madness was next, as I said in previous reviews, I love this tune live compared with the studio version. Pretty long jams during this one.

Drive w/in w/out you followed. Got a nice response from the all ages crowd.

E followed and it was seamless (no false starts or boo boo's) Very interesting tune. I would love to hear it again to give more thought to it. Great "new" tune.

Of Bow and Drum was excellent. Such a great song, I am happy it's in the rotation.

BEC had me bopping around. Eric was really driving this. Great soloing by Ade.

TOAPP was a great ender, again, it was flawless and had the crowd singing along.

They encored with thumping versions of Neurotica and Thela.

Just an incredible show, I am still in awe.

Chatted with Gary for a bit and joked I should get autograph from him for having the offspring he and Robin have. And asked him how his stay was at the Bates Motel. Talked with Eric and Julie for a moment. Said hi the Ade and gave him my Sharpie for his just ran out with a long line of well wishers and autograph seekers.

I picked up Side Four and got it signed.

Headed back to our friend Karl's house and sipped on awesome tequila my dad brought back from a recent trip to Mexico and puffed well into the night. Capped the night watching a Paul Simon dvd.

I had such a wonderful evening, I can't wait to see the Trio again.

And to our friends overseas, you may have some surprises soon."
******
Here's some more Gary Slick photo from Harrisburg...see that "pole" behind Julie? That's the revolutionary sound system I was talking about from Bose. If you click on that link, you can read all about it.








From the Zappa forum board:

"I caught the Adrian Belew Power Trio the other night and was riveted throughout. Eric Slick has noticeably 'improved,' or should I say refined his style, as he already was great, and now he is off the chart. Whereas he previously had a loosey goosey Robert Wyatt style non-attack, he now seems to have tightened up a bit channeling hard bop jazz/avant-garde punctuation/teenage rock/and a little Drumbo & Robert Williams on the side. Not to diminish the contributions of his sis, Julie. I'm still processing that. She was a joy to behold. And Adrian? One of the best, period. I can't stomach guitar wankery and fusion, and thankfully Adrian rises above it all. The man's got soul.

Very well attended show, too. Big mix of folks. Lots of musician hipsters checking out the master, a ton of Crimson geeks, Zappa fans. And the simply curious. High ratio of women, too, which is always good to see.

I see over at Adrianbelew.net that he has added a couple of shows for June. If they play NY again, I will be there."

(Click on the link for some other fun photos and comments)

From, of all things, the Cincy Camping forum board:

"Ade kicked ass and his backup (the Slick kids: brother Eric Slick on drums and sister Julie Slick on bass) were absolutely phenomenal. Julie was covering KC bass lines like she wrote them herself. The wife has been converted and was also impressed. So much so, that on the way home she asked when they were coming again.

Looks might we might be seeing them again in June, Friday after Cincy. Maybe.

And it's so refreshing to see a band where everyone has a sense of humor and a smile."

This one killed me because of the serendipity factor. It's from novelist Alis Hawkins' blog -- a comment made by writer David Isaak and no, I do not know either person but too cool about the writer coincidence...which got even weirder when I went to David's blog and see that he is a team blogger with someone I do know from Zoetrope Studios, Roger Morris, who lives in the UK. It's just so freaking weird how we are all connected in this universe...

"Last night we saw the Adrian Belew Power Trio--which featured an astonishing young bass player named Julie Slick (as well as her brother Eric Slick on drums).

It turns out their mother Robin Slick is a novelist, too. Odd."

From the YES google group:

"WOW! Adrian Belew's experimental, young, talented, tight-knit group has to be one of the ten best touring acts today. Have you seen these guys? Excuse me not when I say guys as I mean no difference to the once curtsied Julie Slick of original Paul Green Allstars fame. You can see her on the documentary DVD "Rock School" touring with Project/Object in Germany in Summer 2003. She is relentless, spontaneous, casual and cool and grounded. ....and her younger brother? I kid you not when I saw the influences of Stuart Copeland and the myriad other drummers that Eric Slick has played with come alive tonight in their own home town of Philadelphia, PA tonight. I remember recording an Adrian Belew guitar workshop once held in the *then* first branch of the Paul Green School of Rock Music school. I have a bit of audio of when Eric recognized me as the guy who helped set up a Yes field trip of sorts back stage at The Spectrum. If he only knew that in two years time he would have traveled the world with one of the most sought after musicians of this or any millenium. He seems to have grown in his prowess and power since his teen years. Touring with the best could only season you as these players and yet when I say grounded I mean humble as well. Just really nice folks and a hell of a show. What more can you want? Maybe some sleep."

Oh man, I loved that post! I guess I must know the person since they are from Philly...if whoever wrote that blurb reads this, give me a shout out in the comments section. I bet Eric will know who it is...

Speaking of Yes, they also have very nice things to say on two of their forum boards...the first of which is All Good People, which I just realized I did link before, however, click on the link because there have been additional comments; the second is from their other forum, Yes Fans. I know I've posted a link to them previously as well, but here's a brand new review of the Philly show:

"The evening started with me picking up my wife, Debbie, at Liberty 1 downtown Philly at 5:10 PM.

At 5:20 PM we’re at the World Café early and get a table to have a few adult beverages before the show.

….and as we’re being seated I notice at the table next to us is Adrian Belew and friends. (Note from our author: The "friends" were Gary and me. Ha!)

We make eye contact and because of that I say “Hey Adrian, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s show” and he replies “Me tooooooo”.

I do have some manners so I walked by and that was that.

I was sitting so close I can tell ya he had the Vegetarian Chili.. (Note from our author: Yes, that is true. And Adrian also became a huge miso soup/sushi lover on this tour as well...I am guessing that is the Julie/Eric effect)

…after a while Adrian stood up and put his jacket on, so I figured it was a good time to say something.

I said Yo Adrian (I am from Philly after all) King Crimson announced the tour today and we (Philly) are getting two shows at the Keswick.

Adrian replies jokingly “Ah, they’re just trying to steal our thunder”

I am not the guy to give you a set list but I know what I like and this show was PHUCKING awesome.

I never seen the Belew Trio before and to say I was impressed is an extreme understatement.

To start the show the three of them came running out on the stage.

…and then Adrian says “One thing I ask is no “Yo Adrian’s” (Philly, it’s a Rocky thing..ha ha)

The enthusiasm and energy to the max!!!

It was the best show I’ve seen in a long time.

Adrian Belew is a guitar god, at one time he was on his knees playing the guitar and the effects pedals with his hands.

He had this big Cheshire cat smile on his face the whole night, it looked and felt like he was having the time of his life.

One of the highlights for me came from Eric Slick. It was at the end of a song I know Ampersand. Let me tell you he was hitting the drums so freaking hard (he was putting his whole body into it), like a sledge hammer I don’t know how he didn’t put a hole in the drum.

It was soooooooooo cool!

I gotta admit, I don’t know any female bass players, but, let me tell you Julie Slick was amazing.

She is quick as shyte and she is also one of those musicians who play live on stage in bare feet (someone want to explain why) like Steve Wilson for one.

…at one point she was jamming and leaning almost up against her amp with one of the best bass player scowls on her face I’ve ever seen.

I refuse to mention that she is also young and beautiful, it’s all about the music.

Yeah I refuse to mention that.

This show was Hot!!! Whenever they play Philly I’ll be there.

Well, that’s my best shot at a review.

If you have the chance, GO SEE THIS SHOW!

You will have a wonderful time!"

Hahahaha - I think your shot at a review was wonderful, kind stranger. See you at the Crimson show this summer!

And here's a review on the same forum board about the Chicago show:

"We had a fantastic time last week at the Chicago show. What a fantastic trio! Adrian was having a great time as was the audience. I love how he watches for the crowd reaction after a great guitar riff. He grins as if to say, "How did ya like THAT!"

My only complaint was that the stage was ringed by 6 foot plus guys...it took 1/2 the show before I could wiggle into a spot that I could actually see Eric. No problem hearing him tho!"

Anyway, again, it's worth clicking on the link to the above post to see photos, You Tubes, and other cool comments.

Here's another link containing lots of great photos - musician Tim Reynolds' message board:

"#1 -- I saw the great Adrian Belew (of King Crimson) last week. He was touring as a Power Trio with a 22 year old drummer, and the drummer's 20 year old sister on bass. The brother and sister rhythm section were phenomenal. The show was at my favorite venue. What more could you ask for? The setlist even included a few King Crimson tunes."

"#2 -- Two things:

1. Belew's a badass.
2. Hottest bassist ever."

#3"Agreed. I mean, barefoot, are you kidding me?

I think I forgot to mention that at the show I picked up SIDE 4 which is the latest in Belew's line of releases, and it was actually a live set of the Power Trio Playing. The cd is absolutely amazing, and by far the best new music I've picked up in a while. I highly recommend it, and I think it is only available at shows, or on his website."

From the Shank Hall forum as concerns the trio's show in Wisconsin:

"The Adrian Belew Show was great!!

Eric and Julie Slick were awesome. We already know Adrian is a good musician. Julie is a monster on Bass and Eric has some really unique beats. They both look like they were having fun. Sorry if I didn’t write enough about Ade. I always enjoy when the underdogs kick it up.

I am not going to go into major detail. If you like Adrian Belew, you know where I am coming from."

From the Fender Telecaster forum board with the title "3 Piece Bands that Sounded Huge Live":

"The Adrian Belew Power Trio:
Adrian Belew (guitar and the usual truckload of gear)
Eric Slick (drums)
Julie Slick (bass)"

And other people came in and agreed. Erm, if you look at the other company they are in on that board, it's pretty damn impressive. (Rush, Cream, Hendrix, etc.)

Okay, that's a wrap for today. I am exhausted and need to curl up in the fetal position and pray that this stupid cold goes away. I leave you with another Gary Slick photo of the trio signing their tour posters following the Harrisburg concert.



Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio Tour - Recap One

Well, life back in Philadelphia is back to normal, kind of...the month long, cross-country Adrian Belew Power Trio tour ended Saturday night in Vienna, Virginia and my family came home yesterday. While I am thrilled to see them, there's a small part of me that's depressed. The music fan/proud mother in me wanted this tour to go on forever -- to come downstairs every morning for the past four weeks to glowing reviews and great You Tubes of the trio in performance is pretty much as good as it gets. Wait. Let me amend that. Seeing them three nights in a row in Philadelphia, New York City, and Harrisburg...well, there's nothing quite like that in the world.

So I last left you with my impressions of the Philly show. Let's play catch up. I have a feeling this may be a two or three part post but we'll see. Not only am I mildly depressed, I think I'm getting Adrian's flu...yep...the last week of the tour he was really really sick - so was John Sinks, engineer...but these guys are such amazing professionals you would never know it. Fans in New York, however, knew something was up...but more on that in a minute.

Speaking of New York, here's a couple photos of the trio shot by proud dad Gary Slick. The following evening in Harrisburg, I don't know how it happened, but Gary figured out the perfect setting for his new camera in low light and I can't wait to post those and the ones from Virginia because they are beyond spectacular but because I am apparently very OCD, I must do things in order so here's some really neat ones from B.B. Kings Thursday night.






So Thursday morning in Philadelphia Gary and I had breakfast with the band at the University City Marathon Grill...and as I had already known from the night before, Adrian was fighting a flu bug that was turning into something respiratory or bronchial. He is so amazing - it was obvious he wasn't feeling well but he kept smiling and discussing future plans and concepts he has for the trio and we just kind of sat there with our mouths hanging open...the usual. The man is so brilliant...he's the musical version of a mad scientist.

One of the really cool perks of the tour was that the trio got to visit several factories along the way - Julie, who as you know is endorsed by Lakland Bass, toured their facility and I have to tell you, it was the unanimous consensus that getting that Bob Glaub signature bass right at the start of the tour (do you know they had it waiting for her at her hotel in Seattle on the very first night?!) totally changed her performance. She went from incredible to other worldly. Everyone noticed it - it's like she picked up that bass and magic happened. She lost the "John Entwistle" stance (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and rocked out all over the stage. Pull up any You Tube from this tour and have a look/listen to say,"A Little Madness" and you'll see what I mean.

Let me just take the opportunity to thank Lakland for endorsing Julie and for coming to the show. Did you guys have a good time?

In Massachusetts the day before they played in Philadelphia, the Adrian Belew Power Trio visited the Bose Factory and they left there completely ecstatic. Bose has a brand new, revolutionary sound system which they allowed the trio to try out for the remainder of the tour. To say it is incredible is putting it mildly. At every single venue, all of the techies rushed the stage, wanting to know what it was. The sound was the best it's ever been. Again, a huge thank you to the wonderful folks at Bose...I know owning one of your systems is high on Adrian's wish list...maybe even coming in at number one. It's all we talked about for the rest of the tour.

Which is why I knew it wasn't a sound problem when Adrian suddenly left the stage after five songs at B.B. Kings on Thursday night, saying "The band is going to take a break. We'll be back shortly." Eric jumped up from the drums, Julie and Ade quickly put down their instruments, and fled the stage.

So yeah, I knew it wasn't a sound board problem; I didn't see Andre or John on stage so I knew it couldn't be equipment related (and the instruments were left on stands on the stage) so I looked over at Gary in alarm, only Gary wasn't there. He was sitting at a table closer to the stage so he could take photos; I sat in a booth behind him with my pal Kim Wetherell, who cracked me up post concert because as a special favor to me, since I missed the premier in NYC due to Eric's appendectomy in December, uploaded Why We Wax, the short documentary in which I have a (hilarious) role, to her iPod so I got to watch it while the band broke down their equipment for the night. It's entered in several film festivals and I'm laughing because watch, I'm going to end up being in competition with myself for my other short film entered in festivals - the one based on Daddy Left Me Alone with God. How did I end up connected with two movies? Life is so very, very strange but I'm loving it. And where is my photo, Ant Neate? (as I previously blogged, he's the actor in film and he is HOT)

(Just kidding...having some fun with Gary)

And I've completely gone off track, haven't I.

Back to New York and B.B. Kings. So I look over at Gary's table, and he's not there, which meant he knew something bad had happened. Don't ask me how I knew that, I just did, but I mean, it was pretty obvious. In the two years since I've known him, Adrian has never left the stage - he never even divided his show into two sets unless it's something like the Tokyo gig last summer where the band played two full shows per night. (How did they ever pull that off? So much energy goes into just one show...my god...Ade is superman with the mind and body of a twenty year old).

I'm digressing again. Sorry. It's been a long while since I did an actual diary style post here - I've basically been cutting and pasting reviews and trust me, I have a ton of those, too which I haven't put up here yet. Anyway, I was completely freaked by the empty stage and Gary's empty table. I debated what to do. B.B. King's was really crowded and there are a million waiters milling about with trays of food and drinks so my getting backstage would have been difficult. I figured if God forbid anything was really wrong, Gary would come get me. I just could not imagine what happened - could it be Julie? Eric? Was Ade sicker than he let on? You wouldn't have known it by the first four songs. But I did notice he kept wiping his forehead with a towel. It was incredibly hot in the club, I was melting myself, but I just chalked it up to a senior moment, i.e., a dreaded hot flash. But apparently everyone in the place was burning up (do they turn up the heat so you order more drinks?) and that, combined with Adrian's fever (yep, he had one), almost made him delirious on stage. Gary said he noticed it during "A Little Madness"...he said Ade looked over at Julie and he just didn't seem "right".

Anyway, backstage Ade got cold compresses, ice, a lot of love, and ten minutes later the trio was back on stage, putting on a mind-blowing show.

Oh, while we were backstage before the concert, two things happened that were way cool. First, the manger walked in with a business card and asked for Eric Slick.

"This gentleman is here to see you," he said to Eric, handing him the card.

Here, it was Tim from Paiste Cymbals, who of course endorse Eric and Eric had called Tim with an emergency -- he cracked a cymbal at the show in Philly. Tim already had plans to attend the New York show so he got there early and brought Eric a brand new cymbal. How is that for service? Eric is going to kill me for saying this but I have to and maybe a few of you will get to read it before he asks me to delete it (because he's humble but maybe I can talk him into letting me keep this in here because he knows everyone is aware of my over-exuberance when it comes to these things)..but anyway, Tim told Eric he loved the show so much that if he didn't have to deliver cymbals to the drummer for Iron Maiden the next day in New Jersey, he would have driven 100 miles to the Harrisburg show that night.

Then the manager at B.B.'s showed up again with another business card, this time for Adrian. It was from Steve Olsen, the owner of the West Bank Cafe on 42nd Street in New York. He is a HUGE Adrian Belew fan and asked that the trio and guests come to his restaurant after the show where his chef would prepare a very special meal.

Despite not feeling well, how could Ade pass up an offer like that? Besides, there's nothing like an exquisite gourmet experience to make a person feel better, you know? And Ade got to knock back his favorite, lemon drop martinis, so we were in pretty good spirits the minute we sat down. Actually, we were in great spirits because throughout the meal, the owner played nothing but Adrian music. It was as it should be! What a pleasure to see the joy on Adrian's face and Steve's (the owner's) face as he sat with us and talked to Ade and the band. And then Steve's chef, who also attended the show, brought out plate after plate of the most amazing food ever.

Oh, a funny side note: When we first walked into the restaurant and were seated, Eric leaned over and whispered "Ha - guess who we are sitting next to? Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers." Martha (Ade's wife) dared Eric to go over and introduce himself because what a freaking coincidence, a couple of weeks ago Gibby was a School of Rock guest professor -- which of course is how Ade met Julie and Eric two years ago. So Eric and Gibby talked a bit and naturally what was Gibby's first question: "What kind of rig does Adrian use?"

So that was really cool but enough of the small talk -- let me tell you what you really want to know -- how was the food at West Bank Cafe? Oh. My. God. We had three vegetarians at the table, so they made some subtle adjustments in their menu, like, they brought out skillets (some of the meals are served sizzling in miniature skillets...so, so cool) of ricotta cheese gnocchi with wild mushrooms, basil broth & scorched fontina cheese...normally this dish also comes with shredded duck...oh God...I'm swooning just remembering how unbelievably good it was. Oh, wait, first they came out with several plates of grilled peppered shrimp with Florida grapefruit, avocado and fennel salad. That was followed by, for the meat eaters, Beef short ribs and chips with caramelized onion, manchego cheese and blue corn tortilla chips. Think that's it? Guess again. Plates just kept appearing...each one better than the next. Pan Seared Sea Scallops with celery root, leeks, potatoes, wild mushrooms and truffle vinaigrette. Pan Seared Bronzino with eggplant purée, orange peel, fennel, spinach and citrus sauce. Winter Vegetable Plates with winter spiced butternut squash, Chinese forbidden black rice, currants, swiss chard and walnut-sage pesto. Truffled Mac-n-Cheese (yeah, you've never had mac and cheese like this before...oh my God...the truffles...and it also had mascarpone cheese in it). A steak sandwich which was really filet migñon on a toasted brioche with french fries and sauce béarnaise. The alcohol kept flowing, and then they brought out clean plates and silverware and we're like, oh no, please tell me they are not bringing any more food...

Wrong. Out came plate after plate of the best desserts I've ever had anywhere. Peanut butter mouse. A flourless chocolate tart with fresh whipped cream. Berries. Rice pudding that had to be made with heavy cream...I've never tasted anything like it in my life. I know there was more, but by then I was so full even though it was killing me, I could not eat another bite.

So the bottom line here is, next time I am in New York, I will be back at the West Bank Cafe and here's my official endorsement for any of you in the area...it's now in my top five restaurants and I've eaten all over the world. I'm sure by now you've all clicked on the link but just to make it easy, they serve lunch and dinner and are located at 407 West 42nd Street.

Oh, and as I said, the whole time we're having this religious food experience, we're listening to songs like Three of a Perfect Pair.

It was heaven.

We rolled out of the restaurant at 2:00 a.m. and did not get home until 4:00 a.m. We knew we had to be up early the next day for the Harrisburg show but we did manage to sleep in a bit and then Gary had to run up to his mom's house and drop some things off so we ended up getting to the Whitaker Center Friday night about an hour before show time, just in time to grab a quick bite.

Okay, obviously my Harrisburg post is going to have to be a separate one. This post is a mini-series, eh?

But here's a quick tease for my next post - Friday night I met the California Guitar Trio, who opened for the trio that evening, and asked that Julie and Eric sit in on a song. Eric knew it, Julie had to learn it, so while Gary and I were having dinner...

From Bert Lam's diary:
"Friday eve, jamming backstage with Eric and Julie Slick of the Adrian Belew Power Trio. They played Pipeline with us at the end of our set: fun!" (photo by Kurt Berthelmehs)


Okay, and on that note, I leave with you with a very mellow and beautiful version of Matchless Man from the Harrisburg show...where by now, Adrian has a full blown case of the flu and is still insisting he's fine. What a pro. What a guy. What a band.



Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio - tonight in Harrisburg, PA

Listen, I have the world's most incredible story about last night's show in New York, and the absolute amazing time we had after the concert, but I'm thinking I'm going to save it for Monday. We didn't get in until 4:00 a.m. and barely awake, we're leaving for Harrisburg now.

But two things - thank you to all of you sending me photos - I will give you linked and/or personal shout outs in future posts but today, I just have to put up this crazy one Gary took of Eric last night which totally blows me away and also, I really want to post this review that appeared in the Daily New Hampshire Gazette following the trio's show this week at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA - I can't link it because it's a subscription only newspaper but if you do not want to settle for my cut and paste here, you can google it, be as crazy as I am, and pay for it yourself.



Guitar magic with a smile
By KEN MAIURI

"If you've ever been a nerd for progressive rock, at some point you've bumped into Adrian Belew. Whether you're a King Crimson nut, Zappa freak, Talking Heads follower or Bowie aficionado, there's no mistaking the guitarist's electronically processed elephantine roar and chaotic playfulness. And he's always smiling! Is there a happier music-maker? And one that can get an entire audience singing call-and-response in 7/4 time?

Belew played the Iron Horse this past Tuesday with his Power Trio, which stars Philadelphia-based wunderkind siblings Julie and Eric Slick, aged 22 and 20, on bass and drums. They're astounding. Maybe that's one reason Belew is currently beaming - he couldn't ask for more exciting and energetic bandmates.

The trio basically played the entirety of its new album, "Side Four Live," a captured-in-concert collection of songs from Belew's career, including old solo material like "Big Electric Cat" and tunes from his time with King Crimson.

Belew stood center stage with four amps aimed up at him, two on either side, and audience members stood up and bowed grandly to him with "we're not worthy" gestures, but Belew doesn't act like any kind of guitar god. What he does with a guitar is insanely original - thanks to his banks of effects and unique string-bending technique he can make it sound like a flock of wild geese, or an angry meltdown of violins - but his manner is more that of a quirky uncle. He'll be soloing angularly over two looped tracks of other guitar spazziness, and in the middle of it, look out at the crowd with an affable, big-eyed grin.

The Slicks easily kept up with Belew's fiery "twang bar" flailing. Eric's specialty was playing fluid rhythms with shocking skill. During his song-opening drum solo on "Young Lions," I had to crane my neck to check what my ear was hearing - surely there were more drums up there I couldn't see, or the drummer had secret appendages on his body somewhere. He tumbled the sticks across the tom-toms like he had four precise and well-trained arms.

Bassist Julie was a monster on her instrument, with an awesome gritty tone and more chops than my tired mind could comprehend, but again, though her hands and fingers moved expertly and maniacally around the strings, she played with focus and poise - and in bare feet.

Many of the show's 14 songs morphed into very heady jams, and the highlight of the night's instrumental fireworks was "A Little Madness," which started with Belew looping multiple tracks of his own wailing guitar. It sounded like a fleet of ambulances careening down the street. Julie started up a dangerous bass line, the aural equivalent of a tough armed thug determinedly heading somewhere. Her instrument's sound had some blown-speaker bite to it, and eventually the tune's improvisational section got wilder and she and Belew were throttling their instruments on the highest frets they could reach. Eric turned up the bash factor on his drums and the three of them built up a very furious tension; when they released it by switching back to that main riff, the audience whooped in excitement.

The trio unveiled a brand-new song, "E," which built from a spindly scale-like melody played and then looped by Belew. Later in the tune Julie took over the quick finger-twisting melody, and when the song was over, appreciative fans yelled out, "Bass player, we love you!"

Belew gave the people what they wanted at the show's end, finishing the main set with one of King Crimson's most popular (and poppy) songs, "Three of a Perfect Pair," and coming back for an encore of two more Crimson classics, "Neurotica" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet." As Eric pummeled a primal rhythm, Belew twisted skronky distortion and vertiginous harmonics out of his heavily processed guitar and Julie popped and dug into her strings, they looked like one little happy brain-frying family."

See you tonight at the Whitaker Center for the Performing Arts - the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Later,
xo

Adrian Belew Power Trio - Tonight in NYC!

I have one thing to say about last night's Adrian Belew Power Trio Show in Philadelphia. It was an interesting coincidence that the King Crimson tour dates for this summer were announced yesterday, because the general consensus in the audience was: Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, and Gavin Harrison? You guys better start "practising"...this band is at the top of their game in an almost inhuman way. Ha ha - just kidding, but seriously, the sold-out crowd was dumbfounded - once they picked their jaws up from the floor. What was so totally cool was the fact that there was a huge mix of fans - from teenagers to those *cough* my age...and there wasn't anyone standing still. Even those with reserved tables were dancing in their seats.

ETA: Some amazing You Tubes from last night.

Oh, heart be still - the world's greatest band introduction:



A Little Madness (holy crap, watch Julie Slick)



E (a work in progress)



Yeah, last night was freaking amazing. I am so stoked for New York tonight!




All photos courtesy of Gary Slick

From the Planet Crimson Forum Board:



"Big gushing reviews may be getting a tad repetitive at this point, so a few observations on the Philly show instead.

-Apparently Adrian was feeling slightly sick tonight, but had I not been told, there's no possible way I would have known. His voice sounded just great and the blast of energy from the stage was still enough to rattle the chimneys for blocks around.

-Julie used to have a kind of John Entwistle stage presence before; I never knew whether it was shyness or an oh-so-cool laid-back stage persona or both. But she surprised us by being just as animated as the other two, and it's remarkable how warm & engaging the trio comes across as a whole. When they ran into some technical snafus early on (expertly covered by a killer Eric solo to lead into "Young Lions"), I never got a sense that they had to recover any kind of lost momentum. The audience was right there with them through any rough spots.

-Not only is the trio better & tighter than they were last year, they're also looser. The set was largely the same as Side Four, but the difference in how it's all played is astounding. For maybe half of tonight's show, they seemed like practically a jam band. Albeit a jam band that could still get a whole floor of people (some of them quite inebriated) bouncing in 7/8.

-J&E have an amazing telepathy. One of the joys of watching the band is not only how they all interact, but how the two of them like to crank out tricky fills in unison.

-The new tune "E" sounds killer. First it's disturbing pseudo-surf music, then a wonky space-jazz groove. Then the space-jazz lounge has a cameo by a hyper pianist, doing his impression of Keith Tippett doing his impression of a drunken cat walking over the keys. It's really much better than that sounds.

-"Beat Box Guitar" was practically an out-of-body experience. They take it out of its structure, then they take it further than you'd ever expect, then they shoot straight for some unimaginable dimension of hyperspace. Rare to see any group of humans reach this level of improv all together.

Overall: one wild ride, my favorite ABPT show so far, and let's hope this group lasts as long as it can."

Anyway, there are only three days left on this tour, and tonight's show in New York City at BB King's is a must see. I'll be there and hope to see many of you!

Later,
xo