Hurrah!

So I've been at the beach all week, and I've been missing Julie and Eric Slick something awful...well, that's about to change. Eric is on his way here as we speak, and Julie will be arriving tomorrow morning and finally, we'll have a real baseball team again!



That's a pic from the amusement park here circa 2006 - I am going by the length of Eric's hair in the photo combined with the fact that I think it's the last time they wangled their father into going on that ride of terror and doom.

You notice I'm not crazy enough to be there...well, I was the photographer, nothing more.

Anyway, in case anyone is interested, and I should really not be so lazy and download the photos of some of the beautiful meals I have had over the past few days, I've not only maintained the vegetarian diet down here I've been, with only two exceptions, a total vegan, and naturally the one time I was not vegan and pigged out on pizza with lots of cheese, I got deathly ill. So it was immediately back to vegetables for me, and I've been grooving on everything from chargrilled portabella mushroom sandwiches to salads bursting with fresh avocado, artichokes, olives, chick peas...I'm so healthy I can't stand it.

I even have home made ratatouille over brown rice for when Eric comes today, but I bet even he will want pizza for lunch. That's the trouble. The pizza is really great here but you must exercise moderation, which, if you are a faithful reader of this blog, you know I do not know how to do.

Anyway, that's not the reason I'm here blogging. The real reason is I found a great Adrian Belew Power Trio review, and I just couldn't let it slip by without posting it. So here's the original link but to make it easy, a cut and paste for quick gratification:

"The Adrian Belew Power Trio
September 1, 2009 by trevorhults
Ginger Baker & Jack Bruce, John Entwistle & Keith Moon, John Bonham & John Paul Jones: all on the short list of engines, fueled by blood fire, of the truly great rhythm sections. Soon to be added: Eric & Julie Slick, graduates of the Paul Green School of Rock. They make the case for human cloning. I soon hope to procure my very own pair of Slick clones (I have yet to tell the rest of the band). Eric and Julie’s prodigious talents were on display this past Saturdy with the Adrian Belew Power Trio at Maxwell’s in Hoboken.

The Power Trio played through the material on their new album “e” with a few Crimson covers and early Belew classics interspersed. As always someone in the crowd called out for Crimson tunes that clearly weren’t on the set list. Seriously, Dinosaur… that’s the tune you just have to hear? At times thrashing and lumbering like a Viking horde, at other moments playing with deft virtuosity. In the midst of their wall of sound Mr. Belew continues to be the most innovative and amazing of all Zappa alumni churning out a steady stream of music that’s truly a unique voice. He stood in a circle of amps, effects, and gizmos looping layer upon layer of jagged, screeching, and twisting guitar parts. He turns the traditional trio format into a vehicle for rock orchestration.

Adrian has no rivals and continuously reinvents the vocabulary of rock guitar. Belew has secured the future of rock music by bringing the Slicks into his belewniverse. Great rhythm sections define great power trios: Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rush, The Police and now The Adrian Belew Power Trio."

Ah...I loved that. I mean, come on, anytime another person notices the obvious similarities of Jack Bruce/Ginger Baker and John Entwistle/Keith Moon and John Bonham/John Paul Jones to Julie and Eric Slick, well, I must applaud them on their fine musical knowledge. So thank you, Trevor, whoever you are....but please do take note that I have corrected the spelling of "Entwistle" for you....there is no "h".

Later,
xo

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Well, I'm back home from touring; I have about nine million stories, all of which you can read in my new book tentatively titled "Merch Woman" because it would be a travesty to blog about them for free har har, and in case you haven't caught up with my agonized posts on Twitter, my first day back had me at the periodontist on Monday having the absolute world's most painful dental surgery so I need to make this brief -- I want to go back to bed and sleep this off!

I'm on Vicodin for Christ sake and woe is me, I like it. Not good for someone who gets addicted to everything from shopping to chocolate but luckily I only have twelve pills and it's a non-refillable prescription.

Oh, I'm kidding. Like I'd really allow myself to get hooked on narcotics for a tooth problem; I'm just happy it works because Oh Boy Do I Feel Pain when it wears off but unless I develop an infection, the discomfort should be gone by the end of the week, anyway, and I only like the Vicodin for the relief it gives me; not the weird high. Seriously, that feeling of not being able to touch bottom is not cool.

Here's a photo I adore that Julie took of Eric and me, wearing my e-shirt of course, in my favorite city in the world other than Philadelphia, namely, Quebec...but oh, add to that list Toronto...but I think that is mainly because my two best meals of the tour were had there (dinner at Utopia, where I had dinner consisting of curried zucchini soup, tzatziki with grilled naan, and mushroom and goat cheese salad which contained warm sauteed portabella and white mushrooms, goat cheese, roasted red peppers in a warm soy & balsamic dressing over a bed of field mix and plum tomatoes and sprinkled with walnuts -- and breakfast at Auntie and Uncles, where our server, a very funny guy and a huge prog rock fan who inexplicably loves Genesis but didn't know Adrian gave us complimentary "prog cakes", i.e., fresh berry wheatcakes); I met Martin Popoff***, and had the absolute world's best after party at the Mod Club until 3:00 a.m. -- Hello, Sasha and Emily! Hi, Jason!



I have even lost more weight since that photo - the new vegetarian me has now lost a total of ten pounds since August 20...I realize this is in good part due to my dental surgery this week and will taper off but I am determined to lose another ten by the end of October. I'm liking how I am looking and feeling (other than my teeth) in a big way!

Anyway, I'm sure most of you have already seen this, but in case you haven't, The Buffalo News contains probably the best review ever of an Adrian Belew Power Trio show...when I first read it, I burst into tears. It does contain one inaccuracy, though, which is that "e" is not available yet. "e" is not only available, I was at the venue that night, selling it, and woo hoo, I will be at the merch table on the entire west coast tour beginning October 5 through October 25. To see where I'll be, and in case you are in another part of the world and would like to buy "e" off of Adrian's website, please go right here!

Belew Power Trio delivers exuberant set

By Jeff Miers
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
September 12, 2009, 7:05 AM /
Adrian Belew has nothing to prove.

"He’s already had a hand in the most interesting, creative, and groundbreaking music of the past 30 years. Whether working with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, the Bears, King Crimson, or with his own bands, Belew always went for the creative jugular, and in the process made a significant mark on whatever musical situation he found himself in.

Most musicians who have done far less have already taken the incentive package and semiretired to the “play your couple of hits over and over again” circuit. Belew, on the other hand, has proven to be an artist of an entirely different temperament.

On Friday, the Tralf Music Hall hosted Belew’s Power Trio, and an appreciative audience acted as witness to Belew’s testimony. The man has played on many “hit” songs, can write a pop hook like almost no one else, and has proven his deep love for the craftsmanship of the Beatles repeatedly. Going for a higher commercial profile and playing bigger places was definitely one of Belew’s possibilities whenever he took a break from his ongoing role in King Crimson. The man definitely took the less-traveled road.

Fronting the Power Trio — 22 year-old drummer Eric Slick and his 23 year-old sister, Julie, on drums and bass respectively — Belew offered a dense, challenging and exuberant set of music centered around an album that hasn’t come out yet. That record, “e,” out in a few weeks time, is a song-cycle based on repeated, expansive motifs, polyrhythms, daring harmonies and a jarring interpolation of grooves, to boot. Not exactly a case of coddling the audience, Belew and company’s set, but an exhilarating encounter for those willing to take the risk.

Belew opened with an early, pre-Crimson favorite, “Big Electric Cat,” but before anyone at the Tralf caught the whiff of nostalgia, the three ran off into dangerous, rocky and previously uncharted terrain. The Trio’s new album, “e,” was revealed in segments, and the first — encompassing the initial four movements — spent a quarter of an hour moving from a lyrical, classical introduction, through bits of industrial near-metal, African polyrhythmic motifs, a purely “free” section of improvisation, and some Beatle-esque psychedelia before its race was run.

The crowd, unfamiliar with this unreleased material, offered a visceral, chaotic response to its airing. Belew and the Slicks seemed pleased.

Belew is a wonderful singer, with a pure, high tenor, and a penchant for heartrending melody. That particular aspect of his genius was perhaps underrepresented on Friday, but when he did take the mic for a more pop-structured song — say “Ampersand,” “Young Lion,” “Of Bow and Drum,” though none of these follow any of conventional pop’s rules — he made it count.

It should be noted that the Slick siblings have developed, since their stop at the Tralf in 2008, into two of the finest rock musicians extant. Eric’s drumming was superb throughout, blending elements of Bill Bruford, John Bonham and Chad Wackerman into a wholly new hybrid. Slick is simply a stunning musician.

Bassist Julie brought low-end oomph, substantial melodic invention, and dizzying, John Entwhistle-like flurries of blues scales and more “outside” patterns to her side of the stage. Throughout, the Slicks appeared to be communicating in a manner that transcended language. It was all quite incredible to bask in.

And Belew? The man appeared to be walking on air, so comfortable in his element, so childlike in his enjoyment of the musicians around him. When the joyous interplay between the musicians on the stage can be parlayed to the audience, when those gathered take the journey with the players— that’s a beautiful and rare thing."

Ah, I love me a good review. It's sad, but with newspapers going out of business all over the country and laying off writers, it's becoming more and more difficult to actually have a real live rock music writer at your shows.

Which leads me to Martin Popoff and the *** I put next to his name. So here's that footnote:

***Martin Popoff is an amazing highly credentialed rock writer. Please click on the link I provided above and read all about him because it was such an honor to have him come up to me during the show and tell me that Eric may be the best drummer he's ever seen -- and this is a man who wrote extensively about Neil Peart -- and he was blown away by Ms. Julie Slick as well. Look for an interview/review he is writing on the ABPT to appear in a future issue of Goldmine Magazine.

Alas, he is not the mystery special guest to whom I referred while live tweeting that night -- Martin had invited Rush's Alex Lifeson "and friend" to the show but if Alex and friend were there, I did not see them. So to those of you who speculated that Robert Fripp was in the audience...no.

Oh man, I have so much more to say but it's going to be the best book I ever wrote - for real - and my first true work of non-fiction although trust me, I couldn't write fiction crazier than some of the stuff that happened...so I better end this now before I blab too much.

Love you guys, and oh, starting this coming Saturday I will be collapsing for two weeks at the beach and working on said novel; then the very next day upon my return, October 4, I hop on a plane for Minneapolis to begin the west coast leg of the tour which will take me everywhere from Vancouver to San Francisco to Aspen, Colorado...but yeah, yeah, I'll have the trusty laptop with me and will certainly live Tweet the entire time...you should really follow me on Twitter, I am both entertaining and informative. Ha ha, and apparently an egomaniac as well.

Oh, and one more thing - make sure you read Julie's account of the tour. She is really hilarious though yes, when she hit her head in Piermont, New York, I was not laughing and I did scream that I was terrified that this could be another Natasha Richardson incident. I was glad to be there because I was the one who ran to get ice and watched her carefully to make sure she wasn't concussive. Hey, once a mother, always a mother, eh?

Later,
xo

The Tour So Far...

Hey hey:

For all of you wondering where is Robin and why isn't she blogging from the Adrian Belew Power Trio tour, frankly, so much has occurred I've got the material for a hilarious and interesting (I hope, anyway) brand new book so as much as it pains me, I need to control myself and refrain from writing anything other than (1) It's been a blast so far - Adrian, Julie and Eric are making music each evening that grows more incredible by the day if that is possible; (2) Life on the road is HARD...you go to cool cities and towns but you are so tired from the long drives and then there's load in and sound check and remembering to feed yourselves so really, unless you get a day off, all you see is your hotel room; (3) It is not that hard living a vegetarian lifestyle but it is difficult doing it properly while traveling and on a budget and while I'm enjoying what, judging by the notches on my belt, is pretty rapid weight loss, I am getting cranky from hunger; (4) you really do live out of your suitcase and I'm just glad that unlike the trio, I overpacked so I haven't had to utilize the laundry rooms at said hotels as much as the rest of the band but my suitcase is way too stuffed and heavy so that's the downside (Adrian teased me when I told him how much I brought. "What did you do, pack for a summer at camp?" he teased.)

Yep.

Oh that I smuggled some food with me but trust me, the west coast run in October will have me traveling with a suitcase full of peanut butter, jelly, and protein bars instead of 25 t-shirts and six pair of pajamas.

Getting back to my list, (5) I've met incredible fans but some are insane (ha!) though having worked with attorneys for over two decades, I am used to crazy people and have only lost my temper once and it wasn't with a fan so that's cool; (5) been loving the opening acts in a lot of venues (Hey there, Nerd Parade and Cheers Elephant!)...

Anyway, I just looked at the time - today is our day off but we have an eight hour drive to Quebec (Please kill me); luckily no one ate beans for dinner last night...so I am out of here until either late tonight or tomorrow.

But in case you haven't noticed, I am tweeting live from the shows every night and I've also managed to figure out Facebook finally so please look for daily updates there.

Oh, P.S. Never, ever, ever stay at the Best Western Hotel on the Hudson in Nyack, New York. They have not heard the end from me - see my updates on Twitter and Facebook. Not only did the shower just die on me in the middle of shampooing my hair, I was nearly electrocuted by a defective coffee pot. The blow dryer didn't work, either, big surprise, and the check in clerk was surly and rude. They are a monstrosity...oh yeah, and the lobby smells like backed up sewage. Every other hotel on this tour has been lovely, except for the Edison in NYC, where I was almost killed by a falling headboard attached to the wall and not the bed in a room that not only charged for internet, didn't have three prong outlets. Not to mention lamps with frayed cords and filthy shades. But huge kudos to Crowne Plaza Hotels, Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn...and a lovely little boutique hotel in Cotuit, Cape Cod called the Santuit or something like that.

Later,
xo

Great snippets from the Adrian Belew Power Trio Tour

Hey hey:
I'm home today before taking off for the New York City show tomorrow night at BB Kings (and don't forget about the CD release party at Rembrant's this evening at 8:00 p.m.; doors at 6:30; admission FREE)...but I just wanted to take a minute to publish some fun snippets from the tour so far.

Now, obviously I have many stories and a few of you have sent me the most wonderful photographs in the world which I'll be posting with credits when I get some free time -- right now I'm attacking not only my wash but Julie's and Adrian's (ha ha...some things never change...taking care of people is what I do best)...but I was just giggling to myself remembering some of the wild conversations I've had with fans.

Man, I've met some great and interesting people so far.

In fact, I didn't realize it, but I may have even met/talked at length with a Senator or one of his/her aides at the Vienna, Virginia show? His email is the U.S. senate - how wild.

And of course riding from city to city in a van with Adrian for hours - oh how I wish I could share some of those stories but they belong to him and I'm sure he'll publish his memoir when the time is right.

In the meantime, here's a few snippets that made me smile. And please...these are not said with malice or even a smirk...I am honestly joyous about my conversations with fans...and even when I tweet live during the show about kicking asses of people talking during Eric's drum solos, etc. trust me, I'm not angry, I'm having a blast.

Anyway...here's some samples.

Fan #1: Wow, Julie is really beautiful.

Me: Thank you. (Like I had anything to do with that, other than marry her father...ha, she looks so much like him you'd think men could give birth.)

Fan #1: Is she married?

Me: No, but she has a significant other. Sorry.

Fan #1. Oh, that's too bad. Hey, are you married?

Me: Sorry.

Fan #1. Oh. Hey, do you have any other daughters?

Me: Nope, my only other child is the drummer, Eric.

Fan #1. Oh, that's too bad!

Me: Too bad that Eric is my son?

Fan #1: No, I didn't mean...I...sorry....but hey, it's too bad you don't have any other daughters who are single. Or that Julie isn't single . Or that you aren't single.

Me (slowly backing away): Well, you know, I'm sure there's someone out there for you. In the meantime, why don't you just enjoy the music?

Fan #1: Great idea! Yeah, I came here to see the Adrian Belew Power Trio!

Me: (backing away just a little bit further) Why, um, yeah...very cool.

Fan #2: Hey, are you the kids' mother?

Me: Yep.

Fan #2: When is King Crimson touring, do you know?

Me: Erm...I don't.

Fan #2: They don't tell you?

Me: Julie and Eric aren't in King Crimson.

Fan #2: They're not? Oh! That's too bad.

Me: Erm...they play with Adrian and love him. Does that count?

Fan #3, overhearing conversation: I love King Crimson. Robert Fripp is a friend of mine.

Me: (looking at him skeptically) Really? Robert is a friend?

Fan #3: Yeah, we hang out all the time. We were in the army together.

Me: (Really backing away in earnest) Oh...how, um, nice. How old are you?

Fan #3: 34

Me: And you were in the army with Robert, huh.

Fan #3: Yep!

Me (thinking to myself: Do I ask to see a photo? Ha!) Um, you do realize Robert is from England, right?

Fan #3: HE IS? WOW. HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE AN ACCENT! Well, the army will do that to you, I guess.

Me: Apparently the army can do a lot. Erm...can you excuse me?

Fan #3: See you at the next Crimson tour! Will you be selling merch there, too!

Me: Oh, sure. I'll save you a t-shirt.

Fan #3: Will Robert autograph it?

Me: Why of course. Especially since you two are army pals and all.

********

And you wonder why Robert doesn't enjoy touring all that much.

Anyway, all kidding aside, I better stop. You guys might think I'm poking fun. I'm really not. It's a total blast and it can only get better.

Later,
xo

Tomorrow night in Philadelphia! Adrian Belew CD release party

Okay, okay, I know I promised live blogging from the tour but you cannot believe how incredibly stressful and difficult selling merch is at the shows each night...naturally, I am having the best time ever but the blog thing...no.

If you do not already know, I have been live tweeting from the shows each night, so please follow me at www.twitter.com/robinslick.

But I am popping on here to tell you three things if you are anywhere near Philadelphia:

There are still some tickets available for tonight's show at the Sellersville Theater

Tomorrow night, Adrian, Julie and Eric will be at Rembrandts Restaurant, 23rd and Aspen, Phila., PA at 8:00 p.m. for their CD release party. They'll be showing clips from the new DVD, playing the new CD, mingling with the crowd, autographs, picture taking...who knows what will happen. And it's free! Though we do ask that you support Rembrandts, who were kind enough to offer their restaurant to the band, by buying a beer or two and I have to say, their food is incredible as well. Food and drink will be served throughout the evening

And of course Monday night is the big show at World Cafe Live and I say that because we are very proud -- both because Julie and Eric are Philadelphia natives and because the opening act is Cheers Elephant. As you may already know, the bassist in the band is Julie's significant other, Matt Rothstein, and Julie produces their CDs.

So...I hope to see you at one or all of these events and remember, follow me on Twitter every night as I tweet live.

But oh boy, when I do sit down and blog, HAVE I GOT SOME STORIES FOR YOU!

Later,
xo

Odds and Sods for Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Well, you know it's going to be a good day when you wake up to this:

"...In this case Eric Slick, one hell of a drummer whose name probably will be only whispered in a couple of years because everyone will be scared of his talent. Yes, he is that good and currently touring with Project Object, if I am not mistaken."


(Eric Slick and Robbie "Seahag" Mangano at Zappanale in East Germany 8-14-09)

You can read the rest of that "Eric Slick is one hell of a drummer" post here though I pasted in the best part.

And notice that Eric wore his e-shirt whilst performing in Germany. The boy's got style!

So today I run around frantically realizing that tomorrow I leave for tour, and while said tour lasts until September 12, I will be back in the Philadelphia area on August 26 for the Sellersville show, the CD release party at Rembrandts on August 27, and the World Cafe Live show on Monday, August 31. Of course in between those dates, I'll be in New York and scenic Hoboken, New Jersey, but after that, it's two solid weeks on the road...oh, poor me, I get to spend two days in Cape Cod and another two in Quebec City...life is just so, so tough.

But I do have to laugh. So far, the Adrian Belew Power Trio has been involved in earthquakes, typhoons, possible tsunamis, blizzards, ice storms, and flying metal (you'll have to go into my February, 2008 archives for that one) while on tour...this time it seems Hurricane Bill may be causing some mischief -- I just hope my plane to Nashville tomorrow evening isn't affected. Though really, we've had vicious thunder and lightning storms here in Philadelphia almost every evening, and there are more expected both tonight and tomorrow, so that alone will probably have an impact. Oh joy, my favorite. Flying in turbulence. Arghhh.....

So who wants to see Dr. Dot performing her whole wet t-shirt routine with Eric Slick and Project Object in Berlin last Thursday night? C'mon, you know you do. You can thank me later.






I know, I know. I rule for posting that, don't I?

And it would not be a complete blog post if I didn't mention @julieslick. I stumbled upon two pages of lovely forum comments about her over at Talk Bass, and here's just a couple of comments (but click on the link, I can't post them all)...

"f'n awesome!! killer tone. . . the drummer is slamming too!!"

"That's her brother Eric on the kit. Badass players, she rips that P bass."

"dang. she knows her way around the neck, fo show. awesome. reminds me a little of Andrew Weiss (playing mostly, but the hair too.), which is intended as a compliment as i love his playing. and his hair."

"HOLY ****! She's amazing!"

These comments literally go on and on, but that was a very nice taste, yes?

I told you this was a good morning!

Will it be as great as yesterday, though, when Philadelphia's best and brightest radio station, WXPN, played a track from "e" (e2) on the radio yesterday? I almost had a heart attack! I know I'm a big dork, but here's proof - the playlist for that morning, and woo hoo, was the trio in great company!

11 am
Snow Patrol - Take Back The City - A Hundred Million Suns
Robin Trower - Day Of The Eagle - Bridge Of Sighs
The Bird And The Bee - La La La - The Bird And The Bee
She & Him - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - Music From The Motion Picture - (500) Days Of Sum
Spoon - Got Nuffin - Got Nuffin - EP
Feist - 1234 - The Reminder
Phoenix - 1901 - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Santana - Smooth - Supernatural
Adrian Belew - e2 - e
John Mellencamp - Check It Out - The Lonesome Jubilee
Imelda May - Johnny Got A Boom Boom - Love Tattoo
The Wolfgang Press - Going South - Funky Little Demons
The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me - Zenyatta Mondatta

You realize I can never turn XPN off ever again, right? I was shaking for three hours after they played it. In a good way, that is. But yes, it was totally surreal to hear my brilliant offspring on the radio.

Anyway, I should not be blogging. I need to do wash, pack, and a million other things. But I know me, I'll still be stalking the web throughout the day, and as always, will be back if anything interesting pops up.

But if not, see you on the road!

Later,
xo

An Interview with Mr. Belew

From the folks at Rock Om...a wonderful interview with Ade:



Something In the Air
August 18th, 2009

An Interview with Adrian Belew (Part I)
By Tom Crenshaw, tom@rockom.net

Guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Adrian Belew has been at the art and craft of reinventing, innovating, and redefining the term "cutting-edge musician" since 1977. That was the year Frank Zappa walked into a bar in Nashville and first saw him performing on stage and subsequently invited him to join his band. Since that time Adrian has been an integral player in Rock and Roll history, spending time performing and recording with the likes of David Bowie, King Crimson, The Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Tom Club, Tori Amos, and Herbie Hancock to mention a few.

Now Adrian Belew has a new band, the Adrian Belew Power Trio, who are beginning a new tour performing up and down the east coast and Canada starting August 21st. The Power Trio consists of Belew along with brother and sister rhythm section powerhouse Julie and Eric Slick on bass and drums.

RockOm recently had the honor of speaking with Adrian Belew about his prolific career. Starting with his teenage days spent learning songs by the Beatles, we move on to discuss his discovery by Zappa, recording and touring with David Bowie, his time with King Crimson, recording on Paul Simon's Graceland CD, and his new Power Trio.

In Part One of this interview RockOm brings you Belew’s thoughts on the new, just released Power Trio CD entitled E. Belew also expands on how music connects others and energizes both musician and audience, as well as how there is a spiritual element to performing that’s "unexplainable".

RockOm: E marks the first studio release by the Adrian Belew Power Trio. What inspired the music for the album?

Adrian Belew: I started writing this music three years ago. It’s been a very lengthy writing process because I first developed a kind of motif, a musically chromatic motif, and the more I worked with it the more ideas I got from it. It went from being one song or piece to being a lengthy piece of music in five sections. In working with and doing a lot of touring with Eric and Julie Slick [Belew's band mates in the Power Trio] over those three years, my relationship with them was growing and I felt inspired to try and write something that worked exactly for the Power Trio. I didn't want it to be songs; what I wanted to show was that muscular musicality and the ability of this three piece band.

RO: You’ve toured with Eric and Julie for several years now. What will make this tour different from the others? What can the audience expect that’s going to be different?

AB: First of all it will be the first tour where we play much of the material from E. In fact I’m hoping that somewhere along the line we’ll have enough time to rehearse during sound checks where we'll be able to even perform the whole piece in its entirety. Also, every tour that we do I try and introduce one or two new wrinkles, such as another "new" song from the past or a song from the King Crimson catalog, something that keeps everyone excited. The band just gets better and better. It's hard to believe that a band can do that [laughs].

What I think people can expect is a ferocious evening of great music. Everywhere we go we have the same kind of reaction. First of all a lot of people can't believe their eyes and ears when they see and hear Eric and Julie, these two young kids who play way beyond their years and have a maturity about their playing in the tastefulness that they use. Then there's the old guy in the middle, that would be me. This trio has given me wings because now I'm the only guitarist. I set up a lot of loops as I play so that there’s something else to play to and it gives me the chance to fly off in any direction I want. So there's quite a lot of improvising; no two shows are the same at all.

RO: You brought up the fact that your cohorts are a little bit younger than you. Age just seems to fall away naturally for musicians working together, whereas in other lines of work it may be a hindrance. What is it about music in particular that makes the age factor not an issue?

AB: I think it's the spirit of it. Music is its own language. Music doesn't - as you say - have any limiting boundaries to it. You can be an eighty-year-old musician and still be playing or you can be an eight-year-old kid. I think what keeps the spirit that way is the sharing, the commonality the musicians have.

RO: When the Power Trio is in the zone, you're connecting with the audience and you can feel them connecting with you, is there a spiritual element to that?

AB: Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to say. There is a spiritual element too. I don't know how else you would explain it. It’s unexplainable. It's like something in the air that's shared, a type of energy and you can't see it; and when you feel it, it energizes you.

Don't miss Part Two of RockOm's interview with Adrian Belew coming in September. Register now at RockOm.net, in the top right hand corner of the homepage, to be notified when the conclusion of this interview is published as well as to stay in touch with all the interviews, news and stories exploring the connection between music and spirituality at RockOm.net.

The Adrian Belew Power Trio kicks off their tour August 21

Zappanale 20!

Oh man, here's a tasty You Tube from Friday (8-14-09) night's show in Germany - Project Object featuring the usual suspects (Eric's back there on drums - you can hear him even if you can't see him...ha ha, the plight of the drummer)...along with Geronimo Black on guitar (the late Jimmy Carl Black's son) and the insanely talented Robert Martin on sax.



More later. I'm not awake yet.

Happy Birthday to Robin Slick!

So yeah, today is my birthday though as I just remarked on Twitter, I'm now officially at the age where I must begin either ignoring said birthday or start counting backwards.



No, that is not my cake, I found that pic on Google images just now and thought it highly appropriate. But my cake, a rich butter pound confection that will be the last fattening thing I consume this month and next (and this time I mean it!), will be from here because they are truly the best pound cakes in Philadelphia.

And while Julie is in Nashville prepping for the upcoming Adrian Belew Power Trio tour, Eric will be arriving home tonight from Germany and he's coming straight here to have dinner with me and, yep, to sing Happy Birthday though he probably won't have cake, being vegan and all. I know, I know, I should have ordered a vegan cake but that will be for next year, I promise. The best part of the birthday song is that the dog always joins in. I'm totally serious. I will get Eric to record it on his iPhone and will post it later.

Now watch, this will be the one year the dog doesn't sing, but for whatever reason, that song drives him nuts and the minute you launch into it, he starts howling along. It is seriously one of my life's most simple and joyous pleasures.

So nothing much is happening right now, EXCEPT THAT I'M LEAVING FOR NASHVILLE ON THURSDAY AND I'M GOING ON TOUR FOR THREE WEEKS, TOO!!!!!

Ha ha, yeah, I know I've already shouted that from the rooftops a few times but I'm just a tiny bit excited. My plan is, at least in theory, to live blog from the entire tour. Now of course that will depend on a lot of stuff - whether the venue has Wifi, whether the hotels really do have internet (so many times they either charge way too much or tell you that you need an ethernet cable which they have at the front desk, only you go to the front desk and they are out of them. I am not going to go out and buy one myself in advance because I can never get them to work right, anyway). Also, it will also depend on how busy I am. I am hoping to be so busy selling merch and meeting and talking with fans I won't have time...but I figure if I have Blogger set up and just point my mac with iPhoto in "your" direction, I'll be able to post photos and at least short blurbs daily. In any event, trust me, I will find time to at least do regular blogging if I can't manage the live stuff and I'll still take plenty of pics to post in my down time.

So what I'm trying to say here is: If you come to the shows, don't be shy, come up and say hello, and special preference for your photo to be posted on my blog is to WEAR YOUR E-SHIRTS! Cool? Cool!

I also learned that ABPT tour out west for October is a GO GO GO, so people on the left coast, start saving your money!

Anyway, I think that's it for me today - I am taking the day off to hang with the dog, do some writing, and take care of some last minute stuff before I leave on Thursday. But of course if there is any breaking news, I'll be back.

Behave yourselves today, and if you want to buy me a present, instead of doing that, why not buy yourself a good book instead? Ha ha - I know a great author and here's her page at Amazon.

Later,
xo

In Memory of Les Paul

ETA: If you are around at 2:00 p.m. eastern on Friday, August 14, a radio station out of England will be broadcasting the brand new studio album by the Adrian Belew Power Trio, also known as "e". Here's the link.

So in October, 2005, Eric Slick sat behind the drums and performed for Les Paul in honor of his 90th birthday. Les had a smile plastered to his face the entire time - he was really tickled because the band played a few of his most famous songs. Here's a photo from that day (Eric still had his shoulder length hair) and my accompanying blogpost, which includes the very first photograph of Julie Slick and Adrian Belew when Julie was "just a fan" and a poignant photo of Jack Bruce with Julie's significant other, Matt. Oh yeah, John Mayer was there, too.



That night, Eric and Julie would meet Adrian Belew for the first time. Adrian was performing at the Roseland Ballroom that night in further celebration of Les' birthday, and Julie and Eric were performing with the School of Rock Hall of Famers (all-stars who had graduated the program). Eric and Julie would later play with Adrian in March of 2006 at the New York Knitting Factory as Hall of Famers again, and it was there that Adrian found his band, the trio that has now toured four continents in three years.

Tomorrow night, Eric takes the stage in Bad Doberan, East Germany at Zappanale, where he will perform with Project Object and Frank Zappa alumni Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ike Willis, Denny Walley, Robert (Bobby) Martin, and Don Preston. One of the songs he's going to be playing, with Robert Martin on vocals, is Whipping Post, and yeah, Duane Allman played a Les Paul. So in honor of that, and in memory of the late, great Lester William Polsfuss, a/k/a Les Paul, who flew away today, I give you the Allman Brothers, 1972, Live at the Filmore...Whipping Post:



I can't resist. Here's the Frank Zappa version, with Robert Martin on vocals. Have I mentioned what a lucky bastard my son is? Here's hoping someone posts a You Tube in a couple of days of that one.



It was a pleasure meeting Les Paul. He was brilliant, charming, and he mesmerized us when he spoke. I will never forget that day, ever. And he autographed the pickguard of our vintage Les Paul. Maybe tomorrow I'll post a photo.

Later,
xo