Moving on with Zappa, King Crimson on resume by Kevin Ransom | The Ann Arbor News Thursday July 16, 2009, 11:30 AM
Over the years, progressive-rock guitarist Adrian Belew has unleashed more than his share of bristling, complex, incendiary guitar bursts. And he's always been in bands that gave him plenty of room to pursue his ambitious and restless guitar muse.
Early on, in 1977, he played with Frank Zappa, getting "schooled" in Zappa's precision-plus brand of progressive-jazz-rock fusion - and spraying his now-signature guitar sound all over Zappa discs like "Baby Snakes" and "Sheik Yerbooti."
He did stints with David Bowie and as an unofficial member of the Talking Heads, and also recorded with Laurie Anderson. But since 1981, he's been most well-known for the mind-bending art-noise he's created with King Crimson.
But in recent years, Crimson has not been a full-time endeavor - they only tour or record when the mercurial Fripp feels like it, which, lately, has been "not very often." So, in 2006, Belew put a new band together, the fittingly named Adrian Belew Power Trio, which comes to The Ark on Monday.
Joining Belew in the Power Trio are the young monster rhythm section of brother and sister Eric and Julie Slick on drums and bass, respectively. For the band's live shows, Belew wanted to perform not only new material, but also selections from some of his acclaimed solo albums - as well as knotty classics from the Crimson songbook, which can be maddeningly tricky.
"They're very special people and players - they amaze me all the time," Belew told AllAboutJazz.com. "They've got to be the best young players in the States right now, in my opinion. I just don't know where you could get a better bass player-drummer duo - they're just really gifted people. They've absorbed so much music, more than a lot of grown, mature musicians that I know."
Belew has been prolific lately. In 2005 and 2006, he released three experimental solo albums, with the minimalistic titles "Side One" through "Side Three." He followed in 2007 with the also-functionally monikered "Side Four Live." His new disc, titled, simply, "e," was scheduled for mid-July release.
In August 2008, Belew embarked on a Crimson mini-tour.
PREVIEW
Adrian Belew Power Trio
• What: Progressive-rock guitar hero, backed by young, bruising but proficient rhythm section.
In today's Dayton Daily News: Serendipitous siblings: Adrian Belew returns to town with talented twentysomethings
By Don Thrasher
Contributing Writer
Friday, July 17, 2009
Adrian Belew has worked with some of the biggest names in music, from Frank Zappa and David Bowie to Talking Heads and King Crimson. However, he's also formed projects such as The Bears and his new Power Trio with lesser-known musicians.
"With The Bears, we were friends early on and that was a different situation from Eric and Julie, which was serendipitous," Belew said during a recent telephone interview. "I had written a lot of material with the idea of the Power Trio and I had arrangements of some of my old material, but I couldn't find the right people. When I was just about ready to give up on that idea, I accidentally met Eric and Julie and everything just fell perfectly in place."
The latest incarnation of Belew's Power Trio features the Slick siblings, sister Julie (age 23) on bass and brother Eric (22) on drums.
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "It was like something dropped out of the sky. It wasn't so much that they were undiscovered, it was simply that musically and otherwise it works so perfectly together. It still does."
The talented team made their recording debut with Belew on the album "Side Four Live," which was recorded at Canal Street Tavern in 2007. Their studio debut is the new Power Trio album "e," an ambitious five-part piece derived from a 16-note chromatic figure that can be played forwards and backwards in various keys.
"It is very difficult, but I think it's nice," Belew said. "It's thematic. It's kinda like a symphony for a rock trio. I think some people will really like it ... I hope. We were playing three of the pieces live before we recorded. We just rehearsed a few days on the extra pieces and, you know, Eric and Julie are just amazing.
"They played the stuff just really perfectly. It was pretty impressive. I thought I would trip them up a little bit more than I did, but they're too good for me. They're pretty special, as everybody will see when they come see them play. They're mature beyond their years, that's for sure."
The Adrian Belew Power Trio returns to Canal Street Tavern on Friday, July 17.
"We really like playing at Canal Street," he said. "It's a great vibe. I think we're going to have a great audience as usual. And it will probably be the first night anyone can buy 'e.' Somebody there might buy the very first copy. Wouldn't that be something?"
* WHERE: Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St., Dayton [Map] * WHEN: Friday, July 17. Doors open at 8 p.m. * TICKETS: $22 * MORE INFO: (937) 461-9343 or www.canalstreettavern.com * ARTIST INFO: www.adrianbelew.net
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So I just wanted to get this post up early...I have much more to say...will be back...
So today Julie and Eric boarded a plane for Nashville - they will spend the day rehearsing for the first leg of what is shaping up to be a very nice extended tour and possibly dropping in on NAMM at some point but at this time plans are up in the air...in case you haven't heard from other sources, the Adrian Belew Power Trio suffered a loss in their family this week...tour manager/techie extraordinaire Andre Cholmondeley mourns the sudden passing of his mother on Tuesday and will not be able to join the gang at least initially...I believe an angel of mercy arrived in the form of Tony Levin's engineer so fingers crossed...anyway, the first show of the tour kicks off tomorrow night in Dayton, Ohio right here.
But seriously, please send Andre your best wishes...this was a devastating loss for him and his family and Andre, if you are reading this, please know that you have been in my thoughts non-stop since I heard the news. Having lost my own mother years ago and Gary having lost his mom last year, there are few things more terrible and we feel your pain. It does get easier with time, but it's rough, man.
In much better news, last night, Julie and Eric began what may be the start of a beautiful relationship with the great Robbie "Seahag" Mangano on guitar at John and Peters in New Hope. I was unable to make it but Slickdaddy showed up, took a couple of photos, and even joined the band for their final jam of the evening with his trusty Gibson SG...hopefully someone will send me some photos of that, but in the meantime...here you go...
The place was packed and enthusiastic and the "tip bucket" filled to the top! Yeah!
Ooh, and I just found some cool comments on the Ween forum board...like this one: "oh man, what a treat~ first time I ever saw Julie play...she's awesome!
Eric ruled per usual, & Robbie, well....I've never seen him play like that~ he was on fire...
they just improvised the whole time, but it was great.
glad we decided to go after all...hope they do it again sometime.
almost forgot to mention Eric & Julie's dad......he came up & played a song & rocked out! what fun for a wed. night~" ****** "So good!! I too hope it happens again...and it was taped, Toad. Gary Slick joined his "kids" at some point, it was sweet to see them play together."
Oh man, you really need to click on the Ween forum link - the person who made the above comment put up some really fantastic photos! To make it easy, here it is again!
Yep, it appears they will "do it again" and there are also plans to record. I was teasing/texting J&E last night pre-show that they should name their band "Seaslick" but Julie texted me back "You're sick!". Heh...yeah, well, who doesn't know that?
Speaking of sick, Tuesday night I was in New York City to read a piece I wrote for The Nervous Breakdown and here's a photo of me pre-show, at an absolutely incredible sushi restaurant on east 4th Street called Jeollado...I really don't know how I decided on what to have so I ended up with an assortment which absolutely rocked...but as you can see, I was pretty stymied when I first saw the selection...
And of course notice I am again wearing the brand new Adrian Belew Power Trio tour shirt which will be immediately available to the general public beginning tomorrow night in Ohio...anyway, I had a way cool thing happen to me in New York on the way to the reading. I was standing at a trash can, unwrapping a fake Barbie and a fake Ken and making them naked while being watched warily by two K-Mart employees standing there having a cigarette who were wondering what the hell I was up to...but of course if you read my piece over at the Nervous Breakdown you will know exactly what I was doing...anyway, as I was standing there undressing two crappy dolls, I hear someone shout "Adrian Belew!" (the back of the t-shirt says "adrian belew power trio" in bold white letters) so I spun around, and there's this guy...he reminded me of Tommy Chong...well, Leo, the long haired burnt out hippie he played in That 70's show...
So anyway, the Leo look-alike is driving one of those rickshaw cabs and he halted in the middle of traffic to talk to me and didn't once look at my naked Barbie. Instead he was gushing "Adrian Belew...do you like him? I'm seeing him here in New York at BB Kings on August 28!"
Me: "Ha ha, yeah, me, too. He plays with my kids."
"Leo": "No. You're lying!"
Me: "Nope. My 22 year old son is his drummer and my 23 year old daughter is his bassist."
Leo: "No!"
Me: "Yes!"
Leo: "No!"
Me: "Yes, really."
Leo: "You're lyin'"
Me: "Why would I lie?"
Leo: "No way. No fucking way. For real?"
Me: "Yep. I'm wearing the shirt, aren't I? It's the logo/cover of their new CD...they'll be performing it when you see them...all new music."
Leo: "Man, I can't believe it. How freaking cool. Well, I'll be there."
Me: "I know. You told me!"
Leo: "Adrian Belew. I can't believe it. Wow. Far out..."
And then, after about 1,000 cars started illegally beeping at him because he was like blocking traffic in front of Penn Station at rush hour on a Tuesday...ha!...he pedaled off, leaving me smiling and the two K-Mart workers standing there with their mouths open. They didn't realize that the lunatic standing next to them at the trashcan undressing Barbie/Ken dolls was a celebrity.
Okay, the mother of celebrities.
Oh alright, so I am sort of a celebrity - I write essays for The Nervous Breakdown and yeah, yeah, a couple of books...
Ooh, speaking of that, I have a new cover for Bitten to the Core, which will be published this coming December by Mundania/Phaze Press. I'm really liking this - it's a total departure from the other books in the series...the cover, that is...the book of course stars "Elizabeth" once more but includes a whole new cast of characters...and dare I use the word "cougar"?
Oh, getting back to the reading, man, was it fabulous. The other readers were brilliant and Kimberly M. Wetherell did an amazing, amazing job of hosting/organizing the event. I am not going to link anyone or any of their stories right now because I understand there will be You Tubes of the reading up shortly so I will tempt you with that in the meantime...but trust me, as soon as they are available, I will post them here.
Anyway, I think that's a wrap for now but if any more photos/comments from last night surface, I'll be back to edit.
Well, according to the below announcement, it appears I'm back in New York again tonight...all hail New York City and The Nervous Breakdown!
TNB Live NYC! Ladies and gentlemen in or around the Big Apple: Please join us at D-Lounge on Union Square on Tuesday, July 14th for live readings, ice cold beverages, and general weirdness. TNB contributors Tao Lin, Robin Slick, Kimberlee Auerbach, and Marni Grossman will perform for your entertainment pleasure. As always, our hostess with the mostess will be the incomparable Kimberly M. Wetherell. Show starts at 8:30pm. 101 East 15th Street. $10 cover. All proceeds benefit TNB live events of the future! Spread the word. Bring friends. Live large. (Poster art by underground sensation David Lineberger.)
Okay, so maybe it's not an epic blog post but I have a few days to cover and lots of photos so here goes.
For the first time in what felt like years, Julie, unlike brother Eric who is currently on tour with Project Object...oh, and if you live in the Anapolis, Maryland area you definitely want to check them out at Rams Head On Stage tonight...anyway, Julie was home for the July 4 holiday and decided to come over here and work her food magic.
But first she got me totally wasted on her home made Sangria, which she makes with like 3/4 of a bottle of brandy and a large bottle of white wine, so after two drinks I felt like I was tripping, or could it be it was a reaction to the appetizer, which Julie described for me thusly:
"The cheese is piave vecchio. Also on the plate is purple haze pita pizza with golden raisin-balsamic reduction, olives, and golden cherries (which also made an appearance in the Sangria)."
So I'm guessing it's that "purple haze" pizza which knocked me on my ass. What that really was, though, was an incredible mix of goat cheese and mozarella with a smear of Julie's famous golden raisin balsamic reduction (which gave it an almost figgy taste) on toasted pita with fresh basil. Simple, elegant, and insanely delicious.
We also had deviled eggs, which, in case you did not know it, are the new rage as restaurants look for ways to economize and yet still be cutting edge -- for example, a visit to Supper (a must click for foodies) yields said eggs as follows:
* Black truffle * Sriracha with peanuts and coriander * Safron with salt cod and roasted garlic * Smoked chile with corn-red onion salsa * Chevre with asparagus * Pistou with ratatouille * Horseradish with steak and Roquefort * Scotch Deviled Egg with country sausage * Wasabi with uni and crispy nori * Lobster with dill crème fraiche * Braised bacon and cheddar * Curried with cauliflower and mint
Julie made them two ways - traditional (though with a shot of both horseradish and hot sauce which made them a little less so), and my personal now all time favorite, with curry, honey, fresh basil, and another shot of hot sauce.
Ha ha - notice the coffee table - Beatle coasters and the sleeve of the Live California Guitar Trio CD dangerously close to the food but as I said, the CD has been in heavy rotation at Casa Slick so the actual CD was already on the player. And I made/painted the little salsa tray and cup you see there, which is currently being used to store guitar and bass pics like every other available container in this house...
Anyway, between tripping from the pizza and Sangria and eating about 20 eggs, I was already satiated and ready for a nap by the time she started putting plates on the table and my eyes just got wider and wider as said table filled up. And yes, that is not a real baby but an antique, 100 year old doll which for whatever weird reason, makes me very happy to have sitting there dining with me every day and you can also see more Beatle stuff, too...someday I will do a post devoted to the Slick Family Beatle Memorabilia collection...it's that intense and goes back to the very beginning of time...
To give you a detailed description of everything Ms. Julie created, first she brought out grilled marinated farmer's market baby vegetables -- spring onion, eggplant, green and golden zucchini:
Which was followed by red white and blue lemon rosemary potato skewers...
Roasted, herb buttered corn...
Sweet curry and citrus glazed shrimp and scallops which were served over baby arugula with a roasted garlic vinaigrette...
We decided to just put it all on our plates like one big decadent salad (well, except for the corn on the cob) and here's how that turned out...
So while we had fresh berries and the makings for whipped, sweetened almond scented marscarpone topping, we opted out and drank more killer Sangria instead.
I also opted out of the fireworks but Julie watched them from the roof at Rembrandt's restaurant at the end of our block (and where Julie can be found serving/cocktailing when she's not on the road as bass player extraordinaire)...we did, however, catch the pre-fireworks free concert on t.v. rather than live and I'm so glad we did...way too many tourists in the area. One comment about that...how bad did I feel for Sheryl Crow having to go on AFTER the Roots. The Roots, man, they stole the show. I had no idea how fucking good they are. They are INSANE! And someone please tell me how the tuba player has the energy to run with that thing all over the stage. The guitarist/vocalist blew me away altogether, but he was rivaled by the fabulous @questlove (Twitter name - follow him!) on the drums and do I believe my son hangs at their studio and went to a barbecue at Questo's house? His life is so fucking cool it's ridiculous.
But yeah, Sheryl was really lame - she did an hour of her watered down greatest hits, and she was dressed in some hokey white pant suit full of shiny gold stuff like Elvis. As Julie remarked "Just because you can wear white doesn't mean you should!" Ha! Her band really left something to be desired, too, especially after the Roots just killed it before they took the stage. Worst part was when Sheryl played bass on 2-3 songs -- she just played a few notes and we were like "No. Please. No."
Sad.
In other news, before I launch into how fabulous Project Object/Eric Slick were at World Cafe Live the evening before Julie's great fourth of July feast, you already know I stalk both kiddies on Google and was quite pleased to see a couple of threads on various forum boards as follows:
Also at Talk Bass - Top 5 favorite FEMALE bassists: Three posts say "Julie Slick!"
From the Live Journal of Derk FZ: "Project/Object #9 was great. More fun than ZPZ by a mile or three, and way more the price of admission. The 2nd set, in particular, may well be somewhere amongst the best of the 18 sets I've seen them play (not including encores and faux encores.. P/O encores as such are usually just one or two songs anyway) Set list, details, etc. to follow. I have a funny story about meeting Eric Slick. He knew me by name, but not from me introducing myself to him or anyone else in the band."
That blurb seems to be a preface to something bigger which hopefully will pop up today and I'll add it if it does.
On the way into the concert Friday night, we were stopped by a fan who recognized us and told a great (well, at least to me) story about meeting Eric years and years ago when he was a twelve year old student at the School of Rock and performed the music of Frank Zappa on stage at The Troc. He went up to Eric after that show and said "Some day I'm going to be waiting in line for an autograph from you."
Well, that day happened last year when he saw Eric play with the Adrian Belew Power Trio and woo hoo, Ade has updated his website to include the most recent tour news...anyway, he said he knew from the first time he heard him that Eric was a major star and he tries to catch him at every show he's in, no matter what the band. How cool is that!
A couple of other neat things happened at the show - I met original Mothers of Invention keyboard player Don Preston for the first time, and he went on and on about how much he loves playing with Eric and not just what a brilliant drummer he is but what a wonderful human being he is, too...I was kvelling big time all over the place after that. I mean, come on, Don is legendary and has played with some of the best drummers in the world over the course of his decades long career.
Another ultra cool and bittersweet moment occurred when a long time fan and friend of the late Frank Zappa presented Ike Willis with a conductor baton which Frank gave Ike as a gift before his death in 1993. Ike got all choked up when he took it out of the box on stage, and then joked "For seventeen years Frank waved that fucking thing in front of my face...oh how I both hated and loved it..."
And then he spent half the night waving it in Eric's face but Eric of course ate it up and let Ike knock himself out conducting.
Here's some photos from the show taken by Eric's proud father, a/k/a Slickdaddy:
Keyboard player Eric Svalgård:
On bass for this tour but normally a kick ass guitarist, Robbie "Seahag" Mangano, and Eric Slick:
Ike Willis, happily sitting with his "new" baton and on lead guitar/vocals:
A partial band photo, which, for two songs, featured a lovely seventeen year old electric violinist from the Wilmington School of Rock named Grace Dewson, and you will see her featured prominently in a You Tube I have posted below...
Eric Slick, naturally...
Don Preston...
Ike Willis and Project Object's founder and guitarist/vocalist Andre Cholmondeley, appropriately dressed in July 4 gear and oh my God, did they have a back in the day Zappa inspired political blast up there on stage...there was much to giggle about - 'twas the day Sarah Palin announced she had a higher calling (snort...please click that link for one of the best New York Times columns ever on the subject) and of course we had the fabulous Republican Governor of South Carolina, King David Mark Sanford...yep, Ike and Andre really did a number on those two and it was most enjoyable. Yay for the first amendment and the fact that it still exists!
And last but not least, a solo shot of the awesome Andre Cholmondeley...
Finally, here's the You Tube I mentioned above -- the band is smoking on Zomby Woof and I suggest you watch this full screen...for some reason the quality is way better.
So as most of you know, when Andre isn't on the road with Project Object, he is tour manager/tech guy for several other bands, one of which is the Adrian Belew Power Trio. As you also know by now, Ade has released a rare, live recording of the trio performing overseas, and you can pick it up at either iTunes or Amazon where it has been consistently in the top 500 since being released last month.
Here's what some fans over at Adrian's Tribe (Yahoo Group - and if you aren't already a member, please join right here have had to say about this recording...
From Geoff: "this recording simply shreds. what a performance!"
To which "Blockdog" replied: "Indeed it does, I grabbed it overt he weekend and it is inshredable. this recording simply shreds. what a performance!"
John says:
"Everyone should grab it. I close my eyes and I'm back at the show."
But my favorite comes from uber fan Mike, who had this to say, in part, but if you want to read the rest, you will have to click on Mike's name and show him some love!
"This is a Rare CD….NOT to be missed!
I am listening to the 13min long version of Beat Box Guitar right now and the sonic attack of the trio surpasses all other past live recordings. When I first saw this I was a bit skeptical because I have heard so many versions of live recordings over the past few years. Often times with this same or similar song lineup. But there is something about this night that set the world on fire!
I cannot believe this song Eric is blasting away on his kit and Julie is bubbling up like a Mt Vesuvius about to erupt! From here they blast into A Little Madness and let me tell you. You will understand the name of this song after hearing the first 15 seconds of it. This is pretty ferocious guitar, bass & drums. We are not talking a lot of fancy ass drums that take up the entire stage here. We are talking just the most basic kit. Yet it sounds like the wildest drums you have ever heard. And Julie and Eric are still talking between themselves. They have a musical brother and sister bond, its some sort of language they use when playing. Like the kind of cerebral language only twins can speak and these two are not twins..."
Again, the rest of Mike's wonderful post can be found right here.
So that's it for my epic blog post but I have all kinds of stuff brewing, as does the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Did I hear a rumor about a possible extensive Canadian and WEST COAST TOUR this fall? Ha ha...that just may be true! As for me...I will have a new column up shortly at The Nervous Breakdown but in case you missed the last one, here's the link and...ahem...I just signed a contract for my latest novel...shhh...naturally, I will be back to talk about that bit of significant news in the very near future though.
But...hurrah!!!!!
So I'm on the lookout for reviews of any and all Project Object shows from the current tour and as always, you can email them to me or post them on your respective journals/blogs - you know Robin Slick, Champion Google Stalker will find them and add 'em in...
Happy Independence Day -- oh that I really felt free, but let's not even go there now.
There is much to to talk about -- such as last night's brilliant Project Object concert at World Cafe Live where I met my first real world Twitter friend...and by the way Project Object continues their tour with @mrericslick (Twitter, twitter) on drums at a place where it appears you definitely should not drink the Kool-Aid, a/k/a The Church of Universal Love and Music...also, the fact that @julie slick (I won't do the twitter, twitter thing again...uh oh, just did) is coming over later today to cook up a very unconventional gourmet holiday feast and yes there will be photos and lots of descriptions posted later along with pics of last night's Project Object concert.
But in the meantime, when I got home late last night, I noticed a comment on my blog which lead me to a whole page of You Tubes from the California Guitar Trio with Julie and Eric from their show on June 20 at the Sellersville Theater, and really, I've been so engrossed watching them all morning and shaking my head in awe that I want to post them here now for your holiday viewing pleasure. Cool? Cool!
First up, "Echoes" -- complete with amazing light show about half way through...
Next we have the brilliant "In the Middle of Nowhere in the Middle of Texas", which was written at Pat Mastelotto's house, by the way, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Texas (ha ha, you can thank me later, Pat)...
And how about a little Larks' Tongue in Aspic Part II...
Oh my! I really can't stop watching/listening.
Okay, Earth to Robin. Erm..where was I? Oh yeah. July 4. Whatever. God Bless America on this July 4...more importantly, the fact that Sarah Palin is at least temporarily gone from government but I don't trust the bitch. (Though I do hope it's because nude photos of her having sex with a moose are about to pop up although that thought just made me throw up a little because oh, that poor moose). Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with the promised concert photos, Project Object show review, and hurrah, lots and lots of food porn!
Oh yeah, did I mention I live right down the street from one of the biggest fireworks display in the entire United States...and that said fireworks will include a free concert by Jeffrey Gaines, The Roots, and Sheryl Crow? Erm, on the one hand, it's very cool that is happening in my neighborhood; on the other hand, it means 2,000,000 obnoxious "tourists" (a/k/a people who do not live in or normally visit downtown Philadelphia) will be invading my space and leaving their collective mental and physical litter. Ha! Oh well. I think I'll watch the concert on T.V. and head outside just for the fireworks. But of course that will all depend on what Julie wants to do and how much of her deadly home made Sangria we drink...
And if you are in the New York City area on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., the kind folks at the Nervous Breakdown have invited me to read this piece at the D Lounge, 101 East 15th Street, NYC.
Hey, check that place out -- veddy cool.
Ha ha - definitely one of the nicer places I've read though actually, come to think of it, I've had the pleasure of reading in some pretty amazing venues - KGB Bar (twice), Happy Ending Lounge, Box Car Lounge, TIXE Art Gallery -- well, I sort of read there -- half-way through I had a case of hysterical blindness due to having to read 10 point font in a dark room standing under a bare lightbulb with all of my New York writer pals in attendance...argh...must write a column about that some day...anyway, I've also even read at the Community College of Philadelphia. Yep, for someone totally anti-social, I do get around.
In other me, me, me news, you know that little documentary about "the hair down there" I'm in? There's all kinds of exciting things happening with "Why We Wax", the DVD actually has my photo on both the front and back covers, and is available for sale right here.
And there's a brand new trailer on Current TV (yep, Al Gore's channel)...oy vey...there I am again...and I just learned this is being shown on Channel TWC 103 in New York City every time they have a six minute slot to fill. Oh. My. God.
And even more press over at Jezebel where they have the same clip along with a cool article but it's worth it to visit the site just to read some of the comments...such as "If someone is elbow deep into your vagina for a waxing, you probably should check their references again..."
Finally, as I've been sort of promoting for months, I have a new book out, and if you haven't already ordered it, well, please do!
I am proud to say I'm now a member of Indie Bound and here's a little of what that's about: "Why shop Indie?
When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:
The Economy.
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.
The Environment.
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community. The Community/
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community." So yes, indie bound is a wonderful, beautiful thing. Here's the link to buy my book and bypass the evil corporate system.
Sigh, but if you must, shop elsewhere, here's the wretched Amazon link;
And here's the one for Barnes and Noble where my sales rank is considerably more respectable for some unknown reason...woo hoo...maybe there is an Amazon backlash? Hope so! But again, buy indie, damn it!
Finally, I again remind you to follow me on Twitter. It's where I hang out more often than not...140 characters is about all I can handle while I juggle various writing projects.
Oh..speaking of projects...I know this is the me, me, me post...but don't forget that Eric Slick is on tour with Project Object starting this Wednesday night at Maxwell's in New Jersey, but of course I'm most excited about this Friday night's concert at World Cafe Live.
Okay, let's have a big welcome for the Adrian Belew Power Trio, finally on iTunes and Amazon! But not just any recording...a rare, live performance from overseas!
Where was it recorded and when? That's a secret. One which I cannot reveal.
But trust me, it's amazing. Side Four Live tunes...and yet it's not Side Four Live. And not just because of bonus songs Neurotica and Frame by Frame. Have a listen to the samples over at Amazon or iTunes and you'll see what I mean.
Here's the track list:
1. Writing On the Wall 2. Dinosaur 3. Ampersand 4. Young Lions 5. Beat Box Guitar 6. A Little Madness 7. Drive 8. Neurotica 9. Of Bow and Drum 10. Frame By Frame 11. Three of a Perfect Pair 12. Thela Hun Ginjeet
The link to buy it/listen to some samples on Amazon...
And the link for iTunes...and if for some reason the iTunes link does not work because we all know I'm technology challenged, try this one.
Have I mentioned how in love I am with the California Guitar Trio? I have three favorite bands right now and they are one of them. The show at the Sellersville Theater, which of course featured @mrericslick and @julieslick (their official Twitter names and if you don't already follow them, you should), was just mind blowing amazing. Two standing ovations, I had chills the entire evening from the magnificent level of musicianship...I can't keep my eyes off them when they play. Like Adrian, they are totally unique and otherworldly...just no one like them in the universe. These photos were taken last year when the California Guitar Trio opened for the Adrian Belew Power Trio so while I do have some new ones from last night which I'll post here as well, these are cooler:
Paul's latest Twitter post: (Note from our author: That would be @CGTPaul over at Twitter world)
So much fun playing with Eric and Julie Slick in PA last night. They are amazing! Driving to Northampton for the show tonight.
"No surprise there. You all know (or should know) what a CGT performance is like by now, so there's no need to repeat the usual stuff. I'll just add that (as with anything they do), the addition of the Slick siblings takes it into another dimension ENTIRELY. We got to hear several new tunes last night, which was a treat in itself, but there was something special about hearing them this way. "Cathedral Peak" is the kind of tune that coasts on a bouncing rhythmic groove, so it's only natural that a rhythm section would make the perfect addition. "In the Middle of Nowhere in the Middle of Texas" was great at conveying that dusty-desert feeling, even before Eric added some brilliantly placed rattlesnake rattles. "Andromeda" - already my favorite of their new songs, and now in serious contention for my favorite ever - was truly otherworldly. And that goes just as much for "Echoes," which was made even more effective by a trippy animated backdrop of stars that wouldn't have been out of place at a real Pink Floyd laser show. Tyler made better use of the visual elements than I've ever seen before with shifting effects timed to complement the songs, plus well-chosen synaesthetic backgrounds: green & blue for the aquamarine stuff, yellow for the surf moments, deep red for "Larks' Tongues II," etc.
Yes, that's right, "Larks' II." When Robin (tease that she usually is) mentioned something about them playing a Crimson song the other day, I'd thought of something from the dual-guitar era - 3PP, "Discipline" or the like. But of course they couldn't do the obvious thing. I should have realized that such a rhythmic track would have been perfect for this lineup. Paul really raised those neck hairs with the eastern-tinged-violin solo, and Bert anchored it all with the most dirty heavy sludge tone I've ever heard from an acoustic guitar. Meanwhile there was nobody to do the Jamie Muir allsorts coloring, but Eric came damn close with all kinds of little cymbal skitters (all in the middle of a bass-drums rendition that would have done Wetton & Bruford proud). Bert said they'd love to have the Slicks play on the CD when it's recorded this summer, so let's hope it happens. It'll really be something special."
In case you do not believe the person who wrote this review, a man who obviously reads my blog and I saw him at the show (How Come You Didn't Come Over and Say Hi? Ha ha - I know, it was late, the place was mobbed, etc. etc.)...here's the CGT/Slick version of Larks' Tongue in Aspic Part 2 to which he refers:
Oh man, as you can see, I have a new widget and now I know how to post songs...this is just too cool.
As promised, here are some shots from the show last night, including soundcheck:
The next two photos were taken during the grand finale, an unbelievable cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes and of course also the title of CGT's latest CD, which you can purchase right here, and now I can't resist posting the version Julie and Eric did with them last night:
How amazing was that? I think it's a safe bet to say that the CD of this performance will be in daily rotation at Casa Slick for a very long time. Last night was such a high I can't even begin to tell you.
But let me backtrack here and tell you about the entire day.
Eric broke the news to me that even though his show at NEARfest with Oblivion Sun wasn't until 1:30, we had to be at the venue by 9:00 a.m at the very latest for sound check because the first band went on at 11:00 a.m. And yikes, on a sunny day the venue was an hour and a half from our house, but in a monsoon like it was that morning, we were looking at more like two hours. In other words, we had to leave at dawn knowing he had two shows twenty miles and eight hours apart.
So Eric loaded the drums into the car and away we drove into the pouring rain on the Pennsylvania turnpike, where some moron in an SUV zoomed by going 95 miles an hour but not before he tried to cut us off, causing Eric to have no choice but to swerve big time to avoid a collision at which time his drums came tumbling forward along with a sliding box of his drum hardware weighing, oh, about five hundred pounds, and yeah, you guessed it, the entire left side of my body was the lucky recipient. We were so shaken, though, that pain was secondary. We just sat on the shoulder of the road for a few minutes, trembling at our brush with death.
So we get to Nearfest and please, I mean this in the nicest possible way, it is really "Nerdfest" and trust me, don't take offense to this remark because I am the world's biggest music nerd, too, but anyway, even the guitarist/vocalist of Oblivion Sun stood in front of the mic and cracked a joke (while the bassist changed a string which snapped after the first song) which went like this: "Why do seventy year old women love Nearfest?" Answer: "Because it's the only day they can clean out their basements."
Get it? Here's a photo of the crowd...
I seriously believe the reason for the mature audience is because of the stupid label prog rock. Anyone who loves quality music, anyone who KNOWS music, would have been thrilled by this three day festival. But I guess the word "prog" has a stigma...and then I ended up hearing that this fest has been around forever and the same people go every year, so maybe that explains the lack of youth, too. One funny thing, though. There's an indoor parking garage adjacent to the auditorium (it's part of Lehigh University) where the event is held, and that's where fans tailgate. Yep. Parking the car was an experience...tons of people in the indoor lot sitting on lawn chairs, and then, the funniest thing ever, a big bad police officer who came through on foot like the gestapo knocking on car windows.
"What are you doing in there? You smoking weed?"
Erm, no. They were caught eating chocolate or jelly donuts maybe, but smoking weed...nope, didn't smell any. But they did have beer with their donuts.
Mmm...donuts and beer...
See? I really am a nerd, too. No worries.
Anyway, a very cool moment -- Gary Green of Gentle Giant, who is a big Adrian Belew fan and has seen Eric in concert a couple of times, came out and introduced the band.
And the band itself:
Excellent band, very creative, and nope, not going to use the word progressive. The crowd screamed for an encore at 3:10 and I hyperventilated, knowing that Eric had to be 20 miles away by 4:00 p.m. for sound check for the California Guitar Trio, but it all went well and despite the continuing monsoon we got there ASAP, and oddly enough, met up with Julie and her significant other, Matt, who arrived from downtown Philadelphia at exactly the same time.
As I said, the CGT show was beyond incredible; I adore the Sellersville Theater, and all I can say is, if you are anywhere even remotely nearby, please come out and see Eric, Julie, and Adrian on August 26 where they will be performing "e".
By the time we left the Sellersville Theater, it was past midnight, another hour's drive home, and I don't think I was ever more exhausted in my life, but there was one person far more tired than I was: Eric. The poor boy played two shows and Eric being Eric, practiced non-stop in between, so he was toast.
And that was my day of insane music. I am sure some more California Guitar Trio and Oblivion Sun reviews will pop up shortly and when they do, I'll add them in.
Thanks again to CGT for inviting Julie and Eric to join them on stage. It was a brilliant evening.
