My Year in Music 2007

Raw Statistics

Total Shows – 30 (including 4 double bills)
Festivals – Trancegression (10 sets) & 4 Peaks (4 sets)

Individual Breakdown

Sound Tribe Sector 9 – 6 times
New Monsoon – 5
the Disco Biscuits – 3
The Greyboy Allstars – 3
Lotus – 3
Animal Liberation Orchestra – 2
Assembly of Dust – 2
The Black Crowes – 2
Galactic – 2
Honkytonk Homeslice – 2
Raq -2
Umphrey’s McGee – 2

Studio Albums

First off, I know I’m a dying breed when it comes to actually buying CD’s these days. Call me crazy, but I really don’t mind dropping $15 bucks or less to the bands I like to show my support of their art. They have to make a living too you know. Jam fans that don’t care enough about the scene to support the musicians by purchasing CD’s aren’t really fans at all if you ask me. But that’s another topic for another day.

5) Page McConnell – “Page McConnell”

With all the songs written and produced by McConnell this project was 100% Page from start to finish. After 18 months in the making the results were a very cathartic piece from the former Phish keyboardist. As with Trey Anastasio’s “Shine”, McConnell’s first post-Phish release had a running theme through it. Where Trey’s was about getting over and moving on from Phish, Page’s seemed to be about moving on and getting over his divorce.

I really liked it, but the response from phans was mixed. Of course a lot of those people probably wanted to hear something sounding like Phish used to. I went in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. This is without question an album that displays McConnell’s voice, both literally and figuratively. Highlights for me included ‘Close to Home’ and ‘Back in the Basement’, but this is a very solid album from start to finish without a bad tune amongst the bunch.

4) The Greyboy Allstars – “What Happened to Television?”

A full 10 years after 1997’s “A Town Called Earth” the Greyboys were back and the results were as good, if not better, than expected. Their original jazz/funk style was as strong as ever (‘Deck Shoes’ & ‘Left Coast Boogaloo’). But they also managed to throw in a little soul for good measure (‘Still Waiting’ & ‘How Glad I Am’). The best thing to my ears was that some of the more funky tracks had a darker, almost electronic, edge to them (‘Old School Cyclones’ & ‘Pigeons Under Water’). Whatever your taste might be, I guarantee you will appreciate this album.

3) Assembly of Dust – “Recollection”

The second studio release from former Strangefolk front man Reid Genauer’s new band is a tour de force of Americana. From twangy country tinged rock (‘Telling Sue’), to folksy ballads (‘40 Reasons’) to straight up rock 'n' roll (‘Truck Farm’) this album has it all. What really separates AoD from the pack are their lyrics. If you are the type that needs songs to tell a story, look no further, this is your band. My only complaint with “Recollection” is it’s too short at 47 minutes, but otherwise the 10 tracks on this album ebb and flow perfectly to form one of the best releases of the year.

2) New Monsoon – “V”

Ah, the symbolism. New Monsoon trims down to five members from seven for their fifth overall release as a band. Hence the roman numeral title of “V”. This is by far the Bay Area quintet’s most mature, balanced and satisfying offering to date. The band has undergone a major transformation over the past year with the subtraction of congas & tablas and the addition of a new bassist & drummer. In the process NM’s sound has shifted from world rhythms to more straight ahead rock.

This disc displays their more focused new direction as does the album cover (a giant rock on a beach…more symbolism). From the opening notes of ‘Greenhouse’ the listener is taken on an hour voyage through the still quite versatile NM arsenal. You have bouncy instrumentals (‘Song for Marie’ & ‘Romp’), bluesy rock (‘Copper Mine’ & ‘The Other Side’), country rock (‘Water Vein’ & ‘Alaska’), reggae (‘Neon Block’), an epic (‘Rattlesnake Ride’) and even a ballad (‘White Sky Rain’). Overall you’d be hard pressed to find a stronger release from 2007 than this.

1) moe. – “The Conch”

While I can’t say that moe.’s eighth studio album is my favorite of theirs (tough to beat 1994’s “Headseed” for me), many have made that exact claim. What I will say is that they ran away with album of the year honors on my ballot. The boys in moe. used their now familiar “record the track in a live setting and then polish it up the studio” approach. There’s really no denying that it works very well for them.

The meat of this release for me was ‘Tailspin’, ‘The Pit’, ‘Wind it Up’, ‘Down Boy’, ‘She’ and ‘The Road’. Just moe. at it’s finest throughout. But like any great album it has a nice flow to it. ‘Lost Along the Way’, ‘Another One Gone’, ‘Summer O I’ and ‘Brittle End’ all display moe.’s ever developing ability to deliver slower numbers with the same ferocity as their more rockin' tunes. There’s also the 70’s falsetto of ‘Blue Jeans Pizza’, the Irish folksy ‘Where Does the Time Go’ and the acoustic instrumental ‘MacIntyre Range’ to sink your teeth into.

Since moe. will likely never get their due as jamband royalty, you should really check this disc out because it is one of the best from one of the forefathers of this genre in their prime.

Official Live Releases

Excluded from this category are any shows I’ve traded for, downloaded or any “instant live” type of discs. These are strictly archival releases from the vaults of the bands.

5) Brothers of a Feather – “Live at the Roxy” – DVD compilation of 3/24-26/06

While probably not much to look at unless you’re a fan of The Black Crowes, seeing the brothers Robinson perform on stage as a duo is a sight to behold. Chris plays acoustic guitar and harmonica while Rich switches to a new axe (sometimes electric) in between every song. The only other musicians involved are saxophonist Dave Ellis on ‘Welcome to the Goodtimes’ and ‘Bring On, Bring On’ (both highlights) and occasionally backup vocalists Mona Lisa Young & Charity White.

New songs released for the first time aside (‘Magic Rooster Blues’, ‘Someday Past the Sunset’ & ‘Cold Boy Smile’), the other highlights for me were ‘Forgiven Song’ & ‘Leave it Alone’ (from Rich’s solo album), Little Feat’s ‘Roll Um Easy’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’. The DTS sound on this DVD really takes it to the next level in terms of clarity. Anyone who doubts what the Crowes are made of needs to watch this and get back to me.

4) moe. – “Warts & All volume 5” – 3 CD’s of complete 2/22/05

Recorded at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines, IA the show is pretty much standard fare until mid-way through the first set. The second ever live version of ‘She’ stretches to the 15 minutes mark and seems to rev the band up into another gear. The first set closing ‘Y.O.Y. > George’ is a harbinger of things to come.

They never stop playing in the second set as it morphs into one long segue going in and out of ‘Spine of a Dog’ on three separate occasions. The ‘Mexico > Plane Crash’ is 40 minuets long and the ‘Yodelittle’ clocks in at 29 minutes itself. The night is capped off by the ultra-rare ‘Tijuana Donkey Show’ encore.

This show is over 200 minutes of pure unadulterated moe. at their epic-most-finest, and the sound quality is better than pristine. The soundboard/AKG 414 matrix mix is out of this world good, making this a must have for any self-respecting moe.ron.

3) Lotus – “Escaping Sargasso Sea” – 2 CD compilation of fall tour 2006

Even though I’d always rather have a full show released, the boys from Philadelphia did well on their first double live. The melodic ‘When H Binds to O’ starts things off while ‘Wax’ and ‘Slow Cookin’ highlight the rest of the first disc.

The second disc is probably the stronger of the two with a rare ‘Mikesnack’ to open it up and a fiery ‘Jump Off’ to close it down. In between that there’s a great representation of Lotus at their best with ‘It’s All Clear to Me Now > Sunrain > Flower Sermon > Sunrain’.

2) Disco Biscuits – “Progressions” – 2 DVD’s of complete 12/31/06

I had worn out my audience copy (CD) of this show all year long, so when I heard they were releasing it on DVD in mid-December I was super psyched. This show took place at the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ, and was the Biscuits largest indoor show to date (they close off the lawn in the winter).

If you’ve ever read my music stuff before, you know how I pimp tDB lights as the best in the business after Phish. Well on this DVD you get to see them in all their glory. Not only are there great lights, but a giant LED screen in back of the band adds to the sensory overload that is Bisco.

Disc one has a documentary about this particular New Year’s run with footage of New Year’s Eve’s past thrown in as well as set one of 12/31/06. The highlight for me before I had the DVD was ‘The Great Abyss > Spacebirdmatingcall’, and nothing changed once I saw it.

The second set is the stuff of legend, even though the opening ‘Paul Revere’ (Beastie Boys) is not on the DVD. They ring in the new year with The Who’s ‘Listening to You’ and from there all hell breaks loose. The deep jungle groves, the trancey jams, the insane lights…it’s all there for you to see. It really is the peak of straight up Bisco madness.

I’m not sure anything else I type will do this DVD justice. For hardcore Biscuit fans it’s beyond a must own. For others that don’t give the creators of jamtronica the respect they deserve, or even if you’re just interested to see what you’ve been missing all this time, this is a great starting point that will have you hooked in no time.

1) Phish – “Vegas 96” – 3 CD’s of complete 12/6/96 with bonus DVD

This was my 23rd Phish show overall and 17th on phall tour '96. I had been on the road with Phish for six solid weeks (skipped some shows here and there) when I rolled into Vegas for the tour closer. I didn’t know it before hand, but this show would end up being arguably the second most historically significant (after 12/31/99 & possibly a few others) show of my career.

The music throughout this show is stellar with excellent versions of ‘2001’, ‘You Enjoy Myself’ (doughnuts vocal jam anyone?), ‘Down with Disease’, ‘Mike’s Song’, ‘Simple’, ‘Harry Hood’ and ‘Weekapaug Groove’. There’s also a slew of choice covers from ‘Peaches en Regalia’ (Frank Zappa), ‘Frankenstein’ (Edgar Winter Group) and ‘Good Times Bad Times’ (Led Zeppelin).

As any phan knows though, what made this show special was the encore. It was 40 minutes long and featured Les Claypool & Larry LaLonde (of Primus), John McEuen (on pedal steel guitar), Heather August & Anamieke Carrozza (yodelers), four genuine Elvis impersonators and actor Courtney Gains. I mean, it was pure mayhem on stage.

The encore started out vanilla enough for us tour heads as we had been waiting on ‘Harpua’ all tour long. The Primus guys weren’t really enough to raise any huge suspicion either, but by the time the ‘Harpua’ story was involving yodelers and Elvis impersonators it was quite obvious that this was a true Vegas finale.

The DVD part of this release is “limited edition” and I highly recommend seeking it out before it’s gone. The entire encore is included as well ‘2001’ & ‘Llama’ from set one and ‘Mike’s > Simple > Hood > Groove’ from the second. It’s a single camera shoot, but you get everything you need. The lights in ‘2001’ and all of the encore craziness should be enough to satisfy even the most hardcore Phish jones.

Worst Show

6/30/07 – Les Claypool’s Fancy Band – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre (7th show)
Up on the Roof, Rumble of the Diesel, One Better, Phantom Patriot, Long in the Tooth, Vernon the Company Man, A Shot in the Dark, Drums & Whamola Jam, Of Whales and Woe, Cosmic Highway, Ding Dang
E: Too Many Puppies*, D’s Diner
*Les solo on bassjo

I have to admit, it was hard to find a “worst” show this year, but someone has to take the cake. The day leading up to this show was a ton of fun. Some friends and I formed a “bike gang” and pedaled our way around sunny Eugene on a pub crawl of sorts. Once at the show it was typical Claypool though.

This is the fifth different band of Les’s that I’ve seen, and they all have one thing in common, they’re super-talented but they solo instead of jam as a group. That might be splitting hairs to some, but there’s a big difference when everyone stops or slows down and one player takes a solo as opposed to everyone jamming as a singular unit for the greater good. I’d put Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in this category as well, but that’s neither here nor there.

As for this show, I fell asleep in the balcony at about the third song and woke up at the end of ‘Ding Dang’. Good timing if I do say so myself!

Top 10

10) 10/3/07 – Widespread Panic – Eugene, OR – Hult Center (12th show)
I: Jam* > Driving Song > Disco > Driving Song, Goodpeople, Glory, Weak Brain, Narrow Mind, Little Lilly > Blight, You Should be Glad
II: Jam* > North > Smokestack Lightning > Conrad the Caterpillar, Sleeping Monkey > Tall Boy, Rebirtha > Drums > Papa Legba, Space Wrangler
E: Red Hot Mama
*full band segue from DJ J. Boogie’s set

We were sixth row from the stage on bassist Dave Schools’ side (right) for what most considered the best show of Panic’s four night Northwest run. And while this show was very strong, it wasn’t quite on the level of the last few Widespread shows I had seen. That’s not meant to be a slight in any way though. It’s just that Bonnaroo '05, 10/31/05, 7/11/06 and 10/30/06 are what got me into Panic. I’m probably a little spoiled on them at this point.

Anyway, the opening ‘Driving > Disco > Driving’ got the party started right and the boys kept it rolling all night long. The other highlight of the first set for me was ‘You Should be Glad’. Just a great way to close a set in my opinion.

The second set was pretty much money all the way through. The absolute best moment of the night for me was Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightning’. I was severely ridiculed for this stance after the show, but low and behold the ‘Smokestack’ from Eugene made “Driving Songs Vol. II”.

‘Sleeping Monkey > Tall Boy’ was also top notch, as were ‘Rebirtha’ and ‘Red Hot Mama’. The thing that really sticks out about this show was how much fun the band was having on stage. I mean you could really tell they were enjoying themselves immensely, with huge smiles all around, and it came through big time in their playing too.

I think guitarist/singer John Bell summed up the night perfectly before the encore when he said, “If I ever have a kid, gonna name him Eugene.”

9) 8/3/07 – New Monsoon – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s (7th show)
Song for Marie, Greenhouse, Romp, Velvet Pouch, Patato’s Mission, The Other Side, Double Clutch, Freedom, Bhangra > En Fuego

This was an absolutely brilliant summer day in Seattle. Teri, Ali and I spent the afternoon kicking around Pike Market and enjoying the sunshine. We started out having cocktails on a veranda overlooking the Puget Sound and finished off with a scrumptious dinner at Cutter’s Bayhouse.

I had never been to Neumo’s before, and the place is pretty much a typical dive bar on the inside. When New Monsoon came on practically no one was there at all, so the three of us were “first row” center stage. I mean I could have grabbed Jeff Miller’s guitar neck, played Phil Ferlino’s keys or pulled Bo Carper’s hair just by reaching my arm out.

Anyway, when they burst into ‘Song for Marie’ it felt like they were playing the show strictly for us, and we were loving every second of it. The energy in the place was crackling like my first show (5/21/05) even though the small concert area wasn’t anywhere near half filled.

They ran though the first six songs pretty quickly (6-8 minutes each), but they just played them all so well, as in tight and full of vigor. Nothing was more pleasing to my ears than the old school number ‘Velvet Pouch’. Teri and I were both very surprised to hear it, and were smiling so wide I was sure Bo and Jeff were feeding off us. Remember, we were directly in front of them and some of the very few people getting down hardcore as well.

They finally stretched things out on ‘Double Clutch’ and the closing ‘Bhangra > En Fuego’ also went way out there. Since this was a double bill with ALO the night ended far too soon as the boys were really starting to cook.

Unfortuantely for Ali and me we were not let back in for ALO’s set for a reason which still escapes me. Obviously we had been drinking, but if I remember the situation as well as well as I do, I couldn’t have been that bad. It’s not the first time I’ve had a run in up there either (moe. 2/8/01 at the Showbox), and the only thing I can attribute this to is Seattle does NOT appreciate hippies. Seriously.

8) 9/30/07 – The Black Crowes – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre (13th show)
No Speak No Slave, Gone, Hotel Illness, Greasy Grass River, Sister Luck, Darling of the Underground Press, My Morning Song, Rockin’ Chair*, Soul Singing, Girl From a Pawnshop, Jealous Again, Thorn in My Pride
E: Girl From the North Country
*1st time played by full band

For a rainy Sunday night the turnout for the Crowes first ever appearance in Eugene was extremely impressive. The thing that was strange about the crowd though was the lack of hippies. The people in attendance were all kind of older rockin' types, which was cool in its own way. While they hardly danced, they were very enthusiastic and attentive throughout. So much so that I’m positive singer Chris Robinson was thoroughly impressed at the boisterous applause the band received in between every song. Furthermore, I’m guaranteeing the Crowes will be back here again.

I gotta tell ya, for a Eugene crowd to bring the kind of energy it takes to strike the extra jaded Chris Robinson is almost unheard of.

On to the show. The opening four songs couldn’t have been better for me if I had written the setlist myself. They hit my favorite opener AND second song. ‘Hotel Illness’ is the tune that got me into the Crowes back in the day, and ‘Greasy Grass River’ was a rarity I never expected to hear. ‘Sister Luck’ was breather time but ‘DOTUP’ went back to treatville.

‘My Morning Song’ can either be super powerful or time for a bathroom break. Luckily for me this one rocked the house and I think the crowd’s energy deserves the assist. The second half of the show was a little uneven (although ‘Pawnshop’ was nice to hear) until the closing ‘Thorn’. It was 20 minutes of pure Rich Robinson led psychedelic rock. In other words, the right way to cap a fantastic performance.

The boys don’t break out Bob Dylan’s ‘GFTNC’ very often, and I think they did this time around as a nod to all the older heads in the building. There wasn’t an unhappy person walking out of the McDonald that Sunday, that much I know for sure.

7) 2/22/07 – Sound Tribe Sector 9 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (20th show)
I: Once Told, Kamuy, Squares and Cubes, Hi-Key, Tokyo, Mobsters > Surreality > EB
II: One a Day, Rent, We'll Meet in Our Dreams, The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, F. Word, You Don't Say
E: Jebez, Moon Socket > So It Goes*
*1st time played

The energy inside the Crystal was sick right from the start. I’d say it was a combination of the sell out crowd and the anticipation of the band’s first show at the famed Ballroom since 3/26/03.
After a lackluster opener the show took off. The stand alone ‘Kamuy’ was slowed down a touch and very nice. ‘Squares and Cubes’ came out of nowhere and was great. But the best thing I saw on this night was the old school ‘Mobsters > Surreality > EB’ suite.

The second set was equal to the task as well with the one-two punch openers of ‘One a Day’ and ‘Rent’. ‘WMIOD’ was a nice change of pace oldie, but the ‘Unquestionable Supremacy’ that came next took the peeps and their energy to a whole 'nother level. The breakdown section in the middle had the entire place bouncing in that special Crystal Ballroom way…if you know what I mean.

When the band left the stage you could see it on their faces that they were legitimately appreciative of the crowd’s support during the evening. That could be why the encore was so sick. Bassist David Murphy came out and asked if we wanted one or two songs. “Of course two!” seemed to be the general response, and the super-rarity that is ‘Jebez’ followed.

I wasn’t expecting much after that, but what I got was more than I could have ever hoped for. ‘Moon Socket’ did what it does, but it was the debut of ‘So It Goes’ that sealed the deal. Excuse the Phish reference, but think the piano solo at the end of ‘Squirming Coil’. That’s how ‘SIG’ started, but with the entire band taking that same melodic approach. It was the perfect way to come down from an incredible night of music.

6) 7/11/07 – Page McConnell – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre (1st show)
Heavy Rotation, Close to Home, Maid Marian, Everyone But Me, Final Flight, Back in the Basement, Memories Can't Wait, Complex Wind, Runaway Bride, Rules I Don't Know, Beauty of a Broken Heart
E: Strange Design*, Cars Trucks Buses
*Page solo

Making the two hour drive up to Portland after work on a Wednesday to see the Chairman of the Boards is a commitment that none of my friends were willing to make. Their mistake.

Right from the opener it was plain that Page and his boys were a force to be reckoned with. ‘Heavy Rotation’ went to a place that quite frankly I didn’t think this band would even be capable of. The Chairman’s keys combined with Adam Zimmon’s guitar created a swirling vortex of a jam that took the crowd by surprise with its sheer intensity.

When the song was over the crowd literally erupted with delight. The volume of the applause even took me by surprise, and it was obvious the band had the same reaction. Page was literally at a loss for words saying “Thank you, thanks a lot. We’re very happy to be here. I’ve never been here before, it’s a great room. And I’m very excited about…playing…tonight…for you.”

It was truly one of those moments you live for as a live music fan.

‘Close to Home’ was one of the two songs from the album that I really wanted to hear. I was also psyched to hear the Vida Blue tune ‘Final Flight’. And following that slow number with the chooglin' instrumental ‘Back in the Basement’ (the other song I was waiting on) proved to be an awesome one-two punch for my taste.

Overall there were at least five sick jams on the night, if not more. The ‘Strange Design’ encore displayed Page’s dulcet tones, but the ‘Cars Trucks Buses’ that followed threw the crowd into one final frenzy as those who came to see Phish songs were sent home smiling.

5) 2/17/07 – Honkytonk Homeslice (2nd show) & Assembly of Dust (3rd show) – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
HTHS: Mile After Mile, Uphill Climb, Mix up the Medicine, Burnin’ Down, Till I Gain Control Again, Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Barstool, It Must Have Been the Roses, ???, Running, That’s Alright Mama, I Fell in Love at the Honkytonk, Love is Like a Train
AoD: Feline Disguise, Burned Down, Bus Driver, Sometimes, Fountain, Whistle Clock, Mama, Songbeard, Mud Spring Draw, Amplified Messiah
Joint: Mardi Gras Mambo, Love the One You’re With, Roses in the Snow, ???, Angel From Montgomery, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Speculator > Swing Low Sweet Chariot > Speculator
E: Iko Iko

I’m not sure there’s anything better than a Saturday night at the Doug Fir when you know all you have to do is walk upstairs to your room when the show is over. The Lounge was sold out and the crowd was rowdy, which actually wasn’t ideal for the music of Honkytonk Homeslice.

The acoustic trio was sometimes hard to hear over the hushed buzz of the crowd, but none the less Bill Nershi and “hometown hero” Scott Law delivered in fine fashion. Once the incessant shushing stopped, and people realized you actually had to be quiet and listen, the show was pretty good. The highlight by far for me was the Grateful Dead’s ‘It Must Have Been the Roses’.

With Assembly of Dust making their first Portland appearance you could tell they were ready to roll from the get go. After a somewhat suspect opener ‘Burned Down’ tore the roof off and gave the uninitiated their first taste of AoD. ‘Sometimes’ was the next standout and by the end of the tune front man Reid Genauer had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

The end of the set was incredibly high energy and really what won these boys a room full of life long fans. ‘Mama’ was rockin', swingin' and countrified all in one, but ‘Songbeard’ is the number that really brought it home. AoD has very few big jammers, but ‘Songbeard’ is surely one. The place was going absolutely ballistic throughout with people bouncing off one another without a care in the world.

The shiest kickin' ‘Mud Spring Draw’ continued the frenzied foot stompin' and ‘Amplified Messiah’ closed the set out in style. I don’t think anyone wanted their music to end, but the set that followed took the momentum AoD built and catapulted it up even further into the stratosphere.

The “joint” set as Nershi dubbed it had a New Orleans theme to it with everyone in both bands wearing some form of costume/mask for the opener. If you’ve ever heard Reid sing you know he’s spot on when it comes to covering Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and ‘Love the One You’re With’ was no exception. Genauer also led the way on John Prine’s ‘Angel From Montgomery’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Tom Thumb’s Blues’.

This is what I mean when I say AoD won the crowd over. You have Bill Nershi from String Cheese Incident on the stage, yet he had no problem taking a backseat to Reid in terms of who got to sing the most. The ‘Speculator’ sandwich to close things out was almost too much at that point. Nershi took the mic back for the traditional ‘Iko Iko’ encore, but the place had thinned out by then and people were exhausted.

Overall this night was a marathon lasting from 9 PM to 2 AM with very short breaks in between sets. It was not for the feint of heart to be sure. However the level of musicianship on stage in the joint set was unparalleled. You had Law and Adam Terrell exchanging electric guitar licks with Nate Wilson peppering in keyboard solos in between. Not to mention the sublime Jilian Nershi sprinkling in harmonizing background vocals. Just a magnificent night of diverse music.

4) 7/15/07 – Umphrey’s McGee – Copper Mountain, CO – Trancegression (9th show)
Slacker, Miss Tinkle's Overture, In the Kitchen > Miss Gradenko > In the Kitchen, Dump City, Alex's House* > Nothing Too Fancy, Der Bluten Kat > Mulche's Odyssey > Der Bluten Kat, Wizard Burial Ground
E: Resolution^ > Svenghali# > Syncopated Strangers
* 'Unskinny Bop' (Poison) teases
^ the Disco Biscuits with Brendan Bayliss (guitar & vocals) and Andy Farag (percussion)
# full band switch to Umphrey's McGee with Jon Gutwillig (guitar & vocals)

The boys from Chicago were on point right from the jump for this one. ‘Slacker’ got things started right and ‘Miss Tinkle's Overture’ took them to the next level immediately. What followed was the best version of ‘In the Kitchen’ (song of the year winner at the 2005 Jammys) I’ve ever heard. The intro was long and drawn out building the anticipation. Then you throw in The Police’s ‘Miss Gradenko’ sandwiched in middle and you have a best version ever nominee.

‘Dump City’ kept the momentum steaming along as Teri and I moved all over the place trying to find the best vantage point we could. We were up on the hill for ‘Alex’s House’ when Teri said “They are playing ‘Unskinny Bop.’” I told her she was crazy, but upon further review, they did drop a nice tease of the Poison classic.

I really wanted to hear ‘Alex’s House’ and the segue into ‘Nothing Too Fancy’ was superb. ‘NTF’ is probably both of our favorite Umphrey’s tune, so we were gettin’ down with a vengeance at that point. ‘Der Bluten Kat > Mulche's Odyssey > Der Bluten Kat’ was pure Umph madness and the crowd was totally into it, rocking out all around. ‘Wizard Burial Ground’ was a debut to my ears and almost sounded like classic speed metal. In other words, a perfect way to close a show.

When they finished I noticed it was just past 9:30, meaning they still had a half hour to burn. Teri had been predicting a collaborative encore, but even she didn’t expect what happened next. While the Disco Biscuits walking out on stage was not a total shock, what they played was. With Brendan Bayliss singing the Biscuits rocked the Umphrey’s song ‘Resolution’…and did a very nice job with it. In the middle of the jam Marc Brownstein raised his hand and handed the bass to Ryan Stasik. Then one by one the rest of UM came back out.

Being that Barber was still on stage I figured a Bisco tune was up next, but ‘Svenghali’? C’mon now! The DB have plenty of difficult compositions to play and ‘Svenghali’ has to be right up there. That said, I think the Biscuits did a better job with Umphrey’s song than the other way around. That’s not meant to be a knock on the Umph in any way, it’s just that the signature Bisco sound is a lot harder to replicate in my opinion.

After Barber exited stage right the way that guitarist Jake Cinninger led the drop on a dime change into ‘Syncopated Strangers’ epitomizes the collective tightness UM shares as a unit. I can’t say for sure if this was the best Umphrey’s show I’ve ever seen, but it is certainly in the top two with 3/20/06.

3) 7/14/07 – the Disco Biscuits – Copper Mountain, CO – Trancegression (11th show)
Paul Revere , Story of the World > Digital Buddha* > Story of the World > Spectacle > Munchkin Invasion , Hot Air Balloon , Gangster > Helicopters > Orch Theme > Safety Dance
E: Little Lai
* inverted

I had a feeling we’d get a ‘Paul Revere’ sometime during the weekend, and the opener seemed like very good placement. Nothing like some old school Beastie’s to get the party rolling in the right direction. ‘Story of the World’ is a highly requested song by the Bisco faithful so there were a lot of happy peeps all over the place when this one dropped. I had no clue ‘Digital Buddha’ was inverted (ending first, then beginning), but it was another first for me and Brownie’s bass bombs were shaking the entire mountain. The transitions kept coming, the jungle trance was flowing and ‘Munchkin Invasion’ was a perfect way to cap the opening stanza.

“Hi, my name is Sally. I'm a little munchkin.”

Anyway, after a 21+ minute Munchkin a massive ‘Hot Air Balloon’ (22+ minutes) followed and took me to another place. By this time it was dark and the Biscuits lights were in full effect. The combination of the best lights in the business and the powerful mind altering trance music has the ability to take you to higher plane of existence.

During the closing ‘Gangster > Helicopters > Orch Theme > Safety Dance’ I was in full on dance mode. It was so perfect I don’t think words can ever do it justice. The crisp night mountain air, insane light show, perfect vibe, Aaron Magner’s keys and Jon Gutwillig’s subtle yet commanding guitar. What can I say, it was another one of those moments. (If you were wondering, yes they did close with the Men Without Hats classic.) We went up on the hill for the ‘Little Lai’ encore to take in the night and finish off a great show.

2) 7/13/07 – the Disco Biscuits – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre (10th show)
I: House Dog Party Favor*, Spy, Songs of Joy > Mr. Don
II: Crystal Ball^ > Aceetobee > Pilin' it High > Aceetobee > Crystal Ball, Spraypaint > Lunar Pursuit > Spraypaint
E: Morph Dusseldorf
* preceded by ‘King of the World’ fake out
^ preceded by ‘Seven Nation Army’ (The White Stripes) tease

The first thing I noticed upon entering the Fox was how small it was. I later found out the capacity was 700, and I don’t doubt that every one of 700 people was slammed in there. This was not a show for the faint of heart either. It reminded me of a club back East with sweaty people jostling for position everywhere. Very much an East Coast Bisco vibe going on as well. After adjusting our mid-30’s Pacific Northwest mindset though, we rather enjoyed it.

We were in and ready to go at 9:15 since the ticket said 9:00. Well, the band didn’t come on until 10:00, which made for some unnecessary anxiety in the crowd. Bassist Marc Brownstein said as they came on that “People downstairs were telling me it was a madhouse out there.” And it definitely was. The ‘King of the World’ fake out that became ‘House Dog Party Favor’ was a nice way to start and let me know that the boys were in a playful mood.

‘HDPF’ was utterly insane clocking in at 27:35. Being that this was my first show since Jam in the 'Dam (3/21/06), it was a nice welcome back to Bisco moment for me. I was happy to hear ‘Spy’, but apparently hardcore Bisco fans despise this tune. Whatever. ‘Songs of Joy > Mr. Don’ was also huge (31:56) and the closed the set out right.

I mean, a four song first set? You’ve got to be kidding me! There was some serious experimentation going on in the Biscuits “trance fusion” way. I thought the first set was very good, but it was really just a precursor to set number two.

The second set got off to a fine start with my first ever ‘Crystal Ball’. This is a song I love and always wanted to hear, but never thought I would (only two versions in 2007). But again, what came next was even better. The palindrome of ‘Crystal Ball > Aceetobee > Pilin' it High > Aceetobee > Crystal Ball’ was off the charts fantastic. Seamless transitions, ass shakin’ grooves and the best light show this side of Phish added up to pure sensory overload. Not that I’m an expert, but this was Bisco at its finest if you ask me.

The combination of travel, altitude and age had us running low on energy after the palindrome, but we stuck it out and were rewarded in kind. I’m not a big fan of ‘Spraypaint’, but this one was pretty darn good. We couldn't stop moving for the new instrumental ‘Lunar Pursuit’ sandwiched in the middle, and it truely sapped our final bit of stamina.

We left mid-way through ‘Morph Dusseldorf’ because we were both failing hardcore. I couldn’t have asked for a better night of music, and Teri was so blown away that it was the first thing she talked about in the morning when she woke up. It was her “ah-ha!” moment with the Disco Biscuits, and she couldn’t stop raving about the all out onslaught that is Bisco when they are on.

Teri – “They don’t get near the respect they deserve.”

Amen.

1) 9/7/07 – Sound Tribe Sector 9 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre (24th show)
I: This, Us, Tooth, F. Word, Really Wut?, Pianoir, Luma Daylight, Tokyo
II: Surreality > EB, Arigato, We’ll Meet in Our Dreams, Aimlessly > Nautilus > Aimlessly, Abcess > Moon Socket > So It Goes, You Don’t Say
E: Circus, Tap-In

Our first time at Red Rocks, and let me tell you, it’s just as beautiful as they say. First off, it’s a National Park for cripes sake. Complete with non-concert going tourists from all over the world site seeing. (Not an exaggeration, as I heard multiple foreign languages being spoken each day.)

We parked in the upper north lot around 4:30 to have the best view of the surrounding area, and it did not disappoint. While tailgating we saw two families of deer and a rainbow. Now I guarantee you only get that at Red Rocks.

We headed inside around 9ish and were immediately taken aback again. The amphitheatre is literally cut into the mountain. With giant red rocks (imagine that?) on either side of the bleachers and another behind the stage. Yes, the stage is carved into a giant rock as well. We were able to mosey on down to the right of the sound board with hardly any resistance at all. So we ended up dead center about as close as we’d like to be.

Although ‘This, Us’ and ‘Tooth’ was a rather bland way to start things off, I really didn’t mind at all. The music opening slowly allowed me to check out the surroundings. Like the lights of Denver in the background behind the stage, the rocks themselves and the massive Phish-esque light rig hanging above the stage. That’s right folks, the “spaceship” was back in full effect. Now I’m not sure if that rig is a permanent fixture at the Rocks, or if it was there because Chris Kuroda (former Phish light man) would be in town with The Black Crowes on 9/9. Either way, Saxton (STS9’s lighting director) had a whole new arsenal at his disposal, and he certainly made the most of it.

The set really got rolling with ‘F. Word’ and didn’t let up until the closing ‘Tokyo’. Even though I didn’t hear one tune I’d consider a “favorite”, the set was awesome none the less. This was a perfect example of “how they played” trumping “what they played.” I mean the boys were hitting on all cylinders, the crowd’s energy was off the charts and we had plenty of room to boogie coupled with a great view of the stage taboot.

Oh, but that was just the beginning.

The second set got off to an astonishing start with an out of nowhere ‘Surreality > EB’. Obviously, this is a favorite of mine. Not only did I never expect to hear this combo, but by no means did I think they’d open a set with it. I’m sure I was not alone in this feeling.

For the record, this is exactly how you open an epic set.

As the opening sample in ‘Arigato’ states, “Now what the fuck do you want?” We want it all, and we certainly got it. The bumping funk of ‘Arigato’ yielded to a perfect change up number in ‘WMIOD’. From there the party really got started (as if it wasn’t already). ‘Aimlessly > Nautilus > Aimlessly’ brought the house down. I have to admit that the inclusion of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Nautilus’ in the middle of ‘Aimlessly’ was a stroke of genius as it flowed oh so smoothly.

What happened next is not anything I ever expected STS9 to pull. As you already know I’m a setlist geek, so I’m not one to hand out segues, transitions or whatever you want to call a “>” lightly. Well per my own handwriting the boys strung together the next three songs like I hadn’t heard them do in a while. For all the great things that Sound Tribe is capable of, transitioning is not an area where they chose to excel. I say “chose to” because I know they could do it more if they wanted to, they’d just rather leave it to the Disco Biscuits.

Well the ‘Abcees’ was phenomenal and I figured ‘Moon Socket’ was coming sooner or later, but not this early, and not out of another tune. The ‘So It Goes’ that came out of ‘MS’ was very fitting and another well placed change of pace song. What came next was the topper though. A completely reworked version of ‘You Don’t Say’, and dare I say it was the best ever.

When the music stopped the crowd erupted, and I do mean erupted literally. Teri and I just looked at each other like, “What just happened here?” It’s really that feeling which only STS9 can give you. The all enveloping sensation of being inside the music with everyone else in attendance. The band knew it, the peeps knew it and I have no doubt that the rocks knew it as well.

The encore was almost not necessary, but two songs were fitting after such a blockbuster performance. I can take or leave ‘Circus’, but ‘Tap-In’ was an absolutely perfect way to close things out. I’ve heard better versions of ‘Tap-In’, but this one didn’t need to be the best ever, it just needed to do what it does…and it did.

> If you’ve read this far you’re either related to me or a big jam fan, so I’ll sign off with two bands ready to do big things in 2008.

Drum roll please….

1) New York City’s U-Melt

2) Fort Lauderdale’s The Heavy Pets