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By: Court Scott
BOBBY PREVITE'S COALITION OF THE WILLING:
CONTROLLED CHAOS
Coalition of the Willing :: HSMF 2007 :: By Zack Smith |
Less serious or controlled than either the album or previous sets I'd heard, Bobby Previte's Coalition of the Willing's Saturday afternoon set at the Vaudeville Tent was full of improvisation and measured interaction. The Coalition's original line-up featured Previte and Skerik as well as Charlie Hunter and Marco Benevento, but it should not be assumed that the Vaudeville's show was the second string. This newer incarnation featured Skerik's saxophonics, Hammond organist Brian Coogan (Maelstrom Trio), bassist-guitarist Reed Mathis(JFJO) and Previte's ultra-technical drumming. Previte is recognized for making avant-garde, yet melodic, intelligent music. The substantial, shade-seeking crowd was treated to a tasteful, anthem-y keys and sax tempered set countered by tribal basslines. Two thirds of the way through a Mathis-lead six-string guitar jam morphed into a punk-inspired round with Coogan jumping up to tweak knobs, eliciting plinky, old school computer noises while Skerik's low honk punctuated the beat, buckling and lunging while Previte's machine gun fills set the panicked pace. Throughout, Previte was generous in his willingness to step back and let the others take the lead, simply folding his arms and watching, which was in contrast to the control I've heard him exert in the past. His drumming was peppered with bouts of frantic energy, but was generally more laidback. When the Coalition caught a groove, they harnessed it, and it was the perfect ride for the hot festival afternoon.
Mathis & Skerik CofW :: HSMF 2007
By Zack Smith |
Bassist Reed Mathis experienced some trouble with a finicky amp, and in the five or so minutes it took for the tech guys to work it out Skerik and Coogan sparred with one another, swapping licks and trying to out-weird one another. Within their interaction, I couldn't help but feel at times the audience was on the outside of an inside joke, though mostly I think they were just covering new ground. Mathis is a pleasure to hear and watch, flirting with his bass and basking in his sound with a smile of genuine intrigue. When he picked up a guitar the metal was strong with this one. He absolutely ripped it, propelling heated improvisation into something with a definite progressive rock feel and structure. The resonance fit quite well with Skerik's tweaks and squonks, better attuned than Hunter's warmer jazz feel would have been, and the bobbing crowd reciprocated in kind.
The band's second set, Sunday on the Shady Grove Stage, was a bit freer - more casual and formless. That's generally the pattern for bands with more than one daytime set - first time for the masses, second time for the fans. I enjoyed this set a bit more, but am at a loss to explain exactly why. It was more spacey, kind of out-there and less musically dense, and that palpable free experimentation is appealing to me. And I love checking out people's reactions to Skerik's sci-fi saxophonics. Late in the set, he knelt down in front of his rig and started whispering and clicking into his sax's microphone. It sounded like Klingon pillow talk, and as he created loops and feedback he bestowed upon the intrigued, excited fans a massive Skerection. Mathis switched between guitar and bass with Coogan playing off both he and Skerik. Previte played a bit more aggressively, asserting that he and The Coalition of the Willing are a technically strong band comprised of consummate, curious musicians capable of reading the crowd and playing just what's desired.
LES CLAYPOOL: KEEPIN' IT FANCY
Les Claypool :: HSMF :: By J. Rategan |
Many people assert that Claypool is best in a smaller club where you can get up close and personal, but after experiencing the headlining slot at the Grandstand Stage Saturday night, I honestly could go either way. While clubs allow for an intimacy and more egalitarian viewing, the Grandstand Stage offered a fired up light show and sonic magnitude that had the earthworms boogieing. Playing old and new tunes, Claypool and his Fancy band (Skerik - sax, Gabby La La – sitar and Theremin, Mike Dillon - percussion, and Paulo Baldi - drums) delivered an aggressive, gut-thumping set. Hanging on the back curtain, flanking the band, were twin portraits of a bug-eyed man from the cover of Claypool's new live concert DVD, Fancy, whose bulging, freakish eyes added their own dimension to the show.
The two-hour set featured a number of tunes in high rotation, such as "Long In The Tooth," popular closer "D's Diner" and several from 2006's Of Whales and Woe, which are prominently featured on the Fancy DVD. The jammed out, tease-heavy set included Primus' "Tommy the Cat" during "One Better," "Southbound Pachyderm" during staple "David Makalaster," and other interesting sandwiched tracks. One of the high points of the show was the drum break. Primal by nature, Baldi and Dillon's twin drum solo had the crowd teetering on an orgy with their beats, and with the addition of Garaj Mahal's Alan Hertz I wouldn't at all be surprised if children were conceived during this section. Though I'll admit to having mixed feelings about multi-instrumentalist Gabby La La, she has stepped up and nurtured an edgier, more blistering sitar sound which rounded out the palate well.
Claypool & McFadden :: HSMF :: By Dave Vann |
Claypool's set at the High Sierra Music Hall late Sunday night was wildly different than the Grandstand Stage, not only in scale but also in vibe and setlist. Less traveled tunes like "Precipitation" and fitting set-closer "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" were searing testaments to the Fancy band's fine-tuned machinery. The crowd was deeply into it with eyes and ears arched forward. A cover of the English band Madness' "One Step Beyond" was a danceable natural with its earthy ska rhythm and horn parts. San Francisco guitarist Eric McFadden (of opener the Eric McFadden Trio) added an edge to the fray on King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet." The heaviest, most aggressive groove appeared on the encore, "Whamola," with the Colonel leaning into the crowd and cranking away on the bass-like instrument that gives the song its name. It's thundering, elastic sound got everybody worked up a state of barely controlled chaos. Sadly, the show ended after only two hours. Claypool and company are a damned good time – in a club or a larger setting. There is nothing subtle about their unique sounds or obvious desire to get the crowd off. Though the sets may have been shorter than I'd like, I would never assert that they don't pack them tight and full of flavor.
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