BEACH'S BIRTHDAY BASH

Johnny is one of many people in New York who selflessly devote their energy to help live music thrive. He works at Wetlands Preserve, but one of the most invaluable services he provides is a weekly emailer of upcoming shows in the area. He culls the information but doesn't limit it's content by anything more than his own tastes (which are as diverse as anyone I've ever met). Talking to Johnny about what bands are around is both an education and an inspiration. There's no pressure involved, just the natural appreciation and joy he conveys which is very infectuous.

Actual Proof MC'ing with two DJs in the lounge, it was both a party and a musical amusement park. The energy in the room was excited by creative conversations going on all over the place. Musicians discussing the construction of their songs, theory, self discovery and further examples of honest, passionate expression. So it comes as no surprise that the music picked up on this and decorated the air in some of the most powerfully interesting vibes of the weekend.

Up first on the main stage were relative newcomers Next Tribe. Their percussion intensive sound gets deep in many an audience member's muscles including Kaeshi, a belly dancer who accompanies their act. When I got there, guitarist Rob Mastrianni was ripping on a scitar-harp/guitar hybrid (the scitar-harp strings on the upper portion of the instrument's body). I kept walking around the stage looking for what was making the scitar sounds since I've heard the same tones come from strung instruments played with rounded end sticks. But the two percussionists on stage (beyond the guy on a conventional set) had nothing around them that could have done it. Then I scored one for my powers of observation files by focusing on Rob's hands and seeing them switch between the two sets of strings. The twingly sing of the upper notes filled the breaths between a mix of thrashing chords and single rock notes below. As I watched him go at it, I was completely drawn into the kenetics of his instrument's voice so I was surprised to see him almost completely motionless, save for the metronomic bobbing of his head. Like Al Schier of moe., Rob weaves flaming tapestries with all of that energy focused through his fingers.

Rob covers the more esoteric areas, fueling the diversity of this group that flies easily through heavy rips and fancifully spicy picking from the eastern and western hemispheres. The steady hold of Next Tribe's sound comes from James Criscitiello on bass. I'm a guitar junky so I focused a lot on what Rob was up to (and there's a lot to digest there) but there was no avoiding the gut intensive bottom provided by James. His lines were hard in texture but not ominous, holding the foundation of a group context left open to wild improvisation.

When Rob switched guitars to one that was tuned to sound like a Flamenco acoustic, I could hear the rumble of beats begin to lay down a road that would lead everyone on the floor to the all out boogy. Drummer Phil Scotti and percussionist Andrew Potenza were joined by third rhythm guru but, unfortunately, I didn't catch that guy's name. As it appears on the band's website, the best adjective to describe what those three were up to is "throbbing." My limbs completely gave themselves up to their concoctions while my mind vibrated to the changes Rob made. When going with the latin theme, he deftly moved his bare fingers around the strings, however, when he jumped over to a more rock n roll motif, he grabbed the pick to provide an edge to his phrasing. All in all, Next Tribe is a meaty offering that tantalized me to come back again and again to try and fully comprehend what they're capable of.

Staying with the variety theme of the night, Topaz was up next with his stew of psychedelic funk. Back in January, I remember Topaz telling me that he and his crew were going to hit the stage "with a vengeance" this year and every show of theirs I've been to since has definitely fulfilled that promise. Two nights before, the guys gig'd at The Bottom Line, a Greenwich Village venue without a cabaret license so there isn't any dancing and the floor is filled with tables. Topaz creates a party from their first note and they certainly ripped up that room but I was salivating for the ensuing 48 hours to hear what would come out of them in a club full of writhing bodies. They exceeded my every expectation.

When I was with them before Friday's show, it was remarkable to me how comfortable they all are with each other. Very much a band of brothers, which is why the fluidity they bring out in their group effort is as smooth as it comes. Topaz is one half of a power brass duo up front with Squantch's hearty versatility on trombone that meshes very well with the roundness of Jason Kriveloff on bass. On the high end, Ethan White's wurlitzer action always tickles the underside of my skin. I'm often hypnotized by the delicate motion of his fingers that compliment the very bluesy Tewar on guitar. Tewar's rhythms often hold the team together but he's also capable of leaving the handle behind and soaring to some heights so expertly you'll never get dizzy.

They're all characters but the most on stage, expulsive personality of this set was drummer Christian Ulrich. Most of the way through the set, his mates emptied the stage for a drum solo that Christian accompanied with a vocal string of gibberish running between nonconforming syllables and what I thought sounded like Italian but later found out was more spontaneously created. Bare chested and sporting a chunky charmed necklace, Christian fully emobied the raucous fun of this band.

To get in the mood for the evening, I had a Topaz show in my walkman and must have listened to their version of Mandrill's Fat City Strut at least four or five times in my pre-Wetlands travels. Cued by a screaming intro by Topaz, Ethan, Jason, Christian and Tewar absolutely exploded into a whirling roll, right on the heels of Topaz's last word. That's where the booty extends out far to the back with hands in the air, setting up Squantch and Topaz's fiery, primal entry with a drag at the end to challenge your very consciousness. Just as my molars were about to shake loose, they ased into the light equatorial heat of the next passage which only led back to the original, group line. There was already some serious shit going down and they weren't even half way through the song!!!! Ethan took the lead on the plastic ivories and hopped us into round after round of some of most beautifully powerful, funkified, all out nastily dripping sweetness that this body has ever been thankful enough to be pummelled by.

After a round of introductions of the band which drew a density of adulation, the guys took it on home and planted it so firmly I think that nail shot right through the Earth's core and out the other side. There are times when I feel music so naturally that it harmonizes with me on as intrinsic a level as the flow of my own blood so as to provide perfect satisfaction. That's exactly how I felt when Topaz and the boys left the stage.

It was edging into the a.m. at this point and I was quite spent after the endurance test that was Topaz's set so I caught a couch for a bit to rest up for the Mobius Band. This was Mobius' first appearance in NYC so there weren't many people in the room familiar with what they were all about. Still, interest was definitely up because their set was to interlock with the late night electronica jam.

There was a mini-opener who took the stage with an acoustic, droning lyrics that developed a story about crackers or cookies and some protein rich, naturally generated fluid. It was a nice start to wake everyone up which led into a full stage's worth of the band working out some pop themes with more simple construction. I've had this ongoing debate with myself recently about the power of music relative to how many notes are played in a given piece so it was nice to have a more spread out context to consider and satisfy one side of that argument. Moving into a realm I associate with Radiohead, Mobius showed they can emote quite deeply.

They navigated a bit from there and turned, eventually, into the quicker pacing for which dance-trance, electronica has become known. This was where they were joined on stage by guitarists Justin Bolognino and Joe Zladek of Loop Dreams. Since their bassist, Peter Kelly, went abroad to study for the semester that began back in February, Loop Dreams has been on a hiatus of their own but I hope that Peter's ready to jump back in when he comes home this summer because everyone needs to experience what Loop Dreams have to offer. With the wide proliferation into the exploration of electronic tones and gadgets, Loop Dreams stands out to me as one that always seeks to put emphasis on the more innovative characteristics of creativity.

The foundation and aesthetics of what the jam evolved into followed this line of stimulation and took us on home toward sunrise. The room was still nicely occupied and the mood was much the same sense of happiness and curiosity that punctuated it hours earlier. It was the perfect night for everyone in attendance and a great way to celebrate the birthday of someone I care about a lot. What made it even nicer was the fact that Johnny Beach isn't the type to let any of this go to his head. He'll just keep goin' on after the music and doing everything he can to help others around him find it, and the joy inside of all us that can be unearthed by the power of art.

Next Tribe's next NYC gig will be June 25th at the Mercury Lounge while Topaz will be holding a Thursday residency at Lilli's in Somerset, MA running June 7th, through the 28th. Also, make sure to catch them at Gathering of the Vibes (Red Hook, NY - 6/29 to 7/1). Mobius Band will be back at Wetlands on Tuesday, 6/12, down in the lounge to support the headlining return of kick ass, stretched rockers RANA who'll be playing a FREE gig upstairs. But, before then, come on down for a full weekend of a little ole band called Fishbone, Friday & Saturday, June 8 to 9.

Howie Greenberg
JamBase NYC Correspondent
Go See Live Music!!!