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I went to see the Derek Trucks Band perform on the edge of the east side of the North American continent. Let me tell you all about it...
I heard about the show, only five hours before it was scheduled to start. I figured I should go, with it being so close, and me so bored. The drive to Ocean City is a very scenic one. Vineland (my home town) is the largest city,(by area) in the state of New Jersey which you'll find centrally located in the center of the state's southern tip. I only needed to head east for about 25 minutes, and as the farms faded away, and the inlets and marshes grew, that rank, smell of the back bays and brackish water mixed to treat my nose to a smell that can only be described as "The Shore."
Ocean City is a vacationer's paradise, unless you drink. That's right, it's a dry town. No alcohol is sold on the island. Oh yeah, that's another thing about O.C., it's an island. The 9th Street Bridge connects the mainland (Somors Point), to the island on the north side, and the 34th Street Bridge does the same on the south, connecting OC with Strathmere. Many, many tourists from Pennsylvania and New York frequent this city and the surrounding beaches, all summer long, making an eclectic mix of sheep, hooligans and rabble rousers.
I rode up early, with my good friend Gary, as he was working the event. He is a HUGE deadhead, and the irony of him working security for the venue was not lost on him or me. I love him, but inside the show..... He IS the enemy. Yellow shirt and all. Some guy scheduled to work had not shown up yet, and the possibility of me working in his place seemed likely. I would have made $50.00 and seen the show for free, but the guy finally decided to show up for work so I was left to my own devices.
I hung out at Gary's jeep sucking down beers for an hour, watching
the parade of Shoobies pass by. Ocean City's beach is lined with a Boardwalk that allows people to wander aimlessly, up and down the beach. On one side is, of course, Atlantic Ocean in all it's glory, and on the other, a hodgepodge of arcades, miniature golf, salt water taffy stands, carnival games, rides, and other tourist traps. The Music Pier is located at Moorlyn Terrace & the Boardwalk, and sits on the traditional New Jersey Wooden Pier, extending itself quite far out into the mighty ocean.
Aesthetics alone make this a wonderful venue. The roar of the ocean,
and the pound of the surf, mix with the cry of the seagulls, to transport you to a very relaxed state. The venue itself, is a typical high school gym setup, with a raised stage, open section in front and seats taking up the rear of the room. Beautiful glass doors and windows open up and brighten the place, unlike the usual tomb like feel of most venues. The ticket price was reasonable at $15.00 and the re-entry policy made it easy to move around and come and go as you please. This proved useful, to combat the nonsmoking policy that was also in effect. Since there was an opening act, and they were not due on for 20 minutes, I made my way under the pillars out of sight of humanity. This was good. I had a gorgeous view of the waves as they rolled relentlessly in, and a soft sandy place to park my butt.
Warning. Ocean City police are not tolerant of any kind of illegal activity, and they are very snoopy. Be careful.
After fine tuning my brain, I was ready to take a dip in the ocean. The water was just right, as I let the breakers crash into my legs, making me want to jump all the way in. There is something about the shoreline that makes me feel small and insignificant, while at the same time, gives me visions of far away lands and people. The utter vastness of the ocean, makes my head hurt when I think about it long enough.
It seems my timing was perfect. As I cleaned my feet of sand and
made my way back up to the boards, I ran into my friend Janna. We talked for a bit as I scarfed down a couple of slices of Mack and Manko's Pizza, considered by some to be the best Pizza on the isle. We walked in together and, without a single pat-down or search of my pack, I entered the venue once more.
Finding a great spot up front was easy. I estimated the head count at
about 250 people. The opening band was K-floor. K-floor's lineup consisted of Nick Schnebelen on vocals/guitar, Live on bass, Justin DiFebbo on the B3 organ and Zil on drums. They weren't bad and, after losing me for the first few songs, they redeemed themselves with a very jazzy number that had some fresh hooks. It was interesting to see what they could pull off with that combination of instruments. Their tone was a little muddy, but they had chops, and gave me the impression that with a little more effort, they could achieve "escape velocity" and find the eternal groove. Zil really impressed me with his style. He was thunderously subtle, if you can figure that one out. Justin fit in perfect with very rich fills from the B3 which accented the groove that Live and Zil were laying down. Everyone in the band, seemed relaxed and eager to give it their all. I will go see them again.
After a short break, and a few announcements for upcoming acts, the main event was about to begin. The band took the stage and played one set of music that blew the doors off the place.
Being very new to his work in Derek Trucks Band, (I have seen Derek in the Allman Brothers Band, Phil & Friends and Frogwings) I'm hard pressed to name songs, or band members. However, I can be sure it was Kofi Burbridge on keys and flute. I have long been a fan of Kofi....
There was Derek on guitar, Kofi on keys and flute, a bassist, a drummer, and a vocalist/percussionist.
There were 12 songs played and then 1 encore. I will list them by number and give a quick impression of what I heard
#1 - This instrumental, started off slowly and built up to a frenzy.
Derek's slide work was absolutely magnificent. His ability to listen to what his band mates are doing, and respond to was amazing. Very good communication.
#2 - Another instrumental, with a killer flute solo by Kofi.
#3 - I believe it's called "For My Brother".
#4 - This could have been the song of the night for me. It started off with an Island feel to it, and slowly morphed into some insane jazz mind bender. The energy fell a little bit, with a very sloppy transition, only to be saved again by a tasty slide solo by Mr. Trucks.
#5 - Very Jazzy. It was like watching a conversation between the
instruments. Another great flute solo and the drummer took a little time to get his, with a long solo.
#6 - Very bluesy... It felt like an Allmans tune, but not one I know. Derek's leads are well thought out, and fit perfectly like puzzle pieces. He reminded me of Steve Kimock big time, with his style of listening and responding to what was going on around him. Tight, Tight, Tight!
#7 - The band was introduced by the drummer before this song, but I
couldn't find my pen, so I lost out on the names. I think they
congratulated the bass player on the birth of his child. Another solid song. It was around this time that I was starting to realize that Derek Trucks is No Joke. I have always respected him as a musician, but being so close to him gave me a new insight into his style. He's a musician's, musician. His ear is probably one of the best in the world. I watched him as he let his band build the music around him. Always seeming to come in at the right time and, when he did come in, the music smoked. His hands appeared effortless as he managed to fret every single possible note that existed during the course of the evening. Great exchanges and musical interplay, forcing me to consider this thought:
"I would not want to be anyplace else, or seeing anyone else than the
Derek Trucks Band, right here and right now!"
#8 - The only thought's that came to mind during this song, were
"Killer Calypso" I danced my butt off. A lot of good changes to shift your step to.
#9 - Another blues standard, and yet another blues standard, that I
couldn't recognize.
#10 - I'll say...... "The Indian Shuffle" Grooving, and relentless. It sort of wrapped around me.
#11 - Reggae/Island feel, that morphed into blues.... Great Bass solo.
#12 - One more blues tune to finish the night. Derek's leads on this one were stuff that dreams are made of. Orgasmic Blues. His bloodlines serve him well, and yet he is his own artist. Not to be thought of as an Allmans substitute.
Encore - Very jazzy. This band is capable of doing as they please.
The crowd wanted more, and when the band came out for the encore, the place gave up a huge ovation. Derek never changed his facial expression. His look of concentration belied the fact that he was grinning from ear to ear on the inside. It was evident from the glow he had emanating from him. It would have been great to know the names of his songs but, even without them, I had a wonderful time. I think not knowing the material, and going in with no expectations, allowed me to view this band with an open pallet. All members of this band can hold their own and the combination of them all equals an eclectic mix of young talent. It seemed that the show was over as soon as it began and that's a sure fire clue that the beast was awake. One thing's for sure; I will be going to see him again soon!
So, as I wandered out to the boardwalk and made my way down to the sand, I looked up and basked in the glow of an almost full moon. I couldn't help but smile. Life was good, the world was good and I felt great. My little corner of the world played host to a magical invocation of harmonious notes. So go see live music, it will make you feel good.
Ron "Big Woolly Mammoth" Crowell
JamBase New Jersey Correspondent
Go See Live Music!
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