Stockholm Syndrome | 09.06 | S.F.
By Team JamBase Sep 11, 2009 • 11:54 am PDT

Stockholm Syndrome :: 09.06.09 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
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Using the term super group to define the band almost seems cliché, but for lack of a better word that’s what the band is – a super group. What originally started as a collaboration between guitarist/vocalist Jerry Joseph (Jackmormons) and bassist Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), turned into a serious musical endeavor a few years back with the additions of lead guitar shredder Eric McFadden(EMT), drum wiz Wally Ingram and versatile keyboardist Danny Louis (Gov’t Mule). Even though the group rarely tours, a testament to how busy all the members’ respective main musical endeavors are, when Stockholm Syndrome does announce an off-hand set of dates, the shows are worth attending, if for nothing more than witnessing five musicians at the top of their game perform together. The musical backgrounds and styles of the five artists are quite different, although when playing together the collaborative rock monster that is created is truly remarkable, especially considering the band typically performs less than 10 dates a year. Stockholm Syndrome’s show at The Independent in San Francisco on Sunday night found the band in great form, performing as if the group lived on the road – which, in one way or another, they kinda do.
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As Stockholm Syndrome arrived onstage and greeted the slightly older crowd, the band tuned up and launched into a massive set that would persist for the better part of two hours. Schools, playing without his stalwart Modulus Quantum six-string, opting to play a Modulus Funk Unlimited four-string instead, imminently lit up a smoke, one of the countless number he sparked during the show, and looked eager to kick off the evening’s musical ventures. While Stockholm songs are a vast departure from the Panic songs that Schools normally plays, his dominating bass lines are still extremely similar in nature. He’s proven himself a bass player that can perform in several musical contexts, yet still hold onto a characteristic semblance that makes all of his playing unique and unmistakable.
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At points during the show the two guitarists would harmonize their instruments during solos, which created an amazing sound that worked surprisingly well considering Joseph’s and McFadden’s vastly different approaches. Typically, when the band’s songs called for some sort of solo, McFadden would be the player to step up and deliver. His skill on the guitar was so impressive that it’s astonishing he doesn’t command more respect amongst serious six-string followers. His style is extremely flashy but McFadden displayed such dexterity while playing that his fellow musicians seemed to be in awe of him. His showboat style is no doubt bolstered because he looks like a bad ass when he plays, too. Sporting a sneer, thin dreadlocks and tattoo-covered forearms, McFadden just looks like a dude who plays a guitar really well.
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After the unrelenting set concluded, the band bowed off the stage visibly stricken from the massive amount of musical movement all had taken part in. After the crowd cheered for a bit, they returned to the stage and launched into an extremely heavy two-song encore so intense that Ingram broke his snare.
Continue reading for Dave Vann’s pics from the previous night of Stockholm Syndrome in San Francisco…
Stockholm Syndrome :: 09.05.09 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA
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