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“Play it Leo!!” We’ve all been waiting - dizzy from holding our breath - for Page McConnell to put forth something tangible. We needed something from the Chairman of the Boards to keep us assured that he’s still on top of his game. Besides a recent spring mini-tour, a New Years Eve run with his new band, along with his upcoming tour and other sporadic guest appearances in the past, Page has undoubtedly been the most quiet Phish pioneer during their ongoing hiatus. So, it’s high time for the arrival of the newest offering from a Phish side project. Enter Vida Blue; fronted by our beloved keyboardist and complimented by Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, and Russell Batiste of the Meters. The power trio has put together a truly unique, self-titled album to be released June 25th to the hordes of fans looking for their Phish-oriented fix. What makes the new album exciting is the manner it dives into uncharted terrain that is new to both listeners and musicians alike.
Fittingly, one of the album's greatest attributes is that it really sounds nothing like Phish at all. Vida Blue is it’s own electronic, funky, laid-back jazz entity. The album launches off with an ominously gnarly electronic groove that almost instantly folds into a more pleasant sound accompanied by some soothing, sentimentally valuable lyrics from Page. Tons of reverb is added to the vocals, especially those of Oteil singing along to his four-string. With a steady spine, the tune continues at a very mellow pace as it becomes increasingly saturated with layers of effects until the beat doubles its pace for a few minutes of improvisation before its eventual, melted demise.
Manipulating tempo is an obvious virtue of the album as the effects wrap a warp around the drum and bass section, expanding and deflating the thrust of individual rhythms. The fourth tune is not only the longest but also certainly the highest in energy. It builds in volume until a full disco-funk groove is established and commences to toy with what’s established, moving through new territory with a versatility that only a power trio of this caliber could endure. This instrumental is definitely the highlight of the album in my salty opinion. "Fresh Tube" continues the tube theme of Phish and side projects thereof, however, it does so without any obvious musical correlations that springs to mind. At this point the album begins to dwindle in velocity. The songs are very mellow and pleasant taboot ending with a beautiful piano driven, jazzy tune “Final Flight.” In general, the album is extremely placid at times, but in a good way that does not lack the denser grooves and complex melodic textures we all crave.
While the branded musical voice that Page had formed within the dynamic of his former foursome does shine through on occasion, it’s only natural, and pleasant at that. While hints of those effects that he cast off during the Space Odysseys of 1997 Phish shows appear very subtly throughout the album, the majority of his playing comes in through a medium you never dreamed would fly from the fingers of McConnell. His work on this venture is very experimental in a manner that sustains cohesiveness at a bearable level and reveals a whole new side of the musician we thought we knew too well. Oteil and Russell form a solid backbone for Page to toy with. Russell keeps exceptionally complex, cutting edge beats based on jazzy-electronica for the majority of the album. His seasoned musicianship is showcased during those segments where the album is in ambient limbo and his drumming carries the groove with intricate rolls that seal negative space. All of his efforts are spiced with elements of funk and waves of break-beat and trance. The bass lines that Oteil lay down on the album are very smooth and stretched giving a more enduring, deep texture to the grooves at whatever pulse it mobilizes. During periods of apparent free form, his style is poppy and liberated while still suitably cohesive.
The unity of their combined musical voice which, at times is not made extremely obvious, has birthed a plethora of melodies and grooves that depart and reunite with intricacy in ways that consistently demands auditory double takes. What the cookie crumbles down to is that this ear candy is certainly fresh. Take this recording as a good indication that Vida Blue has some gold mines to operate with onstage and the album offers a taste of such musical creativeness. Vida Blue will be touring more extensively beginning in early July with a tour that leapfrogs from Seattle to Philly. If you haven’t had the opportunity to hear Vida Blue, give it a listen, get warmed up, and go see live music in Vida Blue style.
Ian Koudstaal
JamBase Boulder Correspondent
Go See Live Music!
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