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Steve Kimock Band :: May 13, 2004 :: Fox Theatre
:: Boulder, CO
 The
Steve Kimock Band
had traveled from Flagstaff through some stormy spring weather to kick off their
four-day Colorado tour at Boulder's Fox
Theatre. Opening band Mountain
of Venus did their part to shake off the gloom with their upbeat jams. Lead
guitarist Michael Pascale continued to impress as a tremendous talent
who, with strong vocal harmonies, distinguishes this band among its contemporaries.
It seems that MoV has established itself as the unofficial opening band of choice
for the SKB in Colorado over the past few years, giving locals several opportunities
to catch their guitar-driven improvisational rock.
Any road blues quickly melted as Steve Kimock and crew kicked off their show with a very funky "Thing One" that seemed to energize both crowd and musicians. Rodney Holmes displayed some weariness early on as he dropped a drumstick during a riff but he shook it off and didn't miss a beat. He dug deep and turned in yet another strong performance.
 The
show featured three newer songs: "Faker's Luck," "Malichi," and "Weapons of
Moose Destruction." These and other new songs like "Dr. Zaius" and "Bouncer"
are making their way into SKB set lists and are welcome additions. "Faker's
Luck" starts slowly and builds into a heavy Mitch Stein reverb jam that
has an unorthodox song structure but sounds great nonetheless. After this, Mitch
kept the spotlight with gutsy funk riffs throughout "Long Form (Part 1)."
Rodney's intense solo drum introduction to "Moon People" was a spectacular assault on the skins, like rolling thunder coming off the Rockies. The song itself isn't one of my favorites because it's sooo heavy but it's still a joy to watch Steve playing the strings above the top guitar fret like a percussion instrument while the band never loses the techno groove.
 The
second set dug up the funk again with the foot tappin' "You're the One." Steve,
armed with his Explorer guitar, dueled with rythym guitarist Mitch Stein to
a head-shaking draw, setting the stage for new bass player Leo Traversa
to take a solo. Fans may not be familiar with Leo, who has joined the band for
this tour. Based in New York City, he's received critical acclaim for his multi-genre
bass playing in numerous international outfits and he seems to be fitting right
into SKB on this tour.
Also new to the SKB tour lineup is keyboardist Jim Kost, another East Coaster who's a long time friend of Steve. Jim doesn't solo in this ensemble. His work is almost subliminal in that his volume is relatively low in the mix. He studies where the music is going and places soft chords in space that add tone to the mix. His playing may not be integral to these songs but it certainly adds color, enhancing the listening experience.
 A
new favorite is "Weapons of Moose Destruction," a showcase for "Moose" Stein's
guitar. Steve plays the pedal steel to build a warm, full melody (aka the "Kimock
Fat Tone") for Mitch to deliver a raucous jam over. This night tended to be
a "Mitch" show as he consistently showcased his funky rock. I'm hoping this
tune makes it onto SKB's first studio album, due for release in the coming months.
On "Elmer's Revenge," Rodney poured his soul into a solo while Steve pulled out his Cripe guitar to set up the song's power chord chorus. An ongoing projected light show behind the band featured computer generated art on top of live video of the band members. I had to chuckle when graphic waves radiated out of Steve's projected head as the chords washed the crowd.
 The
show closed with a pretty, but abbreviated, version of "Tongue 'n' Groove" that
left me wanting more. I'd be able to see the band for two more nights at Denver's
Cervante's Masterpiece
followed by a special show in Bond, Colorado, a mountain setting that offers
fans a chance to camp out and enjoy the Colorado river with SKB and Shanti
Groove. As luck would have it, the rainy weather cleared up overnight. The
band should look forward to soaking up the mountain sun before they head far
east for four shows in Japan. Hopefully they find some rejuvenation in the mountains.
They're going to need it--have you been through international airport security
lately?
Set One: Thing One, Faker's Luck, Long Form (Part 1), Life of the
Party, Moon People, Malichi
Set Two: You're the One, Ice Cream Factory, Weapons of Moose Destruction,
Elmer's Revenge, One For Brother Mike, Tongue 'n' Groove
Words: Haig Assadourian
Photos: Tony
Stack
JamBase | Boulder
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