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| Jerry Joseph :: Dave Schools :: 05.08.04 :: Malhauz :: Plauen, GER |
After little sleep it was time to hit Plaun, a small German city near the Czech Republic. Upon arrival fans were already assembling and helping us find our way into the old, strangely shaped room. The previous night's intense energy carried over and the band's second gig showed noticeable improvement. The German fans screamed in appreciation, working up a sweat and creating a real rock vibe under the venue's low ceilings and sloping walls.
"Empire One" and "Oil" again came off strong as the band dropped into the dub-heavy beats of "Sack Full Of Hearts." While some of the nuances are still in need of some fine-tuning the core of these tracks is simply amazing and is a testament to the band's songwriting prowess. In discussing "Sack Full Of Hearts" it's necessary to comment again on the mouth open amazement that Wally Ingram brings to the table. Watching him man the skins and do more with NO electronic devices than most players with pads and delays, I can't help but ask myself how this man has slipped past my radar all these years. Yes I've heard the name Wally Ingram, and yes I knew Dave Schools wouldn't search out a slouch on drums, but nothing prepared me for the talent this man possesses. To say he is a professional is an understatement, but you don't tour with David Lindley, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, and Tracy Chapman without being on a level all your own. Some of you may say, "Oh Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman--big deal, they don't rock." If that's where you stand there is far too much you need be taught, and I simply don't have the time right now. Just realize that you don't get picked up by the biggest names in the business unless you are top-notch... and Wally Ingram is beyond top-notch.
Eric McFadden
05.08.04 : Malhauz : Plauen, GER |
Set two in Plaun brought another raging "The Jacob Ladder" as well as an inspirational "Light Is Like Water," with Jerry walking to the front of the stage and standing over the crowd to scream the words without using his mic. This was true Jerry Joseph time, tapping into the naked emotions and letting them rule his performance. It was at this point that I realized something—and this is nothing against the Jackmormons for I truly enjoy what they do. But I realized this is the band I've been waiting to see Jerry work with. Having McFadden on lead guitar, who Schools so accurately said "can play circles around nine out of ten guitar players," with Dave himself (who is unquestionably one of the greatest bassist around), with the amazing Wally Ingram and the ever inventive Danny Dziuk on keys, THIS is the band I've been longing to see Jerry create with.
And that is perhaps the key phrase here—"create with." The reason this is such a critical concept is that Jerry is used to being the guy the whole time. His band is Jerry Joseph... and the Jackmormons. So the question becomes, can you take all these amazing, accomplished, ambitious musicians, who are band leaders in each of their own projects, and mesh them into one cohesive unit? This is the real issue. If they can manage to truly become a band, not simply backing Jerry on his vast and amazing catalogue of music, but become a band in the true sense of the word, where each member works to make the whole greater than the parts, then the potential is truly astonishing and limits are perhaps nonexistent.
Danny Dziuk
05.08.04 : Malhauz : Plauen, GER |
In assembling the pieces of this band we find Ingram's world class, immensely versatile drumming, and Dave Schools' equally astounding bass playing establishing a rhythm section that is as good as anything you could dream of. Not only is Danny Dziuk, as Jerry put it, "one of the most beautiful human beings alive," but as Dave Schools pointed out, "he is one of the best keyboard players alive." Danny spent his childhood chasing the characters of Jack Kerouac and living out his fantasies in accordance with On The Road. He toured in rock bands and doesn't focus on such loud music these days, and in turn we often can't hear Danny, both in his volume and in his style of attack. With Jerry, Dave, and Eric on stage there's a lot of sound to contend with, and if the keyboard player isn't aggressive he'll be lost in the shuffle.
That shuffle is in great part due to the amazing Eric McFadden. In this dynamic we find Eric and Jerry working out their places. As Jerry said, "Eric does everything I don't do as a guitar player." And if they can continue to find their respective spaces and compliment each other, allowing adequate room to breathe and in turn team up to blow the roof off when the time is right, this band may be in for big things.
In one conversation with Eric, we discussed the intricacies of learning to play with these guys, and his belief that once they find their roles the music will truly begin to unfold. In considering Eric's position and watching him play I did seem to sense a bit of hope that more material would evolve as a band, as opposed to songs from the Jackmormons rotation. And when considering the musical mastery and outright insane playing this guy is capable of, it's no wonder he doesn't want to play songs that have already been developed and heavily explored. All of these men are such talented and creative musicians that the need to develop new material with group dynamics and a fresh perspective is crucial. So again, much like a basketball team with five superstars manning the floor, the question truly is, can the band as a whole make these five intricate pieces fit into one amazing outfit?
Jerry Joseph & Dave Schools
05.08.04 : Malhauz : Plauen, GER |
Coming out of such heavy thoughts was the raging "Ray Of Heaven" guitar meltdown that shook Plaun to its core. I don't care if these boys don't like the term "jam," but the shit going down in the ten-minute, wide-open freakout "Ray Of Heaven" was downright nasty. Featuring McFadden and Jerry trading licks and firing shots through the dank, dark room and Schools dropping bombs galore Plaun turned into a sweaty mess of a good time.
After the show, as we all enjoyed the replenishing effects of heavy libations, the discussions continued in regards to what I've been referring to as the "sound war." You see, we are working with a talented and well respected German soundman who is doing his best to keep the levels in place, but with so much guitar and such small rooms the end result is not always to his liking. But as Dave said on the bus well into our drive to Munich, "This is a rock 'n' roll band, and I don't give a fuck if some beer hall owner booked my rock band and it's too fuckin' loud." Spoken like the badass rock bassist he is... and I would guess he's only going to get louder when he hits the states.
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| Jerry Joseph & Eric McFadden :: Band :: Traveling On Tour Bus |
In what appeared to be a direct result of the loudness conversation the night before, the band began their Munich show on May 9 with Jerry on his acoustic guitar. Opening with "Tight," the band continued to hash out their parts and with a little less guitar Danny was able to open up a bit more on the keys and show his marvelous phrasing. The show in Munich (and all of them for that matter) is the type of intimate affair where Schools throws his shaker to young Leopold (who couldn't be older than seven) in the first row. Jerry tells him to, "Just shake it in time" as he demonstrates the proper form. And not one song later I see the young blond haired German kid doing just that, shaking in time, staring back at the crowd, displaying a natural ability already developing.
Danny Dziuk & Jerry Joseph (acoustic)
05.09.04 : Kleine Elserhalle : Munich, GER |
After a few more acoustic numbers, namely the disturbing love song "Spy" and a wonderful reading of "White Dirt," with McFadden playing the most appropriate and gorgeous mandolin section, Jerry proclaims that, "The wooden part of the show is over, it's time for a scorcher." With that the band launches into their first version of "North." While I've come to expect great things of "North" from both Widespread Panic and Jerry with his Jackmormons, this version was clearly a bit sloppy and lacking the tight changes and nasty licks necessary for transcendence. It was still enjoyable to hear, and satisfying simply to realize that they will be working this monster into their repertoire.
The smoothest part of the show came in the transition from the reggae beats and Rasta chants of Jerry's "Lick The Tears" into "Bouncing Very Well." Like any band that develops a rotating repertoire culling different songs nightly and constantly adding more material, Stockholm Syndrome have found a few numbers that compliment one another. The guys are finding these intricacies just a week into the band's existence, covering ground that most groups don't address until far later days.
Blasting through another "Light Is Like Water" and working out the delicate sections of Jerry's "Crime and Punishment," the band encored with "One In My Hand" and "Counter Clock World" (both off Holy Happy Hour). And before I had time to digest the music or even a meal it was off to Frankfurt, another day and another show with no break in sight.
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