R.E.D. OPENS ITS DOORS IN SANTA MONICA

On Thursday, Feb 10th, I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button marked The Temple Bar. The doors opened, and The Groove Syndicate was laying down some bluesy funk. They played an hour of soulful singing wrapped in subtle guitar, accented by a sweet rhythm section. Then, ALO got the dreads loosened up and started to shake their brand of dance-driven music into the sweet crisp air of the Southern California night. They energized the crowd, which was huge for a Thursday night, and had everyone salivating for R.E.D. - the main event featuring Rob Wasserman on stand-up bass, Eric Gould (from Particle) on second bass and Darren Pujalet (also from Particle) on drums.

R.E.D. by Jon Liedel

R.E.D. is a project that was born a year ago from free form jams when Rob Wasserman opened for Particle as a solo act. While on tour, Eric and Darren sat in with him almost nightly. With improvisation at its core, R.E.D original "Clifford the Big Red Dog" opened a creative and varied set. The songs reached into the pockets of many friends, as a plethora of guests made their voices heard. Some were funk oriented, others more of an intersection of ideas where each party took control of the conversation for a bit, and then let the other choose the direction it was going.

The set included new original material, a couple of Particle songs, and several covers such as Dee-Lite's classic "Groove is in the Heart" and Zero 7's "Destiny." "Groove is in the Heart" got the place moving, but it was the exchange between Rob and Eric that drove the jams, and that could not have happened without Darren holding it all together. He was the glue of this multi-headed R.E.D. monster. A free form jam, which turned into "Lovelight," got the place hopping, and the "Spoonful" which followed opened the door for a Particle original, "Golden Gator," to slither his way across the dance floor. Guests included Cindy Wasserman on vocals, Frank Brennen on harmonica, Sarah Jane Keith on vocals, Matt DeMerritt from Dakah on sax and flute, and Willie Waldman on trumpet.

After the show I had a chance to ask Eric Gould a few questions:

JamBase: How did this project come to life?

Eric Gould by Gardner

Gould: The birth of R.E.D. was very organic. Rob opened up a tour for Particle about a year ago as a solo bass act. He invited Darren and I to sit in with him during his set. We ended up playing with him every night of the tour. By the end, we realized that the three of us had pretty much already formed a band.

Not too long ago, Rob gave me a call and wanted to get the project going. The timing was right and we made it happen. This project is really unique in that the melody comes from the rhythm section. The sound is avant guard but fresh and danceable.

JamBase: When you're playing with Rob, I noticed that no matter who's onstage you two were locked in and had a lot of interaction with Darren as well. Are you following each other's picking or is it more groove oriented?

Gould: Rob and I are very in tune with each other. We have different playing styles so the sound is unique. It really was a smooth flow for us from the start. Our decisions of switching from low to high end or just creating a doubled thick bottom sound came naturally. Darren is a great drummer for this project. He's really in tune to the low end and follows us well when we do our thing. There is also a lot of room for him to open up and express himself in different ways.

JamBase: Are there plans in the mix for more, perhaps recording an album?

Wasserman & Gould by Flanigan

Gould: We all have very busy schedules. Rob always has multiple projects going on while Darren and I are immersed in Particle and Hydra. But this was a lot of fun and very unique. We will definitely be making time to explore this more.

Eric Gould and the rest of Particle are heading out across the country, then on to Amsterdam, and coming home for a 14-night tour with Mickey Hart as a five-headed monster called Hydra. Don't take the stairs. Jump right on the elevator, and be prepared to have a great time... And be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a late night R.E.D. show at Jazzfest!

PARTICLE ON TOUR: