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Fusion seems to me a phrase that's passed it's worth due to the enormous
amount of acts out there that appeal to various demographics and open
the doors to different styles from pop to funk to rock and onward.
However, gutbucket's
self description of "jazz/punk kerzoom!" was enticing because it not
only portrays a band bringing together two genres that are seldomly
melded but creates a third, abstract way of self reference that simply
brings to mind fun and excitement which is purely evident as saxophonist
Ken Thomson bops around the stage playing wild arrangments that enhance
what his partners are doing and provides a looping string on which you
can ride with him all night.
Playing every Friday through 2001 at the Knitting Factory
Tap Bar, with three sets from 11pm to 2am, there's ample room for
them to keep you going in what turns to after hours for most people.
Unlike the main stage at the Factory, the Tap Bar is free and much more
like other locations where live music can be found in Manhattan that
trend towards bar than music venue (one of my personal favorites being
the Evelyn Lounge on the Upper West Side which is about much more than
yuppies and cigars). When the music starts, the lights stay at full
brightness and the buzz in the room barely abates but that shouldn't
prevent you from getting into their extended kicks filled with punkish
feedback, out there jazz and improvisations which mix in a bit of Latin
and hip hop with drummer Paul Chuffo showing his abilities to beat on
those skins and then slide into the background work while bassist Eric
Rockwin and guitarist Ty Citerman go from ambient to dominant, adding
the rocket like trajectories of hot jazz while unafraid to hang back and
then jump in again when the openness of their more exploratory tunes is
the game.
Their compositions range from less tangible guitar feeds with the drums
leaving a popcorn trail for you to follow them back into chest heaving
beats that are quickly complimented by the sax to noise driven
progressive jazz. They spread it out widely but then pulse back and
forth at times like the up and down motion of a trampoline with the same
sense of giddiness that belies their gripping sense of humor. So what
if the banner keeps falling down, it can be a shawl, a carpet, a
pseudo-pinata or a twirling flag which bolsters the fun instead of
acting as a distraction in the lead ins to songs like one which was
called, I think, AAAAH!! which embodies their sense of absurdity
and randomness as well as the hard core nature derived from their punk
influences. But it's not always rough and tumble. gutbucket also shows
finesse throughout their sets, tip toeing and carefully darting around
the house with the pleasure of curiosity.
Ending my evening with them, they came out with a tune called Dry
Humping the American Dream which was the most ambitiously composed
song of the night's repertoire. Starting off with a bit of jazz, they
took it into a punkier area where the bass could ominously trance you
before they headed into an extended latin bit, swinging back into
another succession of those changing styles in the same order, skipping
a similar third round by moving harder and then weaving in a slide
groove which turned fluidly into some frenetically speedy jazz until the
big latin finish.
On the way out, I had a chance to meet a couple of the gutbucket guys
and left with a smile that such stimulating music was provided me by
genuinely nice people. They'll be at the Knitting Factory
Tap Bar for the rest of the year so you'll have a few more chances
to check them out there and, hopefully, they'll be announcing more gigs
in the year to come.
[Published on: 11/30/00]
 
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