|
Words & Images by Josh Mintz
New Monsoon :: 10.25.05 :: Newby's :: Memphis, TN
"This is surreal," said Bo Carper, guitarist for New Monsoon. "Don't take it personally," I replied.
New Monsoon :: 10.25 :: TN |
What was surreal, one might ask? Carper was referencing the crowd, or in this case, lack thereof. Memphis tends to be a tough market for up-and-coming bands. Most of the time when a relative unknown shows up to play the Bluff City, they'll find themselves on stage in front of a small crowd, or no crowd at all. With a city as steeped in musical history as Memphis, one would think that in any bar, on any given night, a band could reap new fans and serenade the old ones. Unfortunately, that's generally not the case at club shows in Memphis, as often even the most die-hard music fan won't show up if they've never heard of the band on the bill.
The situation was the same as usual when New Monsoon crossed the country to play Newby's on Tuesday night: great music played to a miniscule crowd, in this case one that numbered less than 25. Newby's is about a block from the University of Memphis, so a college crowd would be expected, but instead the band played to few faces, although those that were there were smiling from ear to ear.
Parikh & Carey :: 10.25 :: TN |
New Monsoon, from San Francisco, is one of the more innovative bands touring these days. They can't be called bluegrass despite the occasional presence of a banjo or a mandolin. They're not quite rock & roll, but the influence is clearly there, with lead guitarist Jeff Miller and rhythm guitarist Bo Carper's strong strings peppering the band's sound. Phil Ferlino provides consistently solid keyboard work, and newest band member Ben Bernstein's bass has given the band a heavy low end.
The one sure thing about New Monsoon is that they are heavy on beats: their instrumentation includes three men providing percussive backing, with Marty Ylitalo on drums, Brian Carey on percussion, and Rajiv Parikh on tabla, the Indian instrument consisting of two drums — the dayan on the right and the bayan on the left. On the heels of a new album titled The Sound, New Monsoon has been traversing the country, and their stop in Memphis provided another solid show.
Carper, Ylitalo, Bernstein :: 10.25 :: TN |
The first set opened with "Journeyman," the opening track from their new release, and the band had an immediate hold on the few people in the room. One of the great things about New Monsoon is the songwriting, and this song is no exception. Later on, the title track to the new disc hit the air and was played to perfection. Jeff Miller's lead guitar on this song is always strong, and he really pushed the envelope with his solo. This song in particular showcases the strength of the band, as all the pieces really fit together to form one original sound, the percussion of Parikh and Carey blending perfectly with Miller's crunching lead. The set closed with "Drivewheel" off their first disc, and before leaving the stage, drummer Ylitalo appealed to the crowd to "call their friends" in a last-ditch effort to fill the room.
Rajiv Parikh :: 10.25 :: TN |
The second set was something special, but sadly, few people were there to witness it. It started with some dialogue with the crowd, as Ylitalo discussed how two drummers for the late Memphis guitarist Shawn Lane had recently played his kit. Then, he urged the crowd to count the band into their first song of the set. After some debate with the crowd, the band pulled one woman onto the stage who counted "1...2...3...4," and New Monsoon was off and running. "Another Night (in Purgatory)" kicked off the second set, complete with Miller scatting along with his guitar solo and a few altered lyrics, as the band customized the song for the occasion with "Another night in Memphis, Tennessee." Parikh got to showcase his immense talent on tabla with "Country Interlude" after "Another Night" came to a close. The tabla just doesn't show up often in western music, and Parikh is certainly one of the few on the jamband scene. His talent though is second to none. He went from slow to fast, pulling soprano and alto sounds out of the two drums, with Carper playing along on acoustic guitar.
New Monsoon :: 10.25 :: TN |
Midway through the second set, the band really cut loose. With a smaller crowd, there is generally more room for experimentation, as there tend to be fewer expectations to meet for the people in attendance. There was plenty of interaction between band members on stage. It seemed as if during the set break the guys in the band had loosened up. The playing seemed more natural, as if they weren't putting on a show, but just playing to friends. At one point, drummer Ylitalo found an old light fixture somewhere on the stage, and after emerging from behind his drum kit (mid-song, nonetheless), he placed the fixture on his head and began to dance around the stage, which led to a didgeridoo solo. Carper made his way over to the tabla and took Parikh's place for his first documented on-stage tabla work. Percussionist Carey took over Ylitalo's spot on the drum kit, and Parikh got a little conga work in on Carey's setup. When Ylitalo finally made his way back to his kit, Carey made sure to drum a little on the light fixture, which was still atop Ylitalo's head.
The end result of all the instrument switches was a phenomenal jam that probably broke the fifteen-minute mark and was easily the highlight of the night. It showcased the band's versatility, as the song didn't miss a beat despite all the movement on stage. While the sparse crowd may have been a downer for some bands, New Monsoon didn't let it get to them and instead made the best of a bad situation and played their asses off, making some special music. They closed the show with "Rock Springs Road" and played no encore, but no one there seemed to care because the previous three hours had been good enough.
Carper may have felt the atmosphere was surreal, but the word "surreal" can be used in several ways. It can mean "odd" or "weird," but it can also be used as "fantastic." Those 15-20 people at Newby's would probably use the latter to describe the show.
JamBase | Memphis
Go See Live Music
|
