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Words & Images by Adam Gromfin
Scott Law Band :: 11.13.05 :: Mojito :: San Francisco, CA
Scott Law Band :: 11.13 :: San Francisco |
Scott Law Band recently played at Mojito, a small bar in San Francisco. Although it appears that Mojito hosts shows with some frequency, it boasts no stage. The quintet (plus-one) just squeezed their equipment between the bar's dozen or so tables. While I suspect an annoying mixture of too-hipsters and tourists frequent the joint Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, the place was impressively mellow and cool (a tough combo to pull-off) on Sunday night. None of which is really that pertinent to this musical commentary, except that the bar serves as a decent, if contrived, metaphor for the band it hosted — fresh (but not stuffy), hip (but not haughty), and edgy (but not inaccessible).
Arriving a bit early, we watched — over our drafts and chicken quesadillas — the band set up, sound check, and troubleshoot the problem of the bar's background music (Harper's "Live from Mars") playing through their stage monitors. Such scenes are always good reminders of just how dedicated touring musicians are. I think we tend to forget how hard it is not only to create music every night, but also to play driver, techie, roadie, etc.
Scott Law :: 11.13 :: San Francisco |
While Scott's roots run deep (formerly of Seattle's Tough Mama and Hanuman), I came to know of Scott by way of his residency at String Cheese Incident's annual Horning's Hideout festival, where he's been a guest the past few summers, always impressing with his mandolin work on familiar bluegrass standards. His additions to 2004's "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" and that whole mini-acoustic set stand out. Last winter, Scott joined forces with Honkytonk Homeslice (Billy Nershi and wife Jillian), a pared down acoustic ALO (Dan Lebowitz and Steve Adams), and Hot Buttered Rum for the special and intimate weekend that was the Powder Mountain Hoedown — a musical orgy of rotating acoustic pairings. PowMow proved a springboard into exciting musical relationships that found Scott sitting in with Hot Buttered Rum and then a prominent role as mandolin player, second-guitarist, and vocalist extraordinaire on Honkytonk Homeslice's 2005 summer tour (and their upcoming ski tour in 2006). Having witnessed these acoustic collaborations, my conception of Scott as a bluegrass/folk picker was not unfounded, even if terribly myopic in retrospect. Sunday proved that he's so much more, especially when backed by his current band.
As imprecise as the description is, I can't help but describe SLB as a rock/funk/jazz ensemble, which places them squarely in already crowded space. But where I think most bands in such crowds spend a lot of time manufacturing saccharin differences — we're a metal band with a DJ; we're a pop band with a female rapper; we play break-beats, with a tuba; we're a rock band with a tabla; we're a bluegrass band that plays trance — SLB differentiates itself by being incredibly good at what they do. Which is to say, they're different because they're better — not because they've carved out some very narrow niche. And that's not meant as a back-handed compliment in the least. Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds, but so is "different just to be different," especially when different so often is camouflage for average musicianship.
Martin Fierro :: Scott Law Band
11.13 :: San Francisco |
There's nothing average about SLB's musicianship. Scott is a force to be reckoned with, both with his confident vocals and on his gorgeous new Alembic guitar. He is a tremendous composer with an impressive sense of time and counterpoint, which is ever-present in his electric work (even if more subtle than in his acoustic-work). With more chops than Bruce Lee, his solos are melodic, tasteful, and creative — much more than just iterations on melody, but never roaming further than need be, and always comfortably within reach of the band's very groovy hooks.
Yes, hooks! Aimless noodling is fun and all but often sacrifices accessibility and depth. This ensemble uses its strong hooks to improvise without meandering, to compel without imposing, to swing without throwing off the dancing (a half dozen folks just couldn't contain themselves and danced right on top of the band), and to keep the crowd always in the loop. Of course, those hooks come easily when you've got a strong horn section — SLB's Damien Aitken joining forces with none other than Martin Fierro for the entire show. That "instant horn section," to borrow Scott's phrase, tackled Stevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman" with impressive alacrity, convincing those who might not have known better that the song came by way of a saxophonist, not a pianist. They tackled other pieces I had previously heard acoustically with similar dispatch, easily folding them into their electric ensemble.
Asher Fulero :: Scott Law Band
11.13 :: San Francisco |
It's become necessary, it seems, to describe such bands as bigger than the sum of their parts. And while I do believe that such overuse tends to deprive the phrase of meaning, I'm confident that I won't dilute it by ascribing it to SLB. This band is a unit of musicians who know how to listen to and to play off of one another. Each member — and Scott in particular — is incredibly deferential toward the others, none stealing the spotlight with flashiness or unnecessary pretension. The interactions between Scott and Asher Fulero on the keys were particularly noteworthy. While each took their share of impressive solos, and on occasion, traded call-and-response licks, they spent more time playing together — duo-ing, so to speak. The rhythm section — Dennis "Deep Den" Smith on bass and Rich Sellars on drums — never roamed far, serving instead the traditional role of linchpin. They accented without interfering and created movement without leading the charge. Have no doubt, Scott Law Band is not just Scott Law's band.
I can go on and on, but sometimes it's better to let the music speak for itself — and, as my favorite cut off SLB's newly-minted album prescribes, to "Let the Pieces Fall." If you're lucky and find yourself in the Bay Area for the holidays, catch Scott opening for (and possibly sixth-manning at) Hot Buttered Rum's NYE show in Mill Valley. In the meantime, grab a show from the live music archive. But be forewarned: SLB is intoxicating.
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