gkwoodward

That Toga Band               

Air Play

By Garret K. Woodward

It’s hard to be a somewhat unknown band in Burlington. It’s especially hard when you already possess a raw aptitude for composition paired with a seemingly endless potential for improvisation.

Lurking in the shadows of The Queen City, That Toga Band is an experience one might come across at a keg party, a balcony on School Street amid a quite Tuesday evening, during a quick meal at Manhattan Pizza or stirring up more than just a cappuccino at a coffeehouse downtown.

Self-proclaimed “AcoustaJazzFlimFlam” and “experts in underwater research exploration”, the trio consists of Thomas Pearo (guitarbass), Tyler George-Minetti (lead guitar) and Anthony Kareckas (drums).

Within the nine instrumental tracks (a tenth emerges simply of a garbage truck picking up trash, as an eleventh is of an on-air radio interview), the tone is subtle and inviting. As Pearo draws comparison to the likes of Kaki King, George-Minetti conjures a keen blues awareness similar to Steve Kimock, while Kareckas provides the timing and patience of a seasoned jazz drummer. Yet, after the initial listen, one starts to find themselves amused by the character and personality each soundscape holds- intrigued to hit the play button once more.

Like two balloons tied to a park bench, Pearo and George-Minetti drift through the album, continuously playing cat and mouse while the stable foundation of Kareckas offers the listener a seat to sit, enjoy and immerse.

What results is a performance of life, stripped down to the barebones. This group of ambient rockstars who, instead of tearing up hotel rooms, tear through record stores in search of gems from Dan Hicks or the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Instead of a steady stream of hookers and nose candy, they fill their appetites with mushroom tea and intelligent brunettes with thick rimmed glasses.

It’s about quality versus quantity with That Toga Band, as they clearly harness the former.

Key Tracks:

“Bleedin’ from the Brain”, “Opening Up”, “Adventures of Toga and the Squid”

(www.myspace.com/thattogaband)

I went out of curiosity, yet left perplexed.

A staple of the music orientation we all go through growing up, Three Dog Night is one of those acts overheard in your parents stereo as a child, a treasure discovered in middle school, clam baked to in high school, forgotten in college, but dusted off in adulthood.

So, as one can imagine, an opportunity to witness them firsthand could not be lost.

As it turned out the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium is actually the Idaho Falls High School auditorium (there aren’t many venues in this desolate city). The sold-out performance attracted a plethora of conservative Mormons, ranging from chastity belt 20-somethings to McCain supporting parents and grandparents (who sat in their seats the entire night, hands crossed, clapping when a song ended, cheering when a familiar melody came to light).

The evening came under way as the sextet plugged in. The trademark long hair, mustaches and hip-hugging bell-bottoms have been traded in for white hair, bulging bellies and a face full of wrinkles collected over the decades on the road. It was a scene I had somewhat expected, but what came to be went beyond all my expectations.

As they dipped into their vast catalogue of hits and lesser known favorites, a stunned look came across my face with the mere fact they sound as good, in concert, as they did 30 years ago. Lead by vocalists Cory Wells and Danny Hutton (founding members alongside the original keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon and guitarist Michael Allsup), AM radio smash after AM radio smash pierced the ears of the eager audience.

“Shambala”, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, “One”, “Liar”, “Never Been To Spain”, “Black And White”, “Celebrate” came one after another in the barrage exuded from the stage. The vocal ranges (still intact) of Wells and Hutton were proof positive that old age does not mean minimum wage for these remnants of the “Me Decade”. Though they played the songs to a “T” (no improvising, just straightforward melodies), a sense of mastery could be attributed to the band. It’s impressive enough that four of the original members (out of six) are still touring together, but what made it unique is the deep, 40+ year, relationship between each musician seen through smiles shared back and forth onstage and an ironed out set that has developed over the years.

But then it happened.

Waiting anxiously for the one song held near and dear, “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)” ended the show. It sounded exactly like the record, but no less enjoyable to say the least. About halfway through the song, Wells stopped singing and began talking to the crowd.

“You know, a rapper once told me this song was the grandfather of rap,” he said. “And I asked the guy, ‘What are you smoking?’ then said ‘Do you have anymore?’”

I had no idea where this was heading.

“Seeing as the song was made in the twentieth century, we decided to do a twenty-first century version.”

Wells then walked offstage. A minute later he returned adorned in a sideways oversized baseball cap, dark sunglasses and two forms of bling hanging from around his neck (the guy is my father’s age). The group then restarted the song, with a faster tempo, as Wells proceeded to rap the lyrics. The older and more conservative crowd roared and clapped in an effort to show solidarity with the group over the “silliness” of new music.

“So which version do you like more, the twentieth century or the twenty-first?” he asked, taking off the shades, cap and accessories.

With an approval vote for the former, the band then replayed the song before exiting the stage. The crowd whistled, cheered and stomped until an encore was evident.

“Well, I guess you want to hear that bullfrog song now,” Hutton said as a sing-along of “Joy To The World” closed the evening.

Strolling out of the auditorium, I tried to piece together what was just seen. I thought I had Three Dog Night pinned down as some nostalgia act, which at times it seemed so, but with their treasure trove of classics (that sounded as fresh as ever) and a keen sense of humor, I was thrown for a loop I’m still trying to explain to others about.

King of the Mountain

By Garret K. Woodward

If Eric Clapton is God, then Kaki King is the Virgin Mary.

Braving the slick roads and hazardous winds, those in the know found themselves at the Mangy Moose for what was to be a musically religious experience, a cacophony of sound.

Although the crowd was slim to none, maybe around 40, the guitar virtuoso played her heart out in an effort to drag any and all in from the cold to the warmth of her tone.

Being named the first female to Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Guitarist’s List”, King modestly jumped onstage and began her madness.

But with an angelic voice just as impressive as her instrumental skills, King softly announced she had a relentless cold to which she would not be singing this evening. Although one might be perturbed by this news, all judgments were quickly dashed as she proved to the crowd the justified reasons Rolling Stone felt her worthy.

Known as a solo instrumentalist, King brought with her a backup band that were part of the new direction she has taken with her latest release, Dreaming of Revenge.

Instead of the usual guitar solos and vocal accompaniment, the group filled the room with music from the album, touching on moods and soundscapes as one would close their eyes and drift into some abyss where all was good, all was just and all was at ease.

Combining fret tapping with slap bass techniques, King awed the audience as she used the guitar for percussional beats, a style reminiscent of Michael Hedges or Preston Reed.

Though the vocals were absent, one could conclude it did not take away from the performance, but caused the listener to listen a little harder, to focus on the note and the instrument.

In an effort to makeup for the lost voice, King brought forth a three-song solo acoustic endeavor as the rest of the band sat alongside the stage. While tuning up, King found herself in a tangent about Fleetwood Mac as she groggily sang “Landslide” with the crowd aiding in harmonies.

“You know, when I grew up I wanted be Stevie Nicks and I ended up being Lindsey fuckin’ Buckingham. Man, that bitch got so fat…” King joked.

Eventually, the musicians rejoined her for an encore jam that seemed endless in any time, place or manner restrictions. Suddenly, as soon as it had arrived, the sound abruptly ended, halting the mental momentum one found themselves in, bringing them back to reality, ultimately begging for more as King exited the stage.

For those who may feel modern music is not worth even the instruments it is played on, Kaki King more than justifies why music now, more than ever, is blossoming and as symbolic as ever.

March 26, 2008

Garret Woodward: Where are you right now?

Brian Haas: I’m in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the band rehearsing the band for the tour.

GW: So your tour begins next week…

BH: We’re super excited. We’ve added two members to the band. In order to make it work, we added the producer Tae Meyulks and this genius guitarist Pete Tomshany. We’re not trying, literally, to recreate the record. We just want to be able to draw from that same large palate of colors. So, the two guys we added are incredibly brilliant and they’re going to enable us to have more of a symphonic, textural approach every night.

GW: And your new album is out April 8…

BH: Oh man, we’re really excited. It’s the first, official release, hard-copy release since the end of 2005. It’s always fun to just have tons of new music, a different approach and have all the kinetic energy that comes with releasing a record. We’ve got some surprises on this tour. We’re bringing along a projectionist who will basically act like a member of the band. We’re going to be telling a story every night through visual images and also through the music. We’re figuring out a way to match it all up.

GW: I’m really excited for the show at the Knotty Pine (Victor, Idaho).

BH: I love how small that venue is, all the rowdy locals. The people that tend to congregate around towns like that are people into the outdoors, into the mountains and water and clean, fresh air. That’s exactly what I’m into so it’s really easy for me to relate to those people. I always meet lots of new people at those shows, at the Knotty Pine or the Mangy Moose. There’s always somebody who wants to show us a hike the next day or a water system. It’s always a pleasure. That’s what I’m into, staying outside as much as possible and celebrating nature. I’m definitely looking forward to that clean air.

GW: So, it must be a treat to come out and play in the Tetons.

BH: It’s super unique. Being jazz musicians, we’ve spent most of our careers in the big cities and it’s a pleasure to get back into the woods. The only time I’ve ever encountered a moose was actually on that highway leaving Victor.

GW: The one that goes over the Tetons?

BH: Uh-huh, exactly, that pass gets hairy sometimes. It was actually kind of a slow drive at night. We were driving in snow. The locals already told us once you get over the pass, you’ll be fine but you guys should probably leave after the show, if you guys stay in town, you’ll be snowed-in. So we took off and I was driving.  I came around a corner and encountered a creature that looked, to my eye, like it was bigger than the van. It was a full-grown Bull Moose. He stopped in the road, turned, looked at me, gave me plenty of time to check him out then turned and ran straight up a vertical slope.

GW: That’s pretty wild.

BH: Yea, like a vertical slope that would have taken me five hours to get up. And I would’ve needed like climbing gear and a rope to get up it, but this moose, this huge animal was up the thing in like five seconds.

GW: I feel that even though the crowds at the Pine and the Moose may not have the biggest crowd by numbers, but it’s more about quality and not quantity.

BH: Yea, and they’re super appreciative.

GW: It was said that this album was more idiosyncratic album you guys have done…

BH: It was our first time to really, completely step out of the jazz world. We’re always influenced by jazz and that was kind of our starting point as far as our personal language. But with this record, we were completely going for a much more ambient thing, a much more beat driven thing. It was a whole different approach for us, I mean we’ve never spent thirteen months in the studio before, making a record. We usually make a record in one or two days. So, just the basic approach for us was a brand new thing. I think the record, the way it sounds, it draws on so many different influences. A lot of people that are really into jazz are already reviewing it and saying “Wow, this is my favorite jazz record of the year!”…[Laughs] and I’m like ok, great, I’m glad their hearing it like that.

GW: The mail is a little slow out here, but I got the record a couple of days ago. I listened to it and it was pretty wild stuff. Especially with the soundscapes and the moods. Last week, I went and saw Kaki King at the Moose and it reminded a lot of that, just trying to explore the moods of a space. Just very free flowing, layered and textured.

BH: Does she have a band or was she doing it solo?

GW: She had a backup band for this new album. The show that I caught, she was sick and wasn’t singing. So it was all instrumental, just exploring the room. But, yea I was really intrigued by your new album. I guess maybe most people might have expected a flat-out jazz album. It was amazing to see the direction and change, in a good way. It seemed like you were exploring some new territory.

BH: Well, thank you. A lot of that is the producer. We started working with Tae actually in 2000 and we’ve been talking about making a record with him since that time. He and I have been doing studio work, tracking and working on just weird, unique tracks. He’s been doing it with Reed as well since 2000. So, this is a long time coming.

GW: How did you guys decide to go in that direction?

BH: Well, it wasn’t even really a conscious decision. We just knew that we’ve been working with him for years and we wanted to do something completely different with this record. We’d already made two trio records for Hyena with me on grand piano. We thought it was time to kind of push ourselves. Thirteen months in the studio trying to make sense out of stuff is a really good way to push yourself. I think it changed our whole concept of how to make music and what we’re doing with music. It was our first time ever to spend that much time in the studio so that in itself really changed our concept.

GW: Now, Tae has this immense interest in the psychedelic effects of sleep deprivation. Can you elaborate about his approach in the studio of just staying up nonstop? It seems kind of like letting your mind play tricks you a little bit when you’re mixing the sounds…

BH: I’m sure you can hear that when you’re listening to the record. He’s one of those unique guys that just doesn’t need that much sleep. He’ll stay up for four to six days at a time. And for me to finish the record, I had to start doing that with him. So, I was also experiencing those same effects. He’s just one of the super, unique genius guys. It’s hard to describe in words, you have to meet him in person, you have to hear what the music sounds like live. A good insight to his personality is definitely what the record sounds like.

GW: When I was listening to it, even though I had a full-nights rest, it felt I had been up for like three days in some dreamlike state. You know what I mean? I thought it was like eerie. I felt like if I were to walk through my head, that would be the soundtrack.

BH: [Laughs] That’s a really high compliment, man. I think you totally nailed it. The record is strong enough that it actually will put you in that state.

GW: It was quite interesting. It reminded me a lot of Thom Yorke. That kind of uninhabited, exploration of the mind.

BH: Oh, thank you. That is such a high compliment, man. I really appreciate you listening to the record.

GW: How has Josh been assimilating, being the new drummer and this being his first record with you guys?

BH: We were his favorite band for about ten years. So, he rolled in, back to Seattle at the beginning of last year and started coming to these jam sessions. And he knew all of our music better than our current drummer. So, he pretty much left us little choice. He pretty much showed up and served notice.

GW: It seems he is bringing some new life into it.

BH: Absolutely.

GW: The press release says you guys were on hiatus, taking a break last year…

BH: I never felt like I took any time off because I was working on the record all last year. You know, publicist and people in the business have a hard time understanding just ‘cause we weren’t touring doesn’t mean we weren’t working.

GW: That’s what I wandering.  I just moved here from New York and was like, “I remember these guys being on tour last year.”

BH: Exactly, EXACTLY. It was frustrating to me because it’s like, “What? Did I not work enough?”

GW: Because in the press release, it says you disappeared from the music scene during the “hiatus”.

BH: [Laughs] That’s interesting. Well the reason we did that was to make the record. In order to make such a crazy, unique record, we had to stop touring so much. It was tons of fun, it was great reward to us.

GW: Definitely. Obviously being on the road can take its toll and it’s good to take whatever emotions you were feeling on the road and apply it to a record.

BH. Absolutely. That’s a good way of putting it. We’ve worked so hard, starting in 1994 when we started the band. You know, 2003, 2004 and 2005 we huge years from us. We started touring the entire world, Europe, South America, touring the United States extensively. We kind of felt like giving ourselves a little gift in 2007 and working on the record and not being on the road all the time. If we’d been on the road like the way our management, our booking agent and record company wanted us to be on the road in 2007, this record would never had been made.

GW: Reed was quoted as saying, “we’re more proud of it than anything we’ve ever done.”

BH: It was easily the most difficult thing we’ve every done. Easily.

GW: Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

BH: Exactly. You are totally right. I mean, in a way we’re taking a huge risk with the band we’re taking on the road. The very foundation of Jacob Fred has always been built on risk. We’ve never, ever sat still and said “Here’s our sound, let’s make money off of our sound, let’s just do our thing.” We’ve never had that concept. In fact, we’ve always had the opposite concept. As soon as we start to feel ourselves getting comfortable, we start challenging ourselves. All of us compose a lot. All three members of the band are people that change a lot, personally and internally. So that keeps the music shifting, the music changing as well.

GW: Well, especially coming from a jazz background, the last you would want to be is complacent and pigeonholed.

BH: Exactly.

GW: I’ve heard a new album is already in the works?

BH: Last month we recorded the next record, before we even started rehearsing the new band for the new tour. We actually made the next record last month.

GW: When it rains, it pours…

BH: Exactly. Reed is going to be producing the next record.

GW: So, with him producing, trying something new again?

BH: Absolutely, so that you know we will never the same thing twice.

GW: Are you going along that same direction as this record?

BH: It’s very ambient. It’s very textual and soundscape oriented. Except for it’s all acoustic instruments, well I can’t say it’s all acoustic because Reed is playing electric guitar. But it’s us laying and laying live time instead of using a computer. We went into this studio on this incredible lake, a few hours outside of Tulsa and we just starting laying down piano, melodica, toy piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and just starting layering all of this stuff. We went into this incredible studio with this world-class engineer. It was this guy who made all his money in the 70’s and 80’s with heavy metal and now he is doing his own thing. He owns this 90-acres eco-estate on Beaver Lake and before we even started rehearing the Little Tae Rides Again band, we’d already completely tracked the next record.

GW: How do you want your fans to embrace this new record?

BH: A lot of fans are already embracing it, they’re madly in love with it. Jacob Fred fans are typically music fans. Jacob Fred fans aren’t typically people who align their personalities with any one genre of music. Like, in America, one of the problems with the music business and with capitalism is that people let the music that they listen to be sort of part of their identity. You know, “Well, I like this kind of music,” “I dress like this because of who I am.” And that’s one thing we learned in Europe is that people are just music fans. People love all music. And, I’m seeing more of that in America. I’ve noticed that Jacob Fred fans are generally people that just love music. People that aren’t like, “I’m an indie-rock guy, I’m a jazz guy.” Because we love so much music, we bring that to the table when we play. I think this new record is right up old school, die-hard Jacob Fred fans alley.

It was hot, smelly and above all, a joyous occasion. With upwards of 300 in attendance, Victor was once again the musical hub of the Teton Valley as the Knotty Pine played host to jazzgrass maestros Hot Buttered Rum this past Saturday.

Opening for The Waybacks, the San Francisco-based group hit the ground running as they unleashed their string invasion onto the anxious crowd.

The Pine felt more like a sardine can, as patrons danced barefoot, without a care in the world. There were colossal beards, dreadlocks, as well as Pabst Blue Ribbon in-hand within the overalls, plaid shirts and camouflage-clad audience.

Sensing a raucous response radiating from the congregation, the Rum delivered with tunes such as “Limbo in Lovelock” from their latest release Live in the Northeast and “Firefly” from Well-Oiled Machine.

As the show progressed, mandolinist Zach Matthews spoke to the crowd before jumping into “Idaho Pines”- a song written about Victor according to Murray.

“The last time we were here, I awoke very early in the morning. I walked down to the cemetery as the sun came up, and continued wandering through the area. I was struck by the beauty here, which is why I wrote this song,” he said.

The true talents of this quintet emerged as each contributed solos, vocals and intricate improvisation with a certain chemistry between the bunch one can conclude has resulted from years of bonding and paying their dues on the grueling tour circuit.

A couple of gems surfaced to the jubilation of the listeners with covers of “New Speedway Boogie” (Grateful Dead) and “Ginseng Sullivan” (Norman Blake), a song routinely used by Phish during their tenure. “Birds and the Bees” signaled the last stop on the musical train that is Hot Buttered Rum.

The deafening roar of the crowd confirmed the notion that residents of Teton County will always welcome and embrace the bluegrass boys from the Bay Area.

“She looks like fuckin’ Josie and the Pussycats up there!” the abhorrent drunk female from behind commented to her cronies, “How many girls yah think will cut their bangs off tomorrow after seeing this?”

It was now the first Wednesday of the second month of the eighth year of this decade and here I was once again to bare witness to a taste of New England flavor I had not seen since that September evening in 2006 at The Paradise in Beantown.

The crowd was a mixed group of those who had no idea who the hell Grace Potter and the Nocturnals were, had seen them on Good Morning America some months ago or were recently handed their latest album- very few had actually seen the musicians in person.

Sometime around 11, the announcer approached the microphone and said what we all were in anticipation of hearing- it was time for Ms. Potter to grace us with her presence.

“We knew for a long time that this young lady would be a superstar and here she is for you all. Ladies and gentleman, Grace Potter!...and the Nocturnals,” he yelled over all the cheering from within the crowd.

The mere statement made by the announcer may have been overlooked by some but to one reporter in the audience it was proof positive that Grace, and only Grace, is what the people want.

This is the fuel to the ongoing fire and uphill battle the band has been fighting since their inception but in-turn has increasing been misunderstood by the public at large- there are four members in this group, not one.

No one seemed to comment, save a couple of Tournet solo references, on the vital need, the talent, the family attachment and respect each member of this ensemble has for one another.

“Look at those fuckin’ legs man!” the 20-something with tongue hanging out his mouth said as he kept pointing to her finer points all-the-while cat calling to the lead lady herself.

Yes, her legs were definitely exposed with the wearing of a black skirt but this was nothing new to those who were aware of Ms. Potter. Those in the know had moved far past her assets once we all realized it was what lay within each of their souls which are the true God-given musical gifts of the Nocturnals.

Yet, it was the worst Nocturnals show out of five performances I have witnessed thus far.

There seemed to be numerous technical difficulties, the acoustics of the building did not suit the style of music, and the vocals belted out by the Lady of the Evening seemed more like the adults on Charlie Brown (Wah! Wah! Wah!) due to her microphone/amp levels not being properly raised as well as the obnoxious background noise from those at the bar solely there for strong drink.

“Ya’ll in the way back at the bar…you need to shut the fuck up!” Potter shouted on more than one occasion.

But this wasn’t to say it was a bad show. Not by any means.

The flagship song from This Is Somewhere, “Ah Mary”, opened with the group hitting the ground running as the energy from the tune put forth a momentum that would not relinquish the entire performance.

For someone who has seen this band grow leaps and bounds over the last few years, the maturity of the musicians on this tour is astounding.

Potter is no longer the girl next door but now is a sex symbol to be reckoned with as she saunters around the stage, as if having sex with the listener during her Joplin-vocal foreplay with the audience as seen on “Treat Me Right” or “Sweet Hands”.

Tournet is no longer the student but now the rockstar as he seems to be on a different frequency in his demeanor- the guitar solos are raw, dark, and at times intimidating as if he is channeling the black magic of Jimmy Page. He molests the instrument in such a way to purposely cause abuse to the sound whether it be finding whatever object can be used for a slide on the guitar or just plain pressing the strings against the microphone stand for feedback.

And then you have Dondero and Burr- the forgotten duo of the band. Dondero is on the same wavelength as years past in his approach to the bass and he anchors the sound with Burr’s drum kit.

Yet, Burr, seemingly in another world from his blank facial expression onstage, looks haggard and rundown although once you dare to dismiss, he comes back in full force with a Keith Moon thrust during choruses or surprisingly his new found love of smashing and tossing his kit around the stage during the encore that came to be Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”.

The performance was a mix of old, new and soon-to-be new with “Sugar” and “Take It All The Way” being introduced as the latest material. They had the stand-by of “Nothing But The Water” or “Joey” as well as the emerging fan favorites such as “Stop The Bus” and “Ain’t No Time”.

But even the older tunes sounded fresh with constant improvisation on each of the members part or jamming in, out and around melodies instead of the start and stop method used in pervious tours.

It seems the band had developed quite the formula in their stage approach. They interact with the crowd through banter here and there, include a drum solo where every musician is playing on the kit simultaneously, mix in a cover of some random classic rock single all the while keeping a constant smile on each and every one of their faces as they pursue what has amounted to the must-see show on the national scene.

The trusty Winnebago has been traded in for a state-of-the-art touring bus with the band’s name emblazoned in the large letters, the look is chic and not casual, the sound is tainted and no longer innocent seeing as Ms. Potter is not our little girl anymore.

The Nocturnals have grownup, for good or ill. But one wonders where the band will be in the coming years if this show was any indication of what the beloved children of the Green Mountain State have become.

Victor, Idaho - April 27, 2008

The Knotty Pine was not half-empty but half-full.

Jamaican reggae artist Half Pint seemingly brought the Caribbean sunshine to Teton Valley this past Sunday as he and opening act Yellow Wall Dub Squad uplifted the curious, carefree and cabin-fever escaping crowd.

Patrons began to trickle in as Yellow Wall Dub Squad took the stage and commenced their intentions to take away any care or worry one might conjure up. The bass notes shook the floor, the keyboards has the listener beg for more and the drums provoked a roar from the ever-expanding dance pit.

With his Mick Jagger run-around stage antics, Stevie Culture led the dub squad by speaking his words of wisdom atop the free flowing tone radiating from the band. “VIC-TAH EYE-DA-HO! How yah feelin’ out there?” Culture yelled as he instructed the raucous audience into an almost Simon-Says routine of back and forth banter and hand-motions between the two sides of the stage. After a sweat-drenching set, Culture jumped offstage as anticipation grew for the man of the hour.

Sauntering onstage in a black suit with dreadlocks nearly touching the ground, Half Pint found welcoming arms from the Idaho faithful.

Opening with his 1986 single “Greetings”, Pint brought forth his vocal and performance talents as the listener would hang on his every word, would sing in unison, would drift above with feet still firmly planted to the ground.

Heads and hands were held high as the reggae legend radiated optimism, hope and a positive message for all who lent an ear. “The music tells the story,” he said before diving into “Mr. Landlord”- a song addressing the anguish caused to those who live beneath the poverty line.

The momentum never ceased with the dub squad bouncing from song to song as Pint would only give the audience enough time between tunes to catch a quick breath or perhaps a sip of water. It seemed the show would never end. Once you thought it was his last song, he would start chanting into the next melody. Then when you thought maybe he didn’t have another one in him as beads of sweat streamed off his face, he would say, “here’s one more”.

Deafening screams, whistles and cheers came from every corner of the Knotty as Pint finally exited the stage.

“It’s about life, love, liberty and harmonizing the world as music harmonizes the soul,” Pint said following the performance. “Everything has a time and a grace period. We are here for just a grace period. Life goes in circles and it never stops. Reggae speaks of the problems in society and yet there are solutions and this music provides the solution.”

In an industry where reggae and dub squads are a dime-a-dozen, Half Pint provides a breath of fresh air in a hazy world. He is the epitome of what reggae symbolizes. This is no bull with what he brings to the societal table. The passion was genuine, the intent was pure and the message of “live the life you love, love the life you live” was clear.

EOTO – The Knotty Pine – Victor, Idaho – March 2, 2008

By Garret K. Woodward

It was a barrage. Of sound, of people and of pure intent. Jason Hann and Michael Travis (both of the String Cheese Incident (SCI)) found themselves amongst the Sunday faithful in what came to be proof positive that this once SCI side-project has now taken on a life of its own- a notion lauded by the audience at hand.

Presented as an all improvisational drum n’ bass show, the duo sparked a fire which not only ignited the stage but also burned down any and all worries crossing the minds of the crowd.

Casually walking onstage and to their equipment, Hann (drums, percussion, sampler) and Travis (bass, keyboards, guitar, looping, etc) began with a simple beat and let the notes buildup from there, taking off in whatever direction they pleased.

The listener would fall into a groove as all inhibitions were left at the door. As soon as the electronica beat would grab hold, suddenly you were flung into the realms of breakbeat, trip-hop or an intricate jam.

The Pine felt more like a rave than a ski-bar as those wandering, gyrating, twirling and swirling through the throng of people were adorned with basketball jerseys, ski goggles, curly wigs, headbands, exercise garb reminiscent of Olivia Newton-John or the occasional flower dress.

The audience numbered over a hundred, but the dance pit felt as if it was endless. After an hour or so, the first set came to an end with the swarm of dancers heading outside for a much-needed breath of fresh, cool air as the inside felt like a sauna.

To the enjoyment of all who attended, Hann and Travis hung out around the stage during their break to sign a few posters and spend some time with their fans, the justified reason why they go up onstage every time with a smile on their face, knowing that this, the stage, is where they’re suppose to be.

Soon, it was time for the second set as the pit filled once again to the brim. With the latter half of the performance heating up, a tease of the Michael Jackson song “Billie Jean” from Travis’ keyboard provoked a festive roar from the crowd.

Last call was soon approaching as the intensity of their jam flooded the room. At times, one would zone out in awe of what was transpiring in front of them. The show came to a close around 1 a.m.

Normally the duo would play two non-stop sets and call it a night but as they began to leave the stage, those who remained in the pit yelled and begged for an encore to the point where the musicians couldn’t ignore the calls for more. With a thumbs-up approval from Knotty Pine owner Brice Nelson behind the bar, the band walked back to their instruments to the deep cry coming from the pit.

Barreling through another half-hour of improvisational material for an encore, the group hit the final stretch and came to a halt, followed by cheers with seemed to last minutes.

“It was a great show, the energy was great and we really enjoy playing here,” Hann said afterwards, “The deeper we get into this project, the more possibilities there are, there is stuff always happening and that is what’s exciting for us.”