Words & Images by: Nick Price

Fruition w. Karina Rykman Experiment & Polyvamp
03.20.18 :: Brooklyn Bowl :: New York City

Tuesday was a special night at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. With the third Nor’easter in a few weeks headed towards NYC, the music had to go on. Billed as a “Freaks Extravaganza!” the venue played host to Polyvamp, Karina Rykman Experiment and Fruition. This lineup featured three bands with varying sounds that did not disappoint.

The night started with a set from Polyvamp, a high-energy groove, rock, electronic and funk band out of New York City. They kicked off their set at 7:30 and played a mix of old and new tunes that saw the slowly-growing crowd getting down and dirty. Backed by a powerful rhythm section, guitarist Cory Ziskind and saxophonist Seth Eisenstein led the band through 45 minutes of non-stop, high-energy music that set the bar high.

Photo by Nick Price

Next, the Karina Rykman Experiment took the stage. Karina Rykman, the bassist who replaced Dave Dreiwitz in Marco Benevento’s band, has become a well-known and much-loved musician in the jam scene. There was a lot of anticipation for this set as the size of the crowd nearly doubled by the time the band started their performance. Karina’s trio finds her joined by guitarist Adam November and drummer Chris Corsico. The three-piece focused on improvisational jams that elicited a strong response from the audience. Led by Rykman, the band got funky at times, while also mixing in other genres, including some punk and jazz. The midi work by Adam November took the jams to outer space before the trio reeled them back in. The one deviation from their improv set was a cover of Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper.”

Around 10 p.m., headliners Fruition were greeted by a large cheer from the crowd. The Portland, Oregon-based band have an eclectic sound that transcends genres, but might closest resemble a mix of bluegrass, folk music and rock. Fruition focused on songs from their recently released fifth album, Watching It All Fall Apart, which includes both originals that have been in their love rotation for a while and some that were brand new. All told, the group treated the Brooklyn faithful to 18 tunes over the course of 90 minutes.

Fruition opened with “Lay Down Blues,” a song off their 2015 EP, Holehearted Fools, and quickly segued into fan-favorite “The Meaning,” a poignant love song that finishes with a powerful outro jam. The band then played five of their new songs before dipping back into “Blue Light.” Each of the new tunes fit into the set perfectly and the band executed them well. One of the things that stands out at a Fruition show is their camaraderie on stage – there is an intense relationship between the band members and you can tell that they love creating this music together.

Photo by Nick Price

Fruition is currently touring with Daniel Edward Rodriguez of Elephant Revival and they brought him out to play “The Garden,” a song by Elephant Revival. Fruition then performed the only song not currently on an album, “Fire,” which is a strong and upbeat effort that evolved into a “Sinnerman” (Nina Simone) jam and quotes before going back into “Fire.” The band continued to mix crowd favorites throughout the night, which showcased the picking interplay between guitarist Jay Cobb Anderson and mandolinist/guitarist Mimi Naja. Their ability to quickly exchange licks always amazes and with every show, they get more creative.

By the time Fruition finished, you could tell the audience was eager for more even after these three outstanding acts. As people filed out, they were regaled by a funky playlist curated by Karina Rykman. You can find the playlist on Spotify. Fruition continues their tour by heading South before going out West for additional dates.

Photos

Fruition Setlist

Set: Lay Down Blues, The Meaning, Stuck On You, Northern Town, There She Was, I’ll Never Sing Your Name, Let’s Take It Too Far, Blue Light, The Garden (w/ Daniel Edward Rodriguez), Fire > Sinnerman > Fire, Turn To Dust, Lonesome Prayer, Santa Fe, Falling On My Face, I Should Be (On Top Of The World), Above The Line, Labor Of Love

Encore: The Way That I Do