JamBase List | 2014 – Five Hellos & Five Goodbyes
By Team JamBase Dec 26, 2014 • 11:00 am PST
“You say goodbye, and I say hello…”
As 2014 concludes, we’re saying goodbye to five bands who hung it up in 2014, and hello to five bands that launched in 2014 or are poised to launch in the new year that we’re particularly excited about.
GOODBYE: Furthur
They weren’t everyone’s cup of alligator wine, but the Phil Lesh/Bob Weir-fronted Furthur had some excellent shows, particularly in their first few tours. Plus, to hear many of the supporting cast tell it, from John Kadlecik to Joe Russo to Jeff Chimenti, it far outlasted what most folks thought would be a very short-lived project.
One of Furthur’s most positive byproducts has been the emergence of Russo as a regular player of Grateful Dead. Between ongoing stints in Phil Lesh & Friends and the fast-rising Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, it’s clear he loves the music as much as it seems to love him.
HELLO: Golden Gate Wingmen
Speaking of Furthur alumni, we expect some interesting things to come of this quartet, which combines Kadlecik, Jay Lane, Reed Mathis and Chimenti. Their first gig, in November 2014, focused significantly, but not exclusively, on John K’s material, with expected nods to Dead and Dead-associated stuff. But what was clear from the get go –and not surprising, given how closely many of these guys have collaborated in recent years –is that there’s plenty of chemistry.
GOODBYE: Playonbrother
Alan Evans’ Playonbrother was initially a question mark: Another trio anchored by Evans on drums? And with the same instrumentation as Soulive? But Playonbrother became a really interesting unit -one that, as esteemed taper Scott Bernstein once described it, sounded like “P-Funk+Zappa+Cream.” Playonbrother grooved plenty, but this was a hard-edged, bluesadelic, mutant-rock thing, too, bursting with energy and angst, especially after Evans and guitarist Danny Mayer welcomed keyboardist Kris Yunker into the fold. We weren’t the only ones bummed when Evans declared Playonbrother finished due to financial reasons. Here’s hoping they return one day.
HELLO: NMO
The North Mississippi Allstars and Anders Osborne? Together? It should sound like a no-brainer, because it is. Anders and Luther have been collaborating at length as part of the Southern Soul Assembly but go back even further, and if you’ve listened to the ways their guitars and unique approaches mesh at shows such as this one, you have a sense of the riches that are in store with NMO. Fans should be salivating.
GOODBYE: Centro-matic
It’s a stretch to call Centro-matic connected to the jam scene, but they were certainly known for great shows –and boy were they beloved by their fans. The North Texas alt-country crew had been at it, more or less, since 1997. This year they called it a career with a string of sold-out and well-received farewell concerts. Leader Will Johnson is involved in plenty of other projects but Centro-matic remains the best context to hear his rich and haunting songs.
HELLO: Doobie Decibel System
OK, so file this one under “seems like a darn good idea.” The protean Jason Crosby, still best known for countless associations back East but these days a scene regular in the San Francisco Bay Area, got to know Roger McNamee when regularly sitting in with Moonalice at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA. As Crosby told us in an interview some months back, the two found they had a good vocal blend and wanted to play together, and as a result, we’re going to be hearing more from what’s now known as the Doobie Decibel System.
GOODBYE: 7 Walkers
So we’re stretching the definition a bit for 7 Walkers, which hasn’t been active since 2012. But after two sort-of-reunion appearances this year –one at JazzFest, in which George Porter Jr. hustled down to Bill Kreutzmann and Matt Hubbard sitting in with Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne only to find the show had ended, and one at a private party near Gathering of the Vibes, in which original 7 Walkers bassist Reed Mathis was back in place -it seems appropriate to declare 7 Walkers “past.” Both Welbourne (this summer) and Porter (in a forthcoming JamBase interview) tell us they’re not confident 7 Walkers will return, and with Kreutzmann appearing to have shifted his attention elsewhere, it seems time to officially bid this fascinating band goodbye.
HELLO: Billy & the Kids
So about these new Kreutzmann projects. Bill’s been sitting in all over the place recently, and also brought bands to Lockn’ and, in early December, to Petaluma, California, where his TryptoBand consisted of Reed Mathis, David Nelson, Barry Sless and Jason Crosby. But if Bill’s going to commit to a new band, it seems more likely it’ll be Billy & the Kids –the well-received collection of players he debuted at Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in mid-December that brought back Mathis and added Tom Hamilton and Aron Magner. Of course, with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary looming -and his book on the way, too -there are a lot of questions about what Billy may or may not be committing to.
GOODBYE: Allman Brothers Band
All things must pass, and so, too, goes the longest-running incarnation of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. As Warren Haynes told us in a recent interview, the band’s finale, on October 28 on their home court of the Beacon Theatre, was the best show it had played in a long time. Following a renaissance in the mid-2000s that culminated in the peak year of 2009 to celebrate its 40th anniversary, this Allmans ensemble was stingy with new material and not always firing on all cylinders in recent years. But come March in New York, we’re sure going to miss them at the Beacon -and really going to miss the tandem of Haynes and Derek Trucks, among the greatest one-two guitar punches in rock history.
HELLO: Freeman / Deen Ween Band
The dissolution of Ween has had at least two interesting byproducts: Freeman, the new band from Aaron Freeman (f/k/a Geen Ween) and the Dean Ween Group, the Mickey Melchiondo-led crew that debuted in March. Count us among those who wish for a Ween return one day, but if it’s not to be, sees a lot of potential in both of these offspring.
That’s 5 goodbyes and 5 hellos, but since it’s the giving season…here are a few more quick “hellos” that have caught our eye:
Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan: At least two former members of Playonbrother — Sasser himself and guitarist Danny Mayer –are part of a lineup that already has 18 shows booked on both the East and West Coasts in January and February. OK, Beau, we’re intrigued.
Steve Kimock Tribute to Jerry Garcia: The world sure doesn’t lack for Jerry tributes, but this Steve Kimock-led revue was so well received during its Bay Area shows in 2013 and 2014 that an actual East Coast tour has sprung up. Dig it.
Warren Haynes with Railroad Earth? OK, so we’re purely speculating, but in a recent JamBase interview with Warren, the world’s busiest guitarist didn’t exactly eschew the idea. We know he’s been recording with the Railroad Earth team, and he played a well-received show backed by most of them in 2012 that showcased a folkier, countrier side of Warren not often experienced by fans. We’ll go out on a limb and bet this happens, even if it isn’t in 2015.
