Mellotronists

Pete,
 
One word...   Plunger....
 
Umph has some serious chops with hopefully a long, entertaining future....

Pete <marabus@...> wrote:
Happy Sunday everyone
I have seen a whirlwind of shows over the last couple of weeks, starting
two weeks ago- Los Lobos, this is simply one of the best bands in
existence! Anyone who is a true fan of rock and roll or music in general
who has not seen or heard this group is missing out. 
Next up, Medeski, Martin and Wood- my first time to see these guys and
what an experience. For those unfamiliar, the best description would be
slacker jazz organ trio, heavy on groove. Mellotron fans listen up, John
Medeski tours with a real mellotron and plays the shit out of this thing
(i.e. not treating it like a museum piece). I have never heard anyone
solo with this thing quite the way he does, not to mention all of the
other gorgeous analog keyboards on hand (hammond, rhodes, moog ect.).
Billy Martin has got to be the groovin'est drummer on the planet and a
great soloist too. 50 Virgil Donatis could try for a hundred years and
still never get a groove like this cat. Let's not forget Chris Wood,
upright bass always rules. 
Thursday night was Umphry's McGee. These guys are getting around in jam
band circle, but mark my words, this is very much a breath of fresh air
on the prog scene. Best comparison would be if a newer rock band, let's
say 311 were to spend a summer at Mike Keneally's Holiday camp it might
sound like Umphry's. I would highly recommend on this list to get a copy
of their cd Anchor Drops. Note to Progday organizers, look into these
guys before they get big. 
Last up was on Friday, another band getting lumped into the jam category
called Garaj Mahal. Basically what we have is the evolution of fusion by
way of McLaughlin's Mahavishnu and Shakti, without being at all
derivative, and a heavy emphasis on funk grooves. Man these guys have
some chops and know how to unload them at just the right time. I think
this would be another great PDay group that could light up the crowd. 
Just last night I was at a local festival, one of the performers was a
Chapman Stick player named Bob Culbertson, definitely one of the most
fluid touch style players around who uses this instrument to its
potential. The guy must seriously have 2 brains to play like that. 

Now I gotta get some sleep.

rich np- Umphry's McGee, Anchor Drops, definitely one of my best of '04
buys 
   



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