Dia 14, KY1
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| just a reminder Chadivus plays the Tuba |
For a first concert outing of the year I find myself strangely contemplative considering how fun the show was and the new sounds I heard. I am still planning on writing a review about Regrow but I am going to have to let life settle down a bit. Suffice it to say I am still a huge fan of The Anchorage and believe in this local scene.
So to business, the show was very fun. I forget how much I love Kilby Court but I also remember why it is a hard place to watch a show. Kilby has such a nice open air courtyard and it allows for a very natural conversation area and pre-show bonding. It also has a rough time with acoustics and stuffiness because the actual stage area is too small.
The opening band was named Barbaloot Suitz and it is actually a duo featuring Jonali on guitar and vocals and McFish on Trombone. This band intrigued me to the point that I felt moved to contact them. The sound is very innovative and I enjoy how they are trying to experiment with abrupt tempo changes and tone colors (especially when the trombone mimics and matches Jonali's ethereal vocals.) I see a huge amount of potential with what they are trying to achieve but I also see that it is going to take hard work and fine tuning to make it into a viable, growing musical group (then again all groups of excellent caliber do take hard work and fine tuning so I am excited by their possibilities.) The trombone work is good, McFish has a solid tone with a good match of mellow and harsh (although I would like to see him explore some pedal tones in places.) I wanted to hear him break forth with some Frank Rosolino style technical passages on his solos but that is a huge thing to ask considering who Rosolino is. I think Jonali's guitar technique is solid in general but needs a little bit of technical
work on tempos and I would like to see her play a hollow body electric over an acoustic/electric just to get better depth of sound when mixed. As said though her vocals are ethereal and create a haunting melodic focus for the music, which I love. They might also consider adding a bass voice either as a stand up bass or a tuba (but I am partial to the tuba just sayin) I think it would add a tonal base to grow the sound of the entire ensemble from and allow a strong reference for intonation and rhythm. Lastly a rhythm section would be cool as well, however I would look at an alternative drum set using Afro-Cuban percussion and tonal percussion (a marimba or vibraphone would add some cool harmonic and rhythmic options.) Just some observations from a long term musician and person involved in the music world, thank you for indulging me.
Now onto The Anchorage. As said I will write more when I review Regrow however this band ROCKS live. The horns are in your face but even better since I reviewed Bridges, their ensemble playing is electric with all of the strengths that I liked even stronger and the opportunities to improve were all improved. Derek's vocals are very good live and the bass playing was amazing. This band has impressed me even more than before and I was very grateful and humbled to hear them. What made the experience even better is that the show was packed and everyone enjoyed the performance. I am looking forward to more great and amazing music from this band.
Lastly after the show Lord Darksteel, Monsieur OneTrack and myself journeyed to The Republican to enjoy a pint of Guinness and a cider and talk about music. We talked punk rock and ska and many other styles. We discussed philosophy and honor and enjoyed each others company without pressure to impress. This is why I enjoy the Republican because even with its hipster clientele, it still is an old world Irish pub complete with cement floor, wooden chairs and tables, shuffleboard, drinking songs and the best poured Guinness in the state. Overall a great weekend.
I almost forgot, WATCH THE NEW DAREDEVIL SERIES ON NETFLIX, so amazing!!!
This is the weekend I celebrate the birthday of my first son. In this blog he is known as Gialdron, Patron of Passion, Rage and Food. I love this young man with all my heart and soul even at the times he is full on berserk. In the old world Gialdron would be a true Berserker (Bear Warrior) taking upon him the fury of Odin and Thor to defend and provide for the tribe and destroy our enemies. I bring this up because in today's modern time we see these traits as "defective" or a "mental illness". The reason for this is that we no longer have to go to war against a local tribe to gain the necessities of life so the traits that have genetically evolved over thousands of years of existence are misunderstood. Gialdron is a High Functioning Autistic by today's terms, he is brilliant but lacks the ability to recognize emotions in others and also lacks the ability to process his own emotions without a great deal of effort. This causes a number of problems in his life but he is forever fighting the war to stay in control and I have seen such amazing progress over the years that he has lived with this. Now I am grateful that we live in the modern world for if this were the old world I would not have been able to enjoy the last 3 to 5 years with my son. The reason for this is that the life expectancy of a front line warrior was 16 to 22 years due to the incredibly violent nature of their lives. 
Gialdron has gone on to live his passion, he works in a high end kitchen and enjoys this, he has slowly developed close friends that are loyal to him. He is loved by The Lords of Kalehalla and we honor him by naming his birth month after his passion for food. I hope to have many more years with my son. So join me in saying Happy Birthday!!