Last week was inspiring for a number of reasons. One was that we got to perform our music in front of many appreciative people, with the reception being beyond what we could have expected…the crowd in Philadelphia at World Cafe Live was unbelievable…people were hooting and hollering all the way through 'Chickchi', pumped with adrenaline, and hanging on in attentive stillness through 'As a Child' (new video of this song HERE). What an amazing time. Huge thanks to Ryan Crump and the Philly Drum Project for producing such a fabulous event, and the Philly audience for their warmth and enthusiasm. We hope to be back soon!
Another reason last week was so inspiring was the sheer talent we were surrounded by. We shared two shows with the DC-based experimental, improv group, Lost Civilizations. The core of Lost Civilizations, T.A. Zook and Mike Sebastian, create evocative soundscapes that immerse you deeply in a future-ancient culture. Zook (electric BassCello) grounds the environments and creates leagues of space, sometimes creating loops or low notes with long delay, while at the same time joining in on the rhythmic interplay. Sometimes Sebastian (saxophones) sets up grooves, sometimes he plays manic free-bop lines, and sometimes finds slow lyrical lines that he plays in a very moving fashion.
Zook and Sebastian were joined by different guests at the shows in Baltimore and Arlington. These included Doug Kallmeyer (bass), Jerry Busher (drums), and Lucio Menegon (guitar). Lucio's performance at Galaxy Hut, and the chemistry of the band, blew my mind - all of them listening like crazy and really going for it. The use of poly-rhythm and dissonance was deeply intense. I found myself cheering for more
I've seen these guys live many times and it's always fantastic, but this last show I thought was pretty special.
The next night we were at the aforementioned Philly show, where our set was followed by Ari Hoenig grooving intensely with his home town trio featuring Jonathan Levy and Tim Motzer. Ari was hitting hard and it was a joy to watch these guys. Amazing energy! Also on this bill were the very talented drum-set duo of Rob Brosh and Will Alpers. Again, thanks to Philly Drum Project for including us on this amazing program!
On Wednesday we were back in NYC, where I got to spend 2 nights playing with Uncle Jimmy's Dirty Basement - some of the greatest rockers I know!
These performances rounded out a great season of touring around the country. Thanks to everyone out there who helped produce the shows and all in attendance - it couldn't happen without you! We'll have some cool events happening this spring and summer so stay in touch...