In the last month, New York City has been blessed by two visits from Queen Mary. Rather than symphonic pomp or the trill of brass, her coming was accompanied by shattering rips of r-o-c-k. A lower-East Side joint called Continental was the first place I got to hear her, electrified and bolstered by the presence of Phil Tang & John E. Cakes. After many years of focus on jazz, blues and the jam, my love for the most hardcore genre of music is blossoming again. So the tight, short set from this mid-Atlantic hit squad was right on. I've yet to experience the full Prankster experience, her hometown following filling the room. But there are regular faces on the local side that make it out whenever Mary's train rolls into town. It was a nice appetizer for their following gig that went down the next weekend.
The legendary Dick Dale headlined the main stage at Wetlands Preserve, so who better to get the audience juice flowing than the power trio Thrashing Humor? One thing I learned from watching MP's full lineup is that I can always expect a raucously climactic release. Bouncing in the darkness, it was nice to gain the perspective on what they have to offer beyond the clever lyrics that first inspired my deep love for the woman. I love to be at gigs with people who haven't heard her before and witness the growing absorption in their faces as the words begin to sink in. And Saturday's dish was even meatier.
While the set at Continental was more of an all-out assault, Mary and the boys took advantage of the Wetlands sound system. They let the mix bring out their muscle and flexed their style much more clearly. By the time they got to “Tell Your Friends, Part Deux” and “Tits and Whiskey,” all the muscle-intensive rockin' out had me shaking and shaken.
John E.'s bass lines rumbled and jumped on the bottom, just inches below the more-staccato rhythms that Phil was laying down. The full-band approach didn't just expand the group sound; it contributed to the humor as well. During Phil's one-armed tribute to Def Leppard, accompanied by Mary's "I don't want your photograph," I came very close to shitting myself laughing. It was nice to be pulled in different directions at once and feel the band's pumped-up energy.
That theme of repetition isn't exclusive when it comes to bands up here. Beyond the double- or triple-night runs that the more established acts put on at the bigger venues, newer and/ or smaller ones often establish residencies for weeks at a time. It's a great way to build a fan base, bringing people out week after week to get the feel of what they're all about. The human animal, after all, learns best by repetition. So the doors of perception, once pried open, let in the mind-expanding power of music, creating a nice swell of appreciation.
In the last year, we've been treated to regular stints of RANA's stretched rock, Topaz and his crew's talent for psychedelic, multi-cultural flavored funk, the new age, hip-hop soul of the kinetic KUDU (recent visitors to the 13th Floor) and Charlie Hunter. If you dig jazz, Charlie's a unique entity to behold. After spending most of his childhood on the road, Hunter built a nice base for himself in San Francisco but moved here a few years ago to take advantage of the depths of talent of the city hosts. Gigging and putting together individual artists who don't usually play together, he has created a multi-ringed musical circus. Hunter's changing mix of trios, quartets and more has solidified into a steady lineup, with Steve Chopek on drums and Chris Lovejoy on skins over and, more recently, Hunter added John Ellis's sax to open up the melodies. Hunter's the unmistakable lead, but he doesn't monopolize the spot light, so everyone gets enough room to express themselves. Still, the main attraction is what Hunter brings out of his custom-made, seven-string guitar made by Novax. He works the three bass strings with his thumb while the rest of his fingers cover the high end on five regular guitar strings. The experience of hearing a musician play two instruments at once and the wonder of how he keeps track of it all always makes a Charlie Hunter show that much more enjoyable.
Another local musician who runs double duty on theme is Neal Evans, organist for the soul groove jazz trio Soulive. Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno hosted a residency recently, with his first band, Lettuce. Although they got together when attending summer sessions at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, most of that scene has migrated down to NYC, so it wasn't too difficult to get this one going at Wetlands back in January. And that's where the torch continued burning in June.
After the demise of No Moore Bar (due to noise and other ordinances), the politically charged, afro/tribal, Cuban jazz & funk 14-member powerhouse that is Antibalas was left homeless. So in stepped Tribeca's house of diversity to keep alive the party that's been going on just about every Friday for the last two years. Antibalas will be kickin' it on Thursdays in June, and the crowds are due to be dense. Whenever you need a late night, sweaty workout, Antibalas is good for it.
Also running week to week at Wetlands was Project/Object, the Frank Zappa cover band. Although I’m fond of covers in the middle of a set full of original compositions, most people I know don't really get into cover bands, and I haven't heard any that really did much for me. So I was interested to see if all the talk that P/O nails Zappa nicely is true. Their residency started last week, with a Wednesday night show featuring Ike Willis, one of Zappa's musicians who played with him the longest. Coincidentally, I recently finished reading ‘The Real Frank Zappa Book’ by the king or irreverence himself, with Peter Occhiogrosso. Uncle Frank’s bands had revolving-door lineups, so the duration of Ike's presence in Zappa's world speaks volumes. Zappa presented himself as an individual with a clear understanding of who he was. But he also understood the implications of his overbearing ego and sought to balance it with through a self-effacing slant, as well as directing his satiric commentary toward the world.
Project/Object recreates Zappa’s sensibility very well, and really puts across the feeling that they've studied the crannies of their subject. Perched on a stool up front, Ike vocalized as the band expertly let go, far and loose, doing justice to one of rock's greatest innovators. Grateful Dead and Phish cover bands joined P/O in a battle of sorts, spiking excitement by adding extra goodies to the bill.
Wayne Krantz and his trio also visited the lounge. Wayne's also had a bit of a regular thing going on for a long time. Every Thursday at Bar 55, he works out one of the most original sets of timbre and tone. A friend of mine who also writes about music described it best as being akin to bells. The phrases "next level" and "pushes the envelope" get thrown around a lot as more and more musicians try to go in new directions, but Wayne Krantz accomplishes this more than anyone else I've heard in a very long time.
Members of the jam band moe contributed guest appearances, rounding out Project Object's residency. Their penchant for bluegrass-hued, rural-appeal hard rock combines well with their offbeat and spontaneous humor, meshing nicely with the tribute.
So many bands come and go as the fires of youthful creativity fade and flicker out, but Zappa’s awareness and output only increased as he matured. These extended stays in NYC create great opportunities for us to give substantial consideration to certain bands—and take a deep a look into ourselves.
