The Other Ones - The Strange Remain 1999

When the surviving members of the Grateful Dead announced their return, Deadheads and other music lovers around the globe rejoiced. Sure, Jerry Garcia had passed on to another plane of existence, but the strange did, indeed, remain. Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Phil Lesh were joined by piano man Bruce Hornsby, Dave Ellis, Steve Kimock, Mark Karan, and John Molo to form the Other Ones and to headline a tour called the Further Festival. Some members of the media have called the Other Ones the "ultimate Dead cover band," but this group is far from a cover band. the Other Ones' versions of Dead songs are immaculate, and many times they prove to be actually better than the Deadversions. Soaring saxophone, Hornsby's on-target piano, and the other "new" bandmembers add a whole new set of colors to the palette. Kicking the live set off with a medley of "St. Stephen" and "The Eleven," the Other Ones perform flawlessly as they make their way through a set of Dead favorites, from "Jack Straw" to "Corrina" to the bizarre time signature of "Estimated Prophet." It's a real pleasure to hear that one live again, to be sure. Weir delivers the most unusual track with a Zappa-esquestyling, "Only the Strange Remain," before the band pumps its way through "White Wheeled Limousine." Disc two has even more goodies to enjoy, from "Mountains of the Moon" to "Friend of the Devil," "Playing in the Band," and the hottest track on the album, a medley of "China Cat Sunflower" and "I Know You Rider." Garcia's spirit is alive and well, and the Other Ones are the perfect successors to the Grateful Dead empire. Fans can delight in the sheer spirit that comes through by way of this live document. Put on a set of headphones, light some incense, close your eyes, and go to The Other World. AMG.

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Black Dirt Oak - Wawayanda Patent 2013

Wawayanda Patent is difficult to classify. There is clear influence from around the world, from India to Egypt to all across the United States. Sometimes the album sounds like traditional folk, sometimes it’s intensely electronic. Yet with the fusion of so many different musical ideas comes a peculiar psychedelic sound that is unique to Black Dirt Oak, a supergroup consisting of seven musicians from bands such as Pelt, Black Twig Pickers, Pigeons and Rhyton.
Wawayanda Patent begins with “The Real Crow,” a rhythmically ambiguous song that sounds like the beginning of an Indian raga mixed with folksy music from the western United States. The track lulls the listener into a state of relaxation in preparation for what is to come.
The rest of the album builds off of the opening relaxing sound, but with new ideas that make each track unique. “Peeled Egg Cigarette,” is steadier than the first because it adds a continuous guitar line that’s washed over by electronic instruments and soft vocals.
Some songs on the album clash with the overall serene mood, adding interest and intrigue. “Heurequeque,” which is in a slow triple meter, includes intentional feedback, giving a harsher sound to what would otherwise be a very soothing track. The album feels cyclical, ending much like it started with the rhythmically ambiguous “Crowning The Bard.”
Wawayanda Patent is a very unusual album, but one that is worth listening to. Black Dirt Oak is comprised of diverse musicians, but they unite to create a compelling musical composition. Stephanie Zimmerman

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The Fabulous Thunderbirds - On The Verge 2013

Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that a band so often defined by its guitarists takes on a different character once the lead singer -- the only constant in the group since its beginnings in the mid-'70s -- definitively asserts his status as the band's leader, yet the change within the Fabulous Thunderbirdsthat can be heard on On the Verge, their 12th official studio album, is striking. The last time theThunderbirds released a studio album was in 2005, during a stint when the great Austin guitarist Nick Curran was the sparring partner of vocalist and T-Bird linchpin Kim Wilson. In 2013, guitarists Johnny Moeller and Mike Keller, talented axemen both, now support Wilson and they do get a chance to flaunt their gifts on On the Verge, but the focus is firmly on songs and rhythm. It is surely a soul-blues album, often copping the cool, relaxed Memphis groove and reaching down to the gritty funk of Muscle Shoals. This not only gives Wilson room to stretch vocally -- he's supple and sensitive on "Lovin' Time" -- but this means On the Verge is a richer, fuller album than many latter-day Thunderbirds albums, because this isn't just dedicated to slow, swaying seduction, there are wah-wah-fueled workouts, a bit of social protest, some jazzy flourishes, and, yes, a bit of the Texas blues that the T-Birds call their own. But what's striking about On the Verge isn't just the versatility, it's the ease: Kim Wilson doesn't sound desperate to stretch out; he's merely comfortable leading his band toward all the soulful sounds he's loved. The result is a thoroughly satisfying album, a long-delayed but very welcome flipside to the rollicking Painted On. AMG.

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Hot Tuna - Steady As She Goes 2011

Only the second Hot Tuna studio set in 30 years, and the band's first in two decades, the outfit circa 2011 is a decidedly older, wiser, and more laid-back unit than the amped-up boogie-ers responsible for a series of successful albums in the '70s. That's a mixed blessing, though, because the Tunaseem to have lost some of their fire during their long layoff from the studio. Where once Jack Casady's thunderous bass played tag with Jorma Kaukonen's blustery, psychedelic blues guitar lines, the duo -- now fleshed out with mandolin player Barry Mitterhoff and drummer Skoota Warner -- is now content to be a pretty decent but far less distinctive folk, blues, and singer/songwriter act. Casady's forcefully idiosyncratic, almost lead basslines of old are barely audible here, and even though there are flashes where the old intensity is evident, particularly on Kaukonen's "Mourning Interrupted," this is a well-intentioned, totally professional album that lacks bite. A pair of Rev. Gary Davis covers are also reminiscent of days gone by, especially "Mama Let Me Lay It on You" with guest fiddle from producerLarry Campbell (filling in for the deceased Papa John Creach) that rolls through the "Keep on Truckin'" riff and melody. There are some quality songs, such as the melancholy musings of "Second Chances," but this is more like a Kaukonen solo album than a long-awaited return from a once powerful band that mixed acoustic and electric blues into a blistering, often explosive concoction. Recording in Levon Helm's Woodstock studio provides an open, rootsy sound and Campbell keeps the proceedings clean and classy, if somewhat antiseptic compared to the shambling attack Hot Tunafans remember. Kaukonen's patented electric solos evident on the opening "Angel of Darkness" are dramatic and typically blistering, but there aren't enough of those moments. Making matters more frustrating is the choice of material, in particular the humorous yet repetitious by-the-numbers rocking of "If This Is Love." The closing instrumental, "Vicksburg Stomp," returns to the sharp pickin' approach of Hot Tuna's 1970 acoustic debut, perhaps a fitting reminder of the group's early times trying to make their name as something other than a Jefferson Airplane offshoot. There is plenty to enjoy about this unexpected return, and it's encouraging that the Casady/Kaukonen relationship -- both musical and personal -- has persevered for over 50 years. However, it's a disappointing addition to their catalog, particularly after such a long wait. AMG.

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Vince Welnick - Live at Brownies 23 East on 1998-10-15

Taking over what may have seemed a particularly doomed spot, former Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick dodged the proverbial bullet that seemed aimed at the Grateful Dead's most fatal position when singer/songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia died in 1995. Until then, Welnick had spent five years covering keyboard and harmony vocal parts after Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland died of a drug overdose in 1990.

After the Dead's disbandment and the Tubes' re-formation with a new keyboardist, Welnick kept busy with his own Missing Man Formation. Along with Steve Kimock (guitar), Prairie Prince (percussion),Bobby Vega (bass), Bobby Strickland (bass clarinet, saxophone, vocals), and various other musicians, the group put out one self-titled effort in 1998. He showed up with the Mickey Hart Band, as well as playing some shows with jam band Jack Straw in September 2001. Tragically, he died June 2, 2006, at the age of 55.When yet another Grateful Dead keyboardist died (founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan and Keith Godchaux both preceded Mydland in both the gig and death), Welnickauditioned for the spot and got it. He picked up where interim keyboardist Bruce Hornsby left off, but doesn't appear on any studio recordings. His playing is included on Infrared Roses(1991), which compiles a smattering of drums/space segments that were typical of Dead shows. A collection of liveDead performances, Grayfolded: Transitive Axis (1994), is another collage effort; this time, avant-gardist John Oswaldput together performances of the Dead's "Dark Star" from 1968-1993. Welnick also guests on Zero's 1994 live release Chance in a Million as well as various live releases of Grateful Dead material.Born February 21, 1951, in Phoenix, AZ, Welnick was still a teenager when he parlayed his keyboard-playing skills into an actual band (the Beans) with Bill Spooner (guitar, vocals) and Rick Anderson (bass). The addition of Fee Waybill(vocals), Roger Steen (guitar, vocals), and Prairie Prince(drums) thus led to the Tubes. Their rowdy rock led them to a deal with A&M, which released the band's self-titled album in 1975, followed up a year later with Young & Rich. Their stage antics and shock rock were non-transferable to vinyl, and so their studio efforts fell flat. However, the single "White Punks on Dope" did get some minor attention and radio play. After some more marginal efforts (1977's The Tubes Now, 1979's Remote Control produced by Todd Rundgren), A&M dropped the band in 1979. They continued on Capitol until 1986, when they disbanded. The 1981 effort Completion Backwards Principle reached the Top 40 and included the songs "Talk to You Later" and "Don't Want to Wait Anymore." Welnick shows up on Rundgren's 1989 effort, Nearly Human, and again in 1991 on 2nd Wind. AMG.

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The End - Retrospection 1997

Pre-Introspection singles (both English and Spanish), and a wealth of unused material apparently recorded during Introspection's sessions, make up this 14-track vinyl-only album, and give even more reason for the End to be viewed as "unsung heroes." Opening with the mono version of "Loving, Sacred Loving" (the B-side of "Shades of Orange), the beginning of the End's venture into psychedelia results in a similar brand of soulful Harpsichord-led pop to Andrew Loog Oldham's failed protegésTwice As Much. This move away from blue-eyed soul is further charted with other sessions from mid- to late 1967: "Little Annie"'s risqué lyrics about the "games that little boys play" has a similar theme to the sexual discovery lyrics buried in the Hollies' output from this era. While musically it has a modish edge, with sustained fuzztone notes and a vocal technique not unlike that of the Creation. But it is on "Lady Under the Lamp" that the full move into psychedelia can be heard. Even though Syd Barrett's vocal technique was more than copied, the song still sounds very much like the End and the mixture of fey English vocals and cutting blues guitar work a lot better than it sounds on paper. And it is unbelievable how the unused recordings from the Introspection sessions were not featured; the delicately beautiful numbers "Mister Man" and "Mirror" and the Odyssey & Oracle-esque "Today Tomorrow" are absolutely superb, and if not used on the album they surely should have been singles. In carefully programming the selected material, compiler David Wells has created an album that almost equals Introspection. AMG.

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Umphrey's McGee - Death By Stereo 2011

On their sixth studio album, Death by Stereo, progressive jam band Umphrey’s McGee deliver an eclectic mix of solidly crafted songs. While they’re primarily known for their live improvisations, the band seem to take on an entirely different persona on their albums, tightening up their sound to show that not only are they talented musicians, but they also have some songwriting chops. The album kicks off with a pair of songs that feel like homages to some indie greats, opening with the Dismemberment Plan-inspired “Miami Virtue” before ripping into the Hold Steady-esque rocker “Domino Theory.” The album seems to find its legs with the smoothed-out soul of “Booth Love,” a casual jam that settles things down and sets the album on a mellower, more even course. From then on, the band begin to add a bit of fusion to the mix, allowing styles to merge more and giving the album and all-around funkier feel. If Death by Stereo makes one thing clear, it’s that Umphrey’s McGee are a talented band, able to drift effortlessly between styles in a way that seems, at times, to be a lost art among bands in the age of bedroom recording, and despite its slow start, Death by Stereo is an album that will have an easy time convincing fans to settle into its smooth grooves. AMG.

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The Michael Giles Mad Band - In The Moment 2011

Let’s say you’re a drummer and you happened to play on two of the seminal progressive rock albums (King Crimson’s In The Wake of Poseidon and, along with fellow recent ex-Crimson compatriot Ian McDonald, on McDonald and Giles) as well as what some consider the quintessential prog album of all-time, In The Court of the Crimson King. Then you paid the bills and further made your mark with steady session work and a solo album here and there for the next couple of decades. Then another decade passed and you were still very much alive and well. What would you do? Continue making music, obviously.

Michael Giles, the drummer not everyone knows but everyone who everyone knows name-checks (see: Peart, Neil), continues to make music, and that is a good thing. Better still, the music he is making right now, with his Mad Band, is still progressive, even if it does not rock. Think about that for a moment, and consider how many musicians who were recording over four decades ago are still alive, much less still relevant. Consider how many acts from the grand old days are out on the oldies circuit, or releasing their umpteenth greatest hits rehash, or incapable even of going through the motions with an entourage of back-up players a third their age. Think of the very short list of names that continue to resist time and skirt the boundaries of convention and expectation. None of this is to begrudge any and all of those old time rock and rollers from extracting every last nickel from eager/gullible fans; more power to all involved.

Still, it’s cause for rejoicing to see a gentleman past retirement age who not only refuses to retire, but provides an example any of us, regardless of our age, would do well to emulate. Personal appearance, for better or worse, is often less than half the story (and the least important half) when it comes to art and the people who make it, but the fact that Giles looks about half his age speaks volumes. Checking out recent pictures or catching some videos of his band in action make it abundantly clear that this is one geezer whose body and mind are very much intact. If that sounds vaguely patronizing, once again consider the physical and mental states of most of the people who made music in the early ‘70s.

Quite appropriately, his latest release (the second by the Michael Giles Mad Band) is entitled In The Moment. This description is both literal and…literal. It’s “in the moment” in terms of what he and his bandmates are doing right now, but it’s also unrehearsed material, spontaneously created and recorded. This disc captures what Giles describes on the back cover as “an exploration of sound, silence, space and time.” (Prog rock lives!) If that sounds entirely too vague, or pretentious, it happens to be a pretty accurate depiction of what this ensemble is up to. On this set the band (Giles on drums and percussion along with Daniel Pennie on guitar and Adrian Chivers on horns and “found sounds”) is joined by ex-Crimsoner and piano playing wizard Keith Tippett. Tippett, of course, lent his considerable talents to In the Wake of Poseidon and has actively honed his craft across multiple genres in the ensuing years. It’s a wonderful occasion to see these two wise if not wizened old(er) men join forces once again.

How to describe the sounds? It’s minimalist without being subdued (a signal of extreme confidence) and deliberate without being forced. Giles and Pennie provide rhythmic framework and Chivers and Tippett splash and spray the canvass with color and light. Sometimes the roles reverse and frequently all four are increasing the energy or unwinding the agitation in unison. The result is a series of industrial, percussion-based landscapes. There is an assortment of purposeful clinging and clanging with carefully orchestrated guitar-fueled tension. It occasionally resembles a ruckus but it’s a syncopated ruckus. This, at times, is a musical equivalent of getting in the car and driving, not figuring out where you are until you get there. In the hands of indulgent or untalented hacks, this is a recipe for sonic atrocity; with experts behind the wheel the journey is enjoyable as it is unpredictable.

At times it could almost be called free jazz (the horror?) or even free rock (the horror!) but it works. Suffice it to say, this is not for people who need a beat created by computers, or vocals extolling the virtues of expensive products. In other words this is art. Possibly even art for art’s sake. Imagine that. And enter at your own peril.

Still with me? Good! This work is certainly meant to be experienced in its totality, and yet a few tracks really stay with the listener. These include “Water Colour Mystery”, which if an obligatory (and ostensibly facile) comparison is needed, would not sound at all out of place on Crimson’s Starless and Bible Black (ironically, an album neither Giles nor Tippett played on). There is an ominous edge that creeps along, undercut by Tippett’s strategic tinkling. On “Care and Attention”, the interplay between Giles and Tippett sounds like exactly what it is: two proficient veterans able to parlay an aesthetic telepathy into a beguiling—and very unique—dreamscape. If you’ve ever wondered what a player piano in a western saloon would sound like…in space, this is it. (Still with me? Good!) On album closer “And Yet (In the Fullness of Time)” Tippett once again comes to the fore while Pennie unspools a surreal ambiance that eventually envelops everything before slowly fading to black.

Listening to this music, and watching the clips available online, convinces one that catching the band live is the way to go. Seeing is believing, and watching this small band make all these sounds is a compelling proposition. Of course, hearing is believing as well, and it’s good news all around that we have this organic and very alive work for the permanent record. The thing about music, as the great Eric Dolphy remarked (lamented?) is that “after it’s over it’s gone in the air…you can never capture it again.” This is why it’s important to step back sometimes and marvel at the things we tend to take for granted: the rarest artists grow and challenge themselves (and us) and we have a means to preserve the spell that was cast in real time—in the moment—and keep as something to savor. Sean Murphy @ http://www.popmatters.com/

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Ian Wallace - Happiness With Minimal Side Effects 2002

Best known as the drummer in one of the longer-lasting incarnations of King Crimson (January 1971 - April 72), and as a drummer for Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, Ian Wallace was one of rock's busier percussionists for more than a quarter century. His 40-year career allowed him to work alongside stellar musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, from pioneering bluesman Alexis Korner to such stars and superstars as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Lindsey Buckingham, and Larry Coryell.

Born in 1946 in Bury, England, Wallace organized his first rock band, the Jaguars, while still in school. In 1963, at age 17, he joined the Warriors, an outfit whose membership included a young vocalist named Jon Anderson, later of Yes, as well as future Badger bassman David Foster. The Warriors lasted until the end of 1967, after which he and Fosterbriefly became members of Big Sound, an outfit that spent a fair amount of time touring northern Europe. He passed through a number of groups in the late '60s, including the World, featuring the Bonzo Dog Band's Neil Innes on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, which lasted six months in 1970.

In early 1971, Wallace became a member of a new performing version of King Crimson. The group, originally formed in 1969, had broken up before the end of that year following its first U.S. tour, and -- under the leadership of surviving co-founder Robert Fripp (with non-performing member Peter Sinfield) -- had gone through several interim lineups, none of which had lasted more than a few months. Wallace, along with reedman and flautist Mel Collins and bassist/singer Boz Burrell, would become the first version of the group to concertize widely or leave behind more than one official album.

This version of King Crimson was a great performing unit, but its unity was always in doubt, especially when rumors began abounding of an impending breakup within six months of its formation. They toured extensively and won a serious following, but internally, their relations were a nightmare, as Wallace, Burrell, and Collins insisted on a degree of autonomy as composers that clashed with Fripp's musical vision of the band.

During the first six months of his work with Crimson, Wallace's playing broke some new ground on stage when Peter Sinfield, the group's lyricist and computer/electronics expert, used a VCS-3 synthesizer to process the sound ofWallace's drums. Not all of that work was necessarily captured to best advantage on the official live recordings of the period, but tapes of the band in concert from 1971-1972, released by Fripp himself, have revealed the full complexity ofWallace's playing, and the guitarist has noted the quality of his work in live performance.

Wallace, Burrell, and Collins turned out to enjoy working together more than they did working for Robert Fripp, and they quit the band en masse in the early spring of 1972. They immediately joined veteran British bluesman Alexis Kornerand Danish guitarist/singer Peter Thorup in an outfit called Snape, who recorded and toured central and northern Europe, playing a brand of blues-based rock that was far-removed from Crimson's sound.

Wallace continued working with Korner for two years and on four albums, and also played with Steve Marriott, Big Jim Sullivan, and Alvin Lee. In 1978, he became Bob Dylan's drummer, beginning with the Street Legal album and continuing on the subsequent tour and the Live at Budokan double-LP as well. During the '80s, Wallace played with such rock luminaries as Al Kooper, Ron Wood, David Lindley, his longtime friend Jon Anderson, Stevie Nicks,Lindsey Buckingham, Don Henley, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, the Traveling Wilburys, and Roy Orbison.

In the '90s, he worked with Joe Walsh and Don Henley, but much of Wallace's activity centered around his own label, Artist Road Records of Santa Fe, NM. Wallace's work also moved more in the direction of jazz in tandem with his business partner in Artist Road, pianist Brian Trainor, and his gigs in those years included work with Larry Coryell. He was also a member of the sadly short-lived Los Angeles-based band the Teabags, which included ex-Yes guitaristPeter Banks, vocalist Jackie Lomax (late of the Undertakers and Badger), Kim Gardner (also of Badger), and singerGraham Bell. In 2003, Wallace returned to the repertory of King Crimson for the first time in more than 30 years when he joined the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a group of Crimson expatriates (sans Fripp), succeeded Michael Giles(whom he had succeeded, several times removed, in 1971, in the original group). That same year, Wallace released his one and only solo album, Happiness with Minimal Side Effects. He also began taking his King Crimson repertory into new and experimental directions with the Crimson Jazz Trio, who recorded two albums and toured for a short time. In 2006, Wallace was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, to which he succumbed early the following year. As an alumnus of a band with more than its share of top musicians, he had carved out a notably successful and diverse career across 40 years, ranging across rock, blues, and jazz. AMG.

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