7 Walkers @ Double Door, March 26
Words and Photos: Allison Taich
7 Walkers stopped by Chicago’s Double Door Saturday March 26 to lay down two solid sets of jam filled, funk-soaked roots rock. Sounds complicated, I know, but wait until you hear the lineup: Papa Mali on vocals/guitar, Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead on drums, George Porter Jr. of The Meters on vocals/bass and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard (who has played with the likes of Willie Nelson) on colorful flair including but not limited to keys, trombone, harmonica, melodica and vocals. The group embraced bursts of psychedelic California sun influenced by the Grateful Dead, tossed with the funk, grit and passion of New Orleans, creating a concoction Kreutzmann appropriately dubbed “swampadelic.”
The show transformed the typically dark Double Door into a land of tie-dyed wonder. Vibrant tapestries lined the stage, accentuated by streams of Technicolor lights and colorful Heads cutting loose on the dance floor. The music started with light instrumental tinkering as the musicians eased into the setting. Soon a Grateful Dead-esque “Space” jam formed guided by rhythmic beats that pulsated with life from wandering bass and fluent guitar licks. The power and energy streaming from the stage was undeniable, and was a real treat to witness. The men of 7 Walkers were bound together by pure devotion to their crafts, which was reflected not only in their playing but also in their happy grins.
The band gained in strength as set one progressed, starting with a transition from “Space” into the beloved Grateful Dead classic Mr. Charlie. Mr. Charlie had the entire club wrapped in the funked up tale of pure outlaw voodoo attitude. Hubbard dominated the song with some of the most animated keyboard skills I have ever witnessed; his playing literally kept me on my toes. His hands raced up and down the keys unleashing florid glissandos and chromatic builds that raised Mr. Charlie to new heights.
READ ON for more on 7 Walkers’ show at the Double Door…
Denver based quartet DeVotchKa released their fifth studio album 100 Lovers on ANTI-records earlier this month. The worldly romantics retreated to the Arizona desert with producer Craig Schumacher to record 15 original
The Bridge/Galactic, February 18 @ Park West
On Friday, February 18, Chicago’s Park West developed a nasty case of funk-soul boogie thanks to heated performances by The Bridge and Galactic. Symptoms began to surface around 8:30PM when The Bridge opened the evening with an original set of high spirited Americana roots rock. The Baltimore sextet offered plenty of selections off the band’s fifth studio album, National Bohemian.
For such an early set, The Bridge attracted a medium-sized gathering on the dance floor, with fans twisting and swaying to the band’s genre blending blues. The music was solid and proud with a clear connection between the musicians. Initially the delivery sounded too tight and rehearsed, as if they were playing National Bohemian verbatim. As The Bridge played on, they slowly eased its grip and let the music breathe and flow while preserving its strength. The band danced and sweated onstage as the members toyed with bursts of improvisational energy.
The Bridge featured two vocalists, Cris Jacobs (guitar) and Dave Markowitz (bass). Each voice directly affected the feelings and flavors of songs. Jacobs had a fervid blues-rock soul carried by the right amount of bearded rasp. His leads rode like a lone car down an open stretch of road. Markowitz’s chords took on a more southern-roots attitude, emitting a ring of bayou twang. Then there was Kenny Liner (mandolin) a master beatboxer, who added hints of hip-hop. Liner had an incredible talent of spitting out rhythms spun into webs of vocal beats and tongue clicks, matched with syncopated rock and roll. Joined by Patrick Rainey (saxophone), Mike Gambone (drums) and Mark Brown (keyboards) The Bridge were the perfect spice for a pre-Galactic party.
READ ON for Allison’s take on Galactic’s set…
Buddy Guy @ Buddy Guy’s Legends, January 27th
Every January, Chicago blues fans brave the city’s schizophrenic weather and flock to the 700 block of south Wabash. Their destination, Buddy Guy’s Legends to experience none other than blues deity Buddy Guy, at home in the flesh. To many it would not be a new year without Guy’s traditional winter residency; loyalists would even say that Guy’s shows set the tone for the year ahead.
Each year, Guy returns to sweet home Chicago to perform a month’s worth of sold-out shows, 16 to be exact, at his South Loop club, Legends. For 20 years Legends was located at 754 S. Wabash; that was until Guy’s landlords, Columbia College, gave his bar the boot to expand their campus. As a result, Guy bought a new place up the block at 700 S. Wabash, replicated and upgraded his 20 year old masterpiece, and re-opened during the summer of 2010.
January 2011 marked Guy’s first residency at the club’s new address. There were people packed into every nook and cranny for show #13 on January 27th. About three or four rows of tables lined the middle of the room, all of which were dominated by Buddy Guy vets, aka experienced patrons aware of the benefits to unite together and arrive early. For everyone else it was standing room only surrounding the club’s perimeter. Looking around there could not have been a friendlier or more welcoming atmosphere.
READ ON for more on catching Buddy Guy in Chicago…
Since 2003, devoted Chicago bluegrass fans have traveled near and far every Tuesday night to catch the city’s resident acoustic outfit, Sexfist. While the name may spark visions of earsplitting metal, sweaty moshpits, B.O. and raging fits of testosterone, fear not! I assure you that the acoustic four-some are devoted bluegrass traditionalists right down to their suits and ties; heck they even share one mic!
Contrary to what their name entails, Sexfist specialize in traditional, finger-lickin’ bluegrass crossed with a steady mix of rock renditions and original compositions. They have a reputation for delivering high-energy performances branded with articulate picking and fluent harmonies. Really, when it comes down to it, very few Chicago bands throw hootenannies quite like Sexfist. These days the band can be found playing every Tuesday night at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. It was there where Hidden Track caught up with banjoist Chuck Oakton, and eventually bassist Bradley Longwood, to chat about the Chicago bluegrass experience.
Hidden Track: Where do your stage names come from?
Chuck Oakton: They’re porn names. It started off as a basic middle name followed by the street you grew up on. But, occasionally that wouldn’t work out so well, like sometimes it would be perfect. Like James our old dobro player he had the perfect Sexfist name, it was Michael Wildwing (laughs). Most of them are porn names and a couple of them are made up to sound like porn names, because you want there to be a consistency…like some people’s are pretty lame. Like Eric’s (guitar), I forgot exactly what Eric’s was, he’s Clutch Johnson, which is a great porn name but his middle name isn’t Clutch (laughs). So mostly it’s our middle name followed by the street we grew up on but it varies.
READ ON for more of our chat with members of Sexfist…
Dead Kenny G’s @ Blue Nile, October 31
Contemporary jazz aficionados Skerik, Brad Houser and Mike Dillon have spent the better half of their musical careers contorting the face of jazz music. The three musicians have contributed to several projects (Critters Buggin, Garage A Trois) each initiating a full spectrum of sonic chaos, while heroically taking a stand against smooth jazz and expediting the genre to the grave.
On Sunday October 31 the three resurrected smooth jazz in the form of the Dead Kenny G’s. Dillon (drums, percussion, vocals), Houser (bass, baritone sax), Skerik (sax, keys) and friends performed the genre’s revitalized incarnation at The Blue Nile in New Orleans.
As one would expect, fans were decorated in their Halloween best, reeking havoc in the name of a good time. Dillon, Houser and Skerik all sported deadly costumes (complete with buoyant curls) of smooth jazz poster boy, soprano saxophonist Kenny G. The musicians played to the audience’s enthusiasm with a dissonant trifecta of saxophones; Skerik, Houser and friends experimented with a bizarre blend of acid jazz full of restless squawking while Dillon monkeyed with his drums. READ ON for more…
Dr. Dog @ Vic Theater, October 21, 2010
Philadelphia’s finest, Dr. Dog, treated Chicago fans to a colorful array of psychedelic pop at the Vic Theater back on October 21st. The six-piece band performed two hours of continuous high-energy rock filled with original compositions spanning their extensive catalogue. A bulk of the repertoire was selections off of 2008’s Fate and 2010’s Shame, Shame. The band also introduced two new songs to the mix, both of which embraced Dr. Dog’s signature 1960’s rock-revival sound.
In all honesty Dr. Dog are a must-see live band. They bring a similar raw emotion and friendly energy embedded in their recordings to the stage amplified times ten. Remaining true to their recorded sound, lead lyricists Toby Leaman (bass) and Scott McMicken (lead guitar) rotated vocals on each piece, putting forth a variety of perceptive themes.
Leaman’s soulful, existential approach crossed with McMicken’s introspective observations laid upon a bed of bright arrangements and playful hooks. Leaman, McMicken, Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar, harmonies), Zach Miller (keyboards), Eric Slick (drums) and an unknown friend on percussion polished off the sound with electrifying lo-fi bends and feel good vocal harmonies.
READ ON for more thoughts and photos from Allison…
The Giving Tree Band @ Chicago – House of Blues – September 10
Progressive old-time, indie folk rockers The Giving Tree Band of Yorkville, IL rocked the souls of fans, friends and family at the House of Blues in Chicago on Friday, September 10. The consistently fabulous acoustic octet invited admirers to join them in celebration of the official release of their third studio album The Joke, The Threat & The Obvious.
For a local record release show turn out was most impressive; the bars were crowded and the main floor filled with dancers eager to get their twirl on. Less than a year ago the band could be spotted playing smaller clubs around Chicago including the Kinetic Playground and the Double Door. Stepping up to the ranks of a major venue, with a solid attendance, was quite impressive.
The Giving Tree Band played for about an hour and a half though it felt like 20 minutes. One by one the boys animatedly bounced around stage barefooted, warming the venue with every strum. They brought their latest release alive by melding eight instrumental and six vocal harmonies into one. Each string pluck and drum build resonated a perfect blend of Midwestern roots bound to a folksy twang. The Giving Tree Band charmed the audience with their positive energy, never ending thank yous and dulcet melodies. Together the boys sparked a flame in their fans for there was neither a still body nor frown during the duration of the set.
READ ON for more of Allison’s thoughts and photos of TGTB…
Yorkville, IL darlings The Giving Tree Band had an active spring/summer tirelessly touring the country spreading seeds of charming melodies, soothing harmonies and environmental stewardship. Perhaps you caught them in
