I couldn't help myself. This groove is too good to not blog about! Tell me what you think.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Ryan Montbleau Band 12/31/09 @ Fairfield, CT
What a way to ring in the new decade with a hundred close friends and the Ryan Montbleau Band. I don't think I have seen or heard a better RMB show than the one I saw last night. (Consequently, I have lots of notes!)
The band was all suited up for tonight's show -
I mentioned that the band the night before had done a few interesting segways into songs from what I call 'nothing jams' - jams that have no melody, no focus, and really only last a minute or so. These jams, although plentiful tonight, seemed more connected to what had happened previously or what was about to happen. I almost liked the disconnectedness of those nothing jams the night before better - although they were spacey and kind of weird, it was cool to see where they would go and experience the segway from nothingness to the concrete.
Another technique used by the band that proved to be a theme throughout the night was tension and release. I found that there was a lot of that going on in the communal jams (where there are no prevalent solos) tonight. I really like this technique, but only sparingly.
Example A: Phish's Fluffhead has this section where it's all about buildup and unresolved leading tones; you can feel the tension being intentionally created. And then all of a sudden - the tonic arrives. Boom. You're jumping around, yelling the lyrics, and sporting a huge grin. The tension is dissolved instantly and it's the best feeling in the world.
It is cases like these that the tension/release thing is great and works like nothing else. Other times, however, I think it gets overused. Dare I suggest that the RMB is taking it a little too far? That's a question I can't answer..
And while I love Phish for their nonsense lyrics, I find myself loving Ryan for just the opposite: he uses down-to-earth, accessible poetry in his material that everyone can relate to in some capacity. I have been thinking about trademarks lately, and what makes people special. Ryan's trademark is his poetry and sensuality that he brings to his music. You don't get any other artists who seem like they're pouring their hearts out to an audience like you do with this guy. It's magic.
hello!
Another new facet to the RMB that I have really been liking is all of the vibes they've got going on. There are times when I could swear I am standing at a jazz concert instead of a Ryan Montbleau show. Similarily, there are times when I feel as if I am seeing a funked-up Bob Marley group. Then there are the times and the songs that bring a sort of 'pretty jam' element to the music. I can't find any other way to describe it than just pretty. There's a softness, a tenderness, that is used in the pretty jams that is a trademark in itself. These vibes are awesome, and it really showcases the multifaceted nature of the musicians themselves as well as the group as a whole.
Espeically 'Jason on the keys', as Ryan so aptly puts it every night. I think he's the one who really leans into these different vibes, and the rest of the band kind of responds to him. There are times when he will solo and it will sound like McCoy Tyner is in the house. Other times you'll swear there's nothing better than the sound of his organ wailing. And sometimes both will happen in one song. There's a certain sense of eclecticness that other bands just don't have.
So the show itself.
There was so much energy in the room right from the start, both in the band and the crowd. It was a big contrast from the night before, where most of the audience was sitting the whole time.. lame. When the interactive tune 'I Can't Wait' came around, the audience already knew what to shout, when, and did so: loudly. It was awesome being in a crowd with so much enthusiasm.
I found myself wondering as Bob Marley's 'Bend Down Low' went down if the RMB is on a reggae streak. The night before they played all Marley songs during set breaks, and tonight there was not only a big reggae vibe going on throughout the jamming, but there was one of Bob's tunes. (Phish did the same thing in Hartford, CT this summer - they covered two Talking Heads songs in one night after playing all of Talking Heads:77 before the sets).
The other noteworthy song from the first set was 'Gone,' from Patience on Friday. It's one of my favorite tunes off the album, and it's done live very rarely, but also very well. 'Gone' is more like a poem than it is a song - the whole tune is only a few lines long, but it's a very welcome few lines in which Ryan laments the loss of a girl in his life, and still "uses her as a hook to hang all [his] insecurities on." It's lines like this that make the RMB so special.
The second set brought lots of smiles, dancing, and the new year. We rang in 2010 with an incredible cover of Pink Floyd's 'Time' - Ryan and the boys truly outdid themselves. They really transcended the expected range of their music this time around.
Another favorite I had the pleasure of grooving to was 'Dancing in the Sunshine,' another tune that Ryan doesn't do very often, but always rocks it out for the Gathering of the Vibes shows in July. It was awesome to jam out six months early! This tune confronts some of the same philosophical stuff I myself have been wrangling with lately, but in a simpler way. It declares that "it's the simple things in life, so let's spend our time dancing in the sunshine,"implying that that's the best way to live. I can't say I don't agree...
The band topped off the night with crazy fun tunes by the dozen, including 'L.I.D.S.' (anyone knows what that stands for?), 'You Crazy You,' 'A Way With Women,' 'Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)' (a Talking Heads cover, and one of the best grooves of the night), and 'City,' which was the tune I really wanted to between the two nights.
All in all, it was a fun night with all the jamming, grooving, and glow-in-the-dark silly string one could imagine.
I'll let the kid say it -
peace, love, and hobbits,
Elizabeth
ps - here is the link to a very good recording of the show - enjoy!
http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2009-12-31.flac16
The band was all suited up for tonight's show -
I mentioned that the band the night before had done a few interesting segways into songs from what I call 'nothing jams' - jams that have no melody, no focus, and really only last a minute or so. These jams, although plentiful tonight, seemed more connected to what had happened previously or what was about to happen. I almost liked the disconnectedness of those nothing jams the night before better - although they were spacey and kind of weird, it was cool to see where they would go and experience the segway from nothingness to the concrete.
Another technique used by the band that proved to be a theme throughout the night was tension and release. I found that there was a lot of that going on in the communal jams (where there are no prevalent solos) tonight. I really like this technique, but only sparingly.
Example A: Phish's Fluffhead has this section where it's all about buildup and unresolved leading tones; you can feel the tension being intentionally created. And then all of a sudden - the tonic arrives. Boom. You're jumping around, yelling the lyrics, and sporting a huge grin. The tension is dissolved instantly and it's the best feeling in the world.
It is cases like these that the tension/release thing is great and works like nothing else. Other times, however, I think it gets overused. Dare I suggest that the RMB is taking it a little too far? That's a question I can't answer..
And while I love Phish for their nonsense lyrics, I find myself loving Ryan for just the opposite: he uses down-to-earth, accessible poetry in his material that everyone can relate to in some capacity. I have been thinking about trademarks lately, and what makes people special. Ryan's trademark is his poetry and sensuality that he brings to his music. You don't get any other artists who seem like they're pouring their hearts out to an audience like you do with this guy. It's magic.
hello!
Another new facet to the RMB that I have really been liking is all of the vibes they've got going on. There are times when I could swear I am standing at a jazz concert instead of a Ryan Montbleau show. Similarily, there are times when I feel as if I am seeing a funked-up Bob Marley group. Then there are the times and the songs that bring a sort of 'pretty jam' element to the music. I can't find any other way to describe it than just pretty. There's a softness, a tenderness, that is used in the pretty jams that is a trademark in itself. These vibes are awesome, and it really showcases the multifaceted nature of the musicians themselves as well as the group as a whole.
Espeically 'Jason on the keys', as Ryan so aptly puts it every night. I think he's the one who really leans into these different vibes, and the rest of the band kind of responds to him. There are times when he will solo and it will sound like McCoy Tyner is in the house. Other times you'll swear there's nothing better than the sound of his organ wailing. And sometimes both will happen in one song. There's a certain sense of eclecticness that other bands just don't have.
So the show itself.
There was so much energy in the room right from the start, both in the band and the crowd. It was a big contrast from the night before, where most of the audience was sitting the whole time.. lame. When the interactive tune 'I Can't Wait' came around, the audience already knew what to shout, when, and did so: loudly. It was awesome being in a crowd with so much enthusiasm.
I found myself wondering as Bob Marley's 'Bend Down Low' went down if the RMB is on a reggae streak. The night before they played all Marley songs during set breaks, and tonight there was not only a big reggae vibe going on throughout the jamming, but there was one of Bob's tunes. (Phish did the same thing in Hartford, CT this summer - they covered two Talking Heads songs in one night after playing all of Talking Heads:77 before the sets).
The other noteworthy song from the first set was 'Gone,' from Patience on Friday. It's one of my favorite tunes off the album, and it's done live very rarely, but also very well. 'Gone' is more like a poem than it is a song - the whole tune is only a few lines long, but it's a very welcome few lines in which Ryan laments the loss of a girl in his life, and still "uses her as a hook to hang all [his] insecurities on." It's lines like this that make the RMB so special.
The second set brought lots of smiles, dancing, and the new year. We rang in 2010 with an incredible cover of Pink Floyd's 'Time' - Ryan and the boys truly outdid themselves. They really transcended the expected range of their music this time around.
Another favorite I had the pleasure of grooving to was 'Dancing in the Sunshine,' another tune that Ryan doesn't do very often, but always rocks it out for the Gathering of the Vibes shows in July. It was awesome to jam out six months early! This tune confronts some of the same philosophical stuff I myself have been wrangling with lately, but in a simpler way. It declares that "it's the simple things in life, so let's spend our time dancing in the sunshine,"implying that that's the best way to live. I can't say I don't agree...
The band topped off the night with crazy fun tunes by the dozen, including 'L.I.D.S.' (anyone knows what that stands for?), 'You Crazy You,' 'A Way With Women,' 'Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)' (a Talking Heads cover, and one of the best grooves of the night), and 'City,' which was the tune I really wanted to between the two nights.
All in all, it was a fun night with all the jamming, grooving, and glow-in-the-dark silly string one could imagine.
I'll let the kid say it -
peace, love, and hobbits,
Elizabeth
ps - here is the link to a very good recording of the show - enjoy!
http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2009-12-31.flac16
Ryan Montbleau Band 12/30/09 @ Fairfield, CT
I remembered exactly why I own three Ryan Montbleau t-shirts.
I hadn't seen the RMB since late August. Things have changed for me since then, and I'm glad to report that I have found things are different on their end as well.
New material, new vibes, new jams, and new years. I think we've got a theme going..
The band first impressed me with starting with what I call a 'nowhere jam' right from the top. This sort of jam literally comes from nowhere, with no melody, no focus, and no point, other than making music, of course. So this nowhere jam starts slowly with nowhere to go, and all of a sudden, like a button was pushed, the first song comes. Wild.
The other new technique I found the band using was not only the intro jam, but the outro jam as well. Many of the RMB songs end on a single beat with the whole band in unison. Not this time around. A few of the tunes at the end go into a quick jam, and it seems as if they will return to the known to finish off the song, but instead it just.. ends. But I kinda like it. It's new. Anticlimactic, if you will.
There were some fun moments throughout the night, like Eddy Grant's 'Electric Avenue,' a tune the band loves to do from time to time. This one can get really funky (in a good way!).
Another highlight of the night was an impromptu song about Oprah, derived from banter with the crowd that somehow landed on the topic of our favorite TV hostess. Lots of laughter as Ryan picked up his guitar, and slowly drawled something about being the next Oprah and the whole band joined in. It's stuff like this that keeps me listening to live music.. it's so much more fun.
A mysterious guest? Note Ryan's dance moves..
I had never heard the group's only coined holiday tune, 'Resolution,' before that night, and I ended up wondering if it would be taboo for them to do it more often. I really liked it - the song starts off with an invitation - "Meet me by the mistletoe." It is introspective, calm, and beautiful. When the chorus comes around, however, a whole new vibe comes into play. The tune is revved up by Maddie with a rockin and persistent bassline as the whole thing becomes this rock and roll/jazz fusion type deal. It's very cool.
'Love & Love Lost' is one of my favorites off the album Patience on Friday, mainly because of its poetic value. So of course I was pleased when it was played tonight, only because it's one of those tunes that almost never happens. Definitely a personal highlight.
It's good to be back, folks.
The wild horses in Nevada deserve to live in their natural habitat,
Elizabeth
I hadn't seen the RMB since late August. Things have changed for me since then, and I'm glad to report that I have found things are different on their end as well.
New material, new vibes, new jams, and new years. I think we've got a theme going..
The band first impressed me with starting with what I call a 'nowhere jam' right from the top. This sort of jam literally comes from nowhere, with no melody, no focus, and no point, other than making music, of course. So this nowhere jam starts slowly with nowhere to go, and all of a sudden, like a button was pushed, the first song comes. Wild.
The other new technique I found the band using was not only the intro jam, but the outro jam as well. Many of the RMB songs end on a single beat with the whole band in unison. Not this time around. A few of the tunes at the end go into a quick jam, and it seems as if they will return to the known to finish off the song, but instead it just.. ends. But I kinda like it. It's new. Anticlimactic, if you will.
There were some fun moments throughout the night, like Eddy Grant's 'Electric Avenue,' a tune the band loves to do from time to time. This one can get really funky (in a good way!).
Another highlight of the night was an impromptu song about Oprah, derived from banter with the crowd that somehow landed on the topic of our favorite TV hostess. Lots of laughter as Ryan picked up his guitar, and slowly drawled something about being the next Oprah and the whole band joined in. It's stuff like this that keeps me listening to live music.. it's so much more fun.
A mysterious guest? Note Ryan's dance moves..
I had never heard the group's only coined holiday tune, 'Resolution,' before that night, and I ended up wondering if it would be taboo for them to do it more often. I really liked it - the song starts off with an invitation - "Meet me by the mistletoe." It is introspective, calm, and beautiful. When the chorus comes around, however, a whole new vibe comes into play. The tune is revved up by Maddie with a rockin and persistent bassline as the whole thing becomes this rock and roll/jazz fusion type deal. It's very cool.
'Love & Love Lost' is one of my favorites off the album Patience on Friday, mainly because of its poetic value. So of course I was pleased when it was played tonight, only because it's one of those tunes that almost never happens. Definitely a personal highlight.
It's good to be back, folks.
The wild horses in Nevada deserve to live in their natural habitat,
Elizabeth
The McLovins at Sullivan Hall, NYC 12/29/09
They delivered.
Talking with a family friend tonight made me realize that there are bands who have songs, and bands who jam. It is rare to find a band that will do both well. From what I saw tonight, the McLovins have it. There were some really nice segways that happened and some incredible jams to go along with it.
The boys opened up the set with ‘Guillotine Machine,’ a really good groovish sort of jam. Conundrum came up next, followed up by this jam that I found myself seriously grooving to. It had sort of a disco feel, with lots of underlying syncopation. Me like. :)
Upon catching the first inkling of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ from Jason’s bassline, I immediately turned to my dad to bask in the groove.. and he rolled his eyes when I started rapping along. Nevertheless, the clever and fun covertune made it into my favorites of the night.
Halfway through the night, I found myself thanking the Gods of Jam.. and I only do that at Phish shows. Jeff seriously jammed all night, and Jason and Jake provided some excellent solos and backing for all the insane shredding going down.
Due to circumstances I could not affect (aka the opportunity of getting a free ride back to Grand Central at 1am), I had to bag out before the show was over that night. I saw the setlist for the rest of the night, and it looked rockin.. I'm bummed I missed out.
Up next? The Ryan Montbleau Band is headlining at the Fairfield Theatre Company for the next two nights, and I am sooooo there. Reviews are on the way!
Peace, love, and mini glow-stick wars,
Elizabeth
Phish on NYE - thoughts?
What do you guys make of this video? Does anyone have any theories as to who the mysterious 'Sarah' may be? I'm intrigued.
Look for 3 new entries very, very soon -
Elizabeth
Look for 3 new entries very, very soon -
Elizabeth
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