Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 18:19:59 -0000
From: nina johnson
Subject: [KIMOCK] 4/14 some thoughts
4/14 GAMH
Very good show. Many VERY strong and beautiful moments. When things came
together, they did in a BIG way.
For further comments I must return to my favorite room in the house, and
that would almost always be the kitchen, where Steve remains, as always, our
trusty tasty toaster...the one and only toaster that can toast BOTH sides to
a golden perfection every time, and, given the chance ALWAYS WILL.
Well, folks, last night it occurred to me that we have another appliance in
the house...Rodney Holmes, the Blender. An extremely gifted drummer, he
slices, he dices, chops and mixes with SUCH RAW POWER, building to intense
crescendos and maintaining a staggering level of output. But, dare I admit
>>too much<< at times, for my taste?..May I submit that, perhaps it's just
a matter of finding the right button...not hitting liquify when the recipe
calls for a mild frappe, or even a quiet stir. I am reminded that intensity
of flavor is not measured in pure decibals, but in subtlety, good cueing,
dynamic textures and the occassional puree, flambe or filet...mmmm I'm
gettin' hungry...anyway, I have always felt that less is SO much more in the
careful blending of truly masterful music. Steve and Bobby, like true north
on a compass, will ALWAYS graciously lead us THERE, AKA the Sweet Spot...but
CONSISTENT, attentive cueing IS required. This, of course is just my two
cents. Each according to their taste...
Further highlights...
*I could swear Lindley was in the house when outta Rainbow's Cadi comes the
BOPPINEST She Took Off My Romeo romp...Wow!! That was some fun sockhoppin'
boys! More SKA, please!
*I was totally caught off guard by the reverse verticle souffle full body
slam that came in the middle of the New High and Lonesome...still
recovering.
*Cole's pulled from deeper and grittier places in the soul than I have felt
in quite some time...ditto on Little Wing, aka to me, Julia's song. Thanks,
Steve.
In closing, hugs to all you incredibly wonderful people, I have missed you
guys!! Bon Voyage to all, have a FANTASTIC tour, we'll be keeping the home
fires burnin'.
love always,
nina
ps (Thanks for spinnin', Toby- it was especially a treat to hear My Life in
the Bush of Ghosts last night... a mesmerizing tribal incantation from the
dynamic duo, David Byrne and Brian Eno...sorry Andy, I had it wrong...:^)
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 16:12:48 EDT
From: COBBOFLOVE
Subject: [KIMOCK] I Know What You Did Last Night...Random thoughts 4/14
Steve started the show by saying "So this is Easter, happy
Easter everyone... Everything that you've heard about Easter... IS ALL
LIES...!!! " He then introduced the tune Ice Cream Factory by saying it was
really cold when they wrote it..
Ice Cream Factory was very pleasant, and Mitch was a little more animated
in all his solos throughout the evening. Prompting one friend to say to me ..
"Hey, whos band is this anyway..?"
Rodney IS capable of playing low and sweet, he just doesn't like to much...
The High and Lonesome was sweet, and the crowd was better behaved, that is
until "Sixpack" decided that his birthday took precedent over Steve's
performance.
HEY SIXPACK, did it ever occur to you that "NO" you are not more popular
that Steve and just to shut up when he's on stage , playing for YOU...???
Just a thought, you'll all get to hear it on the tapes...
The Coles Law was slow and insightful, and then busrting at the seams (with
the help of Rodney, of course).. And then there was what I would like to
refer to as "THE SEGUE".. Verrrrry reminiscent of a Jerry and Bob style
space.. IT WAS AWESOME...!!! There was feedback, there were incredible
guitar licks, and there was just plain old , somewhat controlled
pandemonium.. It seemed to go on for at least 10 minutes. I say that in a
GOOD way.... What eventually developed was that long awaited Tangled Hangers.
Which was almost a let down after what we had just witnessed.. I mean these
guys took off, and left the stage, I am surprised that their guitar cords
were still plugged in at the end of it.. I have seen my share of smoke and
mirrors, but this was the real deal.. No aimless noodles here, no lost jams,
just controlled, feedback, smoke, flames, car crashes, environmental
disaster, nuclear meltdown, and total distruction.. Jimi Hendrix would have
been proud...
And through it all, the smile on Steve's face re-assured us that
YES..,.!!!! he was firmly in control of the situation.... Steve steered
this ship into parts unknown, just to see how the weather was.. and LOVED
every minute of it...
From Tangled, there was this funk, guitar duo thing (If it was a song , I
sure have never heard it played THAT way before) And eventually wound up as
the song that we know to be AVALON.. Talk about guitar power chords..!!! this
was a thundering, rolling, sincopated, all out rauchous fiesta... The crowd
was on its feet , everyone in the place was aware of what they came for , and
this was IT...!!!!!
Once everyone had sufficiently cooled a LITTLE... Began the Five Before
Funk...
It was clear that Steve wanted us to share in the love by offering a " Dont
make me come out there" just to make it clear that those "WHOOOOO"S" were to
be heard at the Mitchell Brothers smut farm next door... Could it get any
better than this..?? I found myself asking myself.
And finally yes it could... Left in Steves Easter Basket was a WONDERFUL,
very slow to start, Little Wing.. Steve just floated it out there and it
gradually smothered us like a warm blanket...This was the BEST little wing
that I have ever been privvy to, yea, Clapton, Hendirx included...
Yea, Steve has arrived.. the new frontier is being conquered as we
speak...
Go forth and prosper... In short, I LOVED it.... Happy Easter, Steve
Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done.
Steve
~~~~ Steve Cobb
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 13:19:00 -0700
From: The Grinning Goddess
Subject: [KIMOCK] 4/14 Floats away, Happy Easter Bunny show
Greetings folks,
it seemed like old home week at the GAMH...
psychedelic liquid lights, a holographic wrapping
paper banner....interesting stuff in addition to the
main event.
Niiiiiiiiice show last night.....but, of course, when
you wait a long time and get a spot up front, it
always seems like an even better show to me...!!
Beginning of show highlights:
Steve mentioning the true meaning of Easter
was/is...all lies. !! (Reminded me of how bummed I
was a a kid there was no "magic rabbit" hopping in my
house.)--sorry for any kids reading on the
list...oops!
A guy in a bunny costume said "I'm the Easter Bunny!",
and Steve replied, "I'M the Easter Bunny" -- too
cuute.
Then the new first song was called ice cream!!
Yum Yum! Warm up, indeed. Lucky co-incidence with my
post yesterday below... :')
>
> In a message dated 4/14/01 3:30:10 PM,
> writes:
>
> >I like the heavier-loud-rockin-out chocolate syrup
> on
> >my SKB ice cream -- but I also like the
> >heady-granola-jazz crunchies mixed in, too.
>
Love to all, and best wishes on the rest of the tour!!
Lisa-Marie
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 20:40:56 -0700
From: Hal Cohen
Subject: Re: [KIMOCK] MtnFLOK, PlainFLOK & SwampFLOK ...... GET READY! (long)
Hey FLOK!
People of the mountains, you'll be next!
If the last three shows are any indication, Steve's comment from the
Sunday Powerhouse gig (that he alluded to on Thursday) of "more guitar"
will allow the folks East the 101 to experience some doses of Kimockian
radiation even more beyond the December Coster edition of SKB.
Thanks to Jenn & Doug to get the titles of the new songs to the list. Five
new songs (six if you include Moon People.... which was the only real
anemic song...first time for this...I heard all weekend IMO...) in this
last three show run! The In Reply>Avalon of Thursday (set 1) & Saturday
(set 2) were parts of the best sets IMO of the run.
Mitch is defintiely an improvement in concept & sound from the last year
of keyboards. The missing "cheesy" sound or "lounge" solos Tom would
sometimes play are gone. Mitch is a crank it up kinda guy...... more in
the rock mold than any player in SKB to date. For last night, it allowed
Steve some time & space to expand what he wanted to do sonically. SK just
dispayed a massive amount of stylistic interpretations.... the nice
Dub-"Africa" near the final section on Saturday & the Third World feel to
Samba after the section section were things that wouldn't occur with
Coster. H & L still had the slow feel in the first section but with Mitch
adding some power chords to Steve's soaring riffs on the fast section gave
it less of that Mid-East feel and more good old raw power...... Rainbow's
had the same effect. No nice piano sound, it's Mitch in raw mode..... it
just sounds so much more robust!
Te second set Saturday was as good as it gets. The setlist, the passion
and raw force of all band members (and this is with Rodney "toned
down"..... he was much more controlled in his use of speed...... not that
he didn't make me scrape my jaw off the floor during the seque into
Tangled Hangers) created some amazing musical passages.....
Cole's Law was spectacular in it's own right. Steve created the initial
mood with Mitch punctuating the chorus of the song quite ably with
tasteful (albeit lots of quick notes sometimes with less expression in
tone and more sonic tweeks..... whammy bars & a foot pedal console). The
thing that put the first half hour into the Stratosphere was the seque.
When Cole's Law was winding down, Steve wouldn't let it go...... he
started a slow brooding riff which Rodney picked up with Bobby into a true
"Space" experience....... my body did not end up where my mind ended up
from this seque into Tangled Hangers..... which tore the joint up. Steve
was balls out for all to hear during his solos during this song with Mitch
getting his licks in to contribute to the hormonal injection.
Much to my amazement, the In Reply (the slow song before) >Avalon on
Saturday exceeded Thursday's rendition just slightly (since the crowd was
in a fairly weakened condition after the monumental Cole'sLaw>Tangled
Hangers) IMO. The improvisation and experimentation.... Steve tweeks and
reconnects his own little sound effects array quite a bit during the show
(not that it's a surprise)....... during this part of the show managed to
put away anyone unmelted for the rest of the evening.
All of the Mountain FLOK going to the Colorado & PlainFLOK from the
Midwest should rest your voices for the 5 B4 Funk wooos...... SK commented
on the lack of "woo" the second time the band went through the melody (on
Saturday)..... Well the crowd went "woo" crazy. The band LOVED it...
especially Steve. He had that amazing shit-eating "Oh My" grin on his face
after the more vocal response by us. Practice the WOOS!
The finale of Little Wing was gorgeous (when is it not?) with Mitch
playing the Clapton drone chords, Rodney applying some rock sensibility
and Bobby being the stalwart he has been for many-a-year. Steve is allowed
to take the song to the heights of "the other guys" who've had notoriety
with the song. Hyperbole can't really tell ya more.... I just pray the
tapes come out.
Last few things..... Rodney was more subdued and it's a GOOD thing. The
man IS great. Watching him play the double kick-pedal for his high-hat
(the guy NEVER misses a beat) and bass drum simultaneously is a technical
marvel. The whole six-armed (Vishnu?) drum playing happens less frequently
than in the December shows but they still occur. He also loves to try to
screw up the band with a patented off-beat ... no... WAY off-beat to some
improv sections that gets the band going in four different directions in a
way that another band of note would do.
Bobby is playing the best and most creative I've heard in the last couple
of years. His stylistic, tonal and melodic accompanyment to the songs
while maintaining the backbone when Rodney goes off into his territory
cannot be mentioned enough. The man is on his game!
And Steve is just Steve. He's playing with energy, panache & a relaxed
confidence of a guy who knows something about his trade. The man is a
marvel.
Lots of taping for all three shows... keep the taping karma going on this.
It will be worth hearing again & again & again........
I'm done with tax season....pumped & ready for Chicago! Hope to meet all
PlainFLOK !
:)
H
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 21:21:02 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen
Subject: [KIMOCK] Steve Kimock Band at the Great American
The Steve Kimock Band played three sold-out shows at San Francisco's
Great American Music Hall the last three nights (April 12, 13, and
14). The scene was unusual for a Kimock show. Plenty of people
selling glass and ganja delicacies, particularly before Friday's
show, on the sidewalk outside the venue. There were also quite a
large number of people looking for tickets.
If you've never been to the Great American, see
http://www.musichallsf.com/history/index.html for more information.
It's a beautiful room with ornate carvings, columns and a wooden
dance floor. It holds around 700.
The current line-up of SKB is Steve Kimock and the young, extremely
talented and jazz-trained Mitch Stein on guitars; Bobby Vega on
bass; and Rodney Holmes on drums. For more information on Mitch
Stein and Rodney Holmes, see
http://www.stonealliance.com/Stein.html-ssi and
http://rodneyholmes.com/.
I didn't catch the second set on Thursday but Thursday's first set
featured very fierce playing from the band, especially on the Mingus
cover, "Better Get It In Your Soul." Although Kimock has often
approached the first set on the first night of a run of shows
tentatively and cautiously, he came out on Thursday with a passion
he only seldom exhibits. He fired off many spine-tinglingly
McLaughlin-esque flurries of notes. And he was clearly thrilled by
this current incarnation of his band.
Mitch Stein is an excellent guitarist who acted almost as a "cattle
prod" for Kimock. Mitch got plenty of room to solo and, when he
did, he soulfully and expertly led, all the while challenging Kimock
to play at the top of his game. Mitch also brilliantly and
creatively complemented Kimock's solos on rhythm guitar.
Rodney Holmes, who spent a number of years playing with Carlos
Santana, is a world-reknowned drummer. To give you an idea of the
magnificence of Rodney's talent, Rodney is to drums what Victor
Wooten is to bass guitar. His playing needs to be heard *and seen*
to be believed. Although he's still in the process of learning many
of Kimock's original songs, and his eagerness to dazzle and awe can
come across as heavy-handed in the midst of a charming ballad,
Rodney is, nevertheless, the most talented drummer Kimock has ever
performed with outside of maybe Steve Smith (Kimock guested with YO
MILES! last year). Rodney is a musician and drummer of the highest
caliber, and his ability to play "lead drums" only adds to SKB's
profound musical depth.
Friday's show featured some titanic improvisations, and remarkable,
stunning bass guitar work from Bobby Vega. The first set opened
with a decent version of "A New Africa" (I thought the first five
minutes were shaky even though the final five minutes were
excellent), and a soulful take on "Samba." "Moon People," a funky
new Kimock original, bounced and swang, and was really well received
by the (chatty as always Bay Area) crowd. "Point of No Return"
contained a repetitive but sensational jam, even though this song --
first performed and regularly performed by KVHW -- will probably
never move me too far without Ray White's gorgeous tenor. Vega's
excellent tune, "Rocco", was well-played. The first set closed with
a good "Hillbillies," which included a great solo from Mitch, if
memory serves, but which otherwise wasn't as impressive as many
other versions I've heard in the past.
Friday's second set opened with an excellent "Bad Hair," which I
believe also -- like the "Hillbillies" -- included a sweet Stein
solo. The "Poonk > Cissy Strut > Poonk" was a funkasaurus, driven
ferociously by Bobby and Rodney. They are an incredible team.
"Tongue n Groove" was beautiful, as it always is, but this version
nevertheless left me missing ZERO and, in particular, Martin
Fierro's sax. I recall enjoying the new tune "54-46 (Was my
number)" but I can't remember details. "It's Up To You" contained
an enormous Holmes solo and some serene soloing from Kimock.
Mitch's tune, "Rudson's Roaches," was enjoyable. It fits smoothly
in SKB's repertoire. "Many Rivers" soulfully closed the show (there
was no encore since the band played all the way through to the
1:30am curfew; they did this on Saturday night as well).
Saturday night's first set contained some excellent playing from
everyone, but didn't move me overall as much as the Thursday and
Friday sets. I don't remember many details. There was an unusual
ska jam somewhere in the set, though, that was awesome (I think it
was during Africa, but I can't be sure). The "High and Lonesome"
didn't enter into that "dark" section in the ordinary "Bobby
dropping the bomb" manner. In this version, Rodney just started
thunderously exploding on his kit. It wasn't quite the same.
"Rainbow's Cadillac" (Hornsby cover) was the highlight of the set
and closed it well.
I thought Saturday's second set was magical. "Cole's Law" was
enchanting, and the segue into "Tangled Hangers" -- which must have
lasted at least five minutes -- was spacey and ominous. The
"Tangled Hangers" contained some spectacular leads from Kimock and
Stein. And Bobby and Rodney were amazing. It was a "hear at all
costs" version. "In Reply -> Avalon" was similarly fantastic. A
masterpiece of fusion it was also "must hear." "Five B4 Funk" was
actually a breath of fresh air, and not all that intense in light of
what went before it. It was still an excellent version. "Little
Wing" was gorgeous and another soulful close to a fantastic evening
of improvisational rock.
Get the tapes! And go see SKB with extreme prejudice. For tour
info, check out http://www.kimock.com/.
two cents,
charlie
Setlists:
04/12/01 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
Set 1: Congo Man Chant , Kissin the Boo Boo, Better Get It In Your Soul,
Rudson's Roaches, In Reply -> Avalon
Set 2: You're The One, Baby Baby, Footprints, The Long Form, Five B4 Funk
4/13/01 GAMH
Set 1: A New Africa, Why Can't We All Just Samba, Moon People, Point of No
Return, Rocco, Hillbillies on PCP
Set 2: Bad Hair, Poonk > Cissy Strut > Poonk, Tongue n' Groove, 54-46 (Was
my number), It's Up to You, Rudson's Roaches, Many Rivers to Cross
4/14/01 GAMH
Set 1: Ice Cream, You're the One, Africa, High & Lonesome, Rainbow's Cadillac
Set 2: Cole's Law -> Tangled Hangers, In Reply -> Avalon, 5 B4 Funk, Little Wing