Turbine at Stain (Brooklyn, NY)

7/12/08 Initially, the idea of this show was thought to be a classic Turbine show, reminiscent of the time when Turbine was a duo shared between Jeremy Hillard and Ryan Rightmire. This changed as Eric Johnson fulfilled his percussion duties and Justin Kimmel cruised in with his bass. The show was set to start at 10:30 p.m. in Brooklyn, N.Y., just one block from the Grand Street stop off of the hipster clad "L" train but truth be told no hipsters attended, even though I looked like one. Stain, a friendly wine-o bar which is known for their love of art, Sangria carafes and sizeable smoking patio, reminds you of a place where back in the day one would have seen Neil Young grace the small stage for a low key acoustic set. While such performances happen often, Saturday night was an exception; and an exceptional one at that. As I rushed from Union Square to make the show, I was hoping that the duo hadn't begun on time because I would have missed more than an hour of grooving. I was lucky in that they hadn't and I had only missed two-ish songs. While I was totally there for the music, I was starving and couldn't resist devouring the kick-ass BBQ out on the smoking patio. The Weber Kettle was perfectly roasting an array of meats that came on everything from bones to skewers. All were delicious, you can even ask Willoughby, she knows. Ok, so we get it, the food was scrumptious. Now onto the music. The night was more of a free base jam session with the crowd and band requesting songs alike. Audience participation was highly encouraged as there were an array of sit-ins from the Turbine family. The show began after a Bessie Smith (the Band) sound check. Set one started with Wintertime, even though we are in the midst of summer, followed by Running Late, which is ironically when I arrived. Sweet Blue Eyed Darlin' (Bill Monroe) came next with Jack A Roe (Traditional), Devils and Angels and Masterpiece (Bob Dylan) all three with "Nice Guy Mike" on Bass. Masterpiece sampled Jeremy (lead guitar, vocals) on piano and segued into Willoughby the Lazy Dog jam which honored the friendly pooch and her infamous need for belly rubs. Set break followed with Banjo and Mike entertaining the crowd. Set two welcomed Justin Kimmel back to his Bass duties and kicked off the late night set with Set Me Free into Fla Naba jam, a bonnafied crowd pleaser and by far the highlight of my night. This song was specifically written "for the neighbors" early one morning not too far from the venue. Initially, this song was the gut of a late-night, roof-top jam that took place after an evening at the Donegal last March. Four months later it's heyday arrived and it formed into the epitome of outerspaceness. It was the first time the song had been played in it's entirety with the full band. The hook of the song, a crazy repetitious "this is for fla naba", continually looped; popping in and out of jams and well, the rest of the show for that matter. Fla Naba then returned to Set Me Free. The lucky few who stayed until nearly 4 a.m. were delighted to hear for the first time The Start of Something New and Ready, Willing to close. This show was performed in classic acoustic fashion, with a little twist of Turbine spunk. As far as this band is concerned, acoustic is neither slow nor boring. Special Thanks to: Turbine, Stain, Weber Kettle and Nice Guy Mike, that last drop in the bottle in the bag on the table, MuleMan, Eric and Justin for coming too, not my foot for kicking over 219,308,290 drinks, the tolerant bartender, Willoughby's dirt stash, the FANS, music and great times! Willoughby would like to thank: Teresa's lap. Love, Jess

TURBINE ROCKED OFF!

7/11/08 80 degrees and sunny could not have been a more perfect forecast for an evening upon the rocky waves of New York City's East River. Fans of Gramercy's latest psychedelic rock 'n roll group boarded the intimate Half Moon at 7 p.m. and proceeded to enjoy cocktails on the poopdeck until opener PUSH took the stage. Young and electric, PUSH paved the way for the luscious headliner to take the stage a little after 10 p.m. Before embarking on their musical journey, Turbine enjoyed mingling with their fans while taking in the sites along the East River. The Half Moon cruised us by the Statue of Liberty, underneath the Manhattan, Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges, and best yet by the newest art exhibit in Manhattan. The NYC Waterfalls were definitely a big highlight of the evening (yes, to me, I know. I was excited...) and I feel safe saying that the inebriated crowd was impressed by Mr. Eliasson's work. The sun had fully set, the river was getting wild and the boat was "arockin'" as Turbine took the stage preparing the fully loaded dance floor for a nautical set list that would have had Gilligan spinning. Opening with an unexpected jam into Eddy of the Sea followed by increasing Special of the Day was an exceptional start but the crowd had no clue that OCEAN by legends Led Zeppelin was to follow. Turbine took this cover to new heights, in fact it had me rushing from the sound board to the front of the crowd just to get an up-close view of a raging harmonica and blasting Gibson. Frankly, I would have been nervous topping Ocean but Turbine mastered it just fine with Desert Rose, a fan favorite. Even with a little unsteadiness on the boat (the entire band including seated drummer swayed with the tide) the set continued into Columbus Day and the uber romantic Doing To Me. A trancey few came to follow with Seven Years of Bad Luck into a classic version of Rock The Boat by retro-group The Hues Corporation into an elongated Invited that rocked my socks, considering it is my favorite tune by the band. The show closer was Reward off of their second album titled with the same name. After the roaring crowd died down and actually captured some semblance of their sea legs elated fans enjoyed a couple last drinks as the crew of Rocks Off! was more than happy to allow a bit of mental regrouping. As the boat emptied people were found scowling the front of the port at 23rd and FDR Drive for post party plans. From the looks of people, I feel confident that everyone found something delightful to do. I know I did. Special Thanks to: Turbine, Rocks Off! and Bill Stites, Beth, James' Helmet, Banjo's Arm, the chair by the soundboard, arm railings along the stairs, the FANS, music and great times. Love, Jess

Blogging is Hip

Ok, so after lots of time away, many stories untold and scrap books filled I am going to start blogging again. For awhile I lost interest...but the summer of George is back! So I am going to gradually update this thing with stories about The Who, Tea Leaf Green and Turbine. It is going to take me a very long time to recap the shows I have been to and my experiences, but if you bare with me I am sure they will be entertaining...because frankly, I was entertained. The organization is going to be a little wacky, which why wouldn't it be really... The first post I am going to put up is a review from the Turbine's Boat Cruise this past weekend, and recaps will follow. Love, Jess

Guyute says...

...that I should really continue this Blog. So I have decided to pick up writing, I have a lot to catch up on, considering I am about a year behind. Sorry for the delay I have just been having so much fun. Organizing all this stuff looks like its going to be rather difficult...I believe I left off at Virgin Festival...More to come...

Night #3 - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

This evening was far more special than the last three. My mother and her posse of ladies had all fallen in love with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. My friend Stacy from Bonas also is a big Grace Potter fan, so we all planned to meet at the 8x10 for a snazzy Thursday night full of music. It was an exicting evening for the band, who is from Vermont, not only had the sold out the 8x10 but was also filming for their first full length DVD. This was my mother's second time seeing the band live, her first being familiar with their music. I knew that "Joey" was her favorite tune so I asked the Nocturnals' bassist Bryan Dondero to add it to their set list, five songs later, "by request" "Joey" was played for my mom. Grace Potter, Scott Tournet and Bryan all came over and shook my mother's hand. Pretty neat audience participation I must say.

Night #2 - Hot Buttered Rum Band

My pal Pat Gill is a big fan and personal friend of Hot Buttered Rum Band, who played Wednesday September 13th, 2006 at the 8x10 Club. He loves HBRB as hard as I love Tea Leaf Green. One who has found a band that they have so much in common with can appreciate when others express that same interest in a different band. Pat had spoken so highly of Hot Buttered that I couldn't refuse an evening of bluegrass. It was my first Hot Buttered show, I am truly not one for bluegrass too often, but there is something about HBRB that always sounds great.

Three Nights at the 8x10 - Night #1

A three night stand was an obvious choice when a trio of spectacular bands were rolling through the Baltimore area. On September 12th Perpetual Groove, a upbeat/transe band from Athens, Georgia kicked off the fun filled week. I rolled downtown after working all day, grabbed a beer at the bar and set up shop at the front of the stage. Not too long after I met Rusty. Rusty was a really chill character that was a big PGroove fan. He had been following them for a week and had seen a bunch of shows. We partied and danced while PGroove totally transformed the 300 person venue from a low key Tuesday evening stand-still to a hopping night club. The played one of their most popular jams Three Weeks. After the show, I stopped backstage said hello to Adam their bassist and then quickly bolted home to prepare for the following evening.