Jam Central Station 3.20.10: Buzzworthy Concert - Toubab Krewe - 3.17.10
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 03.20.2010
Toubab Krewe celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Ohio State's campus in Columbus. It certainly wasn't Celtic music, but it was a really good time!
Hey everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Jam Central Station. I hope you all have the same type of beautiful weather that we've had hear in Ohio for the past week. The sun is out, there's no snow, and spring is in the air. When we start hitting 70, I'll be very happy.
Last week I bemoaned the fact that, after two weeks of concert reviews, I wouldn't have a concert to review this week. That was before I remembered that Toubab Krewe was playing here in Columbus on St. Patty's day. Well, I was looking for an reason to go out on that day anyways, and the guys from Asheville provided me with a great excuse. I even ended up dragging a couple of coworkers along with me (I was pretty surprised that they agreed) for a night of African fusion.
The first thing that I noticed when I got to the show is how small the venue was. The Rumba Café isn't a music venue, per se. It's a bar that has a small (very small) slightly raised "stage" in the corner with just a couple of basic lights hanging from the ceiling. I don't know if the bars in Columbus that are more set up for music were already taken for St. Patrick's Day or if the band just prefers to play a very packed, very small venue vs. a somewhat packed slightly larger venue, but it was surprising, especially knowing that Toubab Krewe typically plays larger venues.
Make no mistake, however, the bar was packed for Toubab Krewe. Rumba Café is located on OSU's campus, but it felt more like a hip small club than a college bar. While many folks showed up in their full St. Patrick's Day regalia, the bar wasn't decked out in green and there was no green beer in sight (much to the chagrin of one of my coworkers). This was far from the "party bar" scene that you see at most bars on St. Patrick's Day, with clichéd Irish music and folks downing cheap beer as quickly as possible. Instead, the crowd that came to the Rumba Café on St. Patty's Day came for the music, and they were in no way disappointed.
Opening band The Heavy Pets, from Ft. Lauderdale, started the night with a set that lasted just about an hour, and included songs from a range of genres. They started out with some laid back southern-influenced jam music, reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, before moving seamlessly in and out of different styles as their set went on. Much of their set was more upbeat with modern indie-rock influences, but they also featured some 70's style soul and funk, New Orleans Cajun music, and some ska. The band members were all talented, and each took an opportunity to stand out. There was some good slap-style bass, some great keyboard solos, and dueling leads from the two guitarists. The band even had my 50 year old boss moving, which was a little frightening to watch.
While the crowd was just making their way into the bar during The Heavy Pets, the place was full by the time that Toubab Krewe took the stage. Now, I'm not familiar enough with Toubab Krewe's jams in order to know what they were playing song to song. I know the styles and influences they were drawing from, but, if you came here looking for a setlist, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm hoping I'll still be able to do the performance justice without a song-by-song analysis of the set.
The smell of "green" was in the air when Toubab Krewe got started, which was somewhat fitting for the holiday. The first couple of songs showed a good mix of styles and tempo. The first song was a mid-tempo jam with some Appalachian influences. Not surprising for a band that calls Asheville, North Carolina home. The first couple of songs showed what a range styles that the band was comfortable in, and the songs went from slow and relaxed to blistering fast, sometimes with drastic tempo changes in the same song. The first songs came across primarily as American rock instrumentals with African influences and sounds, instead of the other way around. The guitars and drum kit were prominent, and the African drums and stringed instruments helped fill out the sound.
As the set continued, it became very easy to forget that the band relied on such atypical instruments. Toubab Krewe does such a good job of blending the two sounds that the difference in the two cultures doesn't stand out while listening to the band. They followed up their first couple of songs with a fast paced jam with some distinct 60's surfer-rock elements. The successfully created a guitar sound that almost sounded like the Beach Boys while not directly stealing that style. It wasn't a style that I expected to hear from the band, but it was fun and it worked well for the band. This was a song where each band member got a chance to shine with a variety of solos interwoven around the song.
As the set continued, the sound continued to evolve, with Drew and Justin often leaving their guitars to take on the kora, soku, and a variety of other African stringed instruments. These changes in instruments didn't slow the band down at all, and their comfort with the African instruments as well as their guitars helped lead the band on. They went through a laid-back song with a very Pink Floyd feel, especially the trippy solos that came from the African instruments. Next came a more mid-paced song with some elements that could almost be considered pop rock. Honestly, this was the one song that, if it had lyrics, I think could be a song you would hear on the radio. As it is, it was still a lot of fun for the crowd.
The last couple of songs were even more heavily influenced by the African instruments. They did an Irish-themed song that had the crowd moving. I was struck by how effortlessly the band seemed to take African and American instruments to create rather authentic Irish music. The first set closed with an extended jam that included a very impressive solo on what looked similar to a fretless four-string wooden "shoebox" guitar. Sadly, by that time it was pretty late already, and I knew that the band planned to play until about 2:00. I hope all of the jammers with kids out there understand why I decided to head out after the close of the first set in order to get a decent night's sleep. One of my coworkers stayed through part of the second set (not my 50 year old boss), and she was glad that she did, as the band continued to play some great high-energy music.
One thing that Toubab Krewe does so well that I want to mention is just jam. What I mean by that is, they are able to take the "root" of a song, and each member is able to add their own embellishments to that root to make something very exciting. No band member is just playing the basic melody or rhythm. They're all playing "around" the core of the song. If you took each instrument separately, you often wouldn't be able to hear the root of the song in that one instrument. It's only when all five members come together that the song really begins to take shape. I think that may be a result of being an instrumental band. With no vocals, there's no opportunity for any band member to take it easy during a song. Each member needs to continuously keep their part interesting while also staying true to what the band as a whole is doing. This creates a need to reach whole new level of musicianship that many bands never get to. Each band member deserves tremendous credit for keeping the listener interested and engaged throughout their songs.
I've been paying attention to Toubab Krewe for quite a while now, and every now and then I realize how illogical their success is. The term "instrumental African fusion" doesn't typically correlate to any level of national success. Amazingly, that's not the case for Toubab Krewe. Their sound is original enough to garner interest while not being so unconventional that it alienates the listener. I really don't know that any other band would be able to successfully pull of what Toubab Krewe has done.
Phish sets summer tour dates
The boys from Vermont will be heading back on the road for an extensive summer tour. The first leg of the tour runs from June 11 through July 4, then they pick up again a month later on August 5. I'm pretty sure that the lottery is open for ticket requests through Phish's ticket site. Of course, I'm already booked for the June 12 date in Cleveland (Bonnaroo), and the Deer Creek dates are on a Thursday and Friday, so sadly I'll be missing this tour (unless someone wants to drive me up to Alpine). Good luck getting the tickets!
June 11 Chicago, IL Toyota Park
June 12 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
June 13 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
June 15 Portsmouth, VA nTelos Pavilion at Harbor Center
June 17 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
June 18 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
June 19 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 20 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 22 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
June 24 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 25 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 26 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 29 Canandaigua, NY CMAC
July 1 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
July 2 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 3 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
July 4 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
August 5 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
August 6 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
August 7 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
August 9 Telluride, CO Telluride Town Park
August 10 Telluride, CO Telluride Town Park
August 12 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 13 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 14 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 15 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 17 Wantagh, NY Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
August 18 Wantagh, NY Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
Gathering of the Vibes announces artist
Finally we hear something from Vibes for this year! They confirmed their first round of artists, which includes Primus (Primus! Yes!), Damian Marley & Nas, Jimmy Cliff, The Rhythm Devils (featuring Bill Kreutzman, Mickey Hart, and Keller Williams), Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Umphrey's McGee, Galactic, Martin Sexton, Little Feat, Dark Star Orchestra, and Steve Kimock Crazy Engine, among many others. The event runs July 29-August 1, and tickets currently sit at $165. Get them before the price goes up!
Further to host a festival!
Further is planning a festival over Memorial Day in Mountain Aire, California. The festival will include two nights from Further (probably two sets each night), as well as Galactic, Jackie Greene, The Mother Hips, Electric Hot Tuna, and others. Online presale tickets go on sale on Monday the 22nd.
All Good adds more goodness
This year's All Good festival continues to round out their lineup with some nice additions. Leading the additions for this week are the Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band, along with Dr. Dog, SOJA, The New Mastersounds, and the Everyone Orchestra. Already on the bill are Further, Widespread Panic, Umphrey's McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams & Added Bonus, and many others. The mountaintop will be a great place to be this summer!
Hangout adds artists
The first annual Hangout Festival continues to grow. This week they added Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Jeff Austin & Friends featuring Larry Keel, and Jakob Dylan and Three Legs featuring Neko Case. I'm wondering that, with Keller Williams already on the bill, whether or not Larry might join him for some Deadgrass or something of that sort. Anyways, this beach party runs from May 14-16, and tickets are available!
Summer Camp adds artists
Summer Camp had another round of artist additions this week, which included some surprises. Most surprising is the addition of rap icons Public Enemy. Also added to the bill are the Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Slightly Stoopid, Future Rock, and Big Gigantic. Umphrey's McGee and moe. are the main draws for the weekend, with each band doing three sets, and the festival also includes Gov't Mule, STS9, Keller Williams, and many others.
Jon Gutwillig gets injured, Bisco to play on
Guitarist Jon Gutwillig seriously injured his wrist following the Disco Biscuits performance in Albany this week. They've vowed to treck on, however, and bassist Marc Brownstein tweeted that the band will continue with their upcoming shows with more special guests. The band will release their new album Planet Anthem on Tuesday, and they've been adding a variety of new songs from the album to their sets.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band ready new album
Steel guitar giant Robert Randolph and his Family Band will release their first album since 2006 this June. We Walk This Road features 11 songs, both originals and covers, and a variety of guests. Ben Harper is featured on "If I Had My Way," and the album includes covers by artists such as Bob Dylan and John Lennon. The legendary T Bone Burnett produced the album.
Red Rocks and Blue with Umphrey's McGee and Galactic
Celebrate the 4th of July with Umphrey's McGee and Galactic at Red Rocks this year! The two bands will be teaming up for a show on Saturday, July 3rd at the legendary amphitheatre in Colorado. They'll be joined by The Wailers for the show. You can also make a whole weekend of it by checking out Galactic at the Gothic Theatre on the 2nd and Umphrey's there on the 4th.
Umphrey's McGee and Yonder Mountain Collaboration
Despite being busy with their own projects, Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band and Brendan Bayliss of Umphrey's McGee have put together a side project dubbed 30db. The band, which also includes members of the North Mississippi All-Stars and Hot Rize, will release their debut album, One Man Show on May 11. They'll head on the road for a handful of dates in May as well. Tickets will be available on Monday through both Umphrey's and YMSB's ticketing.
So for those of you who are interested (and I know you are), I started a running program this week. Anyone who knows me knows how insane this is. Anyways, it's the "Couch to 5K" program, and supposedly it's set up to get you from the couch (where I am firmly planted right now) to being able to run a 5K. One week into this, and I've reached a conclusion. Everyone who says that they "love running" is a no good dirty liar. Seriously. Running is evil, and the only good thing I like about it is having an excuse to listen to some of the heavier stuff on my IPod. The actual act of running, however, sucks.
Before I head out this week, I want to make a couple of plugs. First, I want to plug my buddies the Groove Prophets once again. They're playing Nelsons Ledges' Earlybird Festival April 23-25, and they're putting together a show that they're calling "Alice in Quarryland." Trust me, you'll want to be there. Check out the trailer below.
Finally, Jam Central Station is now on Facebook. You can see all of the articles there, along with breaking news throughout the week and maybe some other special treats just for Facebook fans. So come say hi on Facebook, and, until next week, Jam On!
