Although I was really hoping to be in Chicago this past weekend to catch the Police with Elvis Costello, I did get one benefit of having to stick around Charlottesville for the weekend: I caught another fantastic Toubab Krewe show on Friday night. I saw these guys last fall at the same exact place (the Satellite Ballroom), but this time around they really kicked it up a notch and impressed me.

If you have not yet checked out Toubab Krewe, they are basically a West African instrumental jamband: a bunch of white boys from Asheville, NC who play traditional West African music, complete with the kora and plenty of drums and percussion. But it works.

I really dig their blend of traditional stringed harps (the kora) and fully electrified, effects-laden guitars. And when you add to that some meaty basslines and a solid rhythmic foundation of traditional African drums, you’ve got the makings of a sound I can get into. Of course, I really like a lot of West African guitar music, so this is a good mix for my ears.

(sidenote: my apologies for the rough photos; I was without my camera and went with the camera phone in its place; not bad for a phone though, right?)

On previous occasions, I had grown a bit tired of hearing a lot of the same material from the band’s original, self-titled album. But with a solid set of new tunes and another six months of touring under their belt, the band really seemed like it had matured. The guitars were less wandering and noodling from what I remembered; the improv, much more focused.

These guys laid down some seriously groovy music on Friday night. While they played a few of their darker and mellower tunes, my favorite moments found the band stepping up the energy and focusing on that happier, major-chord sound that just exudes West African music. These were the moments where they reminded me of some of my favorite African guitar bands, complete with that twangy guitar tone and a upbeat rhythmic backdrop that makes it impossible not to move your butt.

On other tunes, there were hints of old-school surf rock (a la Dick Dale) or they would stretch the sound out a bit more into psychedelic territory, complete with the pounding tribal drums and washed-out guitar noise. My buddy even leaned over at one point to say it almost reminded him of a Pink Floyd jam. Definitely some tribal shit.

Of course, with any Toubab Krewe show, it seems you’re always going to get a full-on drum session. The entire band chimes in on percussion and charts through some traditional drum passages. Good stuff, but I think I prefer the strings.

Overall, Toubab Krewe captured a perfect, feel-good vibe at this show on Friday night. People were in good spirits, the drinks were flowing, and the band was dropping upbeat music that really riled up the crowd. Honestly, I think I had one of those transcendent moments where I just felt that everything was good. It’s a feeling I haven’t had at a show for a while now, and it was great to have it back. Later on, my friend said something like “man, there was just something about that show!” Exactly.

Dude, that’s a lotta moogerfoogers!

Setlist:

It’s been a busy day for me today but I’ve got a bit of time to drop a couple updates on the site, one of which being the fact that I’m going to be catching The Bad Plus tonight in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. I was fortunate enough to catch the set they did last September at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, which really blew me away in many different respects. Much like the clip above would if you had never heard or seen these guys before. Can’t wait; hope to have some stuff to share tomorrow once I find my camera USB cable. I still have stuff on there from SXSW that needs to be wrapped up.

]]> http://www.mood-rf.com/tonight-the-bad-plus-in-san-francisco/feed/ http://www.mood-rf.com/sonic-bloom-2008-lineup/ http://www.mood-rf.com/sonic-bloom-2008-lineup/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 08:05:34 +0000 admin ?p=6 The lineup for the third-annual Sonic Bloom Festival was just announced, featuring a solid lineup of up-and-coming live electronica acts (basically all of them, really). For fans of getting down to live dance music in the mountains during the summer (read: hippies), this is probably the festival for you.

Read on for the lineup. Also, we haven’t featured much at all on EOTO yet, the all improvised, never-repeated dance music featuring Jason Hann and Michael Travis (better known as the rhythm section of the now-defunct String Cheese Incident). This video that came over in the press release was hawt and definitely worth sharing. Maybe that’ll get you off your ass and onto some untzappreciation.

EOTO-SONIC-BLOOM-2007-LIVE-EOTO [YouTube]

2008 Sonic Bloom Festival
July 19-21, 2008
Winter Park, CO
http://www.sonicbloomfestival.com/

Line-Up:
· ZILLA
· Bassnectar
· LOTUS
· Praang (featuring. Steve Kimock, Janover, Travis & Hann)
· The Glitch Mob
· EOTO
· Heavyweight Dub Champion
· Bluetech
· Vibesquad
· The Motet Trio
· SPORQUE
· Rena Jones
· David Starfire
· ediT (live PA set)
· Ana Sia
· Nosaj Thing
· Eskmo
· Welder
· Sasha Butterfly Rose
· LYNX
· Sub-ID
· DJ Rootz
· Anahata Sound
· Jantsen
· Patch
· Future Simple Project
· Pretty Lights
· GSP & The Freestyle Movement
· The Sonic Bloom Rebel Alliance Orchestra (featuring Steve Kimock and members of ZILLA, EOTO, Heavyweight Dub Champion & more)

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I have a nasty habit of taking photographs without people in them. In fact, I prefer landscapes, plants, and especially buildings. Truth is, people can ruin pictures sometimes. Maybe one person isn’t looking, or another closed their eyes. Some might see these imperfections as human, something to be lauded in photos as opposed to eradicated. I usually do not.

This is probably why Dan MacAdam’s work appeals to me so much.

Just like my taste in photos, I concede that it is possible that others might have different tastes in gig posters. There are a lot of fantastic artists making beautiful illustrations of gorgeous women, of sailors, cowboys and musicians. And somehow I still wind up stunned when Dan comes out with another print of a dilapidated building.

It is not just the images that fascinate me, though I do generally love Dan’s choice in buildings. Many artists have screen printed photographs before, usually to middling effect. Dan’ prints are like a subtle celebration of the medium. Viewed from a few feet away and you would swear they were actual photographs. Take a few steps forward and you’ll have a new found respect for the art of separations.

Every screenprint involves seps, where each layer of color that comprise the image is separated out. When starting with an illustration made for three colors that can be easier. When creating separations from a photograph, that task can be incredibly difficult. Even Dan’s bigger prints still only involve six or seven colors, I honestly don’t know how he gets the refined detail out of that few colors.

It’s true that I’m a big fan of everything Dan puts out, but his latest poster for Wilco’s three night stand in St. Louis is above and beyond. I love the sky, and “Wilco” blends in so seamlessly with the enormous factory. And I think there’s something in the water; it absolutely shimmers. I don’t know how Dan selects the images to go with the bands, but they usually seem to work, and I think it definitely does here.

So what do you think? I’ve posted Crosshair posters in the past. Are you as enamored with this one as I am. And are you cool with posters devoid of humans, or do you need a personal touch?