By David Schultz

Relatively unknown in many musical circles, the Steve Kimock Band have become a fixture on the ever-touring jamband circuit. No stranger to the road, Kimock, known as The Guitar Monk, toured with the Grateful Dead offshoot "The Other Ones" and the Godchaux's Heart of Gold band, and also served a stint with Phil Lesh as one of his Friends. The SKB, which gelled in 2000 with the addition of drummer Rodney Holmes, have earned their much-deserved reputation as a live attraction with their jazzy and eclectic live performances. The band may be named after Kimock but much credit for the band's sound must be given to Holmes. Holmes primarily earned his chops on the jazz circuit supporting such greats as Wayne Shorter and the Brecker Brothers and spent the latter part of the 90's backing Carlos Santana, providing percussion to 1999's ubiquitous smash Smooth.

Like most bands known for their stage work, on Eudemonic the Kimock Band struggle to capture the magic of their loose improvisational style inside the confines of the recording studio. The interplay between Kimock and Holmes survives the transfer, with the two of them at the forefront of the majority of the tracks. With the focus squarely on Kimock and Holmes, the other members of the band, longtime guitarist Mitch Stein, bassist Alphonso Johnson and keyboardist Jim Kost, are reduced to supporting roles.

Loyal fans will recognize Tongue N' Groove and Moon People as well as crowd pleasers Ice Cream and The Bronx Experiment as they have been live staples of the band's shows for years. However, the funkiness and joyous spontaneity of the live performances are missing from Eudemonic. In an effort to capture the improvisational feel of the songs, most are stretched out beyond six minutes with the overly-long Elmer's Revenge clocking in just shy of twelve minutes. The extension of the songs doesn't work as the band fails to flesh out on record the intricacies and nuances of the songs like they do on stage. As a result, Eudemonic sounds more like a light or smooth jazz collection than the debut record of an inspired creative band.

Kimock dedicated this album to the memory of his friend Doug Greene, giving him a thematic You Da' Mon shoutout in the liner notes. The opening track, Eudemon, echoes Kimock's warm feelings for his friend, and gives the album a joyously funky kick-start. The rest of the album does not follow the opener's lead and the tracks blend together into a pleasant light jazz pastiche best suited for cocktail hour. The Holmes-penned Bronx Experiment, with its eastern rhythms and melodies, sets itself apart from the rest of the album with its sheer originality. Prominently showcasing Holmes' percussion prowess, Bronx Experiment, which features Kimock on mandolin, evokes Zeppelin's Kashmir and is the album's most notable track.

Eudemonic is a disappointing effort from a promising band and, upon listening, you may be hard-pressed to discern what all the fuss over the SKB is all about. For the answer to that question, search out East Meets West or Live in Colorado, two of the band's live albums. Although difficult to find, they are worth the reward.

Labels: Steve Kimock