By: David Schultz

In literature and cinema, the impending arrival of something fantastic, whether it be the Next Big Thing or Culture-Changing Event, comes heralded by an event which foreshadows its impending appearance. In adventure stories, an archeologist discovers a hidden artifact with mysterious wisdom buried amongst the ruins of an ancient civilization. In science-fiction, humans await the fulfillment of the prophecy promising the coming of "the One." In fairy tales, a wizard's vision foretells our hero's eventual return. In the real world, no such prophecies or oracles exist to clue us in to the advent of something brilliant, meaningful and exciting. Instead, history gives us the tale of Paul Revere, taking what he knows to be true and relaying the news to all within earshot. In that vain, let it be shouted from the rooftops to all within Earvolution's reach, "U-Melt are coming! U-Melt are coming!"

The east-coast based quartet is fronted by Rob Salzer, potentially one of the most exhilarating, lethal and electrifying guitarists playing today, and keyboardist Zac Lasher. Not to be relegated to the background, U-Melt possesses an exceptionally stellar rhythm section consisting of bassist Adam Bendy and drummer George Miller. Throughout their live performances, the rock-solid foundation created by Bendy and Miller opens doors for Lasher and Salzer to treat the audience to heavy doses of their creative, free-flowing, improvisational interplay. While structurally similar to Particle's Steve Molitz and his former band mate Charlie Hitchcock, the interaction between Lasher and Salzer comes across as more relaxed, intimate and complementary than that of their west-coast counterparts. From the moment they hit the stage, U-Melt grabs the crowd with undeniably funky grooves that hit new levels when Salzer's mind-bending guitar work and Lasher's hypnotic, entrancing keyboards are given room to roam. Listening and watching the relatively unheralded Salzer breeze through incendiary, awe-inspiring solos, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the mounting excitement that Salzer could be rock's next great guitar hero.

For the second straight year, U-Melt timed their late-night, after-hours gig at New York's Lion's Den to coincide with moe.'s annual post-Thanksgiving visit to New York City, providing New Yorkers with a double bill for which they could truly give thanks. U-Melt’s diligent marketing and promotion team expertly positioned their Lion's Den performance as an after-moe. party. The appellation is not gratuitous as moe.'s Al Schnier joined U-Melt at last year's show. For those with the energy to make both shows, U-Melt ingeniously, yet respectfully, turned moe. into their opening act on this post-holiday Friday. No small task, moe.'s presently on the top of their game.

Building their reputation through energetic live performances, tales of their legendary marathon shows serve only to enhance U-Melt's reputation as a young, hard working band. In September 2004, U-Melt extended their late-night set at the Strangefolk's Garden Of Eden Festival to just over six hours, finishing sometime after breakfast at around 10:30 a.m. Even more remarkable, the band performed the entire show without the extravagant luxuries of set breaks or bathroom breaks. In that vein, U-Melt hit the stage on Friday evening shortly after 1:00 a.m. Like a Kenyan marathon runner, U-Melt set a quick pace early and never slowed down until they hit the finish line three hours later. Amazingly, the band never hit a down period or dallied with trippy space interludes throughout their lengthy set. One need not worry about their familiarity with the U-Melt catalogue: as accurately described by the title of one of their tunes, their groove is infectious. With the energy given off by the band, it's impossible to stand still and even the most uncoordinated of dancers will quickly find their inner Napoleon Dynamite.

Like most jambands, U-Melt possesses a fine series of remarkable instrumental numbers that become extended jams. Although excelling at improvisation, don't be misled into thinking U-Melt are virtuosos adrift in the absence of songs. U-Melt has crafted a number of well-written songs that give them something to interpret, rather than just an excuse to jam. On this night, U-Melt treated the Lion's Den to both: fine instrumentals like "Ernest Funknine" and "Marvin The Pussy" blended well alongside well-constructed songs like "Missed," "Through The Prism" and a newer composition, "Silent Silhouette." The band approaches their material with an apparent stern demeanor. However, the veneer of their seriousness quickly evaporates as a friendly glance or wave from a familiar face in the audience will get any of the band's members to break into a mile-wide grin that reminds you that these guys are having a blast.

In The Commitments, Jimmy Rabbitte promotes the band by telling a reporter that they don't play gigs, they slip into town under the cover of darkness and hit and run. Given U-Melt's penchant for late-night, after-hours shows, the same might be said of them. U-Melt may very well sneak into your town, tear up the night while you're asleep and be gone by daybreak. Scratch that: they'll likely still be playing when the sun rises. Giving insomniacs reason to rejoice, U-Melt will be returning to New York City on New Year's Eve, taking the stage at Coda somewhere south of 2 in the morning.

Earlier in the evening, moe. continued their Thanksgiving tradition of playing New York City, with their first of two shows at the Roseland Ballroom. Technically, this might have been a three night run as moe.'s frontmen, Al Schnier, Chuck Garvey and Rob Derhak played an acoustic set at Coda a couple days later. Well traveled musicians, moe. seems to be comfortably sliding into their position as elder statesmen of the jamband set. This summer the band hosted their 6th annual moe.down festival at Turin, New York's Snow Ridge Ski area, inviting musician friends like Keller Williams, the North Mississippi Allstars and Tea Leaf Green to celebrate a communal weekend of music and fun. The festival sets up its own radio station, occasionally hosts a 3 on 3 basketball shootout or m-o-e (think H-O-R-S-E) tournament and should the mood strike him, Al Schnier will make his way over to the children's tent to play a set of nursery school classics for the toddlers. Their winter version snoe.down 2 will take place over St. Patrick's Day weekend in Lake Placid.

The Zappa-esque instrumental "Meat" anchored Friday's first set. moe. rolled into the tune to start the show and continuously returned to it throughout the evening. On every reprise, a different band member provided their take on one of the song's many catchy riffs, sometimes offering two or three separate interpretations. The majority of the show showcased moe.'s heavier side, consisting of straight forward rock and roll featuring Rob Derhak's booming, weighty bass.

Flanking Derhak to either side, guitarists Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey displayed their differing methods of achieving the perfect guitar solo. During the first set, Garvey punctuated the songs with crisp, precise solos and displayed his range by playing a little slide guitar and even handling his axe like an upright pedal steel. During the second set, Al Schnier let loose screaming, wider ranging solos, letting his inner madman loose. Where Garvey will pick, Schnier will often strum with the contrast between the two guitarists enhanced by the fact that the two don't play in a vacuum. At one point in the evening, Schnier and Garvey engaged in an intriguing parlay where Schnier would start a musical roll only to have Garvey finish it. Like couples who have been together long enough to finish each other's sentences, Schnier and Garvey showed that it could be done musically as well.

Jim Loughlin's percussion, especially his use of the vibes, features prominently in moe.'s mix and further ties the band’s music to Frank Zappa, one of the band’s admitted influences. However, where Zappa would incorporate marimba-like beats to induce a sense of zaniness, moe. integrates Loughlin's contributions more fully into the flow of the music, giving some songs, like the encore-opening "Crab Eyes," a distinctive moe. flavor. Oftentimes the band will meander between songs, occasionally during. However, their departures from the musical theme do not detract from the overall performance, instead offering a pleasant counterpoint for when the band finds themselves easing back into a nice groove.

moe. concluded the show with some of their bouncier, funkier material. The audience joyously sang along to the opening a cappella verse of "Spine Of A Dog," bouncing furiously once the song kicked in. The second set closer, "Dr. Graffenberg," a quirky jumpy song with numerous shifts and changes showed off the tightness of the band. In other hands this song would be a jumbled mess. In moe.'s hands, especially with Jim Loughlin's contributions on the vibes, they produce a tune endearing in its goofiness. Keeping the looser feel for the encore, they returned for the lilting "Crab Eyes" before finishing off the evening with a rousing rendition of "Captain America."

This Thanksgiving, music fans were able to express their gratitude for the music's present and music's future. Music's present, moe., refuses to remain complacent, mixing established concert favorites with fresher material and infusing both with inspired and creative improvisation. As for the future: a momentous force looms large on the horizon and it goes by the name of U-Melt. At this point in time, U-Melt is playing small clubs, giving everyone an opportunity to see a band worth getting excited about in intimate venues. Go see them now, while you can, if all is right in the world, larger venues and greater crowds await.

Labels: moe., U-Melt