Ramble Dove & Grace Potter And The Nocturnals at Irving Plaza

Live Photos Copyright of Mike-Gordon.com

By: David Schultz

Shrewd followers of the jamband scene knew not to expect a Phish Phrenzy at last week's Ramble Dove show at New York City's Irving Plaza. Even though the Vermont based honky-tonk collective features Mike Gordon on bass, Ramble Dove has remained true to the raved-up country music that brought them together. So, of course, no one had visions of "Foam" dancing in their head or "You Enjoy Myself" expectations lurking in the dark recesses of their soul as Gordon and Ramble Dove soared through an upbeat set of their country favorites....but then Trey Anastasio walked on from back stage and ten minutes later, they broke into "Possum." Simply Phantastic!

Ramble Dove's origins trace back to the Radio Bean coffee house in Burlington, Vermont. It is there that the band's guitarist and lead singer, Brett Hughes, began a tradition that became known as Honky Tonk Tuesdays, where he and other like-minded musicians would keep alive the spirit of country music by exposing new audiences to the genre's great songs and songwriters. What began as a labor of love soon grew in exponential proportions, attracting musicians of all stripes, most notably fabled former-Burlington resident, bassist Mike Gordon. As Hughes told Glide magazine, the ragtag bunch gelled into a "pretty regular crew" with Hughes and RAQ's Scott Murawski on guitar, Gordon handling bass, Marie Claire on piano, Gordon Stone on the pedal steel and Neil Cleary on drums.

Over the course of the evening, Ramble Dove covered Lefty Frizell, Dolly Parton and George Jones, among others, and sang joyously about trucks and the simple fun of getting loaded. Hughes sang lead for the majority of the night, occasionally yielding the mike to Gordon, who's a much better singer he's usually given credit for. Rising intermittently from the piano, Claire shared the female leads with the diminutive Aya Inoue, whose low cut blouse showed off a surprisingly intricate yet demure tattoo across her chest. Claire and Inoue got into the swing of the music, almost unconsciously grabbing the tops of their lengthy skirts to do a little country sashay. New York City may not be the city you immediately think of as being receptive to traditional country and honky-tonk, but, like the ladies, the Irving Plaza crowd quickly found much to enjoy in Ramble Dove's music and musicianship.

Gordon's undeniable star power attracted a great number of New Yorkers in attendance this night. People may have come for the Phish bassist, they stayed for the music. As you would expect with any Mike Gordon project, Ramble Dove remained tight throughout the entire show. While honky-tonk songs aren't really the best showcase for flashy intricate bass work, Gordon found spots to insert his inimical sound without intruding on the overall performance.

To a deafening roar, Anastasio came on stage near the close of the first set and played with Ramble Dove through most of their second set. Refusing to upstage the lesser-known members of the band with his sheer presence, Anastasio remained near the back of the stage, periodically coming forwards to offer a solo or engage in a nifty give-and-take with Murawski. The country music and honky-tonk homilies didn't really seem to tax or challenge Anastasio or Gordon, both gifted musicians. At times, watching Gordon and Anastasio saunter through a tune seemed like watching Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code; definitely enjoyable, but you know they are capable of doing more with stronger material. While each added their unique spin on the honky-tonk tunes, the two, to the delight of the crowd and the other members of Ramble Dove, couldn't help but turn a couple of them into full-on jams complete with the groove-based style that made their old band such a popular attraction.

Ramble Dove closed their second set with "Jackson," a song about the city that sleeps. In making reference to one of New York City's many monikers, Ramble Dove also reaped its benefits, ending their 2 ½ hour show shortly before 1:30 in the morning. The lengthy show did not work to Ramble Dove's advantage; a marathon of country-drenched honky-tonk can wear thin. However, the festival circuit and their shorter sets should mesh well with the band's high-octane ramblings.

Gordon and Ramble Dove weren't the only Vermonters (Vermontonians? Vermontites?) in the house. Newly crowned New Groove of the Year honorees Grace Potter and the Nocturnals treated those wise enough to arrive early to a sampling of songs from their now nationally released album Nothing But The Water as well as some newly written tunes. Not only was the band celebrating Water's widespread release but the winsome Potter proudly showed off her new B3 organ before unleashing some torrid, nearly wardrobe malfunctioning, keyboard work upon it.

Taking the stage without fanfare, Potter sang the a capella opening to "Nothing But The Water," her tambourine a clarion call cutting through the din of the arena. The band's romp through the southern Baptist/gospel influenced tune quickly warmed up the early evening chill that always greets Irving Plaza's early arrivals. After running through the bluesy "Treat Me Right" and the gorgeous "Ragged Company," Potter and the Nocturnals introduced the audience to newer songs like "Ain't No Time" and "Bella Donna" that already play like old favorites. They closed their hour long set with "Every Mile" which had the audience gleefully singing along while Potter and guitarist Scott Tournet, whose always exceptional solos exceeded themselves this night, teamed up on the song's "Crimson and Clover" like guitar riff. Gifted performers, you could never tell that Potter and Tournet battled spring colds throughout the day, with Potter taking an old Irish remedy prior to taking the stage.

With every show Potter and the Nocturnals are taking great strides forward while rapidly acquiring new fans that connect to their charming personality, exceptional music and exciting musicianship. Great things are in store for Grace and The Nocturnals, but they don't take for granted what others see as self evident. Despite the wonderful press and growing acclaim, drummer Matt Burr and guitarist Scott Tournet expressed mild but genuine surprise when I informed them of the sizable crowd that came early to catch their set. In an era when fame and popularity can come over the week that it takes for a reality show to unfold, there is something wonderfully endearing and refreshing about musicians who express an earnest gratitude towards those that genuinely appreciate the results of their hard work. This summer will be busy but ultimately productive for the group as they will be appearing on many of the upcoming summer festivals with Tournet looking most forward to the High Sierra Festival in Quincy, California.

Anastasio's appearance with Gordon at Irving Plaza offered a little prelude to their summer tour where they will play a series of shows with Marco Benevento and Joe Russo. Given Jon Fishman's (announced) and Page McConnell's (unannounced) appearance at this past weekend's fund raiser for Vermont Senatorial candidate Bernie Sanders, the rumors can start (and already have) that a Phish reunion looms on the horizon, possibly later this year. After concluding their set at Warren Haynes' Mountain Jam in Hunter Mountain, Gordon jumped in the car with The Benevento Russo Duo and headed to New York City to meet up with Trey to begin rehearsals for their highly anticipated summer stint with Phil Lesh & Friends. With the pieces almost in place, now we can begin a summer of speculation about the potential future of Phish.

Labels: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Mike Gordon, Ramble Dove, Trey Anastasio