By: David Schultz

In his solo work, Vernon Reid has always tried to express and reveal different aspects of his musical psyche, creating poetic images with his guitar instead of words. In Masque, the band Reid formed with keyboardist Leon Gruenbaum and bassist Hank Schroy after Living Colour split up in the nineties, Reid takes on a more prevalent role than in his prior group. Unlike Living Colour, which Reid described for Earvolution as "much more a democracy," Reid looks at Masque as "a dictatorship with input." With album titles like Other True Self and Mistaken Identity, Reid puts his search for identity more at the forefront of Masque's work than he did with Living Colour.

Last week, Reid's worlds pleasantly collided when Corey Glover joined Masque on stage at New York City's Canal Room. After inconspicuously watching the show from the side of the stage, his dyed blond hair hidden under a cap, Reid called Glover to the stage for an exceptionally jazzy improvisational workout of Living Colour's "Flying." With stylish leather love seats and coffee tables spread throughout the room, the flowing, extended version of the song fit in well with The Canal Room's lounge-like setup. As rock stars normally don’t make house calls, this is the closest one can get to experiencing Vernon Reid and Masque playing in your living room.

It takes a very gifted musician to share the stage with Reid and Leon Gruenbaum matches Reid with his creative spirit and inventive genius. Gruenbaum's high-tech keyboard setup looks like it would be more in place at a computer lab then on stage. However, the modestly sized equipment belies the full bold sound Gruenbaum generates. Using a computer interface that Gruenbaum described to Earvolution with great technical and musical expertise, he is able to switch to The Samchillian Tip Tip Tip Cheee Peeeee, an ergonomically-correct, double palm sized computer keyboard of his own invention which allows him to play riffs quicker than he could by hand. The extremely talented keyboardist may not need the added help, but it definitely doesn't hurt to have such assistance when Reid starts shredding his guitar at seemingly impossible speed.

The rhythm section isn't lacking either. On drums, the physically imposing Don McKenzie pounds away with a strength that comes through in the beat. Replacing Schroy, Masque's new bassist gave the intro to the band's cover of Radiohead's "National Anthem" a spacey rumbling feel; Reid transforming Thom Yorke's high-pitched wail into a guitar instrumental with great effect. The band's other cover, a meditative interpretation of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence," became a showcase for Reid's lightning fast guitar work, leaving the rest of the band with the unenviable task of attempting to match his wizardry.

Reid's band mate in The Yohimbe Brothers, DJ Logic, joined Masque for a couple songs, including the lilting "Flatbush and Church Street" which musically recalls a street corner from Reid's youth. Logic also came on stage for a freestyle session with Liquid Soul, the multi-cultural band that opened the evening. With their dreadlocked lead singer, Mr. Greenweedz, dancing throughout the room and the sunglasses clad Mars Williams offering tasty licks on the sax, the band's name accurately describes their sound. Logic and Williams helped Masque close the show, combining on a freewheeling romp through Known Unknown's "Voodoo Pimp Stroll." Once the show concluded, Reid offered his assessment of the night's music, "I thought we stayed out of the way of the music."

Over this summer, Reid's perpetually busy touring schedule will not relent. Reid's current tour with Masque in support of their latest album, Other True Self, will conclude later this month on the west coast. From there, Reid will join up with the Punk-Funk All Stars, (Reid, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Melvin Gibbs, Joseph Bowie and James "Blood" Ulmer) for a handful of overseas shows and hit portions of the European festival circuit with Living Colour.

Labels: DJ Logic, Living Colour, Masque, Vernon Reid