Labels: Free Form Funky Freqs, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Vernon Reid

By: David Schultz

Since the dawn of time, Dick Clark has come to New York City's Times Square for New Year's Eve and drawn the nation's attention to the dropping of the ball in the Big Apple. In addition to this year's major television networks' canned and lip-synched Midtown celebrations, New York City also had their customarily varied slate of actual concert options.

Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule played the Beacon Theater, jamband veterans moe. took over Radio City Music Hall and the venerable Patti Smith rang in the New Year at the Bowery Ballroom, a familiar haunt just down the road from CBGB, the club whose closing she presided over in October. Over at B.B. King's, last-second replacement Chaka Kahn filled in for the recently departed James Brown. Instead of ringing in the New Year in funky style, The Godfather Of Soul lay in state at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Clad in a vintage purple suit, Brown's wake gave mourners a surreal opportunity to pay their final respects to The Hardest Working Man In Show Business while his music played one last time in the hallowed hall.

Jammin' Until The Break Of Dawn

While the "ball drop" may be New York City's most well-known year-end tradition; emerging jamband icons U-Melt are well on their way to starting a wonderful new one. U-Melt's late-night show at The Knitting Factory marked the third straight year that Rob Salzer, Zac Lasher, Adam Bendy and George Miller have taken the stage well after Britney Spears has been carried off to bed and past the time most New Yorkers have stumbled home to sleep off the evening's festivities. Playing until the crack of dawn, U-Melt kept raising the energy level of the room with each song; running through numerous grooves, some old, some new but all definitely original. U-Melt kept the Knit's packed crowd moving with old favorites like "Marvin The Pussy" and "Green Amber," newer songs like "Elysian Fields" and George Miller's exceptional "Perfect World" (which finished with a triumphant segue into Pink Floyd's "Eclipse") as well as well-chosen covers like the Smashing Pumpkins' "1979." Even with night becoming morning and the crowd beginning to physically run on empty, it was simply impossible to leave. Believe me, I tried; I could not pull myself away.

The relentless months of touring have honed U-Melt's skills to near-razor-sharp precision. Salzer's growingly lethal guitar solos and Lasher's luxurious keyboard rolls rightfully garner glowing raves but U-Melt's rhythm section truly makes their achievements possible. The pace of George Miller's drumming reveals an impressive stamina and the subtlety of Adam Bendy's skills on bass can sometimes be criminally overlooked. That U-Melt had the crowd still dancing at 6:30 in the morning is the best testament that can be offered to Bendy and Miller.

For those who forgot to make resolutions this past New Year's, allow me to help: make this the year you become a U-Melt fan. The existential part of your soul that thrives on excellent music will be eternally thankful.

One moe. Time

As they did in their last visit to New York City in 2005, moe. provided the first part of an amazing double-bill with U-Melt for those motivated and intrepid enough to catch both shows. The night before their New Year's Eve show at Radio City Music Hall, moe. returned to Irving Plaza, a venue they have long outgrown, for a bit of a warm-up. Breaking with tradition, moe. forewent their customary post-Thanksgiving shows at the much larger Roseland Ballroom this year, opting instead to join New Yorkers in ushering in the New Year. With the 1,000 person capacity venue busting at the seams, moe. kicked off the night with "Meat" and, but for an intermission, never slowed down over the course of their three hour set. Although The Conch, their new studio album, comes out next month, moe. focused on their back catalogue full of guaranteed crowd-pleasers like "Kyle's Song," "Akimbo" and "Rebubula." Returning from a bout of tendinitis that caused moe. to cancel some fall dates and kept him from playing guitar for many weeks, Al Schnier seemed no worse for wear, rejoining his fellow guitarist Chuck Garvey to recreate the band's distinctive double guitar sound. Flanking bassist Rob Derhak, their conversion of the zany "Dr. Graffenburg" into a sinuous groove that seamlessly segued into The Rolling Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" may have only been matched by their bouncy first set melding of "Y.O.Y" and "George;" the finishing jam leaving people humming and whistling it into the second set. With Jim Loughlin and Vinnie Amico providing double-barreled percussion, the stalwart jamband erased any mystery as to the cause of their longevity.

Vernon Reid & A Night Of Pure Guitar

Friday night saw Steve Vai's Favored Nations label present A Night Of Pure Guitar at Tonic on the Lower East Side. Headlined by Vernon Reid & Masque, the showcase also featured the Dave Weiner Band and Rob Balducci. Although the three bands had different styles, the limitations of guitar-centric instrumentals were impossible to ignore. Notable for the impressive guitar pyrotechnics, the evening begged the question of how much guitar is too much. The Weiner quintet and the Balducci trio put the focus of their sets squarely on the ample guitar wizardry of their namesakes who ripped off technically precise guitar riffs in such quick succession that they started to lose their freshness and diminished the ability to appreciate the creativity and technique at hand. Vernon Reid & Masque closed the evening with a tight hour long set that showed Reid's mastery of the skill of performing as well as the art of playing guitar. Conscious of the fact that the prior bands may have sated the audience's fill for pure guitar, Vernon Reid wisely offered a pleasant change of pace by allowing keyboard genius Leon Gruenbaum, bassist Steve Jenkins and drummer Don McKenzie ample opportunity to shine. Although billed as a guitar extravaganza, Reid's decision to not overpower the set with his own considerable guitar heroics after the audience had been treated to two hours of the same proved a wise success. Jenkins, a recent addition to band, really shone on Masque's cover of Radiohead's "National Anthem" as well as the homage to James Brown, keeping up with Reid's "Sex Machine" derived riff. Masque's set may have been the most well-rounded one, but it didn't betray the theme of the evening. When all was said and done, Reid left no doubt that he deserved his headliner status on a bill full of guitar maestros.

A Peek Into The Future

One of the thrills of going to a minor league baseball game is getting the opportunity to see young ball players destined for the pros. Although their skills aren't entirely perfected and they don't play with the same finesse that they someday will, the glimpses of raw talent can provide ample enjoyment and quite a bit of anticipatory excitement. That type of emerging, developing talent was on display at The Canal Room on Thursday night with New York singer-songwriter Jonah Smith and The Ryan Montbleau Band bringing their considerable skills to the classy venue.

After a brief opening set from the Josh Dion Band, Montbleau took the stage, seated as is his custom upon a simple swiveling bar stool. With Laurence Scudder (viola), Matt Giannaros (bass) and brothers Jason Cohen (keys) and James Cohen (drum), Montbleau led the band through a wide-ranging set that included some old-style Stevie Wonder soul, some country-blues and a roaring cover of Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science." Curiously, Dolby had just played the tune there himself last week, marking some sort of weird eighties confluence of the collective unconsciousness.

Backed by a trio, Jonah Smith followed with a lengthy set featuring songs from his self-titled Relix Records release, including "My Morning Scene" which has received some nice airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio. Montbleau and Smith's sets had their moments where everything clicked, but they also had occasional periods that unnecessarily rambled. Proving himself to be an amiable and unflappable performer, Smith weathered the efforts of a persistent fan who wanted his vintage era U2 shirt. Much like seeing a future superstar while they play AAA ball, both The Ryan Montbleau Band and Jonah Smith are going to be quite fun to follow as they develop and worth checking in on in a couple years, if not a few times before then.

[Johan Smith Photo Credit: Michael Weintrob]

Labels: Dave Weiner, Jonah Smith, Masque, moe., Rob Balducci, Schultz In The City, The Ryan Montbleau Band, U-Melt, Vernon Reid

We here at Earvolution have decided that the Best Albums of 2006 idea has probably run its course. Let's be honest, you don't need us to tell you that Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs and Pearl Jam put out great albums; that The Hold Steady, Cold War Kids and Wolfmother had breakout years and Gnarls Barkley put out the Song of 2006.

What we can do for you is list, in no particular order, a handful of albums that though worthy, many not have received the attention they deserved.

U-Melt: The I's Mind

U-Melt spent 2006 establishing themselves as one of the hardest-working bands on the jamband touring scene. Shortening the solos, U-Melt successfully brought the fun and intensity of their live shows into the studio. Zac Lasher talked to Earvolution about the new album and more here.




Tea Leaf Green: Rock 'N' Roll Band

A companion to the identically titled DVD, Tea Leaf Green's live album gave long time fans a high-quality audio version of the San Francisco rockers' best songs and offered new listeners a perfect introduction to their sound. More on the DVD/CD releases here and our exclusive "embedded" weekend interview with TLG from the Dave Matthews Randalls Island Getaway is here.





Block: The Last Single Guy

The star-crossed love child of Beck and Lou Reed, the New York singer-songwriter poetically captures the fading beauty of the Big Apple, ruing the day that Avenue A turned into a "punk theme park." Read our full album review here.





Willy Porter: Available Light

Born of loss, Porter celebrates life on Available Light. Containing a nice dose of Porter's inimitable guitar, it's his songwriting, especially on the post September 11 elegy "One More September," that stands out. Check out our full album review here.




Carolina Chocolate Drops: Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind

The sounds of the Carolina foothills as channeled through a trio of twenty-somethings that know the era only through history books . . . and their mentor, legendary fiddler Joe Thompson.

More on the album here.




Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Nothing But The Water

How can you not love a girl who demands her J.J. Cale records back from her ex? And, who looks better in an Earvolution t-shirt? Technically a 2005 release, this album got the remastering and rereleasing treatment for 2006. Anchored by a transcendent title track, Potter & The Nocturnals get bluesy, funky and little gospel on their debut disc. More on the band here.



Foundry Fields Recordings: prompts/miscues

Bleak musings on a post-apocalyptic future never sounded so enjoyable. Front man Billy Schuh's airy voice gives even the direst of visions an optimistic slant.

More on the album here.




Radio Birdman: Zeno Beach

Australia's version of The Ramones wakes from a lengthy slumber and comes up with one of the freshest albums of the year. The veteran rockers crisp, in-your-face songs prove that hard driving rock isn't solely the province of the young.

More on the album here.





Vernon Reid & Masque: Other True Self

Exploring jazz, funk and avant-garde, Reid brings the rock instrumental album out of the doldrums. With Leon Gruenbaum alongside, Masque interprets Depeche Mode and Radiohead and give life to Reid's excellent originals. Vernon Reid spoke to Earvolution about the album and much more here.

Labels: Block, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Foundry Field Recordings, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Masque, Radio Birdman, Tea Leaf Green, U-Melt, Vernon Reid, Willy Porter

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

By: David Schultz
Live shot photos via LivingColor.com & Flickr.

As a member of the hard-rocking, socio-politically conscious Living Colour, Vernon Reid solidified his position as one of rock and roll's most inventive and intriguing lead guitarists. In the late eighties, Reid's transcendent guitar solo from "Cult Of Personality" emanated from classic rock radio, top 40 radio and MTV. Sadly, bright stars burn fiercely; Living Colour split up in the early nineties, their vigilantly defiant voice of conscience silent until reforming in the summer of 2001.

In the aftermath of Living Colour's split, Reid released his first solo album Mistaken Identity in 1996 with the members of Masque. For the follow-up, the 2004 Known Unknown, Masque received equal billing. Taking less time to release their next album, Vernon Reid and Masque's Other True Self hits stores April 18. While awaiting the release of his new album, Reid graciously invited Earvolution into his New York City home to discuss Other True Self, Masque and the unavoidable topic of Living Colour.

Masque grew out of longtime relationships between Reid, bassist Hank Schroy and keyboardist Leon Gruenbaum. Schroy came to Masque from the alternative rock band No Walls and Gruenbaum "came from outer space by way of Brookline, Massachusetts." With a chuckle, Reid describes meeting Gruenbaum at one of his photo exhibitions where the keyboardist gave him a tape that floored the seemingly unflappable guitarist. "He's a brilliant keyboard player as well as being an inventor, incredibly knowledgeable in all types of music," says Reid of Gruenbaum. "Genius is a word that gets thrown around, but he truly is that." The term "genius" has often been applied to Reid, but when asked if he feels like one, he quickly dismissed the suggestion, succinctly and modestly responding, "Nope. I am an ongoing and developing experience."

With Masque, Reid explores different and varying musical styles. While Living Colour in no way hid Reid's guitar virtuosity, Masque gives Reid the opportunity to show off his skills in genres outside of his other band's hard rock bailiwick. On Other True Self, Reid offers a collection of instrumentals ranging from the Caribbean flavored reggae of "Flatbush And Church Revisited," the jazz, funk, metal fusion of "Game Is Rigged," a grandiose cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" and an inspired reworking of Radiohead's "National Anthem." Don McKenzie, a member of the Mistaken Identity touring band, replaces Marlon Browden on drums for the new album. "Don brings something new, he's very hard-hitting," explains Reid. "Whereas Marlon has a very different style, intense, a very jazz, improvised type of thing, Don has a more funk and pocket type background."

Reid's solo projects have always dealt with the concept of identity and, as the name would lead you to believe, Other True Self continues Reid's exploration. The new album's ideological origins stem from discussions Reid had with Cream bassist Jack Bruce about their not-so-different backgrounds. Like Reid, Bruce has been involved in numerous projects. "We've lived so many lives inside of our lives," Bruce told Reid. The notion of evolving persona and psyche has always been inextricably entwined with Reid's solo work. "The idea of all these records is that by looking at identity, looking at who it is that's addressing you now, what is 'I'?" explains Reid. "What does that mean? What does it mean to be a guitarist of a certain style? What does it mean to be of a certain ethnic group? What does it mean to be an American? What does it mean to be an American in the world now?"

Bringing the analysis closer to home, Reid looks at his albums as a snapshot of where he's at now. With respect to the idea of having separate selves, Reid takes an existential view. "It's like another side of me, the same me but a different side," he says. "Mistaken Identity was so much about, there's the Living Colour thing, there's Vernon Reid and all of that and then there's this kind of darkie figurine and what does the darkie figurine have to do with Vernon Reid inside of Living Colour and outside of Living Colour," he explains. "It purports to be me and is supposed to represent me," Reid says of Mistaken Identity's cover image. "Examining what [the figurine actually represents], that's an ongoing fascination." Broadening the metaphor further, Reid concludes that, "In a way, [his Masque albums and solo projects] are all different aspects of a central question, who is this and why does he have a guitar around his neck."

Reid's intrigued by the contrast between the identity you feel for yourself and the identity projected onto you by others, a theme that runs beyond the music and into Other True Self's cover art, especially the wild helmet/mask sported by Reid. Instead of seeing the mask as an instrument of concealment, Reid sees it as a way to disclose a more complex nature. "The idea of the mask as revealing and bringing forth an aspect of one's nature," interests Reid. Enjoying the juxtaposition of wearing a suit while wearing a primitive headdress and holding a Tony Fitzpatrick painted guitar, Reid explicates that, "Masking hides the self but it also projects another true self."

While Reid's latest album reflects a distinct side of his personality, he eschews simplifying identity into a dichotomy. "Don't limit it to a duality," Reid answers deliberately. "It's like a kind of circle. I came into this really into Santana and Jimi Hendrix, then I got into [jazz guitarist] John McLaughlin and underneath all that was the blues thing, Freddie King, B.B. King. From there to The Decoding Society and Ronald Shannon Jackson, which went 'out there' into the so called avant-garde." Reid speaks reverentially about the avant-garde. "You have to have those extreme elements in music. From the avant-garde, you get to the mainstream. Working with Jackson, meeting Ornette Coleman and even what happened with Living Colour," has brought Reid to the place he is today. "You don’t get to the center without going onto the edge." Completing the circle, Reid defines his new album within that context. "Other True Self is the space between the very extreme avant-garde and the mainstream."

Other True Self succeeds by avoiding the pitfalls of becoming mired in its own heaviness, steering well clear of the stereotypical guitar histrionics that habitually weigh down full-length rock instrumental albums. Reid accomplishes the task by keeping the mix of songs fresh. "The sequence of the album is very much the journey," proclaims Reid. The opening two songs, "Game Is Rigged" and "National Anthem," comprise a gripping opening couplet. "I like how they came across, how they go from one to the other," Reid says with pride. "Game Is Rigged" seamlessly moves through funk, jazz, blues and a little metal, with Reid's guitar skating on the surface of Masque's skillful backing. The Radiohead cover may seem an odd choice, but the replacement of Thom Yorke's ethereal, ghostly voice with Reid's soulful guitar succeeds on a grand scale. "We got the bass sound just right," Reid says, unsurprisingly agreeing with the assessment. "After Soundgarden (Reid's favorite Living Colour contemporaries) broke up, I was devastated. I got a taste of what it was like for fans of Living Colour to hear that Living Colour broke up. Radiohead was one of the bands that made rock fascinating again." Plus, the title alone peaked Reid's interest as a provocateur. "You can't not think about 'The Star Spangled Banner' and I like the tension of thinking about 'The Star Spangled Banner' but playing the Radiohead tune."

"Flatbush And Church Revisited" is a reggae-tinged soundtrack for the Brooklyn intersection frequented by those who trace their ancestry to the Caribbean. Through "Flatbush," Reid best describes his affinity for instrumentals. "Instrumental music can serve to say things you can't say with lyrics but it can also serve as a soundtrack for a very particular place in time," describes Reid. "It can be a soundtrack for an emotion as well as a physical place or a mental landscape. That's how I relate to instrumental music." The song also has a small sentimental attachment for Reid as his parents are from the Caribbean, thus revealing yet another side of the guitarist, but possibly not a significant one. "I don't identify as Caribbean. I guess I do inasmuch as I'm an African-Caribbean American, but I grew up in New York. I grew up in America. The only thing I know is America, I identify as American, whatever that means," Reid says with a laugh.

The pounding beat of "Whiteface" and the bouncing "Mind Of My Mind" overlaps a little with Reid's Living Colour work, but on the whole Other True Self is as much a separate project as Will Calhoun's jazz recordings. Gruenbaum injects a little Emerson, Lake & Palmer keyboard action into "Afrerika" and the interplay between Reid's guitar and Gruenbaum's Hammond organ turn Depeche Mode's 1990 hit "Enjoy The Silence" into a laid back, elegiac anthem. "Prof. Bebey" has the joyful pacing of a medieval folk tune and concludes the album with a pleasant reverie. Known for roaring guitar solos, "Prof. Bebey" has given Reid the impetus to further exploring the potential of acoustic music. "'Prof. Bebey' was actually a cue for the film, The 12 Disciples of Nelson Mandela," Reid explains. "I kept thinking about it and recorded it with the band and it came out really well. Where the acoustic melds with the electronics," Reid says and then pauses. "I'm not sure what that's going to mean, but it's something I'm interested in."

Masque has worked out the new material on stage in Europe and Reid seemed pleased with the development. "'Game Is Rigged' really kind of grew and changes from day to day. The Radiohead and Depeche Mode songs also went over well. Mistaken Identity's 'CP Time' and Known Unknown's 'The Slouch' were also well received." There will always be those amongst Masque's audience that want to see Reid bust out a Living Colour tune but they have faded into the background over time. Reid's not bothered by those people who call for "Cult Of Personality" or their other favorite Living Colour songs. "It's gratifying to have people that have been with it since the first record." While no Living Colour covers have made their way into Masque's set, Reid's considering incorporating a song or two, thinking Vivid's "Broken Hearts" would work well. He also would like to work in a Talking Heads Fear Of Music track into the set, leaning towards "Mind."

Not one to suffer fools lightly; there is nothing frivolous about Reid. Don't take that to mean he's without humor as Reid has a very witty, amiable way about him. Rather, Reid brings a hyperactive intellect to all his pursuits. Reid can and will expound on sports, politics and especially music, offering perspectives from a unique and informed point of view. It's Reid's interpretation of the world around him that helped fuel Living Colour's success. In fact, whether Living Colour has more to say is the quandary the band presently faces. "Now I'm at a place, is this going to be an evolving thing, is this stuck in time or are we just playing the songs that everyone knows. Is it ongoing?" Reid says of Living Colour's future. "At what point do we all make that happen, and that's really a question for the band right now."



Reid was not hesitant to discuss his former band, although conceding that he was not always so forthcoming. "There's a time period in my life that if you brought up Living Colour, I would have been, next question." Reid then became momentarily pensive. "It happens, you're so close. It's funny about being intimate with people and close to them, it's weird. The disappointment is that much stronger." When asked if the true story of Living Colour's split has ever been told, Reid grinned and with a playful laugh said, "I don't think the real story's ever been told and I ain't going to tell it now." After pausing for a moment, Reid implies that there's no simple answer to that question, saying that there were many different aspects to Living Colour's breakup. "One thing I will say, we probably needed to have a serious cooling off period after [original bassist] Muzz [Skillings] left the band. Having said that, I'm really happy that Doug joined the band and all those other things you can speculate on."

Living Colour has never been shy to lend their voice or time to a cause they feel worthy. Last summer, Living Colour returned to CBGB to play a benefit show in support of the legendary punk-rock club's fight with its landlord to remain in its iconic East Village home. Reid has fond memories for CBGB and its owner Hilly Kristal and regrets the club becoming a casualty to the ever-changing New York landscape. "It's sad," Reid says of the development of the East Village. "It's turning into a miniature midtown. Low high rises all over the place. I hate the fact that it's become a scrubbed up shadow of itself. No one wants to deal with crime and unsavory elements but New York City used to have a real edge. The meat packing district has become a super-expensive, high fashion, exclusive club place and that's what happening to the East Village, it's sad."

Reid remains non-committal as to what should happen to CBGB when its lease expires later this year. "It's funny because some people are very nostalgic of CBGB," says Reid, noting the varying range of opinions on the proper course of action for the club's future. "Other people had a bad time because they didn't become famous and are very negative. Hilly gave me a fair shake. If he wants to cash out; I think he should do whatever he wants to do with it." While taking no exception with whatever Kristal eventually decides to do with his club, Reid takes issue with the circumstances that have brought the situation to bear. "CBGB should have been landmarked." Noting the similarities between CBGB's fight and the battle to save the Electric Ladyland studios, Reid posits, "On a certain level, real estate is about hubris and ego. It's about 'I can do this because I can.' It really speaks to the ferocity of the great game of New York real estate, the blood sport of it. Another generation is going to come along and no one's going to understand what it is until it's taken away from them." Reid's last thought is lyrically elegant. "You don't miss your water 'til the well runs dry."

At their CBGB concert, "Open Letter (To A Landlord)" took on added meaning and Reid compared that performance to Living Colour's cover of Bruce Springsteen's controversial "American Skin (41 Shots)" at Central Park's Summerstage in the summer of 2001, shortly after the band reformed. "We had been working up to doing '41 Shots' in Central Park and once we did it there, we didn't need to do the song again," said Reid. "The story arc of that song and Amadou Diallo was complete and to repeat the story doesn't do anything. Some things are funny that way, some things need closure. The CBGB thing, I was surprised at the people who didn't show up and didn't want to go back, but I understand that."

For many, the Central Park show marked Living Colour's reunion, even though they had played some live shows in preparation for the free concert. While fans flocked to Central Park to see Living Colour again, Reid had mixed feelings about the way Living Colour returned. "I would have liked to get together, play and write new songs," he explains. However, never one to shy from a potentially controversial position, Reid and Living Colour felt once more that they had something to say. "One thing that mattered to me was '41 Shots.' The rest of that show felt like we were playing a weird kind ofbarbecuee or weird block party, just very weird. '41 Shots' was the moment in that show where the actual Living Colour, the Living Colour that was vital, the Living Colour that meant something, actually did something."

Shortly after Living Colour's return, New York City was beset by the September 11th terrorist attacks that scarred a whole generation of New Yorkers and Americans. "I don't know if the band would have continued without September 11," explained Reid. "We're a New York band and September 11 was a moment and a thing that really brought that into focus. We'd been working on songs; 'A ? Of When' was written before the attacks but took on more meaning afterwards," says Reid before concisely summing up their return. "We still had something to say."

Living Colour returned to a different landscape that greeted them upon their late eighties debut. Reid realizes the public's reaction to Living Colour, a black band playing rock and roll, would differ if they came along today. "The novelty of being black would be less a part of the story," reasons Reid. "After Living Colour there has been Rage Against The Machine, the band that came after us that stylistically extended the boundaries, there are mixed-race bands like the Dave Matthews Band and Sevendust. Things have evolved and Living Colour was part of that reintegration and re-evolution." Reid's modest about Living Colour's role in changing people's perceptions, stressing that they made it more possible for these bands to gain acceptance but that "everyone has to stand or fall on their music. I'm not going to take credit for other people's music," he states firmly. "Lenny Kravitz became a bona-fide rock star without anyone saying 'oh he's black.' Before us it was Prince, before that Bad Brains, even as far back as The Isley Brothers."

Reid comfortably looks back on the past, but isn't content to reside there. "I'm glad that Living Colour affected the landscape of rock and roll," he says proudly. "My main concern now is whether the story is ongoing or is the story complete. What is it that we’re talking about now? What do we as, a collective, have to bring to it? What's the chapter that's going to be written next? It's an open question." However, Reid will never shy away from playing the songs that earned Living Colour legions of loyal fans that still come to see the band whenever and wherever they play. "The sentiment feels dated but for the most part when we get out of the way of the music, it's pretty fun." As to whether he will ever grow tired of playing "Cult Of Personality," Reid answers reflectively. "Has Santana ever played a show without playing 'Black Magic Woman?' It would be weird for him to get to the point where he could do a show and not play it; you would realize that a whole generation has passed out of his audience."

In discussing whether Living Colour bassist Doug Wimbish brings out anything extra from Reid ("Doug's a bad motherfucker isn't he?" Reid says with a laugh and an impish grin), you learn that Reid is very self aware of the reasons for his, and Living Colour's success. After joking that when Wimbish gets going, "I just try and stay out of the way," Reid gives a fascinating dissertation on making great rock and roll. "It's about getting out of the way of the music," he explains. "When you see a bad Living Colour show you see four guys not agreeing, colliding into one another, scrabbling for their space. When you see a great Living Colour show, the songs play themselves. The music has to play the musician."

Reid then brings up King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and his theory of the totality of the experience. "Rock audiences are attuned to when things are real and when things are fake. They know when a real moment's happening or when a real moment's not happening. I became fascinated with the idea that people can tell when you're playing well. They don't know scales, they don't know music theory, but they will know when you’re not playing well. If you play for musicians, half of them don't know either. It's interesting the way people respond to certain things, if someone does a flashy thing that's actually not that deep musically, people respond to it because he did a flashy thing. But it's real interesting when they respond to something really edgy, really risk-taking because they get it, they hear it."

Once again, bringing the general around to the specific, Reid explains how this works for him. "Getting out of the way of yourself, getting out of the way of what you want [the music] to be and actually being and doing what [the music] is. It can be very difficult," he says deliberately. "It's a lot easier to get in the way than to get out of the way." Reid continues, "I know for myself, when I want want want, I get into trouble. I want to be cool. I want you to like me. I want you to like this song. I want you to buy the record. I want. I want. I want. The things that I want are barriers, which is weird, because you have to have desire on a certain level and you have to execute. Really being who you are at the moment and playing the music to the best of your ability without an expectation of reward. I'm going to play this thing and you're going to love it," he reveals. "That's what works for me."

Labels: CBGB, Living Colour, Masque, Vernon Reid

By David Schultz

Halfway into Living Colour's Friday night set at CBGB's, Corey Glover belted out the opening lines to Open Letter (To A Landlord), perfectly encapsulating the populist undercurrent of this month's benefit shows to save the legendary punk club on the lower east side of Manhattan:

Now you can tear a building down
But you can't erase a memory
These houses may look all run down
But they have a value you can't see

The fact that after sharing his feelings with the audience about CBGB's place in his heart, Glover seemingly lost his place in his a capella intro, requiring a musical nudge from guitarist Vernon Reid to move it along, did nothing to diminish the power of the moment.

With its lease expiring at the end of August, CBGB's battle with its landlord, the Bowery Residents Committee, is coming to a head. Although a Manhattan Civil Court Judge dismissed the BRC's claim for back rent, essentially resolving all past issues, it remains to be seen whether a new lease, with a rent CBGB's can afford, can be negotiated. In an effort to raise money to assist in the preservation of the historical club, CBGB's is staging a month long series of benefit shows. With the Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine notably missing from the announced slate of performances, Living Colour will be the highest profile act to return to their roots and play the club that opened its doors for them many years ago.

Reid gave many short speeches throughout the night. With Glover playfully mocking him, Reid finished each one declaring it would be his last for the evening. Although claiming that the night wasn't about nostalgia, Living Colour tipped their musical hat to CBGB's history, opening with an amped-up cover of the Talking Heads' Memories Can't Wait. In light of the cause being promoted, Collide0scope's Sacred Ground, the hopefully unprophetic Time's Up and the poignant Open Letter (To A Landlord), resounded with more emotion and deeper relevance. Noting that for a period of time in the band's infancy, CBGB's was the only club that would let Living Colour on stage, Reid gave sincere thanks to Hilly Kristal, CBGB's heart and soul, for giving the band one of its first breaks.

At the outset of the show, Corey Glover self-deprecatingly noted that they were too old for this. Aside from the fact that Glover's spandex singlets from the late eighties have been replaced by baggier, less formfitting jumpsuits, nothing could be further from the truth. Living Colour's high-energy, genre-busting rock and roll, which can go from heavy metal to funk on a moment's notice, may have matured but it hasn't lost step over the years. Older songs like Vivid's Middle Man and Glamour Boys as well as Time's Up's Type, now containing a reggae coda, sound as fresh and crisp as they did years ago.

As evidenced by his electrifying and inventive solos on Flying, Open Letter (To A Landlord) and the set-closing Cult Of Personality, Vernon Reid has not relinquished his position as one of rock's most innovative guitar players and remains the highlight of any Living Colour concert. Not to be shown up, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun, arguably the most talented drummer playing today, more than hold their own with Reid. Always novel and progressive, Calhoun's extended drum solo, a staple of any Living Colour show, will never be confused with its stereotypical dinosaur-rock predecessors. Anyone mistaking Calhoun's solo spots for the appropriate time to seek out the facilities truly misses out on something special. Normally a duet between Wimbish and Calhoun, Reid remained onstage for Terrorism, a newer song that has become the rhythm section's tour de force. Wimbish, treating his bass like a short-stringed guitar, fronted the band and coaxed notes out of his bass that few others could imagine, much less play.

The fearlessly blunt Terrorism fits right in with in-your-face songs like Funny Vibe, another live staple, that are Living Colour's sine qua non. Inextricably entwining his opinion of George Bush and Tony Blair with the song's undeniably funky bass-heavy groove, Wimbish risks alienating conservative listeners who are unable to separate their political views from their choice of music. But on the other hand, how many Republicans are Living Colour fans anyway?

Just prior to the encore, Reid addressed the notion of transforming CBGB's into a museum or shrine to the music it fostered, offering his opinion that the future of CBGB's is not in reliving its past but in artists pushing music forward and doing new things. Either illustrating or missing his own point, the band finished the evening with their unique interpretation of the Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows. Featuring Wimbish on the standing bass and peppered with solos from Reid, the extended jam ventured from fuzzy guitar-heavy grunge into the realm of avant-garde jazz.

For those music lovers that haven't been privileged to catch a show at CBGB's, don't be misled that the efforts to save the club are about anything but the history within and the nostalgia it inspires. Typical of your old-school lower east side hangouts, the walls are covered with stickers, flyers and graffiti and the furnishings are sparse, with tables and chairs more appropriate to an elementary school than a Manhattan bar. However, therein lies the charm. No one comes to CBGB's for the décor; they come for the music. Let's hope the music gods are beneficently smiling down upon this old music hall: it would be a shame to lose the next Ramones because there's no place for them to play.

[All images from LivingColour.com]

Labels: Living Colour, Vernon Reid