04/05/98 Providence Civic Center, Providence RI

From: Benjamin N Gray bng1@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu Subject: YEM review: 4.5.98 Here's another I listened to recently.. == 4.5.98, Set 1 1: Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > You Enjoy Myself, Theme from the Bottom, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, Bathtub Gin > Cities, Sparkle, Split Open and Melt The second song of set I (!), YEM starts immediately after Oh Kee Pa. The opening seems just a little bit slow, but maybe not (could be my tape). Otherwise, it's standard fare. The pre-nirvana space is nice, gets a little bit darker than it sometimes is, led (it seems to me) by Mike. Good stuff, though I wish they'd stuck around on that darker feel a little longer - Page hops onto the piano shortly after the darkness starts. Page's solo after nirvana is really, really nice - not super-high energy maybe, but different from what normally goes in here. Same with Mike's bass solo - a nice variation on the kind of thing you usually here around these parts. Groovy. The pre-charge section is clean, and the first *note* is hardly sustained, but Trey brings the energy in jamming around it. The second shot at the note is sustained perfectly, with some nice accompaniment from Mike underneath. Great scream before "Boy" and funked out pretty hard between lyrics - big wah from Trey, Mike's dropping bombs, and Page on (I think) wah-ed out clav or something groovy like that. Nice piano fills, too, here and there. At the start of the tramps section, there's some weird scratching noises - what is this? I've heard it in some other jams before, but I don't know what it is. Anyway, Page is on the clav something fonky - he and Fish are locked together perfectly. Trey lets out a delay loop or two and I'd say the jam section has begun... It starts with Fish changing up the drums a bit, mellow keys from Page and some chilled out Trey noodlings. Mike's funking out and the delay loops are still hanging around, too. Very chill at the start in fact - looks very patient and funky, I'm excited. Trey's noodlings pick up a little bit over this chill funk background and Page hops onto the piano to commemorate this event in the jam. Trey starts in on some catchy licks, just floating over everything else now. This is some very, very good YEM jamming in here.. Trey sustains a few notes and the jam dies out a little more quickly than I would have liked, but the chill funk that this jam started with returns, and there's nothing wrong with that. Trey and Page never completely drop out, but this is basically the D+B section in here. Mike finds a nice ascending melody and starts singing along with it. Shortly afterwards, the others do the same and the vocal jam starts out of this (no return to the washuffizi lyrics). Very catchy lick that this VJ starts with, and grooves as well as a VJ can until it culminates in a nice group scream. Well.. This is a very groovy YEM here. It could've stretched out a little longer, but it *was* the second song in set I. The jam section is very quality stuff, too - typical YEM jamming style with that Island Tour funk. You'll be far from disappointed if you get this YEM (not to mention the nice McGrupp's, Cities, and super-dope set II). Peace. Ben
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 16:35:51 -0700 From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net To: Daniel W. Schar dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu Subject: 4/5/98 YEM review 04/05/98 Providence Civic Center, Providence RI A show opening Oh Kee Pah > YEM. How pleasant! Andrew Van Alstyne recommended that I take the time to review this. Typically solid opening segment. Nice "pre-Nirvana" jamming, "Nirvana" at 4:02. Wonderfully melodic, happy, snappy Mike solo section around 5 mins, shortly before the "pre-charge" section (during which Brad brings out the trampolines, and, given the crowd reaction, he does so here). Niiiiice pre-charge section. But nothing unusually impressive. Typical great stuff from everyone. "Boy" at 7:31, after a great scream! Good WUDMTF segment, with some nice fills from Page & Trey between lyrics. Tramps jam at 9:49. Great, powerful drums from Fish, and strong chords from Page!! =^] The full band is back in it by 10:53. Page tools around on the clav a bit, before the jam segment kicks in, basically around 11:26. Phaaat groove. Steady hi-hat coasting from Fishman. Trey lets loose some digital delay loops, before he comes in rhythmically chording. A few bell sounds in here (Mike?). This is a good FOG groove. I doubt the fog was rolling, though. Kuroda uses it sparingly. Spacey, mellow, funky groove. Some tasty drums from Fish around 13:30. Trey begins noodling melodically at about 13:48, soloing quite beautifully over the groove. After waaaay too much thoughtful (only arguably soulful) noodling, Trey finally takes off around 17 minutes, and lets off some killer riffs!! The jam by 18:15 just RAGES, with rich, phaaaat accompaniment from Mike, Fish, and Page, beneath Trey's spirited soloing!! =^] YES! **THIS** is the way to open a show!!! After an AWESOME climax, the groove cools, and Trey begins rhythmically chording, hopefully in support of a good bass and drums segment... But it's not to be. Instead, the band locks into a catchy, funkamystical groove that features MIKE GORDON WHUPPIN' ASS ON BASS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! =^] But it isn't really a "bass and drums" section, like most old YEM's. Trey begins vocal jamming, mimicking Mike, for a bit, and the others join in, steadily, vocal jamming. By 22:40, even Fish has stopped playing drums (he's usually the last to quit and join the VJ), and everyone's into The Vocal Jam -- which is very catchy and melodic. A lot more interesting, imo, than the 11/14/98 Cincy VJ. Can't make out any messages/words, though, that might make it even more interesting/unusual. Total time 25:32. Easy B+ for this YEM. Above average, but nothing special, in light of the Kingly YEMs, imo. two cents charlie
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