Fungi and Foes
We saw Les Claypool and Matisyahu last night at the Pompano Amphitheater. An outdoor venue on a rainy night had us concerned for a while, but aside from a few minutes of sprinkles, it was a beautiful night.
The show started with Dub Trio, a band from Brooklyn, laying out a mixture of dub and rock. Stacks of subwoofers pushed the air at us mightily - it actually felt like my pants were moving with the sound. They played for around 45 minutes. I love dub, but it tends to become repetitious after a while.
To our surprise, Les Claypool was not the headliner. Perhaps because Claypool was the reason that we bought tickets, and maybe because I'm not tuned in with who's hot and who's not, but going by what I know, which is listening to recordings of both artists, and having seen Claypool before, I just assumed that Les would finish up the night.
When Claypool and his band came out, we knew we were in for a good time. His band members were all wearing tuxedos, and looked like they just left Carnegie Hall, except for the fact that they were all wearing rubber half-masks that made them look like 55 year old men with droopy jowls. As usual, Les was wearing a suit, complete with a vest and tails, sporting his Fedora-like hat with a green feather and a freaky, Eyes Wide Shut-meets-Pinocchio mask. They looked odd.
The band consisted of a percussionist, a drummer, a cellist, and Les on the bass. Last time I saw him, his band had a sax player, a sitar player, a drummer, and a percussionist. I was confused. How were they going to match the great music that I had heard three years ago without the sitar and sax? And then they started playing. Claypool's songs are quirky, dissonant ditties with silly lyrics. I start off smiling, laughing at his staccato delivery in his weird voice. The songs almost sound like cartoon music. After the theme of the song is established, and it almost sounds like the song will end, they take off on an intense ride, filled with musical tricks and treats that left me grinning and laughing, awed by their talent, amazed at their versatility, and giddy with appreciation. Who knew that an electric cello could make sounds that would have you believe there was a horn section? The percussionist relied heavily on the vibes, and he pounded them with a wondrous fury. The drummer was extraordinary. And Les was, as usual, in fine virtuoso form. The jams left me exhilarated and delighted.
Les started off playing his "standard" custom bass, but brought out several other basses during the show, including (among others) an electric upright, which he plucked, bowed, and beat on, and his Whamola, which looks like a broom handle with a lever on top. Wearing his monkey mask, he used a bow on it while pulling on the lever to get an assortment of wild sounds out of it that he turned into Music You Can Dance To. One of the highlights for me was when they played Red State Girl (this clip also shows the band in their weird masks, and perfectly illustrates what we saw).
The percussionist and drummer had an extended duet that was absolutely jaw-dropping. And the cellist, well, last night I uttered words that I never thought I'd speak: "That was the best rock cello solo that I've ever heard!"
They played for an hour and a half, and because they were the second act, there was no encore. I was left wanting more.
Matisyahu came on to close the night, accompanied by Dub Trio and the rest of his band. It was good, but after seeing the intense, incredible music that Les Claypool provided us, it was a letdown. I've heard Matisyahu's Live At Stubbs album, and I was looking forward to a show with similar energy. Maybe it was due to the fact that it was the first night of his tour, and Dub Trio had just flown in that morning to join the tour, but they just didn't blow me away. Or maybe Les set the bar higher than Matisyahu will ever be able to reach. It was merely good. Again, the dub meanderings became rote after a while, and I actually found myself looking at the time, wondering when it would end. Good, but disappointing.
In the end, I had a great night, solely because of Les Claypool. I highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance.
The show started with Dub Trio, a band from Brooklyn, laying out a mixture of dub and rock. Stacks of subwoofers pushed the air at us mightily - it actually felt like my pants were moving with the sound. They played for around 45 minutes. I love dub, but it tends to become repetitious after a while.
To our surprise, Les Claypool was not the headliner. Perhaps because Claypool was the reason that we bought tickets, and maybe because I'm not tuned in with who's hot and who's not, but going by what I know, which is listening to recordings of both artists, and having seen Claypool before, I just assumed that Les would finish up the night.
When Claypool and his band came out, we knew we were in for a good time. His band members were all wearing tuxedos, and looked like they just left Carnegie Hall, except for the fact that they were all wearing rubber half-masks that made them look like 55 year old men with droopy jowls. As usual, Les was wearing a suit, complete with a vest and tails, sporting his Fedora-like hat with a green feather and a freaky, Eyes Wide Shut-meets-Pinocchio mask. They looked odd.
The band consisted of a percussionist, a drummer, a cellist, and Les on the bass. Last time I saw him, his band had a sax player, a sitar player, a drummer, and a percussionist. I was confused. How were they going to match the great music that I had heard three years ago without the sitar and sax? And then they started playing. Claypool's songs are quirky, dissonant ditties with silly lyrics. I start off smiling, laughing at his staccato delivery in his weird voice. The songs almost sound like cartoon music. After the theme of the song is established, and it almost sounds like the song will end, they take off on an intense ride, filled with musical tricks and treats that left me grinning and laughing, awed by their talent, amazed at their versatility, and giddy with appreciation. Who knew that an electric cello could make sounds that would have you believe there was a horn section? The percussionist relied heavily on the vibes, and he pounded them with a wondrous fury. The drummer was extraordinary. And Les was, as usual, in fine virtuoso form. The jams left me exhilarated and delighted.
Les started off playing his "standard" custom bass, but brought out several other basses during the show, including (among others) an electric upright, which he plucked, bowed, and beat on, and his Whamola, which looks like a broom handle with a lever on top. Wearing his monkey mask, he used a bow on it while pulling on the lever to get an assortment of wild sounds out of it that he turned into Music You Can Dance To. One of the highlights for me was when they played Red State Girl (this clip also shows the band in their weird masks, and perfectly illustrates what we saw).
The percussionist and drummer had an extended duet that was absolutely jaw-dropping. And the cellist, well, last night I uttered words that I never thought I'd speak: "That was the best rock cello solo that I've ever heard!"
They played for an hour and a half, and because they were the second act, there was no encore. I was left wanting more.
Matisyahu came on to close the night, accompanied by Dub Trio and the rest of his band. It was good, but after seeing the intense, incredible music that Les Claypool provided us, it was a letdown. I've heard Matisyahu's Live At Stubbs album, and I was looking forward to a show with similar energy. Maybe it was due to the fact that it was the first night of his tour, and Dub Trio had just flown in that morning to join the tour, but they just didn't blow me away. Or maybe Les set the bar higher than Matisyahu will ever be able to reach. It was merely good. Again, the dub meanderings became rote after a while, and I actually found myself looking at the time, wondering when it would end. Good, but disappointing.
In the end, I had a great night, solely because of Les Claypool. I highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance.