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| Concert Reviews |
| GALACTIC House of Blues West Hollywood, CA May 25, 2000 The shaking outside of the House of Blues probably had even jaded Angelenos believing that yet another earthquake was making its presence known. Inside, it was just Galactic hitting the stage with a full force attack of funk that ravaged everyone in the room with as much tenacity as any Southern Californian temblor. Galactic's acid jazz/funk style, influenced by the likes of James Brown, the Funky Meters and Parliament Funkadelic, is something that must be heard live to be believed. The band was on fire. Weaving unbelievably funky jams and fusion improvs into a groove so thick they practically dared you to try and stand still. The band played with an energy that was absolutely contagious and the audience responded with wild dancing, sweating, singing and smoking (of the green variety that is). To keep the audience from collapsing, Galactic would throw out the occasional slow dirty funk or straight-up jazz tune as a breather. Galactic is definitely a band that understands their audience, as was evident when the band set out on their cover of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf." The song was an obvious nod to a large number of people in the audience who were fans of the sweet leaf themselves. My one complaint was that much of the crowd didn't roll in until after the opener, The Ivan Neville Band, was almost through with their set. They then started the rude and obnoxious process of pushing their way to the front of the dance floor and past those of us that had given our full time and attention to the opening band and were waiting patiently for Galactic. This type of behavior seems to be spreading and it's an aspect of concert going I truly dislike. Overall though the band's great jams and interaction with the crowd smoothed over the rough edges. I would highly recommend their live shows to everyone who loves a good jam band. Jason Kuykendall |
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| TIM REYNOLDS Solo & Acoustic Vynyl Hollywood, CA June 20, 2000 In support of his current release, SEE INTO YOUR SOUL, guitarist Tim Reynolds is wrapping up the West Coast leg of his first-ever, national solo acoustic tour. Although he is probably best known for his work with Dave Matthews Band, Tim has played with many great musicians, from jazzman John Dearth to blues rockers Gov't Mule, building a devoted fan-base along the way. Tim last toured the West Coast in the fall of 1999 with the Electric Power Trio (the modern day incarnation of his band TR3), in what can best be described as a post-apocalyptic music meltdown. Tuesday night he got back to basics. After an enjoyable set by opening act Solomon Grundy, Tim took the stage around 10:00pm. Unassuming, in jeans, a tank top and a pair of well-traveled shoes, Tim is the antithesis of pretense. With little more than a couple of guitars and microphones, Tim's minimalist approach to costume and staging put the focus of the evening squarely on his talent, which gave the crowd an opportunity to really watch him work. Tim enthusiastically opened the show with "As Far As We Can See", and made his way through the evening. Alternating between his 12 and six string guitars, he found the right balance between quiet acoustic moments and frenzied experimental diatribes. With blistering speed, Tim tore up the fret board with his skill and accuracy. The evening was marked by notable performances of "Hopeful Heresy", and "Is Anybody Here?", the latter boasting a dizzying progression of harmonics that had to be seen to be believed. After almost 2 hours of relentless playing, Tim closed the show with "Stream", the title track to his 19 masterpiece of the same name.* For his encore, he played "Kundalini Bonfire", and some improvisation. The audiences applause gave way to loud cheers of appreciation as Tim gestured goodnight, smiled and retreated backstage, his final guitar effect still looping. SEE INTO YOUR SOUL is available at www.timreynolds.com, along with Tim's other electric and acoustic releases. * Watch for the re-release of STREAM this fall, just in time for its 7th anniversary, available on CD for the first time. A mini-tour in support of the re-issue is also planned. Brett Davidson |
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