Review of Band of Brothers show 3/30/09
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
I had low expectations of the last show since it took place on a rainy Thursday night. Historically, people don’t like to come out in the rain. I was pleased that there were a good number of people in the room at the West Side in West Paterson, NJ. (The town changed its name last year to Woodland Park, but the people at the show seemed to prefer West Paterson.)
This review is from the only perspective I have, which is from the stage.
The West Side Sound
Sounds like an aesthetic doesn’t it? I’ve played the place before so I knew not to expect much from the sound. There’s something about the way that room is constructed. The sound of the band blasts into this tunnel created by the low ceiling that starts about ten feet from the stage. It sounds great if you’re listening to the band, but if you’re in the band, you can forget hearing anything but a big mess. See my crude sketch of the problem in Figure 1. Arrows represent the path of sound.
Figure 1 – Sound at the West Side
The Mush Zone was hardest on Fred, who was tucked into a corner next to the drums and couldn’t hear anything that was going on out front.
I was delighted to have pulled it off at the keyboard, since I had Krazy Glued the nail on my right index finger which had split during a particularly enthusiastic practice session earlier that week. The Band of Brothers played only two sets and since I’m used to playing three, we had good energy. (The second set of a three-setter at the West Side is always the longest…)
This was the first gig on which I was using my new keyboard amplifier (Roland KC 500) and it proved to be a purchase I should have made a long time ago. It provided better sound than the PA system I was using ever did and was much easier to set up. The amp has four channels, so it was easy to use it for my guitar as well, with the help of my Tech 21 NYC SansAmp GT2 box. For those not hip, this device simulates the sound of a miked guitar amplifier, enabling you to play your instrument direct into a PA or mixer, which without the SansAmp, would sound fairly unlistenable. (Guitar amps tend to round off the transients and make guitars sound “better.”) Since I’m doubling on the Band of Brothers gigs, I appreciate any opportunity to reduce the amount of gear I have to drag along. I got good lead tones and punchy rhythm sounds.
Since I have yet to convince Matty Z to play his hollowbody on these gigs, this was another Telecaster-fest, which is not a bad thing either. He was playing through that massive Fender amp of his though, and on “Northwoods” threatened to drown out my piano completely. In the heat of the moment, as my index finger throbbed from playing hard enough to be heard, I told him that if he wanted me to lay out, all he had to do was ask. He didn’t seem to appreciate that, but he still lent me his tuner before the second set.
Gene was in rare form, madly sawing away at his fiddle during the especially passionate moments. From my position, it reminded me of the way Ian Anderson would raise hell onstage with the flute. It was cool, except that Gene elbowed my mic stand a whole bunch of times. The upside is that I have no broken teeth as a result.
A Good Audience
They were. Brian has a huge clique of friends and they are wonderfully supportive. The band is building a fan base of its own and I saw many familiar faces. I received some very nice comments about my vocals, which I’m always very happy to hear. (I usually sing lead on a couple of tunes.) I even signed a CD for Jackie.
Brian always asks everyone in the band to sign CDs that are sold at the shows. Even though I didn’t play on the record, he always insists. He’s all about the unity of the band, which is very cool. I like to believe that in the future, my having signed the CD will matter.
In all, the show was a good leg up to our our busy May schedule and whatever didn’t go absolutely well was a good proving ground for the band’s ability to work together. We’re getting tighter all the time.
