west coast weekends, part two

[chuckvegas]

There is a literary tradition or conceit termed by the Romantics "emotion recollected in tranquility," and it means pretty much what the label says. It is the opposite in principle and style from embedded Gonzo writing. Any review written so long after the fact is going to reflect much more of the former notion than the latter.

But sitting here and remembering the first pure unique note of William Tell brings it all back. The unworldly images evoked by the sparse, magical lyrics combined with the unusual musical time signature is everything I love in acid rock. The Crystal performance found me really, really in the mood. Not to flog a dead horse, but the space opened up so much - literally on the floor, and figuratively in the rainbows spinning their rotating crystal prism cocoon around me. For a few God-given moments I went from transparent to -- gone. Adjectives fail (mercifully). It is what I live for and it is what this band and its fans' synergy deliver so well. A web from here to the ineffable there and the weight of it all just disappears in a unity of open-souled motion. Yep, like that...

And the best part is the Bridge and knowing it goes into The Eleven. If ever a song was perfectly titled from its timing and sensory manifestation, I'd think this is it. It is made for spinning, and what DSO poured onto us that night could not have been more heaven made. I have only a few recollections of ever being so graced with sharing the perfect place at the perfect time and serving as such a perfect vessel to be filled. The union of that melody with the shift in lyrics and mode from the yearning of William Tell to the hallucinatory promise of the quest and its gift of redemption is the fulfillment of this music. There was no place for the The Eleven to then go than into...drums.

Tribal as it was, it could not have been better. By this time the stream of human was making its accustomed *yawn, let's go pee/drink/smoke/pee* break and so it was possible to express appreciation of this in the only way possible - big flailing. There was this very cool couple who had been standing at the back end of the table, by the curtains, and their grins shined bright the entire time. I don't remember much in the way of conversations, ever, during shows and I generally don't go out of my way to engage in them. But this drums was powerful and I must have said so during some stomping spin or other, because she looked at me and said something that it will be hard to forget. "You like it this way." Not a question.

The sound was big thanks to the Drummers Union Full Employment Act going on up there and there was no doubt that whatever the band went into after this and space was going to be extraordinary. The build-up and anticipation it brought was something that you knew would be rewarded.

Well, hell. It was no letdown! I was never a particular fan of Hey Jude as such, if for no other reason than having spent the better part of a lifetime hearing it on the radio. But the strength with which DSO brings it (and knowing what it will probably be paired with) has given it a new lease on life for me. The message and the melody are beautifully blended, no surprise given its creators, and a rocking GD treatment doesn't hurt. This is not to denigrate the Beatles, but only to say that the harder edge becomes it.

The came the Dear Mr. Fantasy! One of the best ever for engaging in personal interpretive dance and near psychotic dramatic expression. Seriously. The good times of this set just kept rolling on and hearing what is one of my fav Traffic songs (and probably my fav Brent rocker) done so powerfully was, with the Pos 4th Street, worth the price of flight and admission. By this time the floor had loosened up and the sound seemed huge! And the lyrics are pure band fodder. I know how I love them, and I know I can't imagine what they mean to a traveling band. Powerful stuff. One request: please give Low Spark of High Heel Boys a shot. You know you want to, there's precedent, and we know you can...

So, back into Hey Jude, and then - wham! The instantly recognized and much chased opening chord of Viola Lee Blues! Lord, take me home, but let me finish this tune please! There is no opening better to simply stomp big to, and there was room for all around. I think this is one of DSO's signature pieces and in a way I'm glad it isn't in heavier rotation. It is such a joy, and this band always pulls it out at just the perfect time. Onward through the fog with the front of the room like a beacon always there if you wanted to look...fuck, man, the Judge decreed it all right, and the clerks up there were writing it down in spades...

This show was one of the best shining examples of what we all know - these folks have taken the act of structuring a set and raised it to a high art. The level of play combined with the continuing upgrades in search of the sound is paying off in ways that astound me. A six month break did have one good feature - I was blown away all over again.You see enough often enough and a level of familiarity, of acceptance sets in. The growth in what I heard wasn't necessarily exponential since they have been so damn good for so damn long (and I've been there for a fair amount of) it, but it was more than subtle. Jeff's shredding power has been undeniable since before DSO but the vocals now are of the same stature,and the nuancing is dramatic. In both lead and harmony he has strength and grace while playing with fire.

The Viola Lee was breathtaking. I wanted it to never end, if for no other reason than I was already dripping wet and didn't especially want to flirt with pneumonia in the rain outside. And it was a long powerhouse with jams that riveted the grin while propelling the feet...everything a song wrapping up the best of the '60s should be. The show had wound back from a good solid '80s rocking start to the roots that we all share. If we are the children of the garden, then this is the water that nurtures us all.

So what better way to close it up and send us out into the wet world than Dancing? Another that has been played by many but owned by few. And another that DSO has raised to a peak. This one was perfect in hitting the high points and slowing it way down in just the right way...not always easy, no doubt, and the timing here was impeccable. It seemed to go on and on, but you knew that this was it...and that is bittersweet. I wanted so badly to just hop back on and take the long ride again. This had been everything I wanted and what I needed. This music always delivers but God damn, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Again, thank you more than I can say, Jordan. The day started out so awesome, and you are a true friend. Never has a sofa been so comfy, and never the next morning has a ride through the great northwest been so gorgeous. Such a lovely day and nothing's wrong...

[Guest crazy digits]

There is a literary tradition or conceit termed by the Romantics "emotion recollected in tranquility," and it means pretty much what the label says. It is the opposite in principle and style from embedded Gonzo writing. Any review written so long after the fact is going to reflect much more of the former notion than the latter.

But sitting here and remembering the first pure unique note of William Tell brings it all back. The unworldly images evoked by the sparse, magical lyrics combined with the unusual musical time signature is everything I love in acid rock. The Crystal performance found me really, really in the mood. Not to flog a dead horse, but the space opened up so much - literally on the floor, and figuratively in the rainbows spinning their rotating crystal prism cocoon around me. For a few God-given moments I went from transparent to -- gone. Adjectives fail (mercifully). It is what I live for and it is what this band and its fans' synergy deliver so well. A web from here to the ineffable there and the weight of it all just disappears in a unity of open-souled motion. Yep, like that...

And the best part is the Bridge and knowing it goes into The Eleven. If ever a song was perfectly titled from its timing and sensory manifestation, I'd think this is it. It is made for spinning, and what DSO poured onto us that night could not have been more heaven made. I have only a few recollections of ever being so graced with sharing the perfect place at the perfect time and serving as such a perfect vessel to be filled. The union of that melody with the shift in lyrics and mode from the yearning of William Tell to the hallucinatory promise of the quest and its gift of redemption is the fulfillment of this music. There was no place for the The Eleven to then go than into...drums.

Tribal as it was, it could not have been better. By this time the stream of human was making its accustomed *yawn, let's go pee/drink/smoke/pee* break and so it was possible to express appreciation of this in the only way possible - big flailing. There was this very cool couple who had been standing at the back end of the table, by the curtains, and their grins shined bright the entire time. I don't remember much in the way of conversations, ever, during shows and I generally don't go out of my way to engage in them. But this drums was powerful and I must have said so during some stomping spin or other, because she looked at me and said something that it will be hard to forget. "You like it this way." Not a question.

The sound was big thanks to the Drummers Union Full Employment Act going on up there and there was no doubt that whatever the band went into after this and space was going to be extraordinary. The build-up and anticipation it brought was something that you knew would be rewarded.

Well, hell. It was no letdown! I was never a particular fan of Hey Jude as such, if for no other reason than having spent the better part of a lifetime hearing it on the radio. But the strength with which DSO brings it (and knowing what it will probably be paired with) has given it a new lease on life for me. The message and the melody are beautifully blended, no surprise given its creators, and a rocking GD treatment doesn't hurt. This is not to denigrate the Beatles, but only to say that the harder edge becomes it.

The came the Dear Mr. Fantasy! One of the best ever for engaging in personal interpretive dance and near psychotic dramatic expression. Seriously. The good times of this set just kept rolling on and hearing what is one of my fav Traffic songs (and probably my fav Brent rocker) done so powerfully was, with the Pos 4th Street, worth the price of flight and admission. By this time the floor had loosened up and the sound seemed huge! And the lyrics are pure band fodder. I know how I love them, and I know I can't imagine what they mean to a traveling band. Powerful stuff. One request: please give Low Spark of High Heel Boys a shot. You know you want to, there's precedent, and we know you can...

So, back into Hey Jude, and then - wham! The instantly recognized and much chased opening chord of Viola Lee Blues! Lord, take me home, but let me finish this tune please! There is no opening better to simply stomp big to, and there was room for all around. I think this is one of DSO's signature pieces and in a way I'm glad it isn't in heavier rotation. It is such a joy, and this band always pulls it out at just the perfect time. Onward through the fog with the front of the room like a beacon always there if you wanted to look...fuck, man, the Judge decreed it all right, and the clerks up there were writing it down in spades...

This show was one of the best shining examples of what we all know - these folks have taken the act of structuring a set and raised it to a high art. The level of play combined with the continuing upgrades in search of the sound is paying off in ways that astound me. A six month break did have one good feature - I was blown away all over again.You see enough often enough and a level of familiarity, of acceptance sets in. The growth in what I heard wasn't necessarily exponential since they have been so damn good for so damn long (and I've been there for a fair amount of) it, but it was more than subtle. Jeff's shredding power has been undeniable since before DSO but the vocals now are of the same stature,and the nuancing is dramatic. In both lead and harmony he has strength and grace while playing with fire.

The Viola Lee was breathtaking. I wanted it to never end, if for no other reason than I was already dripping wet and didn't especially want to flirt with pneumonia in the rain outside. And it was a long powerhouse with jams that riveted the grin while propelling the feet...everything a song wrapping up the best of the '60s should be. The show had wound back from a good solid '80s rocking start to the roots that we all share. If we are the children of the garden, then this is the water that nurtures us all.

So what better way to close it up and send us out into the wet world than Dancing? Another that has been played by many but owned by few. And another that DSO has raised to a peak. This one was perfect in hitting the high points and slowing it way down in just the right way...not always easy, no doubt, and the timing here was impeccable. It seemed to go on and on, but you knew that this was it...and that is bittersweet. I wanted so badly to just hop back on and take the long ride again. This had been everything I wanted and what I needed. This music always delivers but God damn, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Again, thank you more than I can say, Jordan. The day started out so awesome, and you are a true friend. Never has a sofa been so comfy, and never the next morning has a ride through the great northwest been so gorgeous. Such a lovely day and nothing's wrong...

....and the shirt was really fookin wet...

[Island Bro]

The level of research that you engage in certainly does not go unnoticed! High marks for your truly higher education, indeed.

Thanks so much for sharing,,,amazing how you have crafted words together to describe what is typically wordless territory...takes me right back into it!!

Dig it.

[chuckvegas]

One of my favorite songs has a great line: "the less we say about it the better, make it up as we go along..."

Maybe time to get Hemingway. "It was a fine show. They opened with a long Sugaree."

[Island Bro]

"and ended with a rather enjoyable U.S. Blues"

[Rbarracoph]

One of my favorite songs has a great line: "the less we say about it the better, make it up as we go along..."

Maybe time to get Hemingway. "It was a fine show. They opened with a long Sugaree."

You?

Nice writing professor!!!!!!

[Teacher Matt]

I only hang with people that are equal ... or in the case of Chuck Vegas ... smarter than me .....

[chuckvegas]

Thanks, all! There will be a two day break. Plans tonight and I have a movie to catch tomorrow.

Enough others here have done an excellent job of Joycean stream of consciousness. Maybe I will give Faux Faulkner a shot. I'm halfway there with run-on sentences and adjectives posing as gerunds...

[August West]

Thank you so much for your elouquent words Tennesee. It has also brought about this new revelation....When Stanley cried out "STELLA" in A Streetcar Named Desire, it actually wasn't a tragic crie de cour, but instead a song request. Now that we have that settled....

If you see something that looks like a star, and it's shooting up out of the ground, and your head is spinning from a loud guitar, and you just can't escape from the sound, don't worry too much, it will happen to you.

We were children once, playing with toys. And the thing you were hearing is only the sound of.....

The low spark of high- heeled boys.

Thanks for the time travel buddy. You put me right there.

[chuckvegas]

Wait for the Scorsese "Streetcar." It is gonna be a musical and clear everything up!

If you had just a minute to breathe and they granted you one final wish

Would you ask for something like another chance?

[Herdygerdy]

Chuck my brother, I love ya buddy! Thanks for that AWESOME review!! I couldn't make the shows, but you brought me there my friend! Much thanks and love!