[Rick and Roll]

KBB was just tehnically, musically, and sonically perfect. Amazing musicians, I was especially taken by the drumming of Shirou Sugano. (I think he was wearing a Scout uniform!). All weekend, I was incredibly pleased with the drumming. That was my highlight of Nearfest.

They could play melodies and jam in a moment's notice. Brilliant interludes between sections,

Akiihisa Tsuboy's violin playing defies description. He can do anything. The bassist was just introduced as "Dani"...As with Kenso last year, it's always engaging to see the Japanese artist thank the crowd in English..the effort and passion is very heartfelt.

Riverside was awesome, just awesome. Piotr Grudzinski's guitar was rapturopus (is that a word? it is now). Later I asked him if he knew our man Wojtek. if he did, he was too drunk to know. They had the room next to mine and certainly enjoyed themselves.

Again, powerhouse drumming. the highlight was Mariusz Duda's vocals. The only issue was his ending vocal passages with "auugghhrighhht". A bit much after the fourth time. But that man can sing.

Got to hear a bit of the soundcheck through the doors (it was the title cut of SLS). That song, all 15 minutes of it was perfect. Great show!

Regrettably I missed Richard Leo Johnson. He started too close to Riverside, and I needed a break. By the time i got around to going back it was too late. Hope someone can fill us in.

FM was great. I'm still numb - although I saw them many times over the weekend I still can't believe that they played! Me and my college friends were apeshit over FM. It was such forward music. I like them so much I forgive them for those two god-awful releases, "Tonight" and "Contest".

Started out with a new song, a fun jam. Then Phasors on Stun, the great Black Noise song. Wow. More Black Noise songs...One O'Clock Tomorrow, Journey, Slaughter In Robot Village (outstanding!) and Aldeberan. The title cut came later in the set. Glad thay hit that record hard. Off of Surveillance they played Shapes of Things (the yardbirds song), and Sofa Back (has the great line "Moe Larry Cheese" in it). I was hoping for some of the better cuts like Random Harvest and Destruction but I never get disappointed anymore about set selection. It's counterproductive.

And of course, one of my top 10 favorite songs ever Seventh Heaven. If wasn't such a goof (joking with Cameron Hawkins, see other post), I would have told him how much i like that song. It hits me perfect...I told my friend after the song..."kill me now, I'm satisfied"...he had thoughts....

They only played one City of fear cut, but it was the closer...Surface To Air - what a happy great song. That was a perfect sendoff. Sure made up for that dreadful newer song they did in the middle of the set. It was like 8-9 minutes too!

The only other beef was that Claudio Vena, while competent, didn't sing. Hawkins had to do too much himself and songs suffered from it, especially One O'Clock. Vena's violin work was superb, and the electric mandolin was somewhat choppy but pleasing. But I quibble.

Although slower obviosly with age, Martin Deller (along with Barriemore Barlow) is my favorite technician on the drum kit.

Finally, it pains me to say this, because a) they're one of my favorite bands and live acts and b) Day One was shaping up to be the best day ever, but Ozric Tentacles was disappointing.

A bit of history...Ever since Joie Hinton left in the early 90's they've had a succession of keyboardists who just dabble and make goofy noises. Seaweed, Harry Waters, to name a few. they bring nothing to the table. It's the creativity and electricity of Ed's guitar, the fun of John, and the propulsive bass/drums that make Ozrics the best live acts.

None of that was present, save for the fiery rhythm section. And that's what I tried to focus on for the show. It's always good. But damnit, Brandi Wynne making silly noises and giggling was annoying! She did do a good job on Sunscape, and powerful cuts like Jurassic Shift and Snakepit cover her. But without John to distract you, she's just an eyesore.

The fact that they are great at small clubs is another drawback. Some bands thrive in that atmosphere, like Tunnels...and conversely do not translate well to large indoor venues.

Please believe me when I say my that with the proper line-up they are unparalled live. My worst fears were confirmed about Nearfest. On the last release "Spirals In Hyperspace" they went for a jazzier sound. I think that would have worked better here. But Ed just wanted to jam out, and he is an outstanding musician and too good for that. Also please remember that they are on tour, and played the night before in Baltimore at a smaller hall. they're just not built anymore for Nearfest. A damn shame. Also, they played most everything too loud and monochromatic.

I did sit through the show...and for me Ozrics seen is better than not. To sum it up, someone yelled "Play Kick Muck"...Ed said "We just played it!". That says it all....