Tea Leaf Reed's alright with me

The news that Reed Mathis would be stepping in to fill Ben Chambers' shoes in Tea Leaf Green was slightly befuddling to me at first, if only because the news came to me in the form of Marco Benevento enthusiastically belting "Tea Leaf Reed!" to me over a pre-show dinner in Woodstock, NY on the weekend. But once I garnered the facts, I was in full support of the union.

Reed will add some incredible depth to a lineup that that is in need of this kind of injection of sonic originality. Tea Leaf Green has developed a sound that is straight-ahead and rather predictable, but that is not to say they haven't crafted their own distinct sound. I was most impressed to have caught their all-acoustic performance at Mo Pitkin's earlier this fall, and the country-funk vibe came through just beautifully unplugged. I would take an acoustic TLG show over a boisterous frat-boy sell-out at Irving Plaza any day, but now that Reed is on the scene, I will happily get up front to hear some of the amazing basslines that he will spew forth. He will bring only good energy to the band and their sound, and I applaud his bold move to expand on musical horizons. The backlash indicates that perhaps jam fans aren't as ready to think outside the box as they think they are, and Reed's response only indicates what a beautiful human being he is:

"music CAN be a force for unification and community. why are the differences between us our favorite thing about ourselves? why do we want coltrane INSTEAD of the rolling stones. why not coltrane AND the rolling stones? do people need music? if so, what do they need it to do?"

Reed brings up a lot of pertinent questions, and I agree with him when he says this is an important conversation to have. Enjoy the full spectrum of Mr. Mathis' musings here.

And speaking of getting outside the box, the Benevento/Russo Duo invited Brad Barr on a 3-night run in the Northeast this past weekend, and it didn't take long for the trio's sound to convince me that this should be the new band... Their show at the lovely Bearsville Theatre was a heady affair indeed, with Brad providing a whole new level of ethereal range to the Duo's jams. The jams in Woodstock all became quietly intimate and intense, and were just a beautiful antithesis to the Duo jams I've come to recognize. Three sets of ears onstage were wide open, and with the crowd politely following suit, it made for one of the most enjoyable evenings of music in recent memory... (Okay, I confess that the occasional appearance of two guitars onstage was just a small bonus... a little slice of guitar-mony heaven for me).

The following night took the trio to Northhampton, MA where the energy was the polar opposite: the Duo were back up to their typical aural intensity and the crowd had gusto to match. I was behind the camera for this show, so stay tuned for the highlights. Having The Slip's frontman sit-in only enhanced the Duo's dynamic, and it underlines the importance for musicians to keep it fresh.

And while we're on the topic of fresh... sample a sneak peak of Marco Benevento's new album featuring Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr/Matt Chamberlain here. Beware: The Real Morning Party will set up camp in your phonological loop and stay there all day. Album will be out on Hyena Records in January!

marco benevento - "live at tonic"

Well, it's been many months since Marco wowed us all at Tonic with his immense talent and infectious love of music. I've been lucky to have been basking in the sights and sounds of his residency since then, as I've been editing the footage from each of those delicious Wednesdays last November (and weren't we all glad the calendar graced us with FIVE Wednesdays that month...)

Below is a collection of some highlights from Marco's amazing residency. It features some of his rather talented friends, like Mike Gordon, Bobby Previte, Mike Dillon, Steven Bernstein... the list goes on and on. Yes, that's Brad Barr playing a drum with one of Marco's old Wurlitzer keys. Yes, that red-head dancing and playing the flute is none other than Sir Joe Russo. Even half of the Ween team, Claude Coleman and Dave Dreiwitz (pictured above), showed up one evening to back Marco, despite the fact that Coleman had never met Marco face to face before that evening. You certainly would never know it after listening to the two hours of music they created that night...

The fine folks at Ropeadope are going to release much of the material on a multi-disc set this summer, and as you'll see in the clip, the range of Marco's material is vast. Thelonious Monk ditties sit beside Pink Floyd tunes, and little-known songs from Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith will send you back to your record collection to revisit them. Marco's jazz chops being what they are, prepare to be floored by the free-jazz improvisations that he created each night alongside the likes of seasoned veterans like Matt Chamberlain or Steven Bernstein.

Stay tuned for more material featuring Marco, as talks are in the works with Ropadope to create a web TV station devoted to all-things-Marco, curated by yours truly. Now that's what I call using time for fun...