Parabol
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Nokia Night 3
So.... The third night at Nokia my 4th Crim Show ever (1 L5, 1TPTB, 1x Philly, 1x Nokia).
Maybe the last?
What a show. To start, sonically, way better than the Keswick. It sounded like was listening to this band through Bose headphones. Also, got to talk to Sid before the show and also got to be in the camera a little bit. W00t!
The Song By Song:
Opening Soundscapes: Two scapes! So cool. Many stupid people jibber jabbering during it and either proving that they ARE once and for all the biggest king crimson fan or just heckling fripp on how boring these soundscapes are, even they're just gravy for our show. It seems like people could just leave if they hate it so much or if they WERE the biggest crim fans they could...I don't know, do something a true crimson fan never does and actually listen to the music. Anyway these scapes rocked. We got a starless tease and a TPTB II tease. Then Fripp walks off stage and lets the loops run for another 20 mins before the band comes out.
Drums: Cool. Pat is turned way down in the mix and either Gavin is and he's hitting his drums WAY harder or he's just always clear as a bell. Love Gavin. It seems like Fripp's flaunting him: "see this guy. He's the best drummer alive, and guess what...we got him."
TCOL: This song kicks so much ass I don't even know where to start. Tony fills Treys shoes nicely. Tony also seems to really enjoy playing the new tunes, which I'm glad of. Really blew the doors off the place right out the gate.
Neurotica: Again, drums only for the chaotic parts. Looks like they run through the "arrive in neurotica" part once without vocals before they sing it. Tony sounds great on back up vocals. He was missed when all they had was Trey. This becomes a lot more evident later on in the show.
Red: Smokin version, much heavier than the one in Philly. Adrian flubbed a little bit during the first pre-"chorus" breakdown but whatever, who cares. They more than made up for it in heaviness towards the end of the song.
TOAPP: Started off to me as rather weak but just got amazing by the first chorus. Really glad they played this song tonight. Tonys vocals again really made the song for me. <3 adrian nevertheless though. Guess I just take him for granted nowadays.
Dinosaur: This song stomped this time around. Super fast intro from Adrian. His orch simulator sounds really keyboardy these days. Wish he had the old one back. It still shreds though. At the very end of the song when fripp slides up the neck to end the song the rest of the band wasn't done yet so he did it 2-3 times to make everything click.
One Time: Fripp was rushing a little but this time it sounded much better than Keswick. Tony was much louder in the mix and Adrian's voice sounded superb. The soundscape in the middle was heavenly as usual.
The Talking Drum: Funk fingers/bass in lieu of stick! Much better decision. Adrian left the stage for the first two minutes leaving fripp to take his place for some soloing.
Larks Tongues: SLOW and SLUDGY. Loved it. Gavin really powerhoused the hell out of this song.
B'BOOM: Creepy soundscape intro. Very THRAK-era-ish. They really do beat the shit out of their drums.
Frame By Frame: The duo vocals were awesome on this song. Tony was really loud in the mix and made the song sound really good. Adrian continued to play at the end of the song and seemed surprised when fripp stopped even though it was time. They also did the harmony guitars a-la live on broadway, loved it. Maybe that's a new york tradition, I wouldn't know, it's my first show here.
Sleepless: Why they continue to force this song is beyond me. It's pretty fun though.
Level 5: Pop-> Metal way better than Metal-> Pop. This song is the defining song for this lineup. Everyone does such a stellar job and it's just heavy beyond all reason. They got a standing ovation. During the Cymbal Choke switch section, when the guitar/stick do their fast runs, for the final run, Tony crouched down and really let it rip. Sounded fantastic. Can't wait to hear it on DGMLive some time in the future WINK WINK
Indiscipline: This song goes over so well. Tony seemed to be having a blast. Pat does sweet electronic drums while adrian borderline taunts the audience.
ENCORE
Drums: Cool.
Thela: A really stomping version. I think gavin gives this song the drums it really deserves. Between hearing adrian cover it solo/claypool/primus/the last incarnation of crim, i thought the drums were continuously lacking (Bruford's shoes are pretty big to fill) but gavin really fills the song out and makes you forget that you're missing Billy. Funk fingers sounded awesome this time around.
Encore #2
Elephant Talk: Sounded almost exactly like the album version, at least stick wise. Lots more energy than the Philly show. My only gripe with this song is that I loved the fast rip roaring version of the Double Trio and that has somewhat spoiled me.
VROOOM/CODA MARINE 475: Great closer. Extremely powerful as expected. At the end Adrian took a huge mimed box and squashed it down while the drums lingered and then on the last cymbal crash he stomped it out. HILARIOUS.
Speculations: Adrian and Tony clearly had huge sway in these setlists. My guess is that Adrian voted to play all the songs that he plays on his solo tour: Neurotica, TOAPP, Thela, and Dinosaur. Same for Tony, as we got Elephant Talk AND Sleepless. Not that I mind much, that's just how I think it went down when they were picking songs. I'm guessing robert voted for Red, LTIA, TCOL and L5. Those seem to be his songs.
I really love this band. As of this post I also picked up the Chicago PW show, although I made my review before listening, as not to be tainted by it. This lineup is as strong if not stronger than any we've seen in the past 25 years. For me my fav lineup so far, followed closely on the heels by the TCOL/TPTB guys. They were just too much. I hope there's something just around the corner for these guys, they're too good to stop making new music, but hey, I'll take the oldies any time they want to play 'em.
Maybe the last?
What a show. To start, sonically, way better than the Keswick. It sounded like was listening to this band through Bose headphones. Also, got to talk to Sid before the show and also got to be in the camera a little bit. W00t!
The Song By Song:
Opening Soundscapes: Two scapes! So cool. Many stupid people jibber jabbering during it and either proving that they ARE once and for all the biggest king crimson fan or just heckling fripp on how boring these soundscapes are, even they're just gravy for our show. It seems like people could just leave if they hate it so much or if they WERE the biggest crim fans they could...I don't know, do something a true crimson fan never does and actually listen to the music. Anyway these scapes rocked. We got a starless tease and a TPTB II tease. Then Fripp walks off stage and lets the loops run for another 20 mins before the band comes out.
Drums: Cool. Pat is turned way down in the mix and either Gavin is and he's hitting his drums WAY harder or he's just always clear as a bell. Love Gavin. It seems like Fripp's flaunting him: "see this guy. He's the best drummer alive, and guess what...we got him."
TCOL: This song kicks so much ass I don't even know where to start. Tony fills Treys shoes nicely. Tony also seems to really enjoy playing the new tunes, which I'm glad of. Really blew the doors off the place right out the gate.
Neurotica: Again, drums only for the chaotic parts. Looks like they run through the "arrive in neurotica" part once without vocals before they sing it. Tony sounds great on back up vocals. He was missed when all they had was Trey. This becomes a lot more evident later on in the show.
Red: Smokin version, much heavier than the one in Philly. Adrian flubbed a little bit during the first pre-"chorus" breakdown but whatever, who cares. They more than made up for it in heaviness towards the end of the song.
TOAPP: Started off to me as rather weak but just got amazing by the first chorus. Really glad they played this song tonight. Tonys vocals again really made the song for me. <3 adrian nevertheless though. Guess I just take him for granted nowadays.
Dinosaur: This song stomped this time around. Super fast intro from Adrian. His orch simulator sounds really keyboardy these days. Wish he had the old one back. It still shreds though. At the very end of the song when fripp slides up the neck to end the song the rest of the band wasn't done yet so he did it 2-3 times to make everything click.
One Time: Fripp was rushing a little but this time it sounded much better than Keswick. Tony was much louder in the mix and Adrian's voice sounded superb. The soundscape in the middle was heavenly as usual.
The Talking Drum: Funk fingers/bass in lieu of stick! Much better decision. Adrian left the stage for the first two minutes leaving fripp to take his place for some soloing.
Larks Tongues: SLOW and SLUDGY. Loved it. Gavin really powerhoused the hell out of this song.
B'BOOM: Creepy soundscape intro. Very THRAK-era-ish. They really do beat the shit out of their drums.
Frame By Frame: The duo vocals were awesome on this song. Tony was really loud in the mix and made the song sound really good. Adrian continued to play at the end of the song and seemed surprised when fripp stopped even though it was time. They also did the harmony guitars a-la live on broadway, loved it. Maybe that's a new york tradition, I wouldn't know, it's my first show here.
Sleepless: Why they continue to force this song is beyond me. It's pretty fun though.
Level 5: Pop-> Metal way better than Metal-> Pop. This song is the defining song for this lineup. Everyone does such a stellar job and it's just heavy beyond all reason. They got a standing ovation. During the Cymbal Choke switch section, when the guitar/stick do their fast runs, for the final run, Tony crouched down and really let it rip. Sounded fantastic. Can't wait to hear it on DGMLive some time in the future WINK WINK
Indiscipline: This song goes over so well. Tony seemed to be having a blast. Pat does sweet electronic drums while adrian borderline taunts the audience.
ENCORE
Drums: Cool.
Thela: A really stomping version. I think gavin gives this song the drums it really deserves. Between hearing adrian cover it solo/claypool/primus/the last incarnation of crim, i thought the drums were continuously lacking (Bruford's shoes are pretty big to fill) but gavin really fills the song out and makes you forget that you're missing Billy. Funk fingers sounded awesome this time around.
Encore #2
Elephant Talk: Sounded almost exactly like the album version, at least stick wise. Lots more energy than the Philly show. My only gripe with this song is that I loved the fast rip roaring version of the Double Trio and that has somewhat spoiled me.
VROOOM/CODA MARINE 475: Great closer. Extremely powerful as expected. At the end Adrian took a huge mimed box and squashed it down while the drums lingered and then on the last cymbal crash he stomped it out. HILARIOUS.
Speculations: Adrian and Tony clearly had huge sway in these setlists. My guess is that Adrian voted to play all the songs that he plays on his solo tour: Neurotica, TOAPP, Thela, and Dinosaur. Same for Tony, as we got Elephant Talk AND Sleepless. Not that I mind much, that's just how I think it went down when they were picking songs. I'm guessing robert voted for Red, LTIA, TCOL and L5. Those seem to be his songs.
I really love this band. As of this post I also picked up the Chicago PW show, although I made my review before listening, as not to be tainted by it. This lineup is as strong if not stronger than any we've seen in the past 25 years. For me my fav lineup so far, followed closely on the heels by the TCOL/TPTB guys. They were just too much. I hope there's something just around the corner for these guys, they're too good to stop making new music, but hey, I'll take the oldies any time they want to play 'em.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A Life Changing Experience
2 Days ago I saw King Crimson at the Keswick Theater. The gravity of that experience just hit me.
It took me and my girlfriend (who now has a crush on Adrian) 3.5 hours to get to the venue from where we live. She couldn't get out of work until the very last minute so as soon as she got home it was a rush. Mapquest gave us some faulty directions at the very last minute which cost us the beginning of TCOL and drums. Fortunately, my friend got there early enough and we handed him his ticket out the window of our moving car so he got to catch it. Here are my reactions (track by track)
TCOL: missed the first 2 mins tops. When i got into the venue I heard the band playing I thought maybe it was just the CD or something but then I rushed to my seat as fast as I could when the realization hit me. People were being seated the whole time. Talked to a guy during the encore he said the band was playing Drums when he walked in as DOORS OPENED. (I will be there ultra early for the Sat NYC show)
Oh yea the song. mind blowing. I think the 2 new songs they played (TCOL/L5) were by far the strongest material. These 2 songs alone put this as my fav KC line up so far (right in front of the Double Duo. I'm one of the few it seems to think that KC has done nothing but get better ever since 1969. [except lizard/islands but those still kick major ass])
Red: I was floored. Tony rocked the stick for this song which surprised me a great deal. Gavin really fits in well for the older tracks it seems.
Frame by Frame: Great performance from the front line. Gavin and Pat switched off playing the verses and then both went BERSERK during the "chorus"(?). First Chorus: Gavin rocks the rims of the drums/snare Second/Third Chorus: Gavin was rocking ride/little bell cymbals (not splash) while Pat was ripping it up on some tribal drums. Not sure if they were electric or not.
Neurotica: Chaotic intro only played by drums. Wow. Adrian missed the first pass of "Arrive in Neurotica". Song ended with just Drums/Stick. Very bizzarre version of this song but TOTALLY awesome.
TOAPP: Blistering version. Love Tony on backup vocals. They really bring the song to life. Adrian takes the solo on this one. Doesn't sound at all like the weird 80's solo, but a backwards guitar solo. I liked it, but i much prefer when Robert takes the solo. I guess Adrian wanted to mix it up a little bit since he's been playing that song all through his solo tours.
Talking Drum/Larks': Tony again rocking the stick. Little muddy and tappy but it fit in really well. Gavin holding the groove for these songs while Pat does ALL KINDS of weird muir-esque things into his overhead mics (waving and whirling and twirling allsorts). Larks' was slow and sludgy as hell. As slow if not slower than the studio versions. Very Metal.
One Time: Adrians voice sounded great, however for all the "And I've been" sections he was off with the drums, but Pat stuck to his guns and didn't shift the groove, which I thought was excellent. Soundscape in the middle of the song was otherworldly. I think this is the best place for soundscapes, just letting the song dissolve into a sea of sound and then bring it right back. Oh Tony dons the bass for the first time.
B'BOOM: (Sort of) They really crank for this song. Gavin does a lot of his signature offtime stuff while Pat holds the ground and when they do the theme it really resonates. Adrian and Tony and Robert all stay on stage. Robert is stonefaced the whole time and Adrian and Tony try to be serious but really arent those kind of people so they wind up smiling a whole bunch during it.
Dinosaur: Great version. No string part in the middle. Pat took lead for this song while Gavin did sort of what Pat used to do during the Double Trio lineup for this song. Gavin seemed mighty bored though. Oh well.
Level Five: Absolutely Jaw dropping. Tony did an awesome job covering Trey's part on the stick. (I was very skeptical of how he'd take care of it, not because of difficulty, but it just doesn't seem like his style). The way the drums were divided up were absolutely insane. There needs to be a release of this lineup doing this song. During the extremely heavy breakdown in the middle it was just cymbal madness and then they'd break for tony/robert to do their complicated duet and then go back into the cymbal chokes. If anyone had second thoughts about their ticket purchases, this song should put them over the edge.
Sleepless: Interesting version of this song. Sounds very similar to the B'BOOM version. Tony rocked the funk fingers for this song. I'm glad we got it because this isn't a sub song, you just either get it or you don't. I think it's placement after level 5 was absolutely awful though. Metal as hell -> 80's dance/pop. Why? Just slide it into the encore, right where it belongs.
VROOOM/Coda: Marine 475: WITH THE MELLOTRON INTRO FROM THE ALBUM! Interesting to say the least. Remained very true to the original version, but Gavin did some strange jazzy hi-hat stuff during the main riffs. I'll have to reconsider how I feel about that on Saturday.
Encore: Here I snuck down to the front and sat in the isle. WAY LOUDER in the front. Makes all the songs just that much more powerful.
Drums: Cool again. Not much more to say.
Thela: They rocked the shit on this song. Gavin went absolutely Hog wild and tony used the Funk Fingers for the main riff and then switched over to his pinky/ring for the "heat in the jungle street" section. Adrian drops to his knees and wrenches his pedals like a madman (he does this on his solo tour too).
Elephant Talk: This song is an excellent encore. Fans loved it, not anything particularly different about it though. Adrian seemed a little bored, didn't have his usual screaming of the lyrics like we got in the Double Trio, but I'm just being picky.
Indiscipline: This song rocked very hard. Pat didn't do very much. Gavin took the intro solo and was the main man for the crazy sections. My first time seeing this song, Adrian is so cool during this song.
Pat gave his sticks to an 8 yr old kid in a TOAPP shirt. (You can see a pic of him on tony's site) They also got snuck backstage after the show. Lucky kid.
Robert was very stoic the whole performance. I feel bad i didn't mention him that much but there's not much to say. During Sleepless (I think) he moved one of the monitors on the floor by like 6 inches. (It wasn't even one that was facing him). I could just imagine him being irritated by it the whole show (THIS IS NOT IN THE CORRECT PLACE) and at that point he just couldn't take it any more. It made me laugh. I think Robert rocks for putting a huge ass effects rack between him and the audience. Someone gets a seat right in front of their hero and all they get is a huge box. Now, in his defense, Robert always keeps his effects rack to his right, so it's pretty much just the fact that he sat on the left side of the stage. He could have switched with Tony easily though and not had the big controversy, so I think he just wants to stay out of the limelight. That's how he's always rolled, why is everyone STILL so irritated with it? Why would someone change their ways after 40 years of perseverance? I think he's a champ for even coming out to do these shows at his age. I'm not sure I would. The solar voyager being in the way lets Robert have it both ways. People want to take pictures, all they're going to get is a big box, while he gets to be on stage and rock out with IMO the finest band I've ever heard.
Thank all 5 of you for this great show.
It took me and my girlfriend (who now has a crush on Adrian) 3.5 hours to get to the venue from where we live. She couldn't get out of work until the very last minute so as soon as she got home it was a rush. Mapquest gave us some faulty directions at the very last minute which cost us the beginning of TCOL and drums. Fortunately, my friend got there early enough and we handed him his ticket out the window of our moving car so he got to catch it. Here are my reactions (track by track)
TCOL: missed the first 2 mins tops. When i got into the venue I heard the band playing I thought maybe it was just the CD or something but then I rushed to my seat as fast as I could when the realization hit me. People were being seated the whole time. Talked to a guy during the encore he said the band was playing Drums when he walked in as DOORS OPENED. (I will be there ultra early for the Sat NYC show)
Oh yea the song. mind blowing. I think the 2 new songs they played (TCOL/L5) were by far the strongest material. These 2 songs alone put this as my fav KC line up so far (right in front of the Double Duo. I'm one of the few it seems to think that KC has done nothing but get better ever since 1969. [except lizard/islands but those still kick major ass])
Red: I was floored. Tony rocked the stick for this song which surprised me a great deal. Gavin really fits in well for the older tracks it seems.
Frame by Frame: Great performance from the front line. Gavin and Pat switched off playing the verses and then both went BERSERK during the "chorus"(?). First Chorus: Gavin rocks the rims of the drums/snare Second/Third Chorus: Gavin was rocking ride/little bell cymbals (not splash) while Pat was ripping it up on some tribal drums. Not sure if they were electric or not.
Neurotica: Chaotic intro only played by drums. Wow. Adrian missed the first pass of "Arrive in Neurotica". Song ended with just Drums/Stick. Very bizzarre version of this song but TOTALLY awesome.
TOAPP: Blistering version. Love Tony on backup vocals. They really bring the song to life. Adrian takes the solo on this one. Doesn't sound at all like the weird 80's solo, but a backwards guitar solo. I liked it, but i much prefer when Robert takes the solo. I guess Adrian wanted to mix it up a little bit since he's been playing that song all through his solo tours.
Talking Drum/Larks': Tony again rocking the stick. Little muddy and tappy but it fit in really well. Gavin holding the groove for these songs while Pat does ALL KINDS of weird muir-esque things into his overhead mics (waving and whirling and twirling allsorts). Larks' was slow and sludgy as hell. As slow if not slower than the studio versions. Very Metal.
One Time: Adrians voice sounded great, however for all the "And I've been" sections he was off with the drums, but Pat stuck to his guns and didn't shift the groove, which I thought was excellent. Soundscape in the middle of the song was otherworldly. I think this is the best place for soundscapes, just letting the song dissolve into a sea of sound and then bring it right back. Oh Tony dons the bass for the first time.
B'BOOM: (Sort of) They really crank for this song. Gavin does a lot of his signature offtime stuff while Pat holds the ground and when they do the theme it really resonates. Adrian and Tony and Robert all stay on stage. Robert is stonefaced the whole time and Adrian and Tony try to be serious but really arent those kind of people so they wind up smiling a whole bunch during it.
Dinosaur: Great version. No string part in the middle. Pat took lead for this song while Gavin did sort of what Pat used to do during the Double Trio lineup for this song. Gavin seemed mighty bored though. Oh well.
Level Five: Absolutely Jaw dropping. Tony did an awesome job covering Trey's part on the stick. (I was very skeptical of how he'd take care of it, not because of difficulty, but it just doesn't seem like his style). The way the drums were divided up were absolutely insane. There needs to be a release of this lineup doing this song. During the extremely heavy breakdown in the middle it was just cymbal madness and then they'd break for tony/robert to do their complicated duet and then go back into the cymbal chokes. If anyone had second thoughts about their ticket purchases, this song should put them over the edge.
Sleepless: Interesting version of this song. Sounds very similar to the B'BOOM version. Tony rocked the funk fingers for this song. I'm glad we got it because this isn't a sub song, you just either get it or you don't. I think it's placement after level 5 was absolutely awful though. Metal as hell -> 80's dance/pop. Why? Just slide it into the encore, right where it belongs.
VROOOM/Coda: Marine 475: WITH THE MELLOTRON INTRO FROM THE ALBUM! Interesting to say the least. Remained very true to the original version, but Gavin did some strange jazzy hi-hat stuff during the main riffs. I'll have to reconsider how I feel about that on Saturday.
Encore: Here I snuck down to the front and sat in the isle. WAY LOUDER in the front. Makes all the songs just that much more powerful.
Drums: Cool again. Not much more to say.
Thela: They rocked the shit on this song. Gavin went absolutely Hog wild and tony used the Funk Fingers for the main riff and then switched over to his pinky/ring for the "heat in the jungle street" section. Adrian drops to his knees and wrenches his pedals like a madman (he does this on his solo tour too).
Elephant Talk: This song is an excellent encore. Fans loved it, not anything particularly different about it though. Adrian seemed a little bored, didn't have his usual screaming of the lyrics like we got in the Double Trio, but I'm just being picky.
Indiscipline: This song rocked very hard. Pat didn't do very much. Gavin took the intro solo and was the main man for the crazy sections. My first time seeing this song, Adrian is so cool during this song.
Pat gave his sticks to an 8 yr old kid in a TOAPP shirt. (You can see a pic of him on tony's site) They also got snuck backstage after the show. Lucky kid.
Robert was very stoic the whole performance. I feel bad i didn't mention him that much but there's not much to say. During Sleepless (I think) he moved one of the monitors on the floor by like 6 inches. (It wasn't even one that was facing him). I could just imagine him being irritated by it the whole show (THIS IS NOT IN THE CORRECT PLACE) and at that point he just couldn't take it any more. It made me laugh. I think Robert rocks for putting a huge ass effects rack between him and the audience. Someone gets a seat right in front of their hero and all they get is a huge box. Now, in his defense, Robert always keeps his effects rack to his right, so it's pretty much just the fact that he sat on the left side of the stage. He could have switched with Tony easily though and not had the big controversy, so I think he just wants to stay out of the limelight. That's how he's always rolled, why is everyone STILL so irritated with it? Why would someone change their ways after 40 years of perseverance? I think he's a champ for even coming out to do these shows at his age. I'm not sure I would. The solar voyager being in the way lets Robert have it both ways. People want to take pictures, all they're going to get is a big box, while he gets to be on stage and rock out with IMO the finest band I've ever heard.
Thank all 5 of you for this great show.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Winter V
Shaped up better than I could have expected. With just a guitar track so far this song is extremely powerful. I can't imagine what it will sound like with drums and bass included.
Next Up: Ethylene
Next Up: Ethylene
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Acoustic Goes Electric?
Upon seeing Buckethead play live it has occured to me to make backing tracks to make my music bigger and better. After some initial "prototypes" (no pun intended) I am very excited to see this through and start adding an electric element to any subsequent shows.
First on the chopping block: Winter V
Subsequent Choppers: Ethylene, Broken Glass, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Holomorphic/Shroud/Possession.
If all goes well there will be some rocking happening within a year.
First on the chopping block: Winter V
Subsequent Choppers: Ethylene, Broken Glass, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Holomorphic/Shroud/Possession.
If all goes well there will be some rocking happening within a year.
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