Word: guitar
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Bela Fleck and the Flecktones delivered a private performance last weekend at Tufts University. Besides Bela, the band includes Victor Wooten on bass guitar, "Future Man" (Wooten's brother) on synthesized percussion and Jeff Coffin on sax. Victor Wooten has been voted Bass Player Magazine's "Bassist of the Year" for three years in a row. And it is little wonder why. His mastery of the instrument leaves you room for no other reaction than a open jawdrop as you let out a few nervous laughs, expecting the Apocalypse. This might seem like a strange statement, but this reviewer does...
...inoffensive songs sound thoroughly derivative. Nothing's new, but nothing's unlistenable. Closest to unlistenable are "The Librarian," wherein Mr. Harding's vocals grate irritatingly over a harmonica, and "Tactile," a too-lengthy acoustic-like drag. "The Sweetness Lies Within" and "A Hymn for the Postal Service" display lovely guitar-work. "Love Will Destroy Us in the End"--despite containing the line "We feel so empty and our late twenties should be better times"--is pleasantly anthemic, the best three-minute pop song on the record. Or at least it should've been. It unnecessarily runs a minute too long...
...real show-stopper of the night was Jessica Tardy '99, with her smoking brand of funk rock and blues. Accompanied by Tyler Wood '01 (Keyboard), Andy Eggers '99 (drums), John Cappelo (bass), and Noam Weinstein (guitar)--who were all excellent in their own right--Tardy rocked the house with a voice and presence that Passim was straining to contain. Beginning with a borrowed song from Weinstein, Tardy poured out on the audience a voice like a steaming bath--spiked with scotch...
...possessed enough presence and talent to hold the stage solo. A sort of Jewel-like Shawn Colvin, Filip demonstrates great control over her instrument and voice. Since she younger than the other two performers, her lyrics lack a certain maturity and dexterity, both which are rescued by her smooth guitar-playing and a voice that creams over the edges of notes. In the space of a bar, her voice can turn from something on which to ride into some-thing on which to chip your teeth...
...ready to explode. Reminiscent of Gomez's Bring It On in its American roots music-inspired sound, the first Stateside release from this Scottish indie favorite showcases the band's diverse range of influences from Muddy Waters to the KLF. Stephen Mason's delicious breathy voice and bluesy acoustic/slide guitar work combine perfectly with the bass and the occasional harmonica to form killer tunes like the opening "Dry the Rain" and "Needles in My Eyes." Calling to mind Beck, the eclectic pastiche effect of songs like "The House Song," which mixes a snaking bass line over turntable scratching and sampling...