06/24/05 Soulive/Antibalas @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY

This was my second free show at Proscpect park in the span of a week.

Antibalas carries the Afrobeat torch of Fela Kuti; they're even the house band for the current musical about Fela. Their brass-laden afrobeat jams, like Fela's, have a decidedly political slant, which fit in well with the disillusionment a lot of the country was beginning to feel towards the ineptitude of the Bush administration. The highlight was "Indictment" which called out every guilty politician for crimes against humanity followed by a burst of brass and the rallying cry, "INDICTMENT!"

Soulive delivered the best performance I've seen them play. I was raging up front solo. A middle-aged gentleman passed me a joint. Kras melted my face with Hendrix licks. Neil laid down some nasty organ and Alan held down the groove. They closed with a scorching rendition of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Crosstown Traffic."

06/17/05 Bad Plus/Charlie Hunter Trio/James Carter Organ Trio @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY

One of the absolute best things about living in NYC is the plethora of top notch free music. This is especially true in the summer months, when just about every neighborhood park has a concert calendar.

Central park gets most of the attention, but Prospect Park is more woodsy, and seeing a show there actually feels like you're in a park; there is no Astroturf.

This was my first time in Prospect Park, lured in by the jazzy triple bill. The concert actually "charges" a strongly suggested $3 donation to keep the scene alive.

The opener was funky and fresh.

Charlie Hunter disappointed a bit, wowing with his 7-string guit-bass technical wizardry, but failing to match the energy of Mr. Carter's group.

Headliner avant jazz pop rock trio The Bad Plus was pretty amazing. The highlight was their progressive rendition of the theme from "Chariots of Fire."

05/25/05 Slightly Stoopid/Fishbone @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY

Fishbone are ska punk funk legends that never really busted out in the manner that their L.A. peers Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction did.

Slightly Stoopid follow directly in the reggae roots fusion footprints of Sublime, whose lead singer signed the band while they were still in high school.

The wrong band headlined.

05/21/05 Sex Mob/Skerik, Chris Wood & Johnny Vidacovich @ Tonic, New York, NY

I'm not sure if I was at this exact show, but I definitely saw both bands at Tonic at one time or another and this the date Google turns up.

I vaguely recall talking to Skerik in the crowd and he told me he was "putting the ass back in ascot."

That's about all I remember.

05/13/05 Hairy Apes BMX w/Skerik @ Tribeca Rock Club, New York, NY

I remember this night well because I couldn't find anyone to join me and I debated skipping the whole thing. It was a decision I had faced many times before and would face many times again, but I decided to grab a six-pack of Heineken Dark Lager and head to the show solo.

I got a sweet parking spot right in front of the club and smuggled in the brews as needed.

The show was a mix of experimental funk and dub featuring the percussive vibraphonic madness of Mike Dillon, who resembles a punk rock George W. Bush. Saxomaphonist Skerik amped the weirdness quotient up to 11.

I'm pretty sure I was teh only one in the audience who picked up on the left field cover of Slick Rick's "Adults Only" featuring the amended lyric, "Ain't no way to put it subtle - Skerik wants the butthole."

Good times and one of my earliest memories of solo city musical adventure at its finest.

05/10/05 Club D'Elf @ Knitting Factory Tap Bar, New York, NY

Club D'Elf is the "Moroccan-dosed psychedelic dub jazz" project of Boston-based bassist Mike Rivard. It features a rotating cast of musicians and the likes of John Medeski, Marc Ribot and Skerik.

This is another one of those supremely talented jazzy funky jambands that never really got the props it deserved, highly respected by a select few, but never breaking through to the next level.

This show had them bringing their brand of world jazz to the cozy midlevel Tap Bar at the Knitting Factory. I don't remember much; the tunes were not up to par with recordings I had heard, but enjoyable nonetheless. I think I was expecting a sit-in by some famous NYC jam scenester taht never came.

05/09/05 Dark Star Orchestra @ Toad's Place, New Haven, CT

06/14/76, Beacon Theater, New York, NY
Set 1: Cold Rain And Snow, Mama Tried, Row Jimmy, Cassidy, Brown-Eyed Women, Big River, Might As Well, Lazy Lightnin' > Supplication, Tennessee Jed, Playin' In The Band
Set 2: The Wheel, Samson And Delilah, High Time, The Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers > Dancin' In The Streets > Cosmic Charlie, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower, Around And Around
Encore: U.S. Blues
Filler: Second That Emotion
Notes: Special guest Rob Barraco on keyboards

For a few weeks in the spring of 2005, I delivered Arabic newspapers to various mosques and restaurants in the Tri-State area. It wasn't the greatest gig, but I could work whenever I wanted and it paid roughly $10 per hour. Come to think of it, it wasn't half bad driving around Conencticut, listenign to music.

On one such jaunt, I managed to rope my roommate into coming along for the ride. We leisurely traversed the Nutmeg State and stopped at a local bar or two to soak up the local ambiance.

Eventually the route took us to New Haven, the Ivy League enclave. Enamored by the collegiate charm of the town, we stopped for a bit to explore. Then I noticed some crunchy individuals lining up outside Toad's Place, where many of my favorite bands had played.

Much to my delight, Dark Star Orchestra was in town and I decided to drain the remains of my checking account and take a little break for some soul soothing Dead tunes.

My friend is more hip hop than hippie, so he whiled away the hours tagging up New Haven's alleys and bar bathrooms, but he soon caved and joined me at the show, which he still refers to when anything remotely related is brought up in conversation.

The Grateful Dead's keyboard slot was known as the "Hot Seat" since many of the individuals who tickled the psychedelic ivory are no longer with us. The "curse" even extended to high ranking tribute acts, and DSO had recently lost their keyboardist to a heart attack. Filling in was erstwhile Dead member and bandana afficando, Rob Barraco.

The highlights were "Dancin'" and "U.S. Blues" and the fact that the original Dead show took place in New York City. Seeing my decidedly anti-hippie rommate get down to some Dead was icing on the cake.