The Disco Biscuits Haymaker Music Festival 10/5/02

   Over the course of 2002 I fell in love with the Disco Biscuits and chased their music up and down the eastern seaboard. I had a great crew of friends to adventure with including Ryan, Jen, Michael and Corey (what the Deal). The excitement from each show begat the next adventure. Set against the backdrop of the DC Sniper's active period and territory, we ventured down south for a performance that has gone down in Disco Biscuits history. While 10/04/02 stands out as a phenomenal show, one of the best of the year, 10/05/02 is one of the greatest performances (if not the greatest) the Biscuits ever wrestled from the spheres. The already phenomenal audience recording by John Maddigan got a Rich Steele remaster for the 15th anniversary and is an absolute joy to listen to. Listen here! I sat down with the tape approaching the fifteenth anniversary and was just as floored as that faithful night by every note of this show.

             Set 1
The set start times for the weekend were 2:00AM for Friday night and 2:30AM for Saturday. Perfect really for the thing the Biscuits do. Well after Friday night, there was complaints from the community about the whole raging band and light show till sunrise thing. The Saturday sets were moved to a more community friendly midnight and shortened so the band ended up with slightly less than 3 hours. We were all bummed at the time but the time constraint is one of the main factors in why this show ended up being so special. No time to meander. All business. On the way to the wilderness stage, local law enforcement and their German Shepherds formed a gauntlet of paranoia that added another element to the energy that night. To my knowledge they were just there to let their presence be known and no one was hassled.

The sound is marvelous as the band launches into the opening composition of Hot Air Balloon. Magner’s sweeping synth part adds just the right amount of ethereal space around a warm and tight Brownstein bassline. Each musician is crystal clear in the mix. Whoever was doing the sound that night nailed the mix. The audience recording is perfection as well.

They play with such taste and heart right from the jump. Note the transition at 2:45 for chill-inducing perfection. Barber’s singing is earnest, restrained and completely honest.

“just give me one more try to chase down my dreams before I am done.”

Is there a more perfect line to associate with the ethos of this band? What it feels like to follow them? Magner’s piano playing is absolutely masterful throughout the verses. Sammy picks up the pace perfectly to get things moving for the ‘In a hot air balloon’ section. Barber and Brownstein interweave some melodic lines that launch us into the jam around 6:30. So tasteful.

The first jam theme of the night sets the tone: they arrive at something that seems completely developed without any effort. It just flows from them. Magner’s synth line defines this first jam and gives the structure for more contrapuntal interplay from Barber and Brownstein. Barber plays another fully conceived, gorgeous guitar line at 9:55 that creates inspiration for movement the rest of the band follow along with.  The rising pattern Brownstein develops during the preceding jam is ready made support for this. Magner starts adding a piano voice (while maintaining the synth line!) that foreshadows the direction the jam will head in.

This piano part gradually breaks the rest of the band out of that second major theme of the jam and really gets the transitional ball rolling. At 13:11 Barber, out of nowhere once again pulls the most incredible melody from the heart of the universe. Here to me is proof of musicians as a conduit for the music. Somehow the stars aligned and the hearts and intentions of the band were true enough that the signal of the universe is broadcast loud and clear through these mortals.  That we have at least three distinct, completely improvised, perfectly developed classical compositions take shape within the first jam of a show is……the reason we're here.

Barber kicks on a dirty effect and the melodic perfection dissolves like a spider web in a fire. We head down a darker road. Still no less refined, balanced or directed though, as the rest of the gang follow his lead into Astronaut.

This is some meat right here folks. Magner’s soaring synth during the verse once again gives us a sweet moment before the darkness of the chorus. Themes of light and dark always catch my ears and this Astronaut gives the impression we’re in a hyper-sonic space ship, chasing the line of the setting sun around the earth. Now we’re in the night, now it’s day time.

The instrumental bridge is perfectly executed. You can actually default to that summation on any composition from the night. They hit every composed part out of the park. Don’t dismiss this fact though, it’s critical aspect as to why this night is so special. Incredible jams and flawless execution of composition is what makes this show stand head and shoulders above so many others.

“Suspended in the air, don’t you feel better?”

Can you feel that? It’s tangible as they race back into the compositional launching off point for the next jam. Sammy drops into a four on the floor beat at 5:45 that shows great promise for face melting. Bit by bit the energy coming from each instrumentalist gets dark. Dark and tight. Directed. Another critically important factor as to why 10/5/02 is so special is how every jam has absolute direction. Nothing seems aimless or accidental. I think if you played this music for an 18^th century classical composer they’d assume it was all composed.

Magner triggers something off at 8:30 that sounds like some vast mechanical beast coming to life. The jam gets even darker. More menacing. Barber starts throwing out a distorted riff on the turn-around and Sammy cues some effortlessly tasteful e-drums. Brownstein’s bass tone is heavily processed. This jam is over by 10:00 but it’s a definitive moment of the song and of the night in my opinion. Sammy breaks the jam down and the monster that arises a bit before 11:00 is enough to terrify any medieval villagers that may have wandered out of the Spotsylvania County forest. Another Sammy breakdown at 13:00 functions to build the energy and tempo up another level. He’s a critical element in this jam. They all are really and truly but I don’t want his efforts to go unrecognized.

Barber and Brownstein slowly start injecting the astronaut theme back into the jam but Sammy is not ready to give up. His steady rock drumming is as powerful and potent as any drummer in the history of rock music at this moment. Absolute Barber touchdown pass on the astronaut reentry.

I have to pause here. This two-song segment is absolute perfection. Better than perfection. Transcendent.

Bernstein and Chasnoff is a welcome downshift in intensity. No dip in quality is evident though. It's all money right from the first instrumental segment. Magner laces some hot fire over a super tight band. An upbeat and funky theme is established around 3:00. I’m going to go ahead and be a cliched biscuits fan and say it: blissco. I ain’t lying though! Bouncy bass, lovely major key jamming with a tasteful electric piano tone from Magner and a clean tone from Barber. Magner’s shift over to what I’d call the ‘Story of the World’ synth tone starts steering the band in a new direction.  At 8:30 some structure remains but we reach a minimal transitional moment with Brownstein steering towards a darker space. Barber and Magner begin integrating riffs that subtly build the tension of the jam. A key change just before 11:00 while still holding onto the late phase B and C pattern. The tension is developed even further. With a minute left it’s still unclear where they’re headed next. Effortless peak>Aceetobee.

Great swagger on this drop as they confidently shuffle into AC2B.

“One day your all locked up the next day your free”

Commentary? On the challenges of the artist? Tonight they’re free. Last night too. Another welcomed dip in intensity with the jazzy composition of this tune. Uh oh. The drop into the jam just shy of 3:00 is massive, and pregnant with possibility. No rest for the tension-wracked. Barber plays the lead then charges into yet another fully developed from the drop segment of improvisation. This jam segment peaks with absolute fire at 7:00. It’s time we address Barber. When he’s on. It’s everything. On this night, ‘On’ is the understatement of the century. He can truly do no wrong. Lets face it, it’s a virtuoso performance from every single band member (and hundreds of fans as well. We can’t forget their part in all of this) but you can’t help but be floored by Mr. Jon Gutwillig. Especially on 10/5/02.

A new jam quickly rises from the ashes, forming around a tight Magner synth line. Sammy deftly trounces us with his kick just before 11:00 for a couple bars, leaving us wanting more. Your standard unimaginative biscuits critique from perhaps a fan of a different jam band is “untz untz untz”, indicating a repetitive and unimaginative dance beat. On a night like tonight, Sammy’s drumming is so varied and tasteful, you’d be hard pressed to see him settle in a four and the floor (untzy)pattern for any amount of time. 

Soaring synth and melodic bass around 12:40 get momentum going towards somewhere else. Sammy drops it out around 14:00 and Magner finds a lovely space for some atmospheric scene painting before they all re-form and start building towards the Aceetobee peak. They hit it with fiery restraint. While they fully play through the theme, they aren’t done peaking this one at all. They stretch out in the chord progression and get even more sparks of energy spitting off the machinery. Barber plays with the line, plays all around the line then gives it to us straight but not narrow. The resolution of AC2B gives my body a tangible release as I’m listening at my work desk.

            Set 2
 A set break but damn is it a quick one! The band comes back on stage to Barber’s comment “We didn’t cut anything out though, we just did it really fast. Like a movie on fast forward” and a member of the audience shouts “Astronaut again!” which I don’t entirely disagree with. Another shouted “Robots!” To which the band complies.

The opening section Save The Robots is a pretty complicated piece of music. It’s very intricate and not always easy to pull off. They execute it perfectly to start set 2. It has the potency of Mindless Dribble or 7-11 to instantly electrify the audience to start a set. It’s a clear gauntlet thrown to the audience to let them know this is going to be some serious business. They are patient and masterful throughout all of the written music and seem supremely comfortable and commanding entering the jam. At around 6:30 Barber and Magner start putting together a nice conversational riff. Brownstein starts expanded his element of the theme as Barber throws some jazzy chords that quickly take on more of a rock tone. At 8:45 the momentum and intensity start picking up which brings us back to the ‘save the robots’ segment.

“Antennae haircut
Is really nothing
It frees your hands
For the panic button.

Enslave the robots
Like us in tribes
Build your igloo
In summer time.”

That is some wonderfully weird and biscuitsy material right there. It’s always been a very compelling lyric to me and a great example of their unique lyrical approach. John Perry Barlow for the digital era. Things get noticeably darker as we enter the slingshot section of Robots. This piece of music builds up a dark dissonant tension that releases oh so satisfyingly with the Go!. I picture a slingshot at first but also picture the pinball launch mechanism.

“They all make me daydream
Trade my peace for..
Day old armies save me
Take my piece and..
Go! Go! Go! Go!”

The Disco Biscuits did a series of fully improvised sets to portions of movies earlier in their career. Their improvised set to Akira on 12/31/99 was the most perfect choice in my opinion. When I hear a biscuits jam like the one that develops out of this Robots slingshot, I can’t help but imagine some sort of futuristic anime chase through the neon lit streets of some sort of Tokyo-like megacity.

At the start of the final Robots peak, I summarized this version as solid but not particularly sparkly. As they really set to the work of peaking the song, I completely changed my mind. All the potential energy not immediately visible previously, manifests in this explosive peak. That Robots was sick. Only standalone tune of the night. To confirm my impression, someone from the audience yells “That was Sick!”.

The opening of the classical style prelude of The Very Moon is played so achingly beautifully, I find myself tearing up a little with goosebumps shooting all over 15 years later listening on my headphones. Magner really sets the mood beautifully, first with the heavenly choir synth then gorgeous and tasteful electric piano. It’s a perfect nest for Barber to nurture one of the loveliest classical-for-electric-guitar melodies ever written. The Very Moon is one of the Disco Biscuits absolute finest pieces of music. This may well be one of the definitive readings of it. I must turn it up a bit and simply take it in.

Through with the songs structural elements, the music drifts freely into a warm, articulate expansion on the theme. The four-way interaction happening starting around 7:30 is a breathtaking example of completely open group-think. Instead of dwelling on the perfection they’d just created, they use this moment of open connection and immediately begin taking things somewhere else. Brownstein kicks on an effect and starts developing a catchy bass theme that at first draws in Sammy. As Brownstein more fully commits to it, the murmuration of birds Barber's part had become is drawn down to the power lines and bare branches of this theme. Sammy drops the tempo down to a slow 4 on the floor groove that creates an excellent space for all to improvise.

Musical magic starts at 12:45. Another time when they’re locked in, rather than sticking with a perfect theme, they launch into space and find another way to go. Movement and direction define the playing here. The frailty of the improvisational space makes the key change around 14:00 so powerful. This f$%king groove (15:00) is incredible. Desk dancing so hard right now. The contrast between this musical moment and how this piece started is unbelievable. Here they lock in and stay put for a moment. Thank god. Powerful, powerful playing. This is the kind of playing (17:00) that I don’t hear anywhere else in the jam scene. Yes Magner, you folks are the punk band of the jam world.

Just when it seems like they couldn’t go any harder they start peaking the jam. That jam that felt like the most intense peak ever? Nah, that was just the baseline. At the slightest referencing of the riff from Barber, The band turns on a dime and drops Helicopters.

“Breathe free, fly high”

Understatement of the century. I had to learn Helicopters on bass recently and it gives me a newfound appreciation for this song. It’s the most complicated simple playing I’ve ever taken on. I honestly never got that close to nailing it. Enough to get by but man it's some tricky playing. Ripping through the composition at 200 mph, a dirty e-drum anchored jam quickly develops and we’re back on the animated-future-city-motorcycle-chase. The balance of moving towards developing new themes and committing fully to the existing theme developed is such a crucial element in why this performance is so incredible. They seem to do so effortlessly, with neither element suffering.

Intensity and momentum once again and we are clearly heading somewhere else. But where? No signs yet with less than a minute left on tape. Hints and whispers enter the musical conversation. Barber changes key and Brownstein follows suit. The triumphant return of The Very Moon theme has me throwing an invisible hat in the air as they calmly steer into the Very Moon funk. They don’t linger long before starting to improvise. It almost seems as if improvising is compulsive on 10/5/02. Like they can’t help but create. I'm not complaining. I love the space they find around 4:30. The sustained bass from Brownie. It gives a lovely breath-catching opportunity for all before a savage drop into Shem-Rah Boo.

The actual song part again offers us a brief respite from intensity while keeping it super tight and interesting. At 4:50 we hit another one of those perfectly hatched improvisational themes that’s the hallmark of this show. This is one of my favorites. The part Magner plays to lead it is so infectious. Brownstein and Barber do a wonderful job supporting and embellishing it. Sammy always knows how to steer the bus. He’s the Neil Cassady of the organization. By 6:45 we are fully ‘in’ this theme. All 4 parts are intricate, have little pieces we can take off the shelf and examine, and drives the larger unit. There’s a little moment of shakiness at about 8:20 that is so endearing in this performance. Its maybe the only time all weekend they stutter or lose a step.  Sure enough they all double down their efforts and rage it even harder. More powerfully and with total command of their instruments. This is the true beauty of improvisational music on display. At 10:30 hid ya kids, hide ya wife, this peak is face-melting everybody. After the peak they have infinite momentum and latch on to the theme one more time but use it as a segue device to return to the completion of Helicopters.

The tension and release of that jam and the return of this piece is monumental. So much energy built and released. I wish there was some sort of gauge to measure something like that. Like study the pupil dilation patterns of the audience or something. Hoots, hollers, a request for Run like Hell, then a request for Basis.

They play Kitchen Mitts instead. I unabashedly love Kitchen Mitts. A Barber ballad, a real and honest to goodness love song from a band that doesn’t do love songs. I suspect much of the reason I love this song is its placement and performance on this particular night. Cementing it deep in my soul for all eternity.

“So sweet Georgia,
Why must I try?
When you like to rob and steal.
and all these people tell me to go find someone else,
when you never cut me a good deal.

So might I have to mention that we should blow them off ?
18 wheels and air ride .
Miles of paranoia, lunatics and jail,
And still we're having a good time.”

What could be more perfect after all that? After all those nights with this band leading up to this night?  They play a stunning and poignant version of this song. Even before they reach the jam, an eerie tension colors the playing during the ‘just like mine’ section. There’s a mournful yet driving quality to the instrumental build towards the ‘na na’ section. The dark haunting beauty that exemplifies the feeling of bisco. They peak nicely into the na’s and I think anyone would’ve walked away after this Kitchen Mitts glowing and telling stories of this night for the rest of their lives. This is the moment that this performance moves beyond legendary to become mythical. Barber starts a spooky arpeggio that Brownstein finds a unique counter point to. Magner has their backs with some warm synth sweeps.

Barber starts chugging a little bit but Sammy (channeling Ron Tutt now) is holding back. Playing with tasteful restraint. Subtle kick placement. A synth sweep ends at 1:40 just as Barber plays a choice lick. It’s a perfect moment. Until Sammy drops the Kick at 2:20. Then we see what perfection really is. The mood Magner sets is so special, so comforting. It flavors the jam to its core. Barber starts leading the groove in an upward gyre.

Now it suddenly becomes clear. The fog lifts and we can see all the mountains around us in morning-sun-soaked splendor. They’re going to play Run Like Hell. THEY’RE GOING TO PLAY RUN LIKE HELL!!!!! Not too quickly though boys. We all know where this is going but let’s just savor it for a minute ok? Our night will soon be done but I don’t want to let go. They comply and we all get to dance and high five and bang our heads in the car for just a little bit longer. Pure triumphant touchdown Barber, unrelenting drive from Brownstein. It’s dirty, its spitting sparks like a runaway train. It’s everything. With all their power, they actually manage to do a big energy release at the end of the first chorus. Good. I need to breathe. Being able to downshift like that without losing steam is pretty incredible. Back into high gear verse 2. Another release as we enter some improv.

More subtle perfection at 10:10. Every note of this show demands your attention again and again. I don’t want to make this a Barton Hall 5/8/77 comparison but its goddamn Barton Hall 5/8/77. Or Veneta 8/27/72 or whatever is THE Dead show for you. Directed and effortless ensemble jamming around 11:50 like this is the beginning of the show and not the end. Barber and Brownie start pushing and pulling on a piece of the jam that quickly catches the full band’s attention  and starts to alter the progress in a new direction. Expert Sammy drop at 14:15 that shifts the jam into higher gear. Barber hints at a theme, Brownstein joins him, while Magner holds down a rhythmic synth line that locks in with Sammy. Peak Peak Peak. One more level up, till we can’t take it, then wooooosh drop back into the composition. Spine rattling bass from Brownstein to bid us goodnight. 

In the writing of this piece I asked dear friends and fellow lovers of Bisco Jay and Michael to contribute there thoughts. Its interesting to see the themes we pick up on independently without discussing. First Jay Cowit:  

The first set of Haymaker Night 2 is a pinnacle of improvisation, performed by a band equally comfortable in their own skin, as they were willing to jump out of it.

The conglomeration of 4 unrelated songs (both in style, content, and form) into such a cohesive ladder of sound and style is utterly remarkable, as tight as any Weather Report or Zappa show, while retaining the fluid experimentation of Miles Davis and Robert Fripp. The commitment to gestalt style jamming, effectively what the Disco Biscuits entire improvisation style is based around, was never more perfectly executed than this show. There are never solos, or wasted periods of noodling or spacing out. Each segment, calm or furious, retains an assassin's poise and timing, never showing you its hand while remaining so humanely familiar, and deadly. It is utter discipline and patience, manifesting in a tapestry of divine psychedelia, twisting the otherwise opposite polar values into a helix of force. The slyness with which the band eases from upbeat and soulful but obsessively tight funk, to the darkest of nightmare-scapes is unparalleled. It is schizophrenic while disturbingly sane.

It always amazes me how little actual techno music is played during this set, yet everything sounds hauntingly machine-like...the lack of errors and ease at which flaws are turned into masterpieces is sublime and unrivaled by any set of improvisation music I've ever heard. It's a 3D printing of a perfect set, but it's played on the spot...using 4 songs that have nothing to do with each other. By the end...the 4 songs are a unified death squad of killers marching across the field, plowing over soul and soil alike. 4 Horseman riding. 

My loyal partner in crime for Biscuits shows Michael Ogushwitz also had this to say and I think it wraps this all up perfectly: 

I remember Hearing about haymaker during one of the other shows of spring / summer 2002 and we all said "Spotsylvania? HELL NO!!"

fast forward to a week later and we're on our way to Haymaker.

Specifically the part that stands out was Astronaut.   All day I remember somebody singing the chorus of astronaut (rather annoyingly, I might add)... Up until that day, Astronaut was not a song that was on my radar (no pun intended) but that changed that night... It stands out in my memory as something magical... something that I had never experienced musically...   I will probably never be able to explain it but it was like heroin... and I chased that dragon through the remainder of my time seeing tDB.   Never was the thrill of 'bisco' as potent as that night, in that field, in the middle of Virginia, where we all said we weren't going to be.

Cabinfest 2017

There's so much I wanted to say about Cabinfest. About the people and their history, how we came together, how we stay together. This special thing we managed to build. The beautiful souls drawn in by the noise and lights, those that drift away but always have a place in the cabin. So I don't write a novel I'm going to focus on this year. What happened, my experience of it, and some feelings I have about it all.

A bunch of us brought our kids this year. DSAN brought his youngest to an early CF so there is some precedent but this year there was at times 6-7 toddlers going about various toddler business. Hunter, Clark, William, Maya and Zoey all stayed together in the Farmhouse with their parents. Steph brought Ophelia and Caliope on Friday afternoon. Jess and Jason brought Jacob on Saturday afternoon. I think it went better than anyone could've imagined. We all helped each other out and worked together. It's excellent that all the kids knew at least another 1 or 2 kids in the group. There was always a familiar face. They read together, ate together, fought for toys, shared toys, splashed in puddles and rocked out to live music. It expanded exponentially for me what Cabinfest could mean. It's always been an event centered around friends and family but to add this wrinkle....all of our kids together, what we do together went from special to significant. Could we, for a weekend a year at least, give our kids a tribal childhood? Something outside the standard format. Something perhaps richer?

Everyone else was so amazing too. Yes we all like to get together and get loose for the weekend. Something morphed through the years though and it suddenly isn't the high priority. The music, the friendship (new ones and old), hell the food even, is truly the focus.  All set against the spectacular Dipikill Resort back drop. Its such a special place to have fostered our community. Each cabin has its own unique charm and flavor. To have White Pine with its warm crackling fire, gorgeous stage and Stained-glass window as our church, our gathering house is something I feel truly fortunate for. The Farmhouse was the perfect base of operations for our families and the walls rang with their voices and rapid fire stomp of their toddler trot. Our host Heidi really went the extra mile to make the families feel at home and taken care of. Since the beginning of our time at Dipi, we've always felt like welcome guests despite the all night light show, the blaring rock and dance music.

At first, the kids waded cautiously into the music. It was fascinating to see them react to Wounded Buffalo Theory's first set on Friday. It is psychologically heavy music. Emotional. It's breath-taking and lovely as well, but their sound, material, and performance encompasses the light and darkness. It paint the complete picture of humanity. Of the universe and of our part in it. So it isn't always easy or comfortable. It's always worth it though. Hunter or Clark would be drawn to the stage, to the lights. They'd feel and see then get a bit overwhelmed and go outside to play. We let them come and go, supported them when they needed and observed and felt the music with them.

We all bounced back and forth between the music and our cabin. Kids or parents needing a break or a bite. Jeanette made a tasty ziti for our cabin's dinner and we devoured a tray of the course of the night.  The Wounded Buffalo 'spin the wheel' set segued into a jam band focused set that Rich Lemire and I put together with them. It was great fun to follow through on a project I assumed would stay as one of those fun ideas you have when you're hanging out with your buddies. We sent a handful of emails. A chunk of the band got together at Up Da Hill to rehearse and the remaining got to run some of the material when Rob got on the east coast. The performance is  a true testament to the great skill and professionalism of Rich and the Wounded Buffalo folks, and the chemistry that dear friends can share playing music together. I had an absolute blast playing despite my ever-constant nerves before and at the beginning of something like this. We played Grateful Dead, Phish, Pink Floyd, the Disco Biscuits and the Band. Here's the Setlist:

Tweezer>Scarlet Begonias>I Know You Rider>Space>Drums>Helicopters>Run Like Hell>Tweezer Reprise

E: The Weight

 Kieran and Jay spun terrific sets while we danced and talked the night away. I stayed up. Way too late. Jeanette was kind enough to let me flop around in bed until 9. Lauren made some breakfast casseroles which were absolutely restorative. When I had some juice in my system and coffee brewing, I took Hunter in his pack for a hike down to the lake. It was an absolutely stunning, bright and quiet morning. I walked silently and mindfully and we took it in together. The morning slid into afternoon with the shouts of children playing and the young at heart playing just as hard.

The BBQ has typically been hosted at Collins by Mike, Crystal and associates. This year there was a special surprise: Tim brought his smoker trailer up from Long Island and we gorged on his amazing BBQ at White Pine. There was chicken, sausage, brisket, pork shoulder, ribs and bacon. Each bit more delicious than the last. Acoustic music went on as in previous years and there was still a stellar potluck on top of all the meat.

The kids were very comfortable with the situation and much more interested in the music on Saturday. They watched almost every note of Wounded Buffalo and all the acoustic acts. Hunter gave Numbers an especially hearty round of applause. It made my heart very full to see him appreciating music. Its the thing in the world that's given me the most, enriched my life the most. If I can share with him music and nature, I feel like I've at least set a solid baseline for his adventure as a human. The day spun on and the kids got a little punchy later in the evening. Talk about play! Talk about stimulation! Maya's dad John read to them all and I definitely noticed it help wind Hunter down a bit. Diddy had his signature pulled pork going all day and despite the meat-fest earlier, I succumbed. like everyone else to the irresistible smells and tastes.  Bed time was a bit harder on Saturday but they all did eventually settle down. Heidi did us an amazing favor and let all the parents have two hours together at the music, staying at the Farmhouse with a walkie talkie in case anyone woke up.

 The music was phenomenal all night with the numerous configurations of the superjam showcasing the talent and passion of many of the weekend's musicians, friends and family. Michael's yacht rock set was a fan favorite made specially poignant with the passing of Steely Dan's Walter Becker. The night was anchored by an absolutely stellar set from Wounded Buffalo. It was the set of the weekend for me without a doubt. Nanobot and Basso wrapped up the night with terrific DJ sets.

I stayed up too late. Again. I couldn't help it. The music, the conversations, it was all so inspiring. I tested my partner's good will and again slept till 9. I love you so much monkey! Endless thanks for this. John and Shannon whipped up a big breakfast and we got to packing up our home for the weekend. The realization that this was an especially lovely time unfolded slowly over the course of the weekend to everyone and became full apparent as we returned to the real world . I watched new friendships blossom, age old alliances solidified and a whole new generation of cabinfesters discover the magic. This event is a good example of what a tribe of like minded folks can create when ego is removed from the equation. Doing things to make a great experience for all rather than to glorify yourself. So many special moments occurred I struggle to list them: we had our first Harley, some overly affectionate chipmunks, A PROPOSAL (Congrats Kieran and Kelli!! Though I'm a little disappointed the tassels weren't brandished), our first kids cabin and beginning to end phenomenal music. Minus one song Big Cabinfest wants to pretend doesn't exist.

Thank you all so much. To quote one of the truest pieces of poetry of our time: 

"I had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you!"

Who Was John? The Jerry Garcia Band in 1976

Jerry Garcia Band is a lot harder to get into than the Grateful Dead. First of all, the shows aren't on archive.org (often accessed by the relisten app these days)  so you have to use bt.etree.org to download via torrent software. Much harder to quickly sample, you have to commit! Or you can buy the handful (albeit a terrific handful) of official releases from Round Records/ The Official Garcia Site. So its much harder to devour a bunch of the music quickly to learn the ropes and figure out what you want to focus on. Secondly, there is a real lack of scholarship compared to the Grateful Dead. All of my favorite Dead blogs do get into it a bit (Hooterollin Around, Lost Live Dead and Dead Essays). Jerry Garcia's middle Finger is probably the foremost internet JGB scholar with a ton of show reviews and some really interesting and insightful research. So while you can find reviews, if not detailed analysis of countless dead shows, there just isn't nearly as much Garcia Band scholarship.

Oberlin College 3/23/76 Dennis Dockton

To those that do delve into Jerry Band though, a treasure trove of beautiful, soulful and fun music awaits. For a nerd like me, I had reached a bit of a stale point in listening to the Dead. I had sampled every time period extensively and while I was still discovering shows I liked and different versions of the material, I longed for that wide open frontier I had at the beginning with Grateful Dead music. Tapes to consume, era's to learn, repertoire's to familiarize one's self with. Something to sink my teeth into! With JGB, the line up changed fairly regularly through the years so it was like learning the whole Pigpen>Kieth and Donna>Brent>Vince and Bruce>Vince thing all over again. Only I'm still not there yet. There are a lot more changes through time. For a thorough and meticulously researched overview of the JGB line-ups, check out this post from Lost Live Dead.

Oberlin College 3/23/76 Dennis Dockton

 One thing I learned fairly quickly:The 1976 Jerry Garcia Band is incredibly special. I've had two significant mentors in my dead listening journey. Rich Lemire has been giving me Dead Shows 10gb at a time (we pass back and forth a flash drive known as  the rage nug) for around 5 years and has been my constant 'BS about the Dead' partner. Pat Kinsella I met via the hippie hat pin collectors scene and preached 1976 JGB like it was a religion (because it is. Sunday's are for Jerry). He gave me a list of JGB shows to familiarize myself with that had some prime 76 on it. I'm eternally grateful for these folks. The education and great conversations have meant so much to me.

The 1976 line-up (Kieth Godchaux out of frame). Ed Perlstein, Rolling Stone

The simple, professional and perfectly suited for the material line-up is what makes the year so special in my opinion. Kieth and Donna Godchaux cross over with Jerry from The Grateful Dead and are perhaps a better fit for this line up than the 1976 Grateful Dead.  The material, drawing from soul, R n B and Gospel is ideally suited for the soulful Muscle-shoals Veteran Donna-Jean and the honky-tonk jazz piano tinkler Kieth. Kieth was born to play these parts and Donna was born to sing sweet harmony with Jerry. She does some phenomenal lead singing as well on Strange Man and Stir it Up.

 The secret power behind this line up, in my onion, is the masterful drumming of Ron Tutt.  One of the more interesting career paths in American Music, the Texan started playing Western Swing and Dixieland early in his career. In 1969 he successfully auditioned for the Elvis Presley TCB Band, an unprecedented amalgam of musicians with different musical styles that came to Elvis in a dream (or so the story goes). He backed Elvis for the rest of his career until the King left the building in 1977. After that, he went on to be Neil Diamond's drummer. A gig he still holds down. While Still Elvis's drummer in 1976 and early 1977, he took another gig: The Jerry Garcia Band. A gig he really didn't need considering Elvis must've payed pretty well. Something about Jerry or the music he wanted to play must've been compelling. In an interview with Ron Tutt, he sites Elvis's charisma as something that drew him in to want to play music with him. Jerry Garcia was certainly very famous for his charisma (though of a COMPLETELY different flavor) so maybe it was just a matter of being drawn in by compelling and creative individuals?

We're lucky to have a recent Rolling Stone interview with Tutt talking about his time playing in and recording with the Jerry Garcia Band. Check it out here.

Throughout the entirety of Jerry Garcia's solo career, John Kahn was there. Lost Live Dead  does a phenomenal job documenting his career both with and without Jerry Garcia if you want to delve deeper. He was a popular studio musician and could play bass in nearly any style of music. Interviews with the man are few and far between however. Here's one taken shortly before he died. There's a bit of conversation in David Gans and  Blair Jackson's beautifully compiled This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead but I can't seem to find any of his own words anywhere else. This sets up a lovely segue:

Who was John?

Who was John? was originally recorded in 1936 by the Mitchell Christian Singers an A Capella group from North Carolina. According to their Wikipedia: "They pioneered a 'primitive' idiosyncratic style of  A Capella gospel singing: curiously wailing, syncopated spirituals, with a "down home" quality, featuring with an interplay of voices that anticipated the sound of post-war gospel quartet."
It's well documented that Jerry Garcia was obsessed with American folk and traditional while John Kahn's love of Black American music is well known. While suitably obscure for both of their tastes it made perfect sense as a song to bring to the Jerry Garcia Band's repertoire. Especially in 1976 where there was a clear focus on gospel music.

The song was in the JGB orbit before that however. It was recorded on the Kieth and Donna Solo album in 1975. It's lovely to think of the band set up in the Godchaux's living room in Stinson Beach with little Zion napping away. Garcia and Mountain Girl were living up the coast  a bit so he could pop down any time and work on it. They apparently hung out a lot during that time listening to gospel records. The Album cover is a picture of Zion with a doodle by Jerry of his idea of what Zion's thoughts were like. Zion followed in his parents footsteps and is in Boombox who are jamband festival staple.

According to my count using the Garcia.com setlists, Who Was John? was played by the Jerry Garcia Band about 26 times with its first known live performance at the Keystone Berkeley on 1/27/76. There's a rehearsal tape from 1/25/76 from Club Front where they run through it along with most of the 76 line up of tunes. It's last known performance 11/16/76 at Sophie's in Palo Alto. There are a number of missing setlist's from this time period which would lead me to believe we're missing at least another one or two performances. It was overwhelmingly played in the first set or early show, almost always the fourth or fifth tune. It's best known performance can be found on Gracia Live 7: 11/8/76 also at Sophie's. It doesn't survive 1976 which is curious to me considering what a great tune it is. There doesn't appear to much else shaken up in the repertoire and Tutt doesn't leave until the end of the summer of 1977. Who knows? You can't exactly jam it so maybe that has something to do with it. Perhaps its better it didn't survive the year though...the tune retains that 1976 magic.

Calderone Concert Hall 3/30/76

Despite the challenges of getting deeper with Jerry Garcia Band, I consider it a worthwhile graduate seminar for any student of the Grateful Dead. I think 1976 is particularly stunning. If you love 1976 and 1977 Grateful Dead (who doesn't?) this configuration is critical in understanding why Jerry was playing so well in those years. With a star studded line-up perfectly suited for the material, this band shimmers and shines on the lovely audience recordings. John Kahn was the constant in Jerry Garcia's musical life outside the band. In a recent /reddit AMA Linda Kahn confirmed what many Dead scholars believed: John Kahn selected much of the cover material for Jerry Garcia's side projects. The odds are pretty good that he brought the spooky 30's A Capella tune to Kieth and Donna and subsequently brought it over to 76 Jerry Band. Perhaps with even a bit of sense of humor about his quiet legacy? Who Was John indeed!

The Disco Biscuits 4/14/02 Plainview, NY

Right now I'm listening to every Disco Biscuits show that I've seen in order. I skipped 9/7/01 Saratoga Winners as I had given it a pretty thorough listen before my wedding on 9/7/13. I'm doing three at a time so the first batch was 4/3/02 Rochester, 4/8/02 Northampton and 4/9/02 Burlington. I really enjoyed seeing these shows and listened to the tapes (burned cd's) about a million times in the early 2000's. Listening in 2017, my first impression was honestly, man these aren't very good hahaha. Of course there are great moments from each night and the Northampton show is very good as a whole but man, its incredible how much they've improved as a band! Comparing to the two shows I saw in 2016 (Cap night two and Coney Island) the growth is obvious and quite impressive. A band I already thought were at the top of their game when I started seeing them has never stopped improving or impressing me. This tour is known as a bit of a snoozer though compared to the very impressive 2001 and the excellent late summer and fall of 2002. I had never felt that way before but I guess I somewhat under stand that read today. It was just a bit shocking... I was so enamored with the band and was so pleased to be able to relive these shows.  I wasn't a truly objective listener.

The next batch of shows I saw (and am now listening to) was 4/13/02 Asbury Park, and 4/14/02-4/15/02 at the Vanderbilt in Plainview, NY. Now is my turn to be shocked in a positive way. The Asbury Park show was excellent. I remember at the time not thinking that much of it and not really listening to the tapes too much afterwards. I very much associate Spectacle  and the Tunnel with my early Disco Biscuits experiences. They opened each set with commanding performances of these powerful songs. Hearing the Coney Island version of Spectacle  with the Hungry March Band was a treat for me. The meat of set 1 though is the Reactor>Shelby Rose(><)>Reactor. It's very strong. It was neat to hear the original version of Pilin' it High and the House Dog Party Favor is very good as well. House dog, to me, is the definitive Disco Biscuits tune and my personal favorite. This was my first time hearing it live. set 2 has some great moments too, including a Hot Air Balloon and a Very Moon with Al Schnier from Moe. sitting in.

4/13/02 Asbury Park

The next night, in Plainview, NY, my life changed forever. I loved the Disco Biscuits before this show. I went from casually listening to them along with Phish, The Grateful Dead, String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams and any other jamband who were ripping it up at the time to seeing 6 shows in the month of April and 29 total shows in 2002.

The performance started with the Buddy Guy/ SRV version of Mary Had a Little Lamb that Barber specifically but the band as a whole, pulls off very nicely. Next up, the familiar bass line of Jane's Addiction's Three Days rumbles ominously through the club. The Biscuits covering this song is one of the things that got me interested in their music so I was very excited to hear it. From there they play a really nice, directed segue into Jigsaw Earth. It built the energy up phenomenally and got me really fired up at the time. The segue holds up really well on the 2017 listen. I'd be stoked to hear it live today. It's a rock solid version of Jigsaw that builds up an even more fiery jam. With a tremendous rush of energy they blast into I-man. Listening right now is giving me deep deep chills. At this point in the show, I knew I was seeing something special. They play I-man with beautiful dynamics, utilizing all the power the non-techno version can deliver. There is beautiful interplay between Marc and Jon as they get deeper into the jam with atmospheric support from Magner. Sammy is of course driving the ship expertly as usual.

The jam shifts keys and picks up tempo just past the 11 minute mark with Magner playing a lead line. Sammy's kick sounds so effing solid. He urges the jam forward with each fill and drop. Barber and Magner begin an interplay as Sammy picks up the tempo another big notch. They are hurtling now... but where to? Back into Jigsaw of course!!!! On the 2017 listen, the hints are definitely there, but I don't know if I knew the intricacies enough at the time to hear it coming. They are extremely locked in, energetic and playing the composition flawlessly. Sandwich segues (song A>song B>song A) are common for the biscuits but not necessarily so common for other jambands. Especially in 2002. It was pretty groundbreaking and an amazing way to control and manifest energy flow. They only briefly touched down in Jigsaw Earth. This train had other destinations in mind.

They lock into another tight groove and begin accelerating again after the Jigsaw tempo drop. More dynamic interplay between Magner and Barber is held rock solid by a driving and intricate bassline from Brownstein. This time Brownstein really drives the energy and direction of the segue. His line is active while still giving a solid pattern for Barber to shred over. Barber just kills this change, with melodic yet frenzied soloing which sounds absolutely amazing tone-wise thanks to his hollow-body Gibson. The drop back into I-man once again is giving me whole-body chills. On that night, at this moment, I knew I had to see this band as many times as I could. To see and feel this again. It was so incredibly creative, flitting back and forth between the two songs like this... and the band, with their inspired playing, had me in the palm of their hands. Coming out of the peak, there is a beautiful piano-driven jam that showcases the talents of all four members. A band known for deep and dirty electronic trance and drum and bass jams absolutely slays several minutes without heavy effects. When Magner does decide to play a synth line its this gorgeous shimmering bird song of a melody.

Brownstein then plays a melodic counterpoint with a subtle line from Barber, interacting as much with the drums as with the keys and bass.They strip the jam down to a very quiet back and forth between Barber and Brownstein with subtle support from Magner and Sammy. All while staying in the theme of the I-man outro jam. There is about 15 minutes of jamming in this second segment of I-man and not once does it get stale or repetitive. This dismantle and reassemble the jam several times tending towards quiet simplicity that critics of the Disco Biscuits untzyness would find very little ground to stand on with their standard critiques. The jam picks up a significant amount of fire as they begin to approach the final peak of I-man. Barber is building tension expertly with Magner choosing a piano tone again which nicely juxtaposes the ferocity of the jam. They peak it expertly, returning to the I-man composition for its resolution.

"Over it goes I'm Breaking through!"

This isn't the end though. Not the end of this segment and certainly not the end of the show. Things are stripped down to simplicity once again with an interlocking jam with all 3 melodic players contributing a part of the whole. Sammy is interacting with all the players as well, connecting with Barber as only he could. Some funky key riffs from Magner take the jam down a new path which Brownstein soon locks into in earnest. Barber finds a unique place in the mix and Sammy feeds off of everyone and pours energy into his kit. The whole band is now barreling at warp speed towards their destination. Without a mental pause or musical hiccup, they launch back into Jigsaw Earth to sing the final verse:

"I gathered myself, and rubbed my eyes, and wondered, did she know?
That I put glass and concrete beams as tall as trees can grow.
That I tear down the oldest statues, faces who've grown long
She may have known, may not have cared, continued with her song..."

I tried to gather myself and rub my eyes but there was no coming back for me. I was a goner. And it was only set break. Set two starts with some chucklicious banter from Marc about Magner being "a funny f$%king guy" and then drops into a nicely shuffling Mulberry's Dream. The band sounds comfortable and confident, no doubt feeling pretty good after that monster first segment. It's a standard reading of the piece with some nice guitar work from Jon during the jam. Next up, a standalone Story of the World gets jammed out very nicely in the middle with a funky bass line from Brownstein driving the improvisation, while Magner and Barber both contribute to its development. Sammy's rhythm pattern starts off four on the floor before moving into a more rock oriented groove. A descending synth line from Magner signals a tempo increase for the band which finds everyone interlocking nicely and building back into the story composition.

"You guys gotta take it easy at the hotel tonight. No seriously. The Disco Biscuits are low-pro".

-Marc Brownstein 

With these words of wisdom the Biscuits launch into the second major segment of the night with Frank Zappa's Pygmy Twylyte. The band launches immediately into group improv with a driving bass-line complemented by Barber interweaving with Magner's bleeps and bloops. A shift to a four on the floor beat from Sammy and a melodic synth line from Magner changes the jams direction dramatically. The band segues into the Big Happy theme which brought a huge smile to my face. I was a huge fan of 11/16/00 which interweaves The big Happy, Widow in the Rain and Pygmy to dramatic effect. This is a very interesting piece of music for the Disco Biscuits. From its seed was spawned both Highwire and I Remember When, which are still mainstays in their setlists.  A triumphant major key jam, often weaving the Big Happy Theme back in, drops effortlessly into Helicopters. The composed Helicopters jam segment is appropriately dark and driving with ethereal synth sweeps from Magner setting the mood. Things get a bit more interesting as they leave the confines of the composed jam section about 7 minutes in. They quiet way down and Barber starts to develop a riff around Marc's bass part. Magner finds room to interject and Sammy...god Sammy is a magnificent beast.

Sammy drops the kick out and comes back in twice as hard and a little faster. His kick drum tone makes both the old gods and the new cry with joy. Brownstein begins to insert the Peter Gunn Theme bassline which eventually brings the rest of the gang on board. This tune is a spring tour 2002 exclusive for them, performed only four times. I have the honor of seeing two of the four performances. Its a brief sojourn this time. A sloppy drop right into Mindless Dribble can be forgiven for the intensity of the energy shift. The room goes absolutely buck wild. After the composition, they rapidly shift into a very laid back and quiet jam with a lot of flavor, hinting at the Dribble theme more and more. Excellent and patient jamming abounds during the first Dribble jam. The sustained tension note Barber holds just before the drop back into the composition is soul rending. The 'They missed the perfume' segment has an especially calypso feel from Magner's piano line. The second jam starts at a blistering pace with Magner hinting immediately at the return of Helicopters. Barber toys with an interesting riff and everyone else plays around a bit more, not quite ready to drop into the Helicopters yet.They manage to build up a tremendous amount of momentum and energy on the way to the final Helicopters peak. Barber is calmly leading while Magner soars. The drop back in is very clean and another set of Disco Biscuits skull-f*&kery is in the books.

The Disco Biscuits encored with the fifteenth (of 144 currently) performance of Astronaut. It was played in the encore spot more often in the 2001-2002 time period then it is today. This would be the last time it was used in this slot until 2004 and would be fairly uncommon as an encore from then on. It's a mellow and stripped down version of what the song would become. Its hard not to fast-forward 8 months and think about what a different beast the Haymaker Astronaut is compared to this version. There is some interesting Sammy-driven start/stop jamming but the 9 month old tune still hasn't found its true form yet. Every note is still a grace from god though. You know this.

That night, despite Marc's warnings, I ended up in the hotel next to the Vanderbilt. I was 20 and a goofy introvert so was in no danger of going too hard but did end up borrowing some crash space on the floor of my buddy Michael's friends room. More specifically the closet floor. I'd see and get to know my hosts Kieth, Kelli, Aimee and Bernie at shows for many more years and would be reminded of being the guy passed out in the closet lolol.

We drove back the next morning (Monday) and I even made it to class. I was a sophomore at SUNY Albany that year. after class I met up with Michael and Corey (what the deal) and gushed excitedly about how good the show was we had seen the night before. One thing led to another and we ended up driving back down from Albany to Plainview to see the next night. The first of many rash decisions relating to this band I'll never forget. Or regret.

___________

I met Jay Cowit the summer of 2002. He had met some of my best friends from high school at NYU and they formed the band Wounded Buffalo Theory.  That summer they 'rented' an apartment over the SUNY dive bar known as the Town Tavern. Vic the owner left them a keg of Busch and the keys to the bar so they could rehearse. The apartment had a hole in the ceiling with a tub full of scuzz water collecting below it. The previous tenant was freak show star and body modification legend Erik Sprague and some of his ephemera was left behind. All in all an absolutely perfect venue to launch a band as mind-warpingly excellent as WBT. It no doubt shaped their darkly prog-infused psychedelia.
I hung out at their rehearsals and struck up what would be a life-long friendship with Jay that  revolved around music. We had both been at the Vanderbilt show and it was an early bonding moment for us, discussing its greatness. Jay and I and many of our friends went on to see lots of great live music, especially many, many, Disco Biscuits shows. I've also seen Jay's band play many times and its been an honor to witness some of the incredible music they've created. Jay had just met visual artist Justin Wood, also from the NYC scene, and went to the show with him.

Here Jay's spin on 4/14/02 with artwork by Justin Wood: 

Second Show.

I got to the Vandy and was already somewhere not on earth. the whole show starts as a fake out...a single blues cover, concise and normal. The band is made of humans, you can see that...hell, the drummer even loses a stick at one point.

At the cover's conclusion, the person to the left of me screams "I have LOST my mind." I was feeling transcendent myself, but confused...What fascinating noise could take a person's mind that quickly, off something so plain and innocent?

When 3 Days begins, the feeling starts to become mutual. Blues song to Jane's Addiction cover? It makes no sense. Except it already feels like it does....which is hard to fathom. When the cover song branches out into the ethos, things begin to occur to me. Words and concepts, twisted and muddled but always spinning.

The spiral snake that follows is cunning and vicious, real and fanged...the cyclical set never lets go. It squeezes around your body like a constrictor, occasionally allowing a breath and then holding you harder. It makes you struggle to follow it's changes, like chasing a shadow. It walks gingerly and then marches like an army...the back and forth between Jigsaw Earth and I-man is confounding, circular, and difficult...even hypothetically impossible...but staggering and monolithic. Each transition bleeds the preceding song, turning it inside out; the coterminous song floods into the space, washing away the past and phasing in the future. Both songs are so unambiguously natural to the band...no other band could play either song to its full potential. Still, the band twists the innards from each song, back and forth, back and forth, and back...suffocating you, underneath the darkness of a giant spiral snake.

By the middle of the set, I was further fathoms away from understanding anything...I was confused how a band could play so many hours before a set break...I counted no fewer than 2 hours of music (it was an hour+) ..figured they'd be done after this set for sure.  No one could make more music after that...I was turned around and pulled in a million directions.

And I desperately wanted more, forever.

I've probably never had a more important musical epiphany, with regards to what live improvisation and composition could be. It changed the way I saw music. Entirely. It was a third eye opening experience....like a long time artist being introduced not just to some new kinds of paints...but an entirely different canvas format. It was a new way to see language, in the form of music.

Every note of music I've played since April 14th 2002 owes something to this show, and nearly every note of live music I've seen since then has been, in some ways, compared to this show.  Sometimes you see the face of all things in momentary glimpses...but sometimes those glimpses can last 15 years and beyond.

All photographs from the disco biscuits internet project. They have lots of pictures from earlier Disco Biscuits shows