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A Chat with Trampled By Turtles

May 3, 2012 in 10, 11, 12, 17, 17th, 2, 2010, 25, 3, 50, 7th, 9, 99, a, abc, acoustic, Acoustic Music, Again, age, aka, all, am, American, an, and, Are, around, as, at, away, Ball, ban, band, bands, Banjo, Bass, beauty, beginning, big, Bill, blood, blue, Bluegrass, bonnaroo, brother, brothers, Burn, but, by, ca, cage, can, cat, cc, center, City, classic, color, colorado, comes, COMPLETE, daily, dave, Day, denver, does, down, Dust, Edit, en, end, eq, Eve, expo, FEAT, fee, festival, fi, First, FOR, frank, From, front, gain, Genre, get, gin, Good, great, ground, Guitar, hall, hampton, hi, high, home, Hope, How, ice, in, interview, into, is, IT, IX, jam, Jimmy, King, las, Last, late, Laugh, Led, let, life, light, Like, LITTLE, live, live music, lol, long, lot, love, MA, Main, metal, MI, mix, mod, Much, Music, My, Myself, Nat, nate, nc, Neil, New, News, night, NJ, no, nothing, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, out, Outside Lands, PA, page, Part, Phish, plant, play, player, Pot, pro, Pt, rad, rare, read, recording, Road, Robin, rock, roll, row, rs, run, Say, SC, sci, second, set, show, Shows, simon, Simple, Sinatra, Sky, So, solo, solos, Something, song, sound, SPAC, St, stage, stars, start, Starting, step, story, string, studio, style, Summer, tab, talk, Talking, That, the, third, times, to, tone, Too, tools, tour, track, two, us, va, van, view, WA, war, Way, ways, we, Ween, with, words, years, You, Young, Your | No comments

By: Dennis Cook

Trampled By Turtles will be touring extensively in 2012, including numerous high profile summer festivals like Outside Lands, Sasquatch, Newport Folk and Lollapalooza. They perform next on May 16th in Lawrence, KS before heading to Colorado on May 17th in Boulder and May 18th in Denver. Full tour schedule here.

Stream the new album below the interview!

Trampled By Turtles by Dave Carroll

There is a deep well of feeling in the latest chapter from Minnesotas Trampled By Turtles. Stars And Satellites (released April 10 on Banjodad/Thirty Tigers) is a mix of stillness and resonance, a song cycle from the heart that flies unerringly to the listeners own chest in a wise but roughed up way, understanding how tenuous and sweet the connections we manage to make can be, murmuring, You come into the world alone/ You go out of the world alone/ In between theres you and me before dissolving into a quiet, homespun choir of whoa-oh-ohs. Sometimes there are no words for what were thinking and experiencing, but luckily there is music like TBTs to express such things anyway.

While TBT employs classic string band tools, they are unmistakably modern, as much the children of the tender side of Robert Plant & Jimmy Page as they are Jimmy Rodgers and Earl Scruggs. Using guitar (lead singer-songwriter Dave Simonett, fiddle (Ryan Young), bass (Tim Saxhaug), mandolin (Erik Berry) and banjo (Dave Carroll), this band stretches their hands into emotional hornets nests and shakes them to see what the stings bring to the surface. Its a process that produces a gutbucket truthfulness that hums in the music and not just the probing, reflective words, something never more stirringly apparent than on Stars And Satellites. Along with forward-minded peers Greensky Bluegrass and the Punch Brothers, TBT is pushing acoustic music into new places, spaces of complicated often unresolved emotions and laid bare honesty, rewarding those willing to lean in and really open up to them.

We sat down with Dave Simonett to discuss their music, their new album, and the challenges of forging new ground.

Dave Simonett by Lindsay McWilliams

JamBase: Where does this band fit in? In an era obsessed with genre specificity, you guys dont slot in neatly in any one place.

Dave Simonett: I hope thats the case. Everybody in the band likes such a big variety of music. On the road, in the van, everyone whos driving puts on a different genre, and weve always tried to embrace that and not cage ourselves into any one spot. We play the instruments of a string band, so thats a bit of a limitation, but its fun to explore what we can do with those instruments. I sometimes think we have multiple personality disorder because weve been a bluegrass band and a more Americana band, but Id really be happy if we dont have to pick.

JamBase: Good attitude, man. Unfortunately, the industry likes neat little packages.

Dave Simonett: Its really more of the job of those around us to figure out [what kind of music we play]. Almost any band, deep down, thinks theyre this original thing, and that creates a hard time trying to describe what one does. The musicians Im talking about dont want to be classified. Once that happens you kind of have to stay there. Its the people working your band that need these kind of starting points to sell a band, but for me its healthier to not think about it. If I start thinking, Im in a bluegrass band, then, perhaps unconsciously, that starts to creep into the music. You begin to think you have to be a certain thing, but in reality you can be whatever you want. Thats the beauty of it.

Trampled By Turtles

Trampled By Turtles has already shown great flexibility, where you can play Stagecoach Fest and then go over equally well at a rowdy, intoxicated late night set at Bonnaroo. Youre a completely different band in those two settings, but each is quite together.

I like to think so, too. I feel like we can fit in multiple places, where I feel a lot of bands dont have that luxury to the same degree. Those two examples you cite are places I love, and I feel really lucky to be able to pull that off.

If nothing else, you get to be exposed to very different audiences, which has to be fun, even a catalyst as a musician as you figure out, Who am I serving tonight?

For sure, and we can tailor our shows to whatevers needed, though we generally do what we want [laughs]. As far as the entertainer part of the job, the setting helps set the tone, but its nice to have flexibility.

One of the things I like best about the new album is how it starts. I think its brave when bands put a couple quiet numbers right up front.

New Album

Thats a bit of the vision we had for this whole record. On our last one [2010s Palomino], we started with Wait So Long, which comes out of the gate pretty hard, and we didnt want to repeat that. This new one is the first one weve thought about making as a whole work. In the past, weve really struggled with that, and its been more of a collection of songs. This time from beginning to end we had a sort of vision. Im not sure how to describe it but that was the starting point making one interconnected piece.

There are a number of underlying themes roaming around on this record – roaming being one of them.

With my lifestyle you cant avoid that [laughs].

Movement is a reoccurring theme, as is wonderment in an almost classically American way that deals with the road and distance. The tunes reflect their roots in travel and contemplation.

For the last almost 10 years thats become our daily reality. Thats where the songs come from. Theres reality outside that comes in, but thats our daily lifestyle and thats where the material is born.

You have the balls to reference Walt Whitman in a song title this time.

[Laughs] I wish I could have done him more justice. A song like that isnt about a specific piece of his writing, but it was what I was reading at the time I wrote that song and theres a connection there.

Lets talk a bit about the dynamics of Trampled By Turtles. With the instrumentation you work with theres often an emphasis on solos, whereas you guys accentuate the interplay of the instruments. The way the instruments converse together, the sound they make together, seems more the focus than blazing solos.

Trampled By Turtles by Matthew Shaver

I hope thats the case. Outside of myself a rhythm guitar player to the core the other guys are capable of showing off as much as they want. With all the bands we like and grew up listening to the focus is more on the song as a whole rather than people stepping into the light and showing off. Were all about making the band work together. Maybe theres a really simple solo line but it really works with the song, and thats more important.

That kind of humility and editing is really important

especially when making a record. Live, I get it a little more, but the older I get the less impressed I am with showy playing. It sounds great for a second but does it fit in a piece, in a song? Thats the real challenge as much as sheer technical ability.

As the primary songwriter, whats the process of bringing new material to the band?

Weve been going in a certain direction and this record is the culmination of that. With this album, the band had only played two of the songs before we went in to record. I had all this music and lyrics that we saved until we were in the studio, where we arranged it on the spot. On most tunes, the first take was the first time wed played the song front to back. For our band, for some reason, that seems to work really well. The more times we try to record a song, the harder it is to maintain a natural feel, so we try to capture everything in the first takes.

Theres a freshness that gets picked up on tape when you do it that way. Play a song too many times, especially live, and the studio version is going to feel a bit stale.

Trampled By Turtles by Dave Carroll

For sure! If weve been doing a song live, then its almost practical and we can just sit down and play it, but if its new one we have no idea where its going, and thats exciting. Plus, when the guys in our band are learning a song and just rehearsing and not recording then everyone relaxes and just plays. It seems like when you say, Now were going to record, people tense up. Thats why we record live. There may be mistakes but you catch so much more thats special. If someone messes up a part then we all have to record again, but its worth it. On Palomino, the first two songs Wait So Long and Victory are demo takes. We tried to record them 20 different times and could never capture the original feeling. We all started thinking way too much and could never hit the same thing. One thing thats never worked really well with our band is perfection [laughs].

Rough edges are appealing.

Thats rock n roll, man.

Theres a strong rock streak to Trampled By Turtles. I really appreciate and admire string band music, particularly the classic stuff from Bill Monroe, but rock n roll is almost always more motivating to me, and Ive always picked up on a rock vibe from your band.

Well, we were all in rock bands before this one. This is the first acoustic project for all of us. I feel like the [rock] mentality transferred over. As far as Im concerned, most of the music I love has some of that vibe. It doesnt have to be loud or fast to be rough. You can really convey a lot of power in a slow song, and the rough part is the honesty of it. This isnt supposed to be shiny. Were talking about raw subjects and raw emotions, so it should be rough. Theres people out there that make great polished music, but thats just not my method.

Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal) is fond of saying, This aint no Bible study. Trampled By Turtles exudes some of that kind of energy in the live setting, too.

Trampled By Turtles by Matthew Shaver

Wheres the fun in behaving? Most of us have to do that all day long most of the week. Rock n roll is a young kind of release of energy. Even in the rough parts of it you can find some amazing mistakes, like [Neil Youngs] Tonights The Night, the whole record. If you come at it from the perspective of a band director it might be painful, but theres some real live emotion going on there, some pain, and thats what connects with people. Its not the third run of a guitar solo its the noise theyre making as a whole that impacts the listener. You can tell what they were going through.

Theres a tendency to focus on lyrics in defining the mood and tone of a song, particularly in rock, but music can convey just as much depth. The title cut on Tonights The Night wouldnt have the same impact without the wild, jagged musical underpinning.

Can you imagine Frank Sinatra singing it? [laughs].

As a lyricist, youre a warts and all kind of guy, rarely shying away from any subject matter, and the music in Trampled By Turtles keeps step beautifully.

I try to be this way, but sometimes, honestly, I think I do the opposite. I try as best I can to get it out and be honest because I think thats what makes good art. If you dont pull it from the depths then youre just full of shit. Honesty in music is the thing that attracts me the most, and that has nothing to do with whether or not a song is a true story. Its a layer of human emotion that comes through in the telling. Thats where I connect with artists, like Dylans Blood On The Tracks, where that guy is just telling you everythingbut not verbatim. Its a mix of being really honest with people AND keeping a little something back to maintain some mystery. Thats the formula that I look up to in songwriting.

Trampled By Turtles Tour Dates :: Trampled By Turtles News

JamBase | Beaten But Unbowed
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Tags: acoustic, age, beauty, color, colorado, metal, mod, Phish, pro, sci, summer, tools, update, years

Meet the Fulero/Lehe Band

April 25, 2012 in 06, 10, 11, 12, 17, 2, 25, 27, 3, 30, 50, 9, 99, a, access, after, age, aka, all, Also, am, an, and, another, Arc, Are, around, as, at, attempt, away, Back on the Train, Backstage, Ball, ban, band, bands, Bass, beginning, big, blue, book, brother, brothers, bud, Burn, but, by, ca, can, cat, cats, cc, center, Chronic, classic, classic rock, close, dave, Day, dead, Deaf, disease, down, Drop, Edit, en, end, epic, Eve, Fat, FEAT, fee, festival, fi, First, FOR, four, Friend, From, Genesis, Genre, get, gin, golden, Good, grateful, great, Groove, ground, Guitar, guitarist, Gus, hall, hampton, hi, high, home, How, ice, in, into, intro, is, IT, IX, izabella, jam, jam band, jammin, jamming, jazz, key, Keyboard, Keyboards, King, know, Labor, las, Last, late, Laugh, Led, life, light, Like, LITTLE, live, live music, long, lot, love, MA, Made, Main, MI, Michael, mix, mixing, mj, mod, Much, Music, My, Myself, Nat, nate, nc, New, News, night, no, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opener, opening, out, PA, Park, Part, Phish, play, player, Pot, pro, problems, producer, psychedelic, Pt, quartet, rad, radio, radiohead, rain, rare, read, recording, rock, roll, row, rs, run, Saw, Say, SC, sci, second, set, Shine, show, Shows, So, solo, solos, Something, song, Soul, sound, SPAC, St, Stab, stage, start, step, steve, studio, tab, Taste, That, the, Thursday, to, Too, tour, track, Train, trey, Tribute, tries, tub, Tube, two, uic, us, USA, va, Valley, venue, vocal, WA, Walk, war, water, Way, we, Weekend, whiskey, with, years, You, Your, zappa | No comments

By: Dennis Cook

Fulero/Lehe Band Debut Album

This Thursday, April 26, the Fulero/Lehe Band will make a rare live appearance at the new Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA. Its a pity that this new group only gets onstage once in a while due to circumstances because they are jam band gold, the sort of energetic self-starters that helped establish the genre as a stylistic stew pot that mellowed and mingled rock, jazz and more into something flavorful and new. Fulero/Lehe are descendents of proto-jammers like Steely Dan and Golden Era prog like Yes and King Crimson as well as jam archetype Phish. However, the fates have conspired to keep this project the brainchild of keyboardist Asher Fulero (Scott Law Band, Everyone Orchestra) and guitarist Sean Lehe (Izabella, Poor Mans Whiskey, 10 Mile Tide), both West Coast festival/jam circuit veterans from taking full flight when originally Fulero/Lehe was to be a hard touring, wild setlist kind of band in the classic H.O.R.D.E. sense.

Recently, Lehe was officially diagnosed with Mnire’s disease, which means he is losing his hearing in a big way and will need to drastically alter his career plans in the days ahead. Its a tough blow but one that makes this bands debut, Cocoon (receiving official release at the Sweetwater this week and available online here), all the more special. Rounded out by the rhythm section of bassist Mark Murphy (Izabella, Huckle) and drummer Zach Bowden, the Fulero/Lehe Band has the feel of a beginning of something special, a combination that allows hitherto unknown talents to shine, a collaboration that sparks the best in those involved.

Everyone Orchestra at 4 Peaks (2008) by Michael Weintrob

We met at 4 Peaks [Festival] during an Everyone Orchestra performance. It was a really cool night where Matt [Butler] ended up conducting two stages simultaneously. Asher and I connected musically onstage right away a click kind of a thing and we both have obvious Phish influences from earlier in our lives. That band was hugely influential on both of us and made for another quick link, says Lehe. Then we discovered we shared a LOT of the same musical influences beyond Phish, including 70s British prog-rock, which wed both found it hard to find people to jump on that vibe with. When you play in the Bay Area its easy to get someone to play some country influenced, jamming rock n roll influenced by the Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead, or even something a little more World Beat. But its hard to find cats who will really fly the prog-rock flag [laughs]. Its a male dominated music to begin with, but now its a male dominated music from 30 years ago! Its pretty much the peak of musical dorkdom, but Asher and I really connected over it.

The prog thing is there, but it was really that epic night with Everyone Orchestra that created an instant connection. We walked away thinking, I want to play more with that guy! Then, I saw Izabella not long after that and thought they were a good band, but more, I thought, That guitar playerand that bass player are fantastic! I want to steal them away and do a rock band! [laughs]. The more we hung out the more we realized we had exceptionally similar listening tastes, says Fulero. Im a little more classically trained than Sean, and hes a little more of a psychedelic warrior than I am. In that way, we push each other a little bit. Its really great finding somebody along the way that you feel that kind of kindred connection to. It just seemed that everywhere we went we would run into each other High Sierra, some show in Seattle and after a while we said, We need to do something together. Ive dreamed of having a rock band for ages. After playing with Scott Law for so long, I was really missing that classic rock quartet thing.

Lehe (left) w/ Izabella by Susan J. Weiand

When we first met at Everyone Orchestra, before the performance backstage, Matt Butler asked, What should we play? Can we do a song? Sean and I were both, We should do a Phish tune! and we ended up playing Back On The Train, and it was the highlight of the show. At that point, I was thinking, That guy can really pull off that Trey power guitar lead, and he was thinking, That guy can really play jam band keyboards and back up a ripping guitar solo. Or so I imagine [laughs]. Its a skill like being a support player on a basketball team. The lead player is only as good as those guys back him up. Its a very different skill than being a slaying lead keyboardist. The idea of being a rhythm player geared to supporting a guitar solo is a very jam band thing. The bands that really translate in this field are the ones where the rhythm section is really tight.

Cocoon finds the band putting a lot of this theory into practice. The songs working in the studio setting but suggesting in classic jam band fashion the scintillating live extrapolations to come hiding in the notes.

Asher Fulero

Every sound on the record was laid down in three days over a short weekend studio session. Asher then put in a ton of time going over it and making it right. Its nowhere near as prog as wed originally envisioned. However, our second effort will be far less accessible, chuckles Lehe. The first track [on Cocoon] is so Steely Dan, but then it roams around from there. Asher has some compositions that are really, really involved on par with Gentle Giant/Genesis type stuff. I have a new tune for the Fulero/Lehe Band that could have come right off a Yes album, though I generally like a song to be ready to be performed after three days of rehearsal instead of 30 [laughs]. Some of the stuff I totally loved at 16 I put on now and find really obnoxious. I can put on King Crimsons Discipline every six months though, no problem.

I had never worked with the drummer before but Sean and he had worked together in The Bumptet. So, we didnt have a full-time drummer. Wed worked with a bunch of different drummers including Dave Brogan (ALO). But when it came time to do the record it just made sense to use Zach, says Fulero. I had never actually met Zach before the first day of recording, but hes such a talented guy that it went well. He has such a natural feel for all the general grooves in the book. We were looking for some fairly classic things, so he was able to go to his natural tendencies.

[As producer on the album], I didnt add as much as it seems. I mostly worked and reworked the mix and fixed some vocals, but other than that all of it was laid down in the original three day session, says Fulero. We didnt fix any solos or backing parts. I might have done a few editing things to tweak timing here and there, but it was mainly mixing. We didnt have a big budget to go into a big studio and spend a bunch of days getting mix right, so I kept at it at home. After three or four tries, I hit upon a feel that was fairly classic but also had a modern energy. I wanted it to be modern rock with a classic feel.

Opener Time Goes By has an unmistakable Steely Dan feel, the jazzier end of rock explored delightedly, but Fulero explains that their influences haunt the entire album.

Fulero/Lehe

All the songs are tributes, in a certain way, says Fulero. The second track [Cocoon] is Phish meets Zappa, where the beginning is a very Phish-y, floaty jam and the end is very Zappa Shut Up And Play Your Guitar. Track three [One More Move] is very much Wilco influenced. Track four [Life Inside The Blue] is The Who with some other tendencies, maybe later Phish. The Radiohead tune [In Limbo] was just an attempt to do something unique with it. Track six [Youll Know Why] is a little bit Jerry Garcia Band with a bit of Mose Allison mixed in. And the last one [Sugartooth] is Genesis meets Yes [laughs]. I have to say, the whole synthesizer part on that song appeared during the recording session but had never been a part of live performances in the year leading up to the session. Listening back during mixing, I said, I have an idea! and the whole synthesizer part just transformed the song.

This is also a chance to step up and be a lead singer as well, continues Fulero. Both of us are singers and songwriters who love the power of the voice. I dont either of us are the greatest singer in the world, but that never stopped lots of people [laughs].

Despite their gusto for the project, Lehes health issues have drastically altered the original vision for Fulero/Lehe.

Fulero/Lehe Band by Steve Kennedy-Williams

Since I was 17 Ive gotten dizzy spells and vertigo attacks, and they were very intermittent, says Lehe. When I was 17, one of the doctors I saw diagnosed me with Mnire’s disease and a second opinion thought I just had some residual vertigo problems due to tubes put in my ears as a baby to help with chronic ear infections. So, I just rolled with theory number two because Mnire’s disease is really messed up for a musicianor anyone really! For a musician, though, its a rock n roll death sentence. As the years went on I had more attacks but none of them were so severe I ever missed a show or tour because of this issue. But then in the past 18 months its become more and more of a problem, and I now have an official diagnosis of Mnire’s disease from my ears-nose-throat specialist. I only have 44-percent of my hearing remaining in my right ear – Im going deaf in my right ear. 40-percent of people get it in their other ear, too, and Ive already noticed things in my left ear that mirror what was going on my right ear 10 years ago.

At this time, Im getting two or three vertigo attacks per week, where I have to grab something and ease myself down to the ground. Theyre called drop attacks. Its definitely a scary thing, continues Lehe. It makes it hard to tour, but Im a performer – thats where my heart and soul are at. Its what I do. I play live music. But what I think is in the future Im done playing loud, drunken bars. Thats not going to be part of my life anymore. Ill be moving into quieter instrumental music. I have a new project here in Sacramento called Wires and Wood with my good friend who plays mandolin and Weissenborn, and we have a stand-up bass player and percussionist. The instrumentation is almost exactly the same as the Garcia-Grisman group, but were leaning more towards instrumental stuff. Im also doing this thing called The Bumptet, which Ill be releasing the debut for in a few months, which is a tribute to my brother, who passed away last year. In the future, Im going to need to rely more on direct connections to get my music out to people. My time of playing 120 gigs every year is coming to a close. But if I am going deaf then Im going to get in as much playing as I can before then.

The Fulero/Lehe Band performs Thursday, April 26, at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA with special guest Garrin Benfield opening the show.

Fulero/Lehe Band Tour Dates :: Fulero/Lehe Band News

JamBase | Growing Wings
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Tags: access, british, butler, Genesis, las, rain, seattle, Shine, solos, sound

Radiohead | San Jose | Review | Photos

April 13, 2012 in 11, 12, 17, 2, 2011, 28, 3, 31, 9, 99, a, after, age, all, am, an, and, another, Are, arena, as, at, ban, band, bands, big, blood, Burn, but, by, ca, can, cat, Cavern, cc, center, City, Coliseum, color, concert, Crazy, daily, dance, Day, does, down, en, Encore, end, eq, Eve, fall, fame, fee, fi, fool, FOR, four, From, gag, get, gin, give, Good, hall, hampton, hi, How, ice, in, into, is, IT, IX, jam, Jay, kids, King, king of limbs, Lake, lang, las, Last, late, Laugh, light, lights, Like, LITTLE, live, live music, log, long, lot, lotus flower, love, MA, mass, MI, mix, mod, Mr, Music, My, Myself, Nat, nc, New, News, night, no, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opener, organ, out, PA, Part, Pavilion, Phish, photos, play, Police, Pop, post, pro, production, Pt, rad, radio, radiohead, rain, rare, raz, RCA, rev, rock, roll, rs, Sand, SC, set, show, Shows, Sky, So, Something, song, sound, SPAC, St, stage, start, state, step, storm, studio, tab, That, the, times, to, tour, track, tries, Trip, tub, Tube, us, USA, va, Valley, venue, Video, view, WA, Way, ways, we, with, words, york, You, youtube | No comments

Words by: Dennis Cook | Images by: Jay Blakesberg

Radiohead :: 04.11.12 :: HP Pavilion :: San Jose, CA

Full photo gallery below review!

Radiohead by Jay Blakesberg

Four songs into Radioheads barnstorming trip to the future at the cavernous HP Pavilion, as deep album track Kid A began to rapturous shrieks and applause, it struck me what an incredibly unlikely coliseum/arena level band this is. Without ever pandering or sculpting their creative vision to any outside influence, Radiohead has managed to become one of the biggest bands on the planet, filling up halls generally reserved for flavor-of-the-month pop/country acts, kids shows on ice, and hits hocking mega-acts like Journey and the Eagles. Moreover, theyve done so while carving out arguably the most influential body of work since The Beatles, and then pulling off the trick the Fabs never could fully realizing their vision in the live setting, which they did with dazzling success in San Jose.

After an absorbing, soaring, instrument swapping set from tour openers Other Lives, the pre-show music the soundtrack a robot masseuse might use kicked in and began easing us into modernity something Radiohead has been doing for decades and continues to be WAY more successful at than nearly any group today (U2 tries but theres something old school rock n roll about them theyll never shake). Each chapter in Radioheads evolution has seemed just slightly ahead of where everyone else is working, and better still, it feels organic in their hands, a natural creep into technology, new social interaction and the like that never fully sheds the blood and feelings of human beings. As if wanting to punctuate this dynamic, the slow cathode ray rise of their absolutely stunning stage design during opener Bloom immediately tossed one into a Matrix-esque state of disorientation jittery lights, kinetic, multi-angle video imagery, and the endlessly thick sonic onslaught offering any of 20 or more things one might focus on at any given moment. This production, in both its magnitude and imagination, makes most similar level acts look positively lazy and outdated by comparison. In reaching this coveted stratosphere, Radiohead seems more dedicated than ever to give audiences a proper experience and not just another night on the town. At every turn, the combination of sound and vision erased the usual distance of the 19,000 capacity venue in a way even a heavily seasoned concert veteran like myself has rarely if ever witnessed.

Radiohead by Jay Blakesberg

Subtle components the ever changing positioning of the crazy array of overhead video screens, the color coding for each number continually kept one engaged with a setlist largely comprised of tunes from Radioheads most recent albums, King of Limbs (2011) and In Rainbows (2007). For another band this might be a risky move, especially in such a large hall, but even the most obscure offerings were greeted with instant recognition and undisguised love. This last element love is important to note. Its not entirely clear when it happened but Radiohead has become a cause, a church, a bedrock for a lot of people, and their flock studies every missive, whisper and shrug with a mix of academic inquiry and apostolic nutiness. If one doubts this the evidence was in the hundreds singing along to yet-unreleased songs Identikit and The Daily Mail at this show, both current tour premieres that folks memorized via fan-shot YouTube clips. Its both moving and a little creepy to witness the passion folks bring to this band. Im guilty of a healthy amount of it myself, though I was still a bit weirded out when thousands started clapping along to disembodied Amnesiac staple “Everything in Its Right Place. Its not something I would ever have predicted but predicting ANYTHING with Radiohead is foolish. Maybe like any faith-stirring enterprise, Radiohead works in mysterious ways – ways we cant put into language or relate articulately to other – and the faithful were feeling it in a huge way in San Jose, doing their best to dance like lead singer Thom Yorke and sighing delightedly at the end of each song.

It doesnt hurt their increasing fan base status that Yorke is getting a good deal chattier these days. At HP he was downright conversational, regularly offering his proverbial hand to the outstretched masses, giving insights to pieces, and cracking wise as the spirit moved him, even taking a playful dig at Silicon Valley at one point. But, whats more important about them at this stage is how they relentlessly better their studio work, particularly the more recent material, with transformative arrangements and a carnivorous attack that dispels the sometimes somnambulant studio feel of the Limbs material. It makes one realize what can be achieved if artists are committed to constantly bettering themselves regardless of the riches, fame, etc. that come their way. Radiohead, based on this wonderful evening, is the standard by which all modern rock outfits should measure themselves in the days ahead.

Setlist

Bloom, 15 Step, Morning Mr. Magpie, Kid A, Staircase, The Gloaming, The National Anthem, The Amazing Sounds of Orgy, Climbing Up the Walls, Karma Police, Identikit, Lotus Flower, There There, Feral, Little by Little, Reckoner

Encore: Separator, I Might Be Wrong (tour debut), Myxomatosis, Everything In Its Right Place

Encore 2: The Daily Mail, Planet Telex (tour debut), Idioteque

4/11/12 – Radiohead @ HP Pavilion (San Jose, CA) View Photos

Radiohead Tour Dates :: Radiohead News

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