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| P2 At Albany Again |
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| :: Posted by Sid Smith on Mon., Feb 20, 2012 |
My thanks to J Eric Smith for sending in this marvelous review of P2 playing Albany. You can hear the gig that Eric is writing about here.
Eric writes "I was a music critic (for better or worse) in Albany, New York for many years. My wife and I recently relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, and as part of launching a web presence in my new home community, I have been reviewing old archives of my work for items that might lend themselves to new purposes. I found a ProjeKCt Two live review (copied below) while digging through old floppy discs and files, and thought I would share it here, since I have not seen many other formal newsprint reviews from that era posted here. It was a lovely show, one that I still cite as one of my all-time favorite live performances.
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ProjeKct Two
Valentine’s Music Hall, Albany, New York, May 8, 1998
Copyright 1998, J. Eric Smith (Originally appeared in Metroland, The Alternative Newsweekly of Northeastern New York)
"OK, now we’ve played everything we don’t know,so we can play something that we actually do know," announced electronic drummer Adrian Belew at the end of ProjeKct Two’s second all-instrumental, all-improvised set. Belew, 10-string Warr guitarist Trey Gunn and electric six-string guitarist Robert Fripp then encored with King Crimson’s "Vrooom," an angular number originally created by Fripp, Belew, Gunn and their Crimson bandmates Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto.
As nice as it was to hear "Vrooom," the true value of the encore was to place the evening’s improvisational extravaganza in context by providing a single sample of how ProjeKct Two sounded when tackling a fully developed and structured instrumental piece. Frankly speaking, the encore paled in comparison to the 90 minutes of music preceding it, as its rehearsed complexities and nuances were nowhere near as impressive as the knotty, towering sound collages that ProjeKct Two created on the fly as the rapt audience watched and listened.
Fripp, Belew and Gunn were watching and listening to each other as well, and much of the thrill of this concert came from witnessing the interactions between these deeply talented musicians who have played together long enough to anticipate each other’s thoughts, sometimes before they eve realize that they’ve had them. Belew or Fripp typically opened each number with a drum or guitar pattern that the other musicians would would investigate, mount and ride, sometimes to loud and uplifting summits, sometimes to quiet, scary grottoes, sometimes back to the point at which they started. It was actually harrowing to experience in many cases, as the trio careened just on this side of control as they rode, the looks on their faces indicating that it was just as thrilling (and frightening) for them as it was their audience.
As important as technical prowess was to the concert’s success, mention must also be made of ProjeKct Two’s technological proficiancy. Belew was playing the latest generation of Roland virtual drums, allowing him to create a seemingly infinite number of sonic assaults as he clattered and rattled along with a look-Ma-I’ve-got drums grin on his face. (Understandable, given that he’s normally a guitarist.) Gunn matched Belew’s rhythmic and textural intensity as he tapped, stroked and and beat the touchboard of his Warr guitar.
Fripp spun out any number of his trademark spine-tingling sustained guitar lines but also used the treatment technology he has developed over the years via his Soundscape and Frippertronic performance experiments to create a wealth of tones and intonations. At times, the bands’ sounds were so far skewed from what your eyes were reporting to your brain that it was almost psychologically easier to look at the floor and imagine that Fripp was playing cluster chords on some beaten-up jazz-hall piano while Gunn blew on a baritone sax and Belew kept time by tapping on whisky bottles and ashtrays. Crazy, man, crazy.
All told, ProjeKct Two’s concert was a magnificent one, and I must confess to feeling great relief in being able to report that. Why? Because Robert Fripp’s written and recorded works have done more to shape both how I listen to and how I think about music than have any other artist’s over the last two decades, although I never actually stood in the same space with Fripp until last Friday. So imagine the potential for debilitating disappointment at this show, and then imagine the transcendent relief and joy when it didn’t come to pass. It literally moved me to tears. And how often can a wordless concert do that?"
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Happy Birthday King Crimson
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sun., Jan 13, 2013
On this date in 1969... There was much excitement in camp of the as yet unnamed King Crimson. Why so? Greg, Bob, Mike and Ian started their very first rehearsal in the basement of the Fulham Palace Road Café. The venue had been found by Pete Sinfield, who turned up on the 13th with fellow KC roadie (and later tour manager) Dick Fraser at Ian McDonald’s place to collect Mike’s drums. After that Dick, Pete, Bob and Greg returned to Ian’s to haul the Mellotron off to its new subterranean home and get their first rehearsal in their new space underway. KC had truly become part of the underground scene!
And speaking of the underground...
In 2011 a Japanese film crew making a documentary about the song The Court Of The Crimson King chose to visit the site of the Fulham Palace Road Café as part of their show. You can read what happened over on the blog. Here's some snaps of the place as it is today.
  Helping celebrate King Crimson's 44th year are two feature articles in major magazine publications.  (thanks to Anthony V Hall for sending in this picture)
Mojo offers an 8-page feature written by Mike Barnes and covers Fripp's time in Crimson as well as his various collaborations. Prog contains a one-page piece penned by Fripp himself which asks the question What Is King Crimson?
This is followed by an 11-page feature written by yours truly and
centered around an interview with Robert that focuses on the years from
Court up to Larks' and the creative processes that were at work at the time. You can see some of the magazine spread over on the blog. This is followed by a 4-page appraisal of Giles, Giles & Fripp's Cheerful Insanity album by Lin Bensley, with commentary from Mike and Peter Giles. So raise a glass of your favourite tipple and toast to the King!
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Dgm Shop Discount!
:: Posted by Inner Knot on Fri., Jan 11, 2013
Visit the DGM Shop to check out three new shirts including a vintage-style Larks' Tongue in Aspic. Currently, purchase three shirts and receive a 15% discount (25% for Frequent Fliers).
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Bowie's Blast From The Past
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Thu., Jan 10, 2013
My thanks to Albemuth who writes "Spiegel Online has an article called "Back in Berlin, At Least in
Spirit" by Kristen Allen, which tells of the understandable excitement
Berliners have about Bowie's new single. The photo at the beginning of
the article shows Bowie standing with two of his genius collaborators,
whom all of us will recognize!"
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Fripps Crisps
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Thu., Jan 10, 2013
Is there no end to Robert Fripp's shameless marketing plans to part people from their hard-earned pay?
My thanks to Michael Peters for the heads-up
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Where's Levin Now?
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Tue., Jan 8, 2013
David Bowie has released a new single - Where Are We Now? - today and Tony Levin plays bass on it! You can hear it over on Bowie's website.
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Court Considered
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Tue., Jan 8, 2013
The latest in an occasional series looking at the art work of the KC catalogue has just gone online, and under consideration this time is none other than the first King Crimson album. Read all about it here.
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More Tracks Vicar?
:: Posted by David Singleton on Mon., Jan 7, 2013
Get Your latest Vicar tracks here
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What's In Store For The Vicar?
:: Posted by Sid Smith on Sat., Jan 5, 2013
The Vicar now has his own store over at Burning Shed
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