Cripsy Duck - 9.25.00 - The Fit Hits The Shan

It may not be cause for panic just yet, but our musicians have begun dropping like flies. Perhaps the local poo-poo supply has become insufficient to sustain the poor maggot-spawners. But sure as shhh... hell, they've begun bailing en masse. This week we lost two of our more pivotal drummers, guys who are going to be very difficult for their bands to replace, Stuart Gunter and Cristan Keighley.

Stuart Gunter, you will recall, has been providing god-heavy drums for Clare Quilty 2.0, giving them the alternately restrained and then explosively riotous thunder rock thumping that helped make their last release Strong the epic and dangerous precocious pop marvel that it is. He'll still be around, providing parts for his other nineteen-or-so projects (most prominently the Dumm-Dumms, whose name will soon be changed as specified in their recent settlement with a similarly titled British band) so you might still catch him. As of yet no word has arrived on who is to replace Gunter in Clare Quilty's continual rise to the top of the modern rockpile.

Cristan Keighley, after several years not playing, joined the Hogwaller Ramblers in the mid-'90's for what has developed into the most dazzling variation of the Jamie Dyer-fronted jamericana posse. While gigging in the band's typical "living-room" style bar shows, he developed a technique that perfectly accented their rockin' folky tunes. This bundle-stick/mini kit style is so uncommon, however, that finding a drummer to replace him has led the band to Spencer Lathrop, of the Stoned Wheat Things and Spike Jr. and the Saddle Sores (and also Spencer's 206, the CD shop on Water St.). Lathrop is an amazing drummer in his own right, but stepping into such a unique pair of shoes is bound to be a serious struggle. Keighley, also a director at Live Arts, is apparently considering a move to New York with his girlfriend. Good luck with the maggots!

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
9/21/00 Aden and True Love Always at Tokyo Rose -- A fair passel of Charlottesville's coolest dorks (no offense) assembled in Tokyo Rose's basement for two of Teen Beat records' more promising acts, Washington D.C.'s Aden and Charlottesville's own True Love Always. On this, the third night of their tour together, the bands sounded tight in a very medium-fi kinda way, and as this was "home turf," they let it all hang out for their fans-- mostly alternative rock D.J.'s and a few other innocent but curious bystanders. Aden-- now backed by True Love Always' drumming superslut Matt Datesman-- enjoyed a a bonus appearance by their "real" lead guitar player Kevin Barker. (TLA's John Lindaman had been sitting in on the tour since Aden's Barker had more pressing responsibilities than road work.) This return seemed to add some fuel to Aden's sophisticated geek rock fire. Sweet and humble, with complex changes that jam out in a happily understated fashion, they were a delight to behold and cheered my otherwise melancholy ass right up.

Tuna Lunch Anytime
True Love Always immediately broke bad on this 21st day of September with a cover of Earth Wind and Fire's "September," before settling into a string of tunes, many from their latest release Torch. The set of sophisticated, stripped-down jazz pop was warmly welcomed despite the occassional roughness, perhaps a byproduct of working with a new bass player. Still, a nice "Stream Up," a rockin'"Sheets" and a spotty but very digable "Sunshine" were deeply appreciated.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
9/22/00Satish Vyas and Ramdas Palsule at Old Cabell Hall -- There is nothing deeper in the world of improvisational music than the heady ragas and accomplished musical dexterity of the Indian classical music pantheon. So it was with some glee that I scored tickets to the Vyas/Palsule show at Old Cabell.

Vyas' instrument, the santoor, is an 84 string hammered dulcimer very much like the Appalachian hammer dulcimer you see around here, but played with some startling techniques, not the least of which is a gentle bouncing of the hammers on the strings that creates a very quiet but powerful sustained note. This effect, used in the opening melodic solo "alap" section had me gasping for air at several points (no drugs were involved, I swear), as the instrument gathered my attention and then chillingly held long, almost indiscernable notes, finally bending into melodic phrases.

Later, as the evening raga built up steam with musical jousts between the santoor and Palsule's dextrous tabla, I closed my eyes and was transported to an otherworldy bliss by the profundity of their intense interaction. The Indian/American co-eds behind me couldn't keep still, but I was in musical samadhi-- damn near left my body.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
9/22/00Beau Prie at Tokyo Rose -- I had to hear some Beau Prie. After tearing David Sickmen a new creative arsehole in my review of his (still unreleased) Conversation Sale, I knew I owed the lad an open ear. So in I rolled to the Rose where the band was already enmeshed in a deep and beautiful alt/pop space jam.

True to form, Sickmen remains a very engaging frontman. Something about his frenetic nervous energy and its almost arrogant quirkiness seems to demand good jams. His band flows behind his flights of poetic whimsy with a grace that you'll not find very often. Still, the rhythm did not unravel me nor mean death to my feet. But it was damn fine.

--Cripsy Duck

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*