The place: Vnuk's Lounge in Cudahy WI. The date: December 8, 2007. The agenda: Progressive rock, baby!If you get to know me for even a short period of time, you'll know almost from the get-go that Prog is far and away my favorite type of music ... I just love this stuff and tonight's show featured three of the most talented in the genre: vonFrickle, Far Corner and Might Could.
This show was originally only supposed to be part of an extra credit assignment given to my step-son, Nolan by his high school band director, where he was to take in a few shows over the next two months and then write reviews about them. Upon confirmation that we were indeed going to go, I was able to get medical clearance from my doctors to go ahead and give shooting a show a try. So, it was Nolan's first Prog show and my first time back in the saddle doing what I love after my surgery back in October.
Nolan will probably be earning extra extra credit too, as Bill Kopecky and Dan Maske from Far Corner were kind enough to sit down with him for a while before the show and let him interview them ... high school band director dude should be duly impressed, eh? Our thanks to Bill and Dan for sharing a little of their time and knowledge with a budding musician.
The festivities kicked off with Might Could from College Park, Maryland. This four piece acoustic ensemble really impressed me with their tight and imaginative arrangements and musicianship. Drawing influence from the likes of King Crimson, The California Guitar Trio,and a little Bartók just for good measure, these lads put on a great set. Weaving seamlessly from light and melodious pieces to complex chord structures and time signatures made for a very tasty listening experience.
Next up were Far Corner from Milwaukee, WI ... Chamber rock at it's finest. I'm guessing this was the sixth time I've had the pleasure of seeing this band live and each time I've walked away more impressed then the last. Cello, Keys, Bass and Percussion that at one moment takes you on a lilting journey through a beautiful musical landscape and the next will positively scare the hell out of you with minor chords and heavy moodiness. One of the things I really enjoy is the way they work improvised parts into the more structured movements of their songs. Tonight they divided their set almost equally between songs from their first two albums ( "Far Corner" & "Endangered") and brand new material, which really whet my appetite for the new disk.
Finally, from Eureka, IL was vonFrickle. These guys are ... well, they're kinda like ... almost sorta ... Hell, I have no words at all, except "Awesome," although I'll try my best here.Musically, I heard influences ranging from King Crimson, Zappa, Steve Vai, Rush, Primus and many more far too numerous to mention. The thing is, they didn't sound LIKE any of those bands at all. They sounded like vonFrickle. Not once did I get the impression that they're going through their musical career saying, "We really wanna be (fill in blank) when we grow up," if you catch my drift. I was floored by the sheer number of musical styles I was able to pick up on throughout their set. The musicianship was top notch all the way and I liked how they mixed soft, flowing melodies into blow-the-back-of-your-head-off and then back again arrangements.
Visually, I hope I was able to capture just a small taste of what one can expect from a vonFrickle show. The costumes. The way they flowed on stage. The choreographed lighting. It was really quite a sight to behold. Actually, I'm really looking forward to seeing them again as, for whatever reason, they didn't have their full-blown multi media extravaganza with them, which I'd heard is how most of their shows are produced. Honestly though, this was the only small, very small disappointment for me. These guys are on my must see list in the future, for sure.
My thanks to all of the wonderful musicians for their generous access and to Dave and all the fine folks at Vnuk's.
To view the rest of the photos from this show, please visit my new gallery, "vonFrickle & Far Corner with Might Could"
Slainte
Gareth—The Celtic Camera Photography
3 comments:
Excellent review of Vnuk's, makes me wish I was there, especially for the acoustic guitar set. If the Might Could group is anything like Patrick Simmons playing his "Slat Key Soquel Rag," one of his amazing acoustic instrumental pieces, I would be in awe. He played it when he was at State Fair this past summer.
Would you stepson want to post his interview/article on your blog? I would like to read it.
Thanks. Patrick Simmons! Haven't seen him in a while. Seeing as Nolan's review/interview was a school assignment, I don't think posting it here would be a good idea, but thanks for the interest.
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