Archived Edition of Chromatic Musings

Garaj Mahal @ State Theatre

Tonight, I caught Garaj Mahal at the State Theatre. It was my first time for both -- I've never seen or heard Garaj Mahal before, nor have I ever set foot in the State Theatre.

Garaj Mahal is comprised of Alan Hertz on drums, Eric Levy on keys, Fareed Haque on guitar and Kai Eckhardt on bass. I'll openly admit the only reason why I decided to see this show is because I wanted to catch Kai playing. I played with him briefly while I was studying under him, but it's a very different thing to see someone playing out on their own as opposed to imparting knowledge.

First, some words about the State Theatre itself. It's a pretty well done place, art deco architecture and decor, and it reminds me rather much of a few Cinema/Drafthouses I have been through. They had an interesting choice of entertainment in between acts, though. A movie screen scrolled down from behind the top curtains and then actually ran a reel of bands that would be playing there soon (Coming Attractions, I suppose).

Garaj led out with a strong, pocket groove. Alan laid down a monster pocket and didn't let up for the entire evening (J.D. would have been proud of this guy). He and Kai locked in early and stayed tight all night. The band has an overall jazzy feel to it, which fits with the backgrounds of both Fareed and Kai. I noticed a number of songs were in odd time signatures (5/4, 7/4 and one that was either 9/4 or 17/8 -- I sort of lost it for a bit). There's a heavy jam band component, though, particularly in the segues between songs.

They did take a short break. When they got back, Alan was doing some interesting techniques on the drums. He held in his hand a cymbal hanging on a string that he would bounce a stick between the hanging cymbal and other instruments on his kit. He also was doing this "pull-off" -like technique on the high hat that was really well done. Garaj saved their more interesting music for the end of the second set. For those who left early, you really missed out.

Some words on Kai (since I am a bass player, you'll have to forgive me when that's my focus). He has such a nice feel when he plays; he's a kind a giving guy, and that comes through in his playing. His technique is such he mostly plays fingerstyle, but when he thumps, he only single thumps. I've gotten so used to seeing Victor and Anthony double thump that seeing well done, quick single thumping was a nice change of pace. I noticed that he doesn't look at his hands much, particularly when soloing. And, speaking of soloing, his solos were elegantly phrased, blending high octane runs with dynamic emoting.

Would I go and see Garaj again? Yeah, I probably would. The band I would compare them to is the Flecktones; a jazz foundation, lots of other influences thrown in on top. They are not the same at all, but they mine a similar vein. Garaj played some funk, some jazz, some Celtic music, some blues, some gospel -- in short, all the things that make jam bands fun. You never quite know what's going to be next. I also picked up their studio album while I was there. More on that in the near future.

There was an opening band. I suppose I should say a few things about them as well.

The opening band was G13 from Ocean City, MD. Their sound seemed to be a cross between Phish and the Allman Brothers, just without either's passion or depth of musicianship. Well, truth be told, only the lead guitarist sounds like that. He had a complete Dickey Betts rip-off going on, and that's just about all he did. Both singers left quite a bit to be desired: the bassist's was too nasally and whiney, while the guitarist's was way too much a whiskey voice for what he was trying to sing.

Actually, the only highlight of the set was the drummer, who had nice chops and a good feel. The kit drummer, I should specify. I can only surmise the percussionist is a good friend of the band or a family member, because he added almost nothing sonically. The only thing that he did add some movement on stage. For this band, that will have to pass as stage presence.

Overall, the band suffered from the general curse of low- to mid-level jam bands -- songs that last forever (their shortest one clocked in at 16 minutes) without going anywhere or saying anything.

Posted by Casper at January 29, 2004 03:12 AM