Laraaji, Rob Noyes, and Interlaken 2/23/18 Lyric Hall

Interlaken is a solo sound artist who opened this triple bill at the surreal venue Lyric Hall in the Westville section of New Haven. This young man sat at a small table in front of the stage with what looked like a flugelhorn case stuffed with wires and connectors. I told him it looked like he was playing battleship with the crowd. The beats and synth sounds that emanated from the case were washes of sound that felt like trippy instrumental soundtrack music.
Rob Noyes has been positively reviewed in this blog before. Rob plays a 12-string acoustic at a feverish pace. His instrumental originals remind me of a cross between Leo Kottke and Jack Rose. Chatting with Rob between sets, I learn that he hails from Boston and has a day job running the warehouse and distribution for the excellent Forced Exposure Record label. Forced Exposure specializes in limited pressings of electronic and avant garde music. I asked if he ever dabbled in other stringed instruments (like Laraaji's zither), to which he responded that he likes to focus on one thing at a time. I' m happy to report that it is very evident that Rob's focus appears in his expert picking.
Headliner Laraaji is an African-American musician who plays a zither as well as a variety of percussion instruments. Dressed entirely in red, the stage was adorned with red-orange tapestries and carpets. A female musician who played thumb piano, shakers, and bells was also dressed in red and orange joined him onstage. The setting looked like an m-80 went off in the burnt Siena section of a crayola box. The music is classified as ambient or new age and has been derided as muzak for hippies. In a live setting, Laraaji makes for a compelling listen. He plucks, strums, and uses brushes on the amplified zither. He played gong and electronic nature sounds as well as singing and laughing. Laraaji was discovered and befriended by Brian Eno while he was busking in Washington Square Park in the 80s.

Jon Dee Graham w/ Ben De La Coer 2/19/18 Cafe 9

Opener Ben was from Tennessee, a young singer songwriter armed with guitar and acerbic wit primed  the 9 for JDG. He played his "meth suite", a trio of songs dragging the devastation that comes with methamphetamine. Ben lamented the north's lack of Waffle Houses, and I recounted the story of the Finnish jazz trio I saw at the Firehouse who maintained that Waffle House holds the key to the real America. Ben is a talented artist and you can tell he idolizes Jon Dee.
JDG has been reviewed in this blog before. A veteran of the Austin scene, JDG has held a Wednesday night residency at the Continental Club and claims to want to pass it on to his son. Playing in the 80s and 90s in various punk incarnations, Jon Dee has honed his songwriting and chops and has polished some chestnuts for regular rotation. Tie A Knot and Lucky Day were great. The highlight of the set was the majestic Laredo with its poignant refrain calling out a "small dark something".

Mark Naftalin and Friends 2/17/18 Pequot Library Southport

The mid-winter book sale at the lovely Pequot Library was lucky to have a stage full of regional old blues men led by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and WPKN DJ Mark Naftalin to serenade patrons as they thumbed through musty cookbooks. Naftalin played piano for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and was onstage and recorded at Woodstock. His radio show is informed and full of blues anecdotes and stories that make for a compelling listen. On a recent show, he played clips from a recording of Freddie King playing for inmates in a Texas prison. The intimacy of the recording implied that Naftalin was present at the event. On this chilly afternoon in February, Naftalin was joined by Paul Gabriel on harmonica and vocals, Crispin Cioe on sax among many others rounding out the blues "library session". Standards like Come On In My Kitchen, Kansas City were interspersed with some solid originals. In the wake of yet another senseless school shooting in Florida, Gabriel's "Put The Guns Down", was a poignant reminder that themes of human stupidity are timeless.

Earthkry w/ The Alpaca Gnome Trio 2/13/17 Cafe 9

Local groovers Alpaca Gnome Trio have been jambasing in our area for years. With gnome name hats, the trio consists of Benny on guitar and vocals, female fiddle and vocals, and a percussionist who played a wooden box. Benny, an imposing figure, looked like John Popper dressed as a gnome. Standard jammy fare was a good warmup for Earthkry.
Earthkry was a young rasta quartet from Jamaica. Original roots rock reggae straight from Catch A Fire era Bob Marley. Guitar, bass, keys, and drums were tight and had great harmony vocals. It was clear that this group was Eco-friendly but could have used some global warming on a chilly northeast evening. Great cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine, and a Gregory Isaacs tune. I was trying to remember the last time I encountered this type of original reggae as played by native Jamaicans. Sure there are countless jam bands and folkies who pray at the altar of Marley but the lack of genuine cadence and presence is always noticeable. Earthkry is the real deal.

Jounce w/ Sun Parade 2/5/18 Cafe 9

 Sun Parade hails from western mass. Two vastly different guitar and vocal front men. Bass, frenetic drums, and organ rounded out the quintet. Glammy and rocking, Sun Parade sounded like Hot Chip then Beck, then Aerosmith. Good cover of The Kinks' Victoria.
Jounce has been reviewed in this blog before. Jammy, metal power trio of bass/vocals, guitar and drums. Vocals were a bit screamy in spots as they soared through a Dead Kennedys cover, then some originals, a Tom Petty tune before closing with a metally Police and Thieves by Junior Murvin (or probably Clash-inspired).

Snake Oil 1/22/17 Cafe 9

 Snake Oil is a post rock quartet who played some original songs for this manic Monday. Male drummer and bassist, female guitarist and Asian female keys were the group. The bio led me to believe that this group has shapeshifted from an instrumental outfit ( like Tortoise or Sea and Cake), to a more vocal oriented affair. You could still hear the strains of the instrumental backdrop with the ladies singing over top. One tune had a Yoko-esque intro before entering an instrumental The End type feel. Prog was also touched upon as the closer was a three part song cycle.

Funky Dawgz 1/8/18 Cafe 9

CT based Nawlins-style brass band FD play anytime, anywhere. I have seen them at Bar, Gathering of the Vibes, Arch St Tavern, and even an impromptu session outside of a Trombone Shorty show. The lineup is fluid, and seems to evolve a la Preservation Hall. On this evening, two trombones, two saxes, trumpet, sousaphone, drums, and percussion ( that's right 8 players!) squoze themselves onto the tiny c-9 stage. Song selection was pretty standard: Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Sweet Dreams ( are made of this), We Got The Fire, and a call-and-response stomper that I'll call Hay-O, Oh. Coming off of a bomb cyclone and a week of single digit temperatures, get out of the cold and bop to FD weaving through the crowd for a rousing rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In, it will warm you.