Electronhic w/ Daniel Levin 5/14/14 Cafe 9

Jazz cellist Levin with drummer began this avant evening. Levin attacked his cello from all sides like a sumo wrestler. Speedy bowed fills gave way to cacaphony as if Levin were drowning a cat. His intensity of movement was mesmerizing, using  his bow to scrape the C-9 stage floor or "play" the metal post that holds up the cello. Alternating between beautiful sounds that most of us associate with the cello, and skronking noises that sounded like a squirrel trapped in a weber grill, Levin was truly in a zone. At one point, when the bow shredded, Levin stopped and pulled at the frayed hair with a look of disgust at the wimpy bow.
Electronhic was the musical outpouring of Bob Gorry's New Haven Improvisers Collective (NHIC). Bob on guitar and theremin, Jeff Cedrone on guitar and keys, Chapman stick ( a bass-type instrument that looked like a standup cribbage board with strings), drums and sax. They started the evening with a "cover" of an Alice Coltrane song. The improvising interplay between this crew was visible, a democratic swooping and diving of sounds that dissolved as soon as it came together. All of these musicians have chops, and it must be fun to let loose in a controllled uncontrolled setting. The highlight came when the sax player switched to Great Bass Recorder which looked like a table leg fixed with a hookah mouthpiece which gave a full bodied sound.

Dustin Wong w/ Child Actor 4/23/14 Bar

I seem to recall Child Actor being a "local" duo. Nice guy/girl harmonies and use of synths ( and synth percussion). The accent on the female in the group was decidedly not local.
 Dustin Wong had at least 10 looping pedals for his well-worn guitar. At one point, he had to stop and rearrange pedal order so as not to get confused. Looped guitar parts created moody or pop backdrops for the final song crescendo. I am always amazed at the linear thinking that must accompany a solitary looper. A competent guitarist, Wong was able to sound like five people on stage. A Stanley Jordanesque two handed slap technique ended one song, while a wordless vocal ended another. Wong is definitely original in his delivery.

Thumbscrew 4/11/14 Firehouse 12

Thumbscrew is a power power trio consisting of Mary Halvorsen, guitar: Michael Formanek, bass: and Tomas Fujiwara, drums. Halvorsen, looking like a mix of Jan Brady and Velma from ScoobyDoo, is a diminutive monster on a huge Guild hollowbody. Formanek, the father figure, bowed and plucked waves of bass. Nimble Fujiwara, brushed and flowed effortlessly. Cuts from their new recording dominated the set. Fluid Hills in Pink, Still...Doesn't Swing, Cheap Knock Off were all great. Halvorsen's Guild was front and center, she could staccato, vibrato, and obligato through improv fills that were all original. These three make fluid improv that ebbs and swells.

Southern Soul Assembly 4/9/13 Norwalk Concert Hall

Organized by ace Mofro front man JJ Grey, Southern Soul Assembly showcased a great quartet of southern swampiness. Grey was joined by Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson, and Marc Broussard for an evening of acoustic songs and stories from these accomplished musicians. Broussard had a booming voice and a gnomish appearance. His song about his grandmother was excellent. Dickinson, from North Mississippi Allstars fame, is known more as an electric axe wielder. Luther seemed very comfortable on acoustic slide, a weird looking bass, and some sort of a swamp bouzuki that looked like a coffee can with a stick and a rubber band. Dickinson's songs about cutting his grass (Yardman), and a sea chantey about fraternizing with mermaids were solid. Osborne is a true character. With a trademark Nawlins drawl, his songs Coming Down, Summertime in New Orleans, and a heartfelt closer about a "runnin pardner" who succumbed to drugs were all fantastic. Grey has been praised in this blog before, but his relaxed fireside chat atmosphere was awesome. 99 Shades of Crazy, and Lochloosa as well as a reggae workout with Osborne were fantastic. These musicians looked right at home in this relaxed setting.

Drive-By Truckers with Blitzen Trapper 3/18/14 Toads

Missed most of excellent opener BT. Portland natives have opened for the likes of Wilco, they know how to rock and usually have a busy festival dockett. Their current record is excellent and even though I missed them, I would recommend them. Logical opener for DBTs made for an enticing double-bill.
Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, the axe-wielding core of DBTs have been together through many band incarnations. Former members Jason Isbell and Shonna Tucker have decent solo careers. Tour stalwarts, DBTs have discovered the knack of multiple guitar shred and lend it to many of their songs. Their current record is also quite good. Hood's songs have the Flannery O'connoresque angst of Skynyrd crossed with the Clash. Cooley songs tend more toward TomPettyisms and sometimes don't segue well the Hood songs. Good overall show with some muddy spots. Hard to not to yell the refrain "hell no I ain't happy!" during Hood's signature tune.

Moonface w/ Saltland 3/6/14 Spaceland

Caught a couple songs from Rebecca Foon aka Saltland. Cellist with a looping function played a couple of haunting melodies. I hear she did a stint with Thee Silver Mt. Zion crew which is pretty impressive cred.
Moonface aka Spencer Krug, did a solo piano show. Krug was part of the Montreal-based Wolf Parade. Accomplished on piano, Moonface played atmospheric piano ballads that ebbed and swelled. Despite one poor-working piano key (that I could not discern), Moonface songs of love and loss reminded me of David Sylvian crossed with Neil Diamond with lyrics by Lou Reed. Krug currently resides in Helsinki, and the chilly scandic desolation and beauty came across in his songs.

Sarah Borges w/ Girls, Guns,and Glory 3/7/14 Cafe 9

Good crowd for a friday night. From Boston, GGG offered some capable urban country.  A quartet of guitar, bass, drums, and hat-wearing singer recalled Cash-era country and not the slick faux-bro slop that passes for music in Nashville these days.
Sarah Borges is a charismatic singer and guitarist that uses GGG for her backing. Warming up to travel to SXSW in Austin, SB put on a good show. Sonny and Cher, NRBQ, and a J Geils cover blended seamlessly with her Lucinda Williams delivery. With more sass than twang, SB showed that she can rock.