Day One, Break
After a much deserved rest, some food, a quick dip in
a very cold swimming pool and more than a few shots of tequila, it was time to head
over to the Teatro del Estado for the real fun to begin!!!
The Teatro
del Estado was about three or four miles from the hotel (I was chauffeured the
entire week so I’m guessing here) and the organizers provided a free shuttle bus to
and from the venue each day. Our little group preferred to drive our own vehicle as
we could keep the required and needed Buzz Builders on hand for those moments
between bands.
The Teatro
del Estado is a good-sized auditorium. True stadium styled seating, a full balcony
seating section, and excellent sight angles from every seat in the house. The
lighting was one weak spot.
Not that
there was not enough lighting, there was. And if a band brought a light person then
in those cases the lighting seemed just fine. The big problem was that the front of
the stage was in the dark most of the time. I really felt that the lights for the
front of the stage could have been left on all the time. Otherwise the singers,
guitarist, etc. who walked up close to the audience could still be seen. There were
times in some sets that the musicians at the front of the stage were in the dark the
entire time.
A minor
complaint I know, but if I had a hard time seeing the bands and I was in the second
row dead center, then those farther back in the house saw nothing.
The sound
was great for every band. Most did bring their own sound person but the set up was
great period. I was very pleased with the sound all week.
Another
thing, Alfonso and the other promoters of this event had Miller Genuine Draft as a
big sponsor. They had MGB banners everywhere, there were MGD Girls (beautiful
girls) standing around and passing out promotional items, and the only alcohol sold
officially at this event was MGD in cans.
As one who on my first full day in Mexicali sought out the best local tequila and
decided “Who needs water when the Tequila is this good”, beer was very low on my
list of things to drink. Thus we kept a cold bottle of tequila in the car for
between band shots. We were not the only ones either…
Now on to
the music…
Day One, Teatro del Estado, Hamadryad
 Coming
into this weeklong event there were four bands I was really wanting to see. They
were in no particular order, The Watch, Visible Wind, Pendragon, and Hamadryad.
It was
Hamadryad that was to open the festivities on Wednesday night. I must confess, a
better opening act for Baja Prog probably could not have been found.
Hailing from
Quebec, this five-piece outfit was posed to take this smallish but enthusiastic
crowd by storm.
 And
storm in they did!
In fact, it was more like a subtle “seek and destroy” mission. Finally a dual
guitar attack that was not going to wimp out!
From the opening notes, Hamadryad displayed a poise and musical ability that should
have been part of a band with many more years of musical experience and CD
releases.
 The
lead singers voice was captivating and the excellent dual guitar attack, thunderous
bass lines, killer drumming along with heavenly keyboard parts let the entire place
know that we were all about to lift off on a complex musical journey to Prog Rock
Nirvana.
I could go
on and on about the amazing sounds and ability put forth by this band. I could rant
about the dramatic quality of the singer and his almost theatrical performance while
singing and playing guitar.
As an added bonus, these guys, knowing full well the musical tastes of this
audience, even played an almost dead on cover of Genesis Firth of Fifth.
The bass
player, who sang this song, made me really think that the spirit of Peter Gabriel
was channeling through him. This gave me chills more than once during his
performance! Plus, when he picked up a flute and treated us all to an EXACT clone
of the flute passage, it brought tears to this old hippie’s eyes.
But I guess the kicker for this reviewer was that the Tony Banks keyboard solo was
expertly and flawlessly performed on guitar. All I could say was Brilliant!!!!!
Hamadryad
was outstanding and if the event had ended right then I would have felt the trip was
worth it. They rocked, they rolled, and they reminded us all where this music
started then concluded with more original material to show us where our beloved prog
music was heading. A true musical treat!
Day One, Teatro del Estado,
Greenslade
Another short break and it was time for Greensleep, I mean Greenslade. Once again, a
reformed 70’s/80’s band that I found tremendously lacking in energy and power.
I only had heard of this band and from what I’d been told they were strong prog/pop
when they were actively playing.
Not
much at all to get excited about with these guys. Maybe it was because they came
across as so old. I know, I know, I’m one too but darn it do they have to be so
obvious about it? I mean, I understand they have been around for 25 plus years but
usually bands of this age don’t come across as “ancient” as they did on this night.
Maybe the lack of the original drum, guitar and keyboards lineup was the main
sticking point. I mean this band ended up with Mr. Greenslade on keyboards, a
drummer and rather than a guitarist, hired gun, John Young, was doing the basic
guitar parts on yet another keyboard.
I mean what makes keyboardist think that a band is complete without a real
guitarist? Especially when the same band made its name with a powerful guitarist and
multi-instrumentalist like Dave Lawson.
Once again, even sitting in the second row center, these guys were putting me to
sleep. In fact it was so bad it appeared as if Mr. Greenslade himself seemed to be
playing keyboard by the numbers. You know, like paint by the numbers? Oh you end up
with a painted picture but is it really art?
And while the bass player could run up and down the neck of his axe, he still seemed
content to rework over and over the basic “four string bass guitar” sound.
But to me it was the strength, or lack there of, in each song that just killed this
band for me. This was clearly prog light at its worst. Super cheesy pop songs that
even Madonna or Brittany Spears would fall asleep to.
I’m sure these guys are capable musicians, just not up to the caliber of the modern
bands that could have been invited to this fantastic event.
Forcing myself to wake up and leave as Greenslade was allowed to play the “expected”
encore, I walked out of the hall hoping to find something more interesting. Possibly
the Miller Genuine Draft Girls could wake me up and to no ones surprise, they DID!
One of my other minor complaints was the very small vendor area. Greg Walker had the
main part of this area as he did bring in a large number of CD’s (and also a
mellotron for use during the shows). But the overall space was just too small.
There was literally no room to browse through all the CD’s. Other vendors were there
and even the bands that were attempting to sell stuff were crowded into the same
small side room.
When compared to other prog festivals I have attended, at least in terms of the
vendor area, this was by far the smallest and the absolute hardest to navigate in
hopes of finding that one special CD.
I was lucky in that I had a list of possible purchases created from reviews and
comments from friends. I went early on that first Wednesday, gave Greg Walker my
list and he proceeded to pull my order. Ultimately I did not need to go into the
extremely cramped, extremely loud, and extremely hot vendor area.
Day One, Teatro del
Estado, Ergo Sum
Last up for Wednesday was a band from Chile, Ergo Sum. I’d never heard of them much
less heard their music, but ladies and gentlemen, this five-piece band really pegged
the Captain’s Rock-O-Meter!!!!!!
I’ve got to tell you all, this is a band that has kept the ROCK in Progressive Rock!
A guitarist whose every movement and lick demanded the listener to pay attention!
Sitting in the second row you could really watch as this guy worked out big time.
His fire red Ibanez guitar talked to the crowd all during their set.
One screaming lick to the next this band (drums, 6 string bass, flute, vibraphone
<yes vibraphone>, and guitar <no keys yea! >) gave off more energy than a Super
Nova! Powerful prog-rock sounds blended with the special tonal qualities only a
vibraphone, flute and African styled percussion can bring.
It was impossible for me to stay seated. This is exactly what I was waiting for.
Powerful rock music that was so very proggy all the while offering up a unique blend
of tonal sounds and textures. Soft passages were mind melded with ethereal textures
that gave birth to a cacophony of sound sweeping over the listener like a tidal
wave.
This band was ON and the crowd knew and felt it.
Finally they were done. Off the stage. The crowd, tired (it was almost 1:00 am by
this time) from a long day of music, food and drink started to leave the venue w/o
even offering up a call for MORE.
The Captain, still unable to contain and control himself, started the chant for
more, More, MORE!!!! That was all it took as the crowd stopped and picked up the
chant. MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!!
Appearing to be surprised and pleased at the same time Ergo Sum bounced back onto
the stage like a Cruise Missile armed and heading for Bin Laden’s cave in
Afghanistan.
Ergo Sum blazed back with another brilliant musical bombardment culminating in an
excellent drum solo, the first of the day. No longer able to control myself I leapt
from my seat and standing stage left I showed why I’m often considered the “Dancing
Fool” (or worse depending on who you ask).
…. And then, it was all over. Ears ringing, echoes fading, heart rate beginning to
slow down. And to think it was only the end of Day 1.
Driving back to the hotel, Phil, Jo and I would discuss each band and the merits or
demerits of their performance. On this evening there was such a warm buzz in the
car. Yea, Greenslade had been a disappointment but sandwiched between the most
excellent Hamadryad and the energetic Ergo Sum, their lack luster performance was
totally overlooked. We even commented that if they had been better it might have
just been too much. Ah, so maybe there was method to Alfonso’s madness
[
Prev Page <--->
Next Page ]
|
