|
Baja Prog, Day 2, 3/7/02, Teatro del Estado
Raimundo Rodulfo
After a
fantastic dinner of extremely fresh calamari, huge fried shrimp, and excellent fish
tacos (not to mention the ever flowing Margaritas) we went back to the hotel to
relax and prepare for the evening performances.
 The
first band of the evening was Raimundo Rodulfo. All I can say is WOW! I could not
have asked for a better band to renew my faith in music after the disaster called
Thieves Kitchen.
Raimundo is a self-taught musician who has worked in and around classical styled
music from a very young age. He has worked in his own studio for years and came
prepared with a large band bordering on the size of a small orchestra.
This was a
band full of energy and passion. A band that without pretentiousness plowed the
fertile ground of art and rock.
 Raimundo,
while very much a soloist, integrated well all the various aspects and feel of such
a large band. The music was almost 100% instrumental. There was however this
beautiful singer that came out for a couple of tunes that made all the males sit up
and take notice (I suspect a few of the ladies too!). A beautiful woman with an
Angelic voice, and an outfit that left little to the imagination. Her participation
added so much to this already glorious set both lyrically and visually. There is
always plenty of room for ladies in prog music.
The sound ranged from lush neo-classical guitar to overtly heavy rock bordering on
and hinting at a metallic edge. Again the sound quality of this venue made each
note audible and clear. The various instruments were clear and precise and at least
from where I was sitting, did not loose anything in the translation. Their set was
fluid and coherent. Something rarely seen in a band built around one soloist.
Highly
recommended, and just one more of the 30 plus CD’s I purchased over this long week.
Baja Prog, Day 2, 3/7/02, Teatro del Estado Visible
Wind
Next up is
another of the four main bands I had come to BajaProg to see. Ironically another
Canadian band, named Visible Wind.
 This
is a band that has clear AOR style rock roots but has grown fully into the neo-prog
arena. They have been compared somewhat to a sound like John Wetton if there are
vocals involved and a very Camel sound in their instrumental numbers.
This band
not only reminds me of where this whole “progressive rock” sound came from but also
points in the direction of where this style of music is and/or should be going.
A very tight
band that across all five releases have continued to “progress” while remaining true
to their rock and prog roots. This band offers up a complex mixture of classic
rock/prog sounds along with hard rocking and excellent vocals. The “John Wetton”
reference is valid but it would be wrong to say they actually sound like the John
Wetton Band. Visible Wind moves methodically from song structure to song structure
asking, no demanding, that the listener actually “listen” to each song.
Visible Wind
is a band that with their lyrics and music must be listened to carefully. This is a
band that a casual listen will probably leave the listener cold, confused, and
totally not ‘getting’ this excellent band. This band does not play background
music. If you are not going to take the time to really listen, then save it for
later.
Live this
band came across as “actual”. By that I mean they performed in the here and now.
Yes, they have an ethereal quality to their sound but on stage they stood clearly
face to face with the audience and said to each of us proudly “We Are Visible
Wind!”
I loved it!
Baja Prog, Day 2, 3/7/02, Teatro del Estado
The Watch
After
another rousing performance, several new friends and myself migrated back to the car
to add more tequila to the already wonderful buzz each of us was wearing. It was
around this time that one of those moments occurred.
Oh, no great
light in the sky as The Cosmic placed a blessing on the Prog Proceedings within the
Teatro del Estado. No, it was that smell. You know “that smell”. This was
obviously a wind direction change so that now the aroma from a local waste treatment
plant was wafting over the arena parking lot.
This was a
smell that never seemed to be noticeable inside the venue but at times throughout
the week would show up at the most inopportune times.
I recall once when members of Hamadryad, Kopecky, my wife and I were chilling in the
Jacuzzi awaiting the evening shows when that same smell kind of rolled in like a
fog. It just settled in and would not go away. Luckily it was time to bathe and
head to the show.
So, even
though the aroma was somewhat disturbing, the tequila was so smooth and wonderful
that no one seemed to notice how bad the smell really was.
To me, you can’t do just one shot at a time. Once the cork is out of the bottle
whoever is participating MUST have two shots, one-shot wimps need not apply. This
group was a strong one with several of my new friends insisting on a third!
As we were
walking back into the venue the group was discussing the next band to perform. The
band was The Watch. Hailing from Italy, they have a style and singer who clearly
mimics Gabriel era Genesis while having a strong personal sound.
For the most part this group was very interested in seeing The Watch perform
although there were a couple who just expected to tolerate them.
So the last
band for this Thursday night was The Watch. The 3rd of the four bands I
came all this way to see. Formerly The Night Watch, this band clearly evokes the
spirit of Peter Gabriel era Genesis.
 The
lead singer appeared on stage dropping from the ceiling during the opening song,
replete with facial makeup and costume. This only served to make the Peter Gabriel
comparison that much more exact.
As this band
moved sonically through selections from both their two releases it was clear they
were so much more than mere “Genesis Clones”.
Agreed, The
Watch borrows heavily from that classic Genesis sound but they also add a large
degree of passion and intensity that is the lifeblood of the Italian people and the
music they play.
If I had one
complaint it was this. If you are going to do a cover of ANY Genesis tunes then you
must, repeat must, do it correctly. On this night The Watch did the last part of
Supper’s Ready, and a few other early Genesis tidbits.
 Unfortunately,
while the singer was dead on, his band mates were not. And I’m not referring to
some of the more complicated parts of say Selling England By the Pound, but the easy
sections. To my way of thinking, they just appeared not to have practiced and
learned the songs perfectly, which to this reviewers mind was a bad thing.
With the
quality of The Watch’s original songs, it was a shame that they did not just do more
of their own material rather than making a poor attempt at covering songs so easily
and readily recognized by this prog crowd.
A minor
point but a negative none the less.
I highly
recommend both CD’s by this band and if you do get an opportunity to see them live
please do so. Let’s just hope they either drop the Genesis covers or learn to do
them properly.
[
Prev Page <--- >
Next Page ]
|
