Col. Bruce Hampton & ARU – The National – RVA
There are a lot of concerts in your town (or nearby) on any given day. Some don’t interest you at all. Others you’ll go to if the situation is right. There are very few that, as soon as they’re announced, you’re waiting for the tickets to go on sale. Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit is one such show. Bruce is one of the most versatile, ground-breaking, risk-taking artists on the planet. His influences are diverse, ranging from jazz to blues to gospel to big bands to country to psychedelia to… well, you get the picture. Some of the greatest living guitarists on the planet list him as one of the biggest influences on their music. The Unit played an instrumental role in the second wave of the jam band scene, right along with Phish, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors and Widespread Panic. He’s got some fairly decent musicians in The Unit that you may have heard of. And this show was part of a 15-date summer tour, the first time the group has reunited for more than a show or two since 2006-2007. So to say I was stoked for this show would be a huge understatement.
We live in Virginia Beach, and it’s normally a two-hour drive to Richmond. Normally. But leaving after work was the best we could do. As we approached the highway near our home, traffic was backed up on the ramp to get on. Not a good sign, but we worked through that and a couple of “rubbernecking” delays before traffic picked up. We got to the hotel at 8 p.m., the scheduled start time for the opening act, Hard Working Americans. Check-in, a quick clean-up, and take the two-block walk to The National, right? Not if you forgot to print your tickets, can’t remember your password and fail at the labyrinth of Ticketmaster’s password reset process. Luckily, I was able to reach George from Ticketmaster who, once I verified that I was who I said I was, was able to change the delivery to will call at the venue. Thanks, George! Stress levels coming down, we got to The National around 9 p.m. This theater is owned by the same outfit (AEG Live) as The NorVa, a venue in Norfolk that I’m very familiar with. The same things I like about The NorVa (pleasant greeters, great bar staff and, most importantly, friendly security personnel at the photo pit) I found at The National. It’s always nice to feel at home when you’re on the road.
As we walked in, Hard Working Americans was still playing and we caught the last twenty minutes or so of their set. This supergroup formed in 2013 and is comprised of Todd Snider on vocals, Neal Casal on guitar, Jesse Aycock on lap steel, Dave Schools on bass, Chad Staehly on keyboards and Duane Trucks on drums. The band was wrapping up “Ascending Into Madness,” a tune that sounds as somber as its title with a dirge-like, mournful wail. “Down to the Well” followed, a song about drinking, playing crappy gigs in dive bars and awkward encounters with old lovers. They picked up the pace with “Shake X 5,” then rolled into “Guaranteed,” a tune with a chant-like quality and rhythm that slowly built up to a cacophonous climax. These hard-workin’ boys closed out their set with “Stomp and Holler,” a barroom boogie tune that features Staehly on keyboards and a harmonica solo by Snider. Sure wish we could have caught their whole set, but the next best thing is to listen to it on PanicStream.com. The links for both shows are down at the bottom of the article (just make sure you read your way to it instead of scrolling on down there).
We chatted with friends during the set break, then the house lights dimmed as the band, less Col. Bruce, came on stage and began noodling at first, then slowly dropped into a little funky jam. Dave Schools strode onto the stage to loud applause, thanked everyone for coming to his hometown of Richmond to see the show, then one by one announced the band members. Bruce was announced last and walked on, acknowledging the crowd’s applause as the band launched into “Phantom on the Curb,” a funky number and a new song the band wrote for this tour. Bruce continued with vocals on “Fixin’ to Die,” a blues boogie tune that traces its lineage back to Booker T. Washington — “Bukka” White, one of the lesser-known Delta bluesmen from the ’30s.
At this point, Bruce’s guitar was resting comfortably atop a padded stool, untouched since the set began. It remained there as Bruce started the next tune with a little harmonica run, taking a quick break to introduce the band members, then launching into “Another Man Done Gone,” an old Odetta tune. Bruce finally strapped on that guitar and played along with Jimmy Herring as the song morphed into “Look Over Yonders Wall,” a Memphis Jimmy tune that’s been widely covered, before returning to “Another Man Done Gone,” with a scat section featuring Bruce and Oteil Burbridge. “My Brother’s House,” another new tune, started out with a reggae lilt for the first couple of minutes before breaking out into a heavy guitar battle between Bruce and Jimmy in the middle before returning to the opening theme at the end. An old favorite, “Time Flack,” was next. This number, written by Bruce and Oteil, works from a bossa jazz foundation, giving Jeff Sipe a chance to strut his stuff on the kit.
“Elevator to the Moon” took us on a dip into the jazz fusion pool. This piece, from Bruce’s solo album Arkansas, was a near ten-minute exploration of fusion themes ranging from melodic to dissonant to discordant. Another new tune, “The Dragon,” followed, with Oteil playing a bass banjo, an instrument I’d never seen before. I really liked the resonance and tone. Next up was “Trondossa,” a composition by the late jazz percussionist David Earle Johnson that appeared on the studio album Mirrors of Embarrassment. The band rolled into “Give Thanks to Chank,” the title track of the album by Col. Bruce Hampton and The Quark Alliance. Jimmy’s guitar solo (about three minutes’ worth of heaven) rolled seamlessly into “Space is the Place,” the title track from the Sun Ra album and film of the same name. The version that night was far shorter than the 21-minute run time of the original and featured some nice work by Matt Slocum on the B3. Shifting gears completely, we went to church as Oteil took the lead vocals on “Working on a Building,” a song from both the traditional African-American spiritual and Southern gospel genres. It’s been covered by the likes of The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Elvis Presley, The Oak Ridge Boys, B.B. King and John Fogerty, although I doubt any of them had the pluck bass solo that Oteil threw down. Staying with that gospel tradition, Bruce led the band into “Yield Not to Temptation,” a Ralph Bass and Sonny Thompson composition. With an opening guitar riff reminiscent of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Trouble No More,” it quickly transitioned into a foot-stomping, hand-clapping call-and-response jubilee of a song that included a swelling solo by Slocum on the B3. All I could say was “Amen!”
Bruce then said, “I gotta pick up Ramsey Lewis. I’ll be back in a minute.” As he walked off stage, Oteil laid down the opening bass line for “Rampage,” a new instrumental jam that gave each of the four remaining musicians ample space to showcase their talents. The only adjective I can come up with is “towering.” Bruce rejoined the band as the opening notes to “Jazz Bank” began to roll out. A traditional jazz number that Bruce wrote with Victor Francs, it’s been a staple of the band’s performances from the beginning and, for some, it’s an acquired taste. Moving from old to brand new, they launched into “1911,” a Jimmy Herring composition that, at that point, was about two weeks old. In my earlier interview with Bruce, he said that of all the new material, this one flowed better than most. Bruce’s monologue verses ranged across a spectrum of topics that included Gustav Mahler, Shoeless Joe Jackson and penicillin, highlighted by a great slide guitar solo from the Colonel. Reaching way back, “Isles of Langerhan” was next, the title track from the 1982 release by Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age. Be sure to look for those isles on the map! Sticking with that same album, they rolled into “Time Is Free,” another David Earle Johnson composition that was the title of his solo debut in 1978. This rendition featured two blistering, technical solos that were perfectly executed by Jimmy and Oteil. Why not stick with that Late Bronze Age album for one more? “Jack the Rabbit” is a purely indulgent rockabilly boogie tune that had the house clapping to the rhythm and cheering on Jimmy’s guitar wizardry, as well as the behind-the-head finish by Jimmy, Bruce and Oteil.
End of the show? Of course not. The band returned to the stage after a couple of minutes to launch into “I’m So Glad,” a song originally recorded by Delta Blues guitarist Skip James and popularized by Cream. This particular rendition had a beautiful, Southern rock flavor to it that harked back to The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.” Not long after it started, Duane Trucks darted onto the stage, slid onto the throne and took over the kit without missing a beat as he and Jeff Sipe doubled up. We were certainly all so glad to be there but not happy to see this show come to an end. It was one hell of a reunion. I, for one, hope they don’t wait very long to do this again.
Hard Working Americans set list: Mission Accomplished, Another Train> Is This Thing Working> Another Train, Dope Is Dope, Come From The Heart, Run A Mile, Blackland Farmer> Born To Be Wild> Blackland Farmer, Ascending Into Madness, Down To The Well, Shake X 5, Guaranteed> Stomp And Holler
http://www.panicstream.net/vault/hard-working-americans-08132015-richmond-va/
Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit set list: Phantom on the Curb, Fixin’ to Die, Another Man Done Gone/Look Over Yonders Wall/Another Man Done Gone, My Brother’s House, Time Flack, Elevator to the Moon, The Dragon, Trondossa, Give Thanks to Chank > Space is the Place, Working on a Building, Yield Not to Temptation, Rampage, Jazz Bank, 1911, Isles of Langerhan, Time Is Free, Jack the Rabbit. Encore: I’m So Glad
http://www.panicstream.net/vault/aquarium-rescue-unit-08132015-richmond-va/
