2020/1/2
Kenny Wollesen & Will Shore – Duo Vibes @ Montauk Salt Caves
Initially having thought that I would have liked a recliner, I settled very happily onto the salt floor, a beach made of pink Himalayan sea salt, and stretched my 6’1” frame completely, getting completely horizontal. Forty-five minutes of pure relaxation and passivity. Quick aside: When I get into bed with cold sheets, after a few moments or perhaps even seconds, there is a transfer of heat energy that warms my sheets. The salt floor, however, had no such transfer of heat energy. Perhaps it has a higher specific heat (Thank you, Neddy, or lower as it may be) than my sheets. Regardless, it remained, as Stuart Scott would say, “Cool as the other side of the pillow.” So much so that it snapped me from my reverie at around the halfway mark. If anyone heading back finds themselves on the floor, go double blanket, one above and one below, and make sure you have ample space for extension.
Only twelve days into my yoga career, especially twelve days into my yoga career, as every new pose hurts and stretches the limits of my aging body, I relish shavasana, the heavenly state of relaxation and meditation at the end of each session. Double vibraphones in a salt cave led me here in spades, with none of the work usually required to get there. Maybe that’s why it took a few minutes to quiet my mind so it was actually closer to half that, but still. The music was the perfect accompaniment to this heightened state, awake yet not, as I never actually fell asleep but certainly wasn’t conscious. I was aware of bass vibes rising from the salt below and penetrating my skin and bones, even as a higher pitch descended likewise rom above. Super unique experience and, as Neddy said, great way to start the New Year, and very much in line with my resolution to practice yoga and quiet my mind while freeing my body. Not to mention, I’m all about new experiences these days, and sharing this one in a room of 20 in which I knew 12 was pretty freaking cool. What next?
Gyan Riley’s Elixir @ Barbes
I was staying in Union Square for the night, walking distance from both the Salt Cave and 55 Bar where I started and planned to end my night. What to do with the time in between? Neddy and Sasha were headed to Barbes for Gyan Riley, and, natch, going to see the Wayner afterwards so I surrendered to the flow and hopped in the back with Juls. Cause who wouldn’t go to Park Slope for an hour of guitar magic aften an hour of double vibraphone just to come back to the Village for mind-bending guitar shred.
Travelling with the truest of professionals, we got to Barbes mere moments before the set began, as Gyan, accompanied by another guitarist (electric for the duration), bassist (standup and electric in a 50/50 split), and a drummer, picked up a ukulele to start his set. I had only seen him once and my memories featured an acoustic guitar virtuoso whose right fingers picked furiously while his left fingers and wrist contorted and stretched in the most unnatural positions as they flew up and down his fret board with equal or greater speed than his right. So I was surpised when he grabbed a uke, and fucking loved it. He was so good, in fact, that he brought to mind Jake Shimabukuro, who’s playing locally in Princeton 🙂 on Freaks ball :(. Oh well. Back to Riley, he is the type of guitarist who you don’t just listen to but watch with jaw agape, unable to wrap your brain around the movement of his hands and the sounds he coaxes from his guitar. His ukulele play is equally captivating, if not more so, as he somehow makes it sound more like a 12-string than a baby guitar.
As Gyan put down his uke and plugged in an electric guitar, I was somewhat disappointed as the pure acoustic notes are what draw me to his sound. Well, he can shred, too, as this set was the perfect intermezzo from vibey shavasana to the shitstorm of guitar shred that was coming down the pike at 55 Bar. If you had to design an eclectic night of livemusic’n, started with double vibraphone and ending with Krantz, this set was tailor made as the ‘tweener. The first electric song had a riff that called to mind The Beatle’s “I Want You.” And as good as it was — Gyan Riley is a savant with any guitar — I still felt that the acoustic just showcases his talent better. The bassist switched from a standup to a 5-string, and while he played it quite well, little did I know that I was soon to see James Genus for the first time, a 5-string master if ever I’ve seen one (not that it’s a contest). Awesome set for $10 in the bucket. Thank you Steins for the ride and the rec.
Wayne Krantz, Josh Dion, and James Genus @ 55 Bar
In my limited Krantz experience, I have my favorite drummers and bassists that round out the trio, not including Carlock and Lefebvre whom I’ve seen at the Iridium but never at 55 Bar so they don’t really count. Evan Marien is my favorite bassist, I dig his tone and his vibe, and Josh Dion is my favorite drummer, a delicate beast, with facial expressions that put a story to the music. Enter James Genus. Hotfuckingdamn. Now, that’s a fucking trio, Krantz, Dion, and Genus, ferocious players each and every one. Interesting to compare their individual outward expressions of their monster playing. Dion and Krantz, showing you everything, and Genus, tucked into the corner, chill on the outside, giving nothing more than a head nod and a ba-ba-ba with his lips, but a fucking lunatic on the 5-string. WOW. Shouldn’t have mentioned earlier that it’s not a contest, because it kind of is, as musicians compete for my time, money, and energy. Some lineups excite me more than others. Don’t sleep on this trio. They all cycle around eventually, and when this one’s number comes up, miss it at your own peril.
They played all the Krantzian standards and I spent much of the night picking my jaw up off my lap. The first had the distinctive riff of “Back in Black” — I feel like I either never read about that or blocked it out if I did so I must ask if I heard that right? “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Can’t Touch This” made their obligatory appearances, as well. This trio was a sight to behold and, since it wasn’t so crowded, I was able to move around the room freely and take it in from various spots: sitting at the first table under Wayne’s nose and next to his pedals, standing next the server’s station by the bar, and from a high stool in the watch-out-you-don’t-get-hit-with-Wayne’s-guitar-neck zone. It’s also entertaining to watch, in the close confines of 55, people and waitresses play guitar limbo as they try to squeeze by Wayne without disturbing his playing, hitting his guitar, or stepping on his pedals. Funny stuff.
Josh Dion 
Wayne Krantz 
James Genus
Haven’t seen Krantz in months and this trio vaulted to the top of my get off your ass and see them when the opportunity presents itself list. Can’t think of a better way to have topped off night one on my 2020 spreadsheet. On that topic, I realize with a January 2 triple that our carload of Freaks was all on pace for 547.5 shows this year, but I forgot about this being a leap year and was corrected to 549. Having seen no live music today, January 3, my projected total is down to a Neddy-esque 366. Fear you not, it will continue to fall as my next scheduled show isn’t until next Friday. That’s a good thing since I’m pretty sure 366 would come with divorce papers.
So a January 2nd triple followed by this Jersey boy’s favorite part, the 9 minute walk home to Union Square where I was asleep by 1:00 am. You actual NYC Freaks sure are lucky!