report filed 12/6/99 9:10 am - Fantastic show the other night by the David Nelson Band!

But before we get into that - here's the info on Wise Monkey's recent lineup changes. Tim Pacheco, vocals, percussion and trumpet will no longer be performing with the band in order to pursue other projects.

Wise Monkey has continued to perform uninterrupted during the period of transition. Bruce Stadola, a longtime friend of the band and very talented drummer/percussionist, has been added, and a variety of horn players also considered to be in the band's extended family circle, have been sitting in with the monkey at recent shows.

There will be a couple of other changes to start the new year. Ed Fletcher on drums and guitarist Scott Homan will also be departing. As of the first of the New Year, Stadola will assume the drummer's throne and Marty Schwartz, a highly skilled and versatile guitarist from the southern Cal area will round out the new lineup. Says WMO's manager, Reed Stewart, "We had a good run with this lineup, but it's time to move on. We're looking forward. The nucleus of the band is still very much intact. We're very excited about taking the band on the road and I think people are going to love what they hear."

Plans for WMO's upcoming 'Winter 2000 U.S. Tour," are on schedule, kicking off on 1/5 at the Red Devil in San Francisco and finishing up apx. three months later in Tempe for an outdoor show at Hayden Square on 4/8. Check WMO's website for the latest tour info.

OK, back to the DNB show the other night. There's an understated cool about Nelson and his band that I really like. He keeps putting out new stuff too. Yessir, ol' Nelly scores pretty darn high on the productivity meter. Playing material from their new album, Visions Under the Moon, as well as a bunch of familiar favorites, Nelson and his band were in fine form throughout their two set performance.

Just can't say enough good things about his band. Doesn't matter if Barry Sless is playing pedal steel or electric guitar - the guy is simply awesome. Same with his partners Mookie Siegal on keyboards, Bill Laymon on bass and drummer Arthur Steinhorn. Nobody does the psychedelic, extended jams any better than the David Nelson Band. And few, if any, bands can touch their collective contribution to the scene that has been called everything from 'Bay Area' or 'Psychedelic' rock, to '(that damn) Hippie music,' and now the current term, 'Jamband.' Call it what you want, these guys just play it.

The only problem with the show was that when it ended somewhere around 2am, it seemed that everybody, band included, wanted to keep rocking. Oh well, it was masterful performance nonetheless, and a healthy dose of high adventure from one of the most dynamic 'first generation' jambands still on the scene.

OK, let's see what else we've got going on around here... there's five new CD reviews posted - including DNB's Vision's Under the Moon, as well as the new ones from Viperhouse, Sector 9, and Day By the River's Watermarks, not to mention the new limited edition, live EP from Strangefolk.

There's also a brand new -Artist Profile- on Tunji, a very talented band out of Austin Texas, and also a new -Feature Article- on the reunion of Acoustic Asylum, a now legendary Las Vegas open mic. night that's being brought back to life by some of the musicians that made it a big part of the local music scene for several years.

Looking at the upcoming week, there's a couple of shows penned into the itinerary that'll likely get some coverage in the next journal entry. The much anticipated double bill of Tunji and Wise Monkey this upcoming weekend at Blind Melons promises to be an evening to remember, and then the hardest workin', big little band in the business, Dexter Grove, is playing Winstons on Monday. Hopefully if all goes well, we'll have a few photos from both shows, as well as a few surprises, next time.

'Til then, here's a few more shots from DNB the other night: