Good & Good For Ya - mood food, Dr. Didg, & the Lost Monkey Gallery

report filed 5/06/01 8:39 am pdt - Had the pleasure of catching a pair of top notch performances since our last journal entry. First up - mood food with Vince Welnick. After interviewing guitarist Tom Lattanand for my recent article in the Las Vegas Weekly, and listening to mood food's outstanding, self titled debut CD, I approached this show with great anticipation. After all, how often do you get the opportunity to experience the music of a former Grateful Dead member in such a small, or as they prefer to say in the biz, intimate, venue like Winstons? The answer - not very often.

Although the sound was less then perfect, for some reason the bottom end was a bit muddy, the crowd feasted on mood food's audio buffet, with jamjazz, Vince tunes, and even a few Dead covers as the main fare. Lot's of energy and skill onstage, and happy, smiling faces in the crowd. Plenty of dancing too.

We've heard nothing but rave reviews from our friends at other mood food shows along this current tour, and if you get the chance, go check these guys out...

Same with Dr. Didg. Caught the good doctor's Tuesday night show at Winstons and was once again impressed by his unique, polytextured grooves. Nobody is more effective at combining primal exotica and high tech gadgetry. Or more artful.

Backed by his rock steady combo of bass, drums and guitar, the Dr.'s signal processed didjeridoo created lush, pulsing soundscapes. At times, the grooves were hypnotic, transforming the crowd gathered at the semi-dingy neighborhood bar into a rhythm tribe of like minded music freaks. By any measure, this was a special night!

Meanwhile back at the word factory: We have unexpected good news! A few weeks ago we reported that images from Wise Monkey's incredible two night run at Winstons were lost forever due to camera problems. The loss was particularly agonizing because WMO used a mind bending light show that weekend, soaking the packed room with colors that danced in time to the music... just the sort of stuff we like here at Anytime/Anywhere studios. Well, we were wrong about losing those shots. Thanks to their perseverance and resourcefulness, our hardworking production crew finally figured out a way to retrieve the images!

We're so stoked, we created the Lost Monkey Photo Gallery to showcase these extra special pictures.

Also posted our review of, doin' something, the outstanding new CD from Soulive on Blue Note Records.

Looks like a lot of action comin' our way over the next week or so. For starters, the Pacific Beach block party happens on Saturday. Something like 35 bands on several stages throughout the afternoon. Psydecar, Government Grown and the B-Side Players are all scheduled to play, among many others. Then the following night, Particle, a dynamic groove generator on the cutting edge of the jamjazz scene's techno side, will be at Winstons.

Particle stole the show at the Area 51 Sound Test with a scorching late night performance that kept 30 or so hardcore groovemeisters mesmerized until the music stopped at apx 6:30 am. When asked about the experience, those in attendance simply shook their head and smiled. Maybe you'll do the same, when our adventure in music journalism continues...