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The Owl View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: 21st Century Schizoid Band - Atlanta show
    Posted: April 24 2004 at 12:54
To say this Owl had his plumage blown off last night (4/23/2004) would be an understatement!

The venue was perfect ( www.variety-playhouse.com ), crisp sound, good line of sight, perfect volume and NO OPENING ACT!!

As the lights dimmed and the "Schizoid Intro" song played on the PA, our five musicians unassumingly walked onstage and proceeded to tear into "A Man, A City" (aka Pictures of a City)with a ferocity that defied their years. The twin saxes of Ian McDonald (alto) and Mel Collins (a growly, cavernous baritone) added a gritty menace as Jakko Jakszyk not only channeled 1970-era Fripp but really made it his own to boot. Drummer Ian Wallace was a powerhouse throughout the night putting forth the right mix of ferocity and intricacy with a great ear for detail. The rapid fire unison passages were no match for their passionate musicianship and obvious love for the long-neglected '69 to '72 Crimson songbook.

The hilariously demented "Cat Food" was next, with Ian McDonald doing his darndest to get those "laughing piano" figures across that were so essential to the original. Jakko had the unenviable task of not only reinterpreting Fripp's turn on a dime parts but also SINGING the fiendish melody lines. I dare say he rose to the challenge quite beautifully. Everyone looked like they wer really enjoying themselves attacking this "Beatles meets Cecil Taylor"-like bit of musical black comedy. A dissonant Ian McDonald ballad "Let There be Light (from his "Driver's Eyes" CD) followed, not bad actually, kind of begged for Paul McCartney to sing on it the more I think about it. Next up, the chilling "Cirkus" (from Lizard) had my jaw dropping in amazement with its mix of fragile beauty and horrific menace. Jakko's vocals here easily blew Gordon Haskell's away and the song really did come to life, one of the evening's best moments for me. Jakko, Ian Mac and Mel picked up flutes and played a cleverly arranged intro piece that led into "Cadence and Cascade". "In The Court of The Crimson King" was delivered with a majesty and ferocity easily matching the original studio version or even surpassing it. "Ladies OF The Road" that ever ribald black sheep of the Crimso catalog got a good thrashing. If it weren't for the obnoxiously sexist lyrics this would be an even more enjoyable Crimso piece for me. But even as I did my best to tune out the words (which ain't easy), the music revealed a rather mutated take on the blues filtered through Stravinsky. "Catley's Ashes" was a pleasantly soaring instrumental piece by Jakko which the band obviously enjoyed playing. Bassist Peter Giles, providing solid and tasty bass work stepped out front briefly and did a beautiful chordal piece on his Fender Jazz bass which led into "Formentera Lady". What surprised me was how much I liked this piece! To be honest, I actually did NOT like the original "Islands" version as it rather lazily wafted along with Boz's inept singing and lack of momentum. Here, it really came to life, as the song was given TEETH, far superior vocals and edited to just the right length, towards the end, Jakko did some very tasty wordless vocal flourishes as Mel Collins spun melodic gems from his tenor sax that really drew you in. This led into my other highlight of the night, "Sailor's Tale", retaining all the violence, menace and ferocity that made the original so cool. Peter Giles and Ian Wallace really kicked it into high gear as Ian Mac and Mel provided the eerie string and ominous brass backdrops, plus Mel investing the tune with some great Ornette Coleman-inspired alto sax early on. Jakko was having a blast with this one for sure as he attacked his guitar as though he had five minutes to live.

The last 3 numbers, "I Talk To The Wind", Epitaph" and "21st Century Schizoid Man" enjoyed renewed life with passionate, committed playing from everyone.

They encored with a heart-wrenching version of "Starless" and concluded with the McDonald & Giles piece "Birdman" which had a vaguely lullabye-like quality to it, sort of like tucking in their audience to bed after it had been terrified half-out of its wits at times.

If you love 70's vintage Crimson, you MUST see this band! They're way better than a cover or tribute band, they OWNED these songs! As the band signed my poster after the show, I made it a point to thank all of them for bringing this great music back to life and messing me up for life at age 15 in the best possible way!



Edited by The Owl
People are puzzled why I don't dig the Stones, well, I listened to the Stones, I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and--I Can't Get No Satisfaction!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 25 2004 at 11:28
Wow! I didn't even know this band existed. I went to their website but unfortunately it doesn't look like they will be coming to Montreal anytime in the near future. I wonder what Fripp thinks of the old members using the old material, the way you described it sounds as though they more or less played the songs in their original form.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 28 2004 at 12:18
His Frippness, although wanting little or none to do with performing older Crimson material himself, did give the Schizoid Band his full blessing and approval to perform these songs. Even though they did stay close to the original arrangements, they did actually start taking more and more risks with them as they've gotten more comfortable with the songs.
People are puzzled why I don't dig the Stones, well, I listened to the Stones, I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and--I Can't Get No Satisfaction!

www.myspace.com/theowlsmusic
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 28 2004 at 12:56
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 28 2004 at 16:31

There are some nice pictures over at Greglake.com

http://www.greglake.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2375

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 28 2004 at 17:07
Originally posted by The Owl The Owl wrote:

His Frippness, although wanting little or none to do with performing older Crimson material himself, did give the Schizoid Band his full blessing and approval to perform these songs. Even though they did stay close to the original arrangements, they did actually start taking more and more risks with them as they've gotten more comfortable with the songs.
I dunno I still think Fripp is some sort of Demi-God!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2004 at 08:37
I saw this band's first gig at the Canterbury Festival in 2002; halfway down the bill mid-afternoon (aka the 'everyone's asleep on the grass after the lunchtime pint' slot)......

They utterly blew me away - despite their obvious nerves (some wag at the front shouted "where's the Mellotron?", to which Jak calmly responded "have you any idea how much those f rs weigh?"), they ripped through the old material as if it had been written yesterday.

I cannot remember the full set list now, but I do remember Cat Food, Starless & their ending with a full on version of Epitaph, getting them a full standing ovation, and the first encore of the day. Nice to know that was not just a one off & they're still gigging....

Edited by Jim Garten

Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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