This show is both an electric bluesfest and a psychedelic jamout a sizzling barbecue of musicianship put on for the Berkeley faithful and those of us lucky enough to stumble upon the recording years after the fact. There are points where the whole band is firing out notes in every direction, and Billy gives the snare drum some real snap to keep it all in very orderly disorder. The cymbals have a deliciously stony, metallic ring to them which Kreutz applies generously. The hi-hats rustle along in trippy coils and cycles around a thumping against-the-grain kick drum. For the jammier songs like All The Time, Drums, Dreams, the unknown instrumental, and Scarlet > Fire, Bill exhibits his trademark unstructured swirling flow, where he keeps “feel” instead of keeping “time”.
He chops out the old-style blues rhythms like Sittin’ Here Thinkin’ and New Speedway Boogie in stylish fashion as a springboard for Rick Barnett, while surfing along with a more restrained, breezy drumming approach for the slower blues joints like Inner City Blues and Stayed Away Too Long (restrained and breezy, that is, until the whole trio explodes into those ripping guitar solo segments that really lay on the burners). Besides his work in the 80’s for those Grateful Dead offshoots like the Jerry Garcia Band, Kokomo, and Go Ahead, I think this is the only live tape from 1975-1998 of him playing as the single drummer of a band!īesides being a true rarity, 7/14/97 is an exceptional showcase of Kreutzmann’s skill, versatility, and unique style. That much is unsurprising, but it’s still very much noteworthy because he’s alone at the kit! Backbone came around after 20 consecutive years of the two-drummer Grateful Dead format, but a little before Bill’s more recent single-drummer projects like The Trichomes, BK3, 7 Walkers, and Billy & The Kids. Another thing that’s very apparent is Kreutzmann’s exceptional drumming fluidity and quality. It’s an assembly that sounds very similar to the kit he was using a couple of years prior during the Grateful Dead’s Fall ‘94, Spring ‘95, and Summer ‘95 tours, except that it sounds like there’s fewer toms, and the snare he’s using here has a little more bite and pop to it. This is where Backbone really starts rattling.īy this point in the show, two things are evident about Billy’s drumming - one being the actual drum kit itself. All The Time has Bill the Drummer and bassist Edd Cook shifting the rhythm around wonderfully. Sittin’ Here Thinkin’ struts right along in classic, traditional blues style. The opening number has a really bumping, grounded, focused riff paired with a nostalgic chorus.
It starts tamely enough, with an audience of what sounds like just a few dozen people welcoming the trio to the heady old bay area dance hall. Looking to mix it up? This 1-hour shredder from the rare and elusive Backbone will have you holding onto your hat.
0 kommentar(er)
