07/01/2001 - Steve Kimock Band
The State Theater, Falls Church, VA
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Well, I got my wish. The Steve Kimock Band hit The State Theater in Falls Church with a vengeance. After being rained-out at The Gathering Of The Vibes, the band made the long haul to Virginia, getting into Falls Church at nearly 5pm. This made for a late soundcheck and an unusual delay at the doors for the audience but, beyond that, all went well. The band clearly had some playing to get out of their system and we opened ourselves up to receive.
Pre-show, met up with some folks at the Irish joint round the corner from the State. I had a little dinner and, while watching the rain fall outside the windows, it occurred to me that Steve should branch out into the rain-making business. He's had good luck with it on the East coast this summer.
On the way in we ran into some more friends and, once the inner doors opened, we moved into the fabulous theater. I can't emphasize often or strongly enough how great this venue is. An old movie house, renovated in 1998, the design is classic art-deco on the walls with bright, polished wood on the bars, dancefloor and stage. During shows, no smoking is permitted to both protect the venue and improve the atmosphere (persons over twenty-one may step outside and re-enter). The sound in the hall is really crisp. Early in set one, we noticed a slight echo but Howard got it before it could bug me.
The venue had set restrictions on the stage taping (I've been told that they weren't pleased with how it went on 12/10/99- but that could be inaccurate) and, as we entered tapers, were being sent to the balcony with their gear. However, two to three rigs stood at a respectable, low, height on the lip, capturing the magic. It should be noted that, in all honesty, the balcony tapes probably smoke too. I went up there for a brief sit down during Long Form and it sounded nearly as good as on the floor; front-and-center.
Front-and-center (behind the stage tapers) is where we could be found for most of the show.
Set one began @ 9:25 with a meandering intro that I quickly pegged as Tangled Hangers. A nice one too. SK took the first solo, naturally and Rodney took one in there too before the Arabic or darker section came on. Mitch took a nice solo and impressed me. While I've heard discs or recent shows, I found myself even more pleased with Mitch once I saw him at work.
After the twenty-minute opener, we got some sweetness in the form of Kissin' the Boo Boo. Steve prefaced by telling us how, the day before at Gathering Of The Vibes, the producers had to cut their set due to rain. He joked at being less than thrilled about it but didn't seem to genuinely upset. (how could he be? Rain's a drag, though.) Kissin' was typically great, thirteen minutes long, and I noted a good Mitch solo in there as well.
Next came the new song which we now know to be called Frees Frame. Cute name, and fitting; as the tight, funky jam features start-stop jamming. The band locks onto Rodney and they all seem about to bust out laughing during the pregnant pauses. The audience fell for the stops as well, applauding the end of the song before they picked up and tore back into it. Rodney definitely drove that one. It was short though- only about five minutes.
A brief pause while Steve puts down the White Strat and brings out the Cripes. Such a beatiful guitar- its as much a work of art as the music it produces. At 10:07 Bobby stepped up and led the band through a tight reading of Poonk > Cissy Strut > Poonk. Cissy Strut itself was about nine minutes long and featured a great envelope filter solo from Steve. I love that stuff. They did manage to return to Poonk and quite nicely, I might add.
At 10:21 we got a treat. Steve slipped back into the White Strat and Cole's Law began as dreamy and lyrical as ever. I, for one, had written it off after the Tangled opener- its refreshing to see this duo mixed up a bit. Cole's was nice, head soothing and, powerful and, after about ten minutes, wound down into a spacey jam with Rodney laying out drum fills and Mitch and Steve pulling odd noises from their guitars... this ruckus (which I happen to dig) led us to Hillbillies On PCP.
Steve and Mitch took turns on their solos and tore the place up. A definite highlight on a night of highlights... Ken gave me the setbreak signal and sure, enough, he was right. After that, though, it would have been silly to go on. We all took a breather and I returned the digital camera to the car so I wouldn't have to trouble with it during the second set...
Set Two began at 11:45 with the tune we had called for, It's Up To You. Nicely done. They went into a great rock & roll-ish jam after the main lick and took that on for a while before sliding into that higher, island-y theme. A really cool and different track to my ear. After tooling around in the islands for a bit, Steve tore into the "dark section" and man, did it get dark. Like watching late-afternoon summer thunderstorms rip into town after work, the jams blew in and before you knew it they were all around you, enveloping your senses. Someone commented that this is where the newbies get initiated. Seriously. If the first set hadn't gotten you this tune would.
About fifteen minutes in, Rodney began thumping on a solo and the band stepped back to give him his props. A nice five-minute drum break followed with Mr. Holmes shredding the skins, breaking the rhythms down and building them back up before the band stepped back into the ring to close the song. A version to remember. This, for me, was the highest-highlight of the show.
Next at 12:10, Steve pulled out a lap steel and they played Why Can't We All Just Samba?. While this tune gets a lot of stage time these days, its worthy. They really do some nice stuff with it. Steve naturally, slays on the steel- bringing smiles all around- and Mitch complements and contrasts beautifully. Mid-way through, Steve switched over to the black & white Supro and eight minutes later, switched back.
12:34 - Steve straps on the Vega and they lay out a rollicking You're The One. I love this song. I don't know if I liked this version as much as the ones from the Wetlands last December but I liked it different. The variations which this band can expose within these songs are endless. They played their funk cards here and the audience ate it up. Bobby took a particularly nice solo before leading the band into some deep, in-the-pocket, on-the-one, funk. Gotta love it.
Steve switched back to the White Strat now and we scratched our heads, wondering what they'd do next and surprise! (not, really) Long Form pt.1 came out. I like this tune. I did take the opportunity to stroll upstairs and dig on a seat for a few minutes but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice variations on the theme, from both Mitch and (of course) Steve and this played out pretty well at twenty minutes.
The Cripes came back out at 1:13 and while I wanted to hear Footprints, Five B4 Funk seemed both inevitable and appropriate, and the band agreed. The audience keyed in pretty well to the "woos" without getting too overboard. Steve took a solo, dipped it in funk and sent it out, resounding through his envelope filter. after a theme reprise, Mitch took another turn and played yet another stand-out solo, really great. They wrapped it up as they've been doing with Rodney going to town on the skins as the band repeats the theme. this bit stretched out for a minutes or two (seemed like a little while) before they all brought it back 'round and closed out the tune. It was 1:34 and Steve picked up the little clock from his amps and relayed the news that it was time to go home. And sure enough, it was.
©2001- jmh
About the Author jmh is a family man who is thankfull for beer, LPs, and extra guitar strings. Donations of any of these things or cash for their purchase will be happily accepted.