Friday the 7th: Began rehearsals with the new Powerhouse Sound lineup, in preparation for our Chicago gig on the 27th. There is no question that I’ll miss working with Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug in this format (thankfully we have quite a bit of work together in other groups, like FireRoom and the Territory Band), but working on that material with John Herndon on drums and Jeff Parker on guitar is flat out mind-blowing. The music is building in a different way, though still organized through the role of the bass (Nate McBride on electric, we’ll be adding Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on electric for future performances, unfortunate scheduling conflicts this time around…). This will be the first group I’ve worked with in years that needs a PA, strange to have to think about sound systems again, but it will be necessary- this is going to be a LOUD band.
Sunday the 9th: Performed at the opening of the new Experimental Sound Studios space with Fred Lonberg-Holm and Hal Rammel, who used his handmade, amplified instruments. A couple of shorter sets comprised of trios and duos, really enjoyable music and a chance to play to a number of people I’ve never really seen before. It would be great to have a regular Sunday afternoon spot to play concerts like this, something like a Chicago salon series… Many congratulations go to Lou Mallozzi and his staff on the new facility!
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