Return to Lonely Goat Features Archives

First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #5

The Band Dynamic: Tony Trischka @ The Carrboro ArtsCenter
By J. D. Edwards (September, 2000)

The difficulty of keeping one's music accessible and mainstream only seems to increase proportionately with a musician's talent. Despite the flawless execution demanded of its performers, not very many listeners can actually "get down" to a classical string quartet. Conversely, one need look no further than the laughable caliber of most Top 40 musicians to recognize the lack of talent in popular music. But somewhere in between, there must be a common middle ground, and I found that thin strip of crumbling terrain at Carrboro's ArtsCenter in August, being straddled by a bluegrass quintet so diversified that they made Bela's Flecktones seem musically restrained. The quintet in question was banjo player Tony Trischka's latest genre-bending brand of eclectic jazzgrass, and they create intricate, listenable music that definitely does not qualify them for pop success but still keeps an eye on pure entertainment at all times.

Tony's musical career has spanned three decades and has included stints with Country Cooking, Skyline and Psychograss. The New Jersey native also recorded as a solo artist as well as serving as fellow Yankee Bela Fleck's banjo maestro. On the instrument, Tony doesn't possess the speed or fluidity of his former student, but his music and his band are more well-rounded and more daring than Mr. Fleck's freaky foursome. Please pardon all The Flecktone comparisons; the category of banjo jazz is still relatively sparse.

And the biggest difference between the two jazzgrass ensembles lies in the versatility of Tony's surrounding musicians. Two of his current members spent time in Joe Gallant's Grateful Dead orchestra, Illuminati. Guitarist and vocalist Rolf Sturm and drummer Grisha Alexiev anchored the seventeen-piece orchestra on their sporadic tours through North Carolina as well as appearing on Illuminati's release, The Blues for Allah Project. In the new band, Rolf's skill with weepy blues, angular jazz and plaintive country expanded their musical horizons and acted as the ideal interactive springboard for Tony's banjo.

And Grisha could wax soft and contemplative with a pair of brushes, ride the cymbals at a breakneck pace or flat out just batter his skins with pinpoint thumps. Together with bass player Bob Bowen, the two recreated the subtle insurgency of a jazz rhythm section along with a deft adaptability to other styles, especially when the second set trios called upon their increased presence and diversity. Having played only three gigs with the band, Bob seemed tentative at first, only worsened by his initial short shrift in the sound mix, but by his second set bowed-bass solo he became an indispensable part of the group chemistry. And the weakest link in the lineup but hardly dead weight, saxophonist Mike LaMendola contributed several compositions and soloed on tenor, soprano and flute, losing a few style points here and there for his lack of originality.
After hearing their music described as "eclectic jazz," I was skeptical about the overused adjective, but after seeing the performance I must admit that the label couldn't be more fitting. They touched upon country, bluegrass, jazz, blues, Irish, classical, rock, and funk, effortlessly gliding from a haunting Chinese spiritual to 50's-style boogie-woogie R&B at a moment's notice. They even featured one thrashy punk takeoff on the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" that could have wrestled the "Slamgrass" descriptor from Leftover Salmon. And amazingly, the band blended such seemingly incompatible styles into one cohesive whole, uniting every style of music known to mankind into one song that referenced of all things The Backstreet Boys.

Their ability to layer overlapping melodies between the three lead instruments further differentiated this band. Rolf would start out with a lead guitar line, and Tony would come up under him with a complementary banjo run until Mike was able to weave his saxophone delicately between the dueling strings into a challenging concept of group improvisation. The three interlocked harmonies into one idea and then used that whole as a launching pad into distinctly new territory. The Flecktones liberally utilize call-and-response interplay but usually do so on their own separate ground with successive flurries not simultaneous ones.

Looking like a bearded, bespectacled Beau Bridges onstage, Tony relied upon a dry wit that spilled over into his music. Between songs, the elder statesman chided his younger band mates about their affiliations with the Gore/Lieberman campaign. That humor crossed over into the music as Tony would build up to a rousing ending to a song, only to stop short of the finale. The other members followed their mischievous leader, conditioning the audience to expect one thing musically, only to wink slyly and head off in another direction. And that irreverence made their music so much fun, because they constantly kept the audience on their toes either with their fast-paced interplay or those unexpected musical twists.

I must commend the ArtsCenter on their continually pleasurable concert experiences. The several hundred seat, general admission venue attracts mainly music students and art patrons who are devoutly serious about the absorption of their music. The smoke-free room consistently books the best in jazz, folk, bluegrass and world music, offering an intimacy that few non-bars boast. But drinkers do not fret; the refreshment stand sells Sierra Nevada and Newcastle on draft for three bucks as well as wine and a variety of munchies. On top of all that, ticket prices remain affordable (Tony's show cost ten dollars to non-patrons), concertgoers may come and go freely without even brandishing a ticket stub and longtime soundman Bo consistently provides top-notch sound.

Touring in support of their latest release on Rounder Records entitled Bend (although the title Band fits equally well), the five-man unit redefined jazzgrass on their own terms. They are more responsive and more together than their banjo jazz counterparts, mainly because of a versatile rhythm section that employs the proper power that a rhythm section should; this isn't just four individuals soloing in the same space, it's a lean, mean touring machine. Flecktone fans should at least give Trischka's music a try. They probably won't abandon their beloved quartet, but judged alongside their nearest artistic brethren, they may appreciate The 'Tones and the whole jazzgrass genre in a new light.