First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #2

ekoostik hookah 2000 - Cold Rain, Hot Show
by Tim Cripe (January, 2000)

While nearly one hundred thousand of us kindfolk descended upon Big Cypress, Florida for what was widely considered to be and is now being circulated in rumor to be THE millennium party, two friends and I sojourned to Columbus, Ohio for what we had long ago decided would be and have since come to embrace to be our millennium experience. You now know our destination, so you can probably calculate our objective. There is only one band out of Columbus, Ohio that could draw fans from two states away to come to an cold, empty college town over the millennium New Years. That band is Ohio's own purveyors of the schwasound, ekoostik hookah.

While ekoostik hookah is filling large concert halls weekly and is practically a household word to Ohio kindfolk, they are not well known to us Panic-stricken southerners. eh is a lot like Widespread in terms of the feeling of the sound and the dance it serves; but they create their own unique brand of music in the arrangement, songwriting, and performance of their own material, the sound of schwa. That sound has been enough to propel me to the past four Hookahville festivals in Ohio and it was strong enough to attract me to Columbus in the middle of the winter for what may have been the biggest calendar event any of us could hope to be alive to experience.

The ekoostik hookah millennium event was a two night stand at Newport Music Hall on December 30th & 31st featuring a masquerade party on New Year's Eve. We drove up to Ohio from North Carolina on the morning of Thursday the 30th, found a place to stay for the weekend, and headed to the show for the first night's festivities. Newport Music Hall is a well designed venue. It features a balcony which can be accessed from the entrance hall as well as in two places on each side near the main stage. After the entrance hall you enter a wide open space with long bar stations at each side. Across this expanse lies the main concert area including a recessed area up front for the dancers and folk who like to be close to the stage. There are two more bar stations in the concert area, one on each side. When you go upstairs, there is another set of bars on either side of the balcony. So they covered the beverage aspect of being a venue nicely including a good selection of beers at prices that weren't great, but weren't highway robbery either. Facilities were adequate for both sexes. Women had to go upstairs where they had a choice of two restrooms. Men had one option downstairs. Overall, a very appealing place with lots of space, even when full.

After getting acquainted with the venue while the opening band was finishing, I chose the balcony stage right as home and settled down for my first sound of live ekoostik hookah since August. The band took the stage about 10 PM and the entire place rose in salute as they started into the schwa anthem to the way life should be, "Hookahville." Having staked their claim and laid the foundation, hookah continued to build from there, first with Ed McGee's "Surround" and then a revised time version of "Walk Real Slow" now known as "Walk Real Fast" showcasing Dave Katz's severe blues ability and continuing that theme with Dave Katz's tribute to Jerry Garcia, "Another Good Man Gone." Ed returns center for his ode to awakening spirit, "The Giant." Finally, they cap off the run with the jig to end all jigs and the definition of the abstract, "SCHWA." It just can't be explained.

One thing I have always enjoyed about ekoostik hookah is that they will mix up the show occasionally with a special guest or band members might play a song solo or the band might play a set acoustic or a combination of such. At the bigger events like Hookahville, each member of the band might play a song solo acoustic during the middle of the first set. Sometimes they will even play an entire set acoustic with the solo spots in the middle as well. This night hookah provided such a break in the action. Dave Katz came out first and played an original which he seems to like performing in this style, "You and I." Then Ed McGee played another original, "The Risk" which was followed with an a capella "Seven Bridges Road" featuring Ed, Dave, and Sharon Katz.

The electric ekoostik hookah then returned full force with "John Henry" and the mystical Ed original, "Tea Rose." Raising the energy level for the close of the first set, the band launched into a "Rhythm Session > Backwoods Rose" jam that left jaws on the floor. The set concluded with the debut of a new original, "Follow You Down."

The set break on Thursday night proved to be the most disappointing experience I have encountered at an ekoostik hookah show. Rather than spoil this review with the ugliness, I'll simply say that I left the show before the second set started on Thursday night. You are welcome to read my callout in this issue with the disturing details. For completist sake however, I'll let you in on what you and I both missed: "Ol' Montana Red Dog," "Alexander," "Good Times (Merry-Go-Round)," "To Good Friends Past," "Ridgeway Sky," "Deep River Blues," "Spiders," "Mountain Home," "Keepin' Time," E: "Twentieth Century Fox."

Friday, the morning of New Year's Eve 2000, I awoke re-energized and focused on enjoying myself regardless of the previous night's let down. My compatriots and I procured some masquerade masks and New Year's party items in Columbus during the day and rested up for the big celebration to come that night. We arrived at Newport Music Hall desperate for the healing powers of ekoostik hookah's music to propel us through the evening we would spend in an auditorium which to us now carried a significant amount of negative energy and paranoia driven angst.

Lucky for us, the hookah family was present in full force and good vibes were a plenty. The smiling faces, buoyant laughs, and happily nervous energy of the crowd soothed our troubles and by the time the band took the stage we were ready to experience this momentous millennium event. The band opened with "The Masquerade," an Ed original which custom fit the theme for the party. This flowed into "Rhythm Session > Chicago" and we were off the launch pad and into open space. Dave Katz's tribute to the unique nature of every individual, "Anthony's Song," was next followed by Ed's childhood memory, "Captain Krinklebein," and then the Katz penned, "Day by Day."

Ekoostik hookah treated us to another first set change up on Friday night also. First Cliff Starbuck (normally on bass) appeared with banjo and Eric Lanese (normally on drum kit) for "Call and Ask Pat Song." Cliff then teamed up with special guest Matthew Abelson on dobro for "June Apple > Red Haired Boy." Steve Sweney (normally lead guitar) joined them for "The Big Scioto."

As the minutes ticked by towards the millennium, the electric ekoostik hookah returned to motivate our spirits. When they started into Ed's testament to the rights of kindfolk in an unkind world, "Bone," I think my entire face became one...gigantic...smile! The buoyant and flowing "Silver Train" continued the upward momentum. The set closer would be the last full song of the old millennium for ekoostik hookah live. What else could it be except the Katz celebration of the non-conformist, "Loner," which so righteously screams to the unkind world, "Won't you please leave me alone!" but it might as well say "Get the hell out of my way!" The end of 1999 was near and the message for 2000 was clear, "Hippies have changed the world a lot in thirty years, but we are nowhere near finished with this revo/evolution."

The big moment came and the countdown ensued and we crossed into a new millennium. What will be the first song ekoostik hookah plays in the year 2000? Sharon Katz joined the band for a first ever cover of Three Dog Night's "Joy to World." Perfect. Quickly it moved into Steely Dan's "Reeling in the Years," also being played for the first time. When hookah does a cover, it's a real treat. I've never been disappointed by a poorly performed or chosen cover from these guys. Katz's "My Own Way" closed out the initial burst of the New Year. From there a long "Float > 1999 > Float" evolved featuring the first attempt ever at the Prince tune. Dave returns to center with the meandering and wandering "Journey" and the good time blues of "Indica & Sativa > Red House > Indica & Sativa." From hear the band goes on to "Arctic Song" and another long jam in "Through Hiker > Amazing Grace > Through Hiker." The gospel throw-in took me off guard although I think they have played it before and I just do not see them that often.

The good time drinking Dylanesque "Moonshiner" got everyone jigging some more and hookah responded to the energy with the sporadic swelling crescendos of "Slipjig Through the Poppy Fields" and the wavy flow and skipping quality of "Ecstasy." Bam! That's the end. A lot of music took place and it seemed like ten minutes ago it was just after the countdown. The band did encore with the Beatles cover "The Walrus," which was nothing new or even that outstanding for the band, but just fit the energy at the time. We needed something to get us moving into the night and they needed something just to let go, be loose and transition into their own celebrations.

So, while all those pholk down in Florida grooved for another four hours in the comfortable Florida weather and the comfortable atmosphere until the first sunrise of the 2000, we made are way with great purpose out of Newport Music Hall and into the cold, biting yet more comfortable surroundings of High Street in Columbus, Ohio. Good bye and good riddance to the Newport. Thank you and best wishes to ekoostik hookah for accomplishing the amazing musical goals you continue to set for yourselves. The schwasound was the ultimate champion, however, making the seven hour trip, the cold wet weather, the venue difficulties and the $50 ticket worthwhile.

Newport is Not a Safe Harbor
by Tim Cripe

Barring some major change of heart, I will never return to Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. After attending two shows on December 30 & 31 at this venue for the ekoostik hookah New Year's celebration, I have come to the solid opinion that this auditorium is one of the least professional and least kind venues I could choose to go and hear & see a band.

How did I come to such a conclusion? On December 30th, the Thursday show, I was enjoying talking with some new friends at set break when an arm suddenly reached around me from behind, threw me through the air and slammed me to the floor. I was brought back to my feet in a headlock. I had no idea what was happening, but soon discerned by the two additional 'security' personnel surrounding me, that the person holding me was also a 'security' person. Apparently, they thought I threw something at one of them. The 'security' personnel let me go once enough people had stood up and said that I had not done anything. 'Security' apologized heavily as if they were concerned that I might sue them.

My response to all of this was to pick up my coat and leave. How could I stay for the rest of the show when I felt like a target and even more so when my remaining would sanction their behavior as acceptable? It was not acceptable.

First of all, they 'thought' I threw something at one of them. No eyewitness. No hard, factual evidence. Just a suspicion. That was apparently enough for them to treat me in such a threatening, demeaning, and physical manner. Wrong. It does not seem that they were 'thinking' at all. That is not acceptable.

Secondly, why did they assume it was me? Everyone who knows me can vouch that I do not participate in that kind of childish behavior. I do not solve my problems by throwing objects at people or physically harassing them. I use a lot of physical space when I dance. By the end of the first set, I had been pushed out of the way three times by 'security' personnel as they bullied their way through the crowd. I was starting to feel like a target. These 'security' guys were not kind folk and I seemed to be the object of their scorn. The attack from behind was like a bright light bulb going off. I am a target.

What is wrong with these people? It is my $50 that is paying for their job and that job is to protect me. Newport Music Hall has security to protect them from us. They want us to pay them to harass us. That is a contradiction in thought for me and I can not ever support such behavior again.

If I had not paid for my tickets in advance and driven seven hours to get to Columbus, I would not have been there New Year's Eve. But I did return the next night. A lot of questions ran through my head as I entered Newport Music Hall for the big show. I made my way to the area I had found to be a comfortable space where I could move freely. Would you believe one of these 'security' personnel stood behind me with his arms crossed during the last song of the show? He just starred at me as I grooved to the music that gives me passion about life. What did I do? Good-bye Newport Music Hall. I'll always have memories of my two nights under your regime and those are the only memories I will have.

Let this be a call to action. You have a voice. Do not support venues who do not put you first. You are the customer. You're money makes it all possible. Your money is your voice. What are you saying about yourself when you give your money to a place that contradicts everything you stand for? Be kind, spend kind.