Derek Trucks/Allman Brothers

[colterphoto1]

Last night I had the privledge of seeing my first Allman Brother's show, with drummer Butch Truck's son Derek and his band as the warm up act.

This concert was held in a new small natural amphitheater at Indianapolis' White River Gardens. It is a splendid site, right near a revitalized canal zone that is used as part of a metro hiking trail system and also the Eitlejorg Indian Museum and NCAA Hall of champions.

For only $37 and easy parking very close by for $10, we were given free beach type chairs like the type used in other lawn pavilions. Arriving around 6:30, we were on time not only to catch all of the opening act, but to select our position. I chose a spot right at the crest of a hill where we would enjoy nearly unobstructed view, and straight in front of the stage left speaker tower where we would be on Derek's side of stage during the Allman's.

This will be part 1- covering the opening act of Derek Trucks Band.

Derek's band is a simple assembly. Kit drums, bass, guitar, persussion, keys, vocalist. I noted that this southern bluesman's band consisted of 4 black players, one of whom had an African name. Couple of the guys were much older than he. I just found this interesting.

I did not know the names of any of his songs and indeed hadn't heard his CD.. But I will be getting it today. The music, I'd call a more world oriented southern blues, with hints of old school rock and bit of jazz/R&B for good measure. (listen up Who- this is part of your musical education). I'll not lookup names here, but just refer to their position and style of playing if that's okay. Being surrounded by the towers of Allman equipment, they were dwarfed a bit onstage, but made a tight cohesive rocking unit. Barely any spare movement was noted, stage presence wasn't nervous, just 'we're just here to play'. No flash, no wardrobe, no jumping about, no wasted movements. Also not many smiles.....

Very young bass player, mainly of Fender Precision. Played a very quick fluid style and was all over the fretboard all night. I think he also played with the Allmans. Stood very close to Derek and at times I swear he was matching him note for note. Good solid player, took a couple of small mini-leads. And he had the coolest shirt and a little King Tut sitting on his rig.

Keyboards were Hammond B3, Yamaha multi-keys/piano, and I think a Clavinet on top of the organ. This guy was very schooled musician and was tearing up the organ and playing Wakeman-style organ on right hand/ piano left hand, and then some very funky leads on the Clavinet. He'd also pick up a flute from time to time for some Marshall Tucker band type melodies. Had that big Leslie cabinet turning the entire time .

Drum was standard kit with some African percussion thrown in for good measure. Not terribly flashy but very solid. Older gentleman probably the age of Derek's Father.

Older black gentleman with African name on percussion, playing 4 conga setup and had this square wood box shaped thing he would sit on and play conga style as well. Very good.

Vocalist was a very young black kid with medium afro and a voice like smoke and butter. Very soulsy, almost feminine sounding at times, very classy and unobtrusive- just got up and sang, then took to side of the stage. Kind of Smokey Robinson voice or like some of the Santana band singers. Don't know if his style will hold up long term under the rigors of the road but is was wonderful, warm and fluid. Made an interesting contrast to the biting guitar leads.

Derek- to look at him you'd think 'what an unlikely rockstar', cause hes kinda beat up looking, very pale with blond hair pulled back tightly in ponytail. Dressed like he just got off the bus. But what a sound. Looked like he played the same one or two Gibson SG's all night. Didn't appear to be any fancy hardware on them either- probably hot P/U's though. Two Fender two-channel cabinets with 4x10 or 4x12's. One looked to be older than him. They mic's the new one in two spots, is this a stereo rig of sorts?

What got me the most was his playing style. Never a pick, he used his right hand to pick the strings on an light, quick upstroke with his index and middle fingers. Or he'd strum with all fingers outstretched, or he'd strum a chord with the tops of his middle and ring finders. Weirdest style I'd ever seen. But it works. for him. It was like he had the lightest touch on the strings but made the heaviest sound. He could really get a myriad of sounds out of what looked to be a stock setup. I looked and listened but could find no evidence of any effects pedals or rack mount goodies anywhere. It appears to be all playing technique.

When Derek pickup up the Slide, it was just pure magic. He'd make it soar, scream, then quiet it down so you could just barely hear him picking. They he'd charge at you again and again. The sound man followed this and probably helped with the dynamics but it was an extraordinary experience. The dynamic range of this show was unlike anything I'd ever heard. The song writing was respectable, no earthshattering compositions, but all pleasant or rocking southern-rock with a bit of Jazz and Latin tossed in. I enjoyed it.

Sound system was rather smallish with grounded bass bins and flown wedges. I didn't get close enough to see the make. Sound board was one of those fancy digital jobs with all the screens. Very little off board processing but I could see that the main xover/eq was being handled by a couple of those newer digital units. There was another rack for DAT and digital recording. There was a flyer out at the beginning of the night where you could get a 3CD set of tonight's show for $25, so they had to have hardware for that somewhere.

It was a great first set- one song I recognized a theme- thought 'Christmas music' then narrowed it down to one of the Vince Gualardi (Charlie Brown) compositions that they's rearranged into a rocker, so that was fun. Derek started promptly at 7 and wrapped it up at 8. I think he said thanks and smiled a couple of times. Very intense young kid.

Clapton might have his hands full with this one. Derek could mop up the floor with Robert Cray. I kid you not.

More on the Allman Brothers coming later today- I've got to get to an appointment.

[colterphoto1]

From the Derek Truck Band site- no extra charge. I wanted to get the names of the musicians out there for ya. I guess I was right, they are a bunch of very schooled musicians, and reading this description, Derek and bassist Todd did seem very closely in sync- they've been playing together since they were kids. That would explain it.

Derek Trucks

Guitar

Todd Smallie Bass & vocals

Yonrico Scott Drums, percussion, & vocals

Kofi Burbridge Keyboards, flute & vocals

Mike Mattison Lead vocals

Count MButu congas and percussion

The Derek Trucks Band has been a work in progress for over

10 years, blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian,

and other world music into the sound that now defines the

DTB. The bands mission has been to assemble a group

of musicians that share a passion for improvisation and musical

exploration, and to develop a united musical vision by performing

with this core group of players for an extended period of

time. The focus of the band is on the art form itself, despite

the current trend of image-driven music on the scene today.

The DTB aims to create progressive roots music in an effort

to move the art form forward and re establish substance over

hype. Following is a brief history of the band, and the diverse

background of the musicians that make up the DTB.

Derek Truck's musical career began at the age of nine, when

he picked up a five dollar acoustic guitar at a yard sale.

"It was nothing special," he claims, It was

just the only thing that looked interesting." But that

seemingly inconsequential purchase changed his life. After

learning what he could from his father and a family friend,

Derek began playing with other musicians around town. "It

happened pretty quick," Derek remembers. Within the span

of a single year, he had purchased an instrument, learned

how to play, and began touring - with his father acting as

road manager/chaperone. What had begun as a weekend activity

quickly became a lifes pursuit, and would eventually

result in Derek being the youngest player to make Rolling

Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list.

Derek got his first paying gig at age 11 and formed his first

band at age 12. Todd Smallie, who played with many jazz and

blues musicians in the Atlanta area, entered the picture in

1994, when Derek was 15 years old. "We have so many stories

and so much in common, says Derek, It's been

an amazing experience with him.

In 1995, Yonrico Scott rounded out the band's permanent rhythm

section. More than 20 years older than Derek, Yonrico brings

an incredible lifetime of experience to the table. Like Derek,

Yonrico began to play music at an extremely early age, picking

up the drums when he was only 7 years old, playing gospel

music in church. While growing up in Detroit, Yonrico studied

under Motown drummer George Hamilton before moving south to

attend the University of Kentucky, where he received a Bachelor's

Degree in percussion performance.

Born in the Bronx, raised in Washington, DC, Kofi Burbridge

first picked up the flute at age 6. He soon began ear training

and studying theory at the same time. Kofi's musical education

was rooted in classical and jazz -- for the flute. While attending

college at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Kofi landed

his first touring gig. Eventually making his home in Atlanta,

Kofi took advantage of numerous opportunities to play with

his brother Oteil (bassist extraordinaire) and a host of like-minded,

enthusiastic musicians. He joined the Derek Trucks Band in

1999.

In 2002, The Derek Trucks Band heard about vocalist Mike

Mattison after recommendations by both DTB producers Craig

Street and John Snyder in the same week. Mike had been performing

and recording as part of a duo called Scrapomatic in the New

York area. Mike performed with The Derek Trucks Band for several

gigs and Derek soon realized he had found the final piece

of the puzzle. Mikes soulful voice and understated

stage presence fit the bands musical vision and Mike

worked into a full time position with the band shortly thereafter.

Mike, originally from Minneapolis, lived and played in Brooklyn

for a number of years before finally being drawn to the Southeast

and settling in Atlanta with the rest of his DTB bandmates.

Count MButu has been the mysterious sixth member of

The Derek Trucks Band for the last six or more years. He is

the only band member that doesnt perform on every tour,

but his presence with the band has become more frequent over

time and the band always elevates their playing when he graces

the stage. Born in Georgia in 1945, Count M'Butu studied music

at Georgia State University and learned the art of drum making

while in Africa, where he developed his love for and prowess

on a variety of percussion instruments. He has worked with

a wide variety of musicians, including Col. Bruce Hampton

& the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Frank Zappa, and Chuck Leavell

and has shared stages with Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler,

the Allman Brothers Band, and Phish.

[Duke Spinner]

.

I did not know the names of any of his songs and indeed hadn't heard his CD...

Dude ...

there was some DTB in that wad of CD's i sent .....!!

play 'm on your computer, it'l tell you what the band/songs are ....

[Marvel]

They both put in a great performance here in Chattanooga last Sat. night, according to my son. Price was a lot lower, but for the Riverbend Destival the performers are on a barge tied up at the edge of the park downtown. Usually average around 40 to 60 thousand people for the big acts. Major fireworks after the main show on Sat. (closing night). $36 for the whole week.

Glad you liked the show. I thought the bass player was Oteil Burbridge, from Egypt, whose own band played earlier in the evening.

Bruce

[r.cherry]

buy the "instant live" cd after the allman bros show if offered...

i have several of these from different shows and think they are great.

the first one i got, i didn't listen to for a few days and when i played it i thought thats not the show i was at it sounds too good.

not a lot of crowd noise etc, and they do a nice job with the recording i think.

[colterphoto1]

I wonder if they could cut out the 30 minute drum solo- sheesh

Was the DVD of the entire show including Derek's band?

M

[r.cherry]

the cd's i have aren't from this year. and they are the complete show, so if you want to chop out the drum solo i guess you would have to do it yourself.

mine are 3 cd set, so they must have kicked up the technology to dvd huh?

[colterphoto1]

Cool,

Sorry for the delay. I've been a busy boy getting the khorns set up today (see 1972 in 2ch).

After about a 30 minute set change the Allman Brothers Band took the stage. By now the sun had fully set, the audience had a head of steam going and a light breeze kicked in. Again- a supremely pleasant evening.

Getting through the first few numbers the mix was a bit muddy. It didn't help that the audience went to their feet from the first notes of "Statesboro Blues" and stayed up until a few well placed 'do you mind if we all see the show' helped a few stragglers to their seats.

Sound became more well balanced immediately and we were off and running. I'd never seen the ABB but have lots of their music including Eat a Peach, Fillmore, and the Dreams box set. Many of the songs tonight seemed a bit worn with age and slow of tempo. I'm not a musician, so hard for me to tell, but I wondered if a few songs weren't shifted in key, perhaps to make the vocals easier to an aging voice..

Stage was set up as it always is for the ABB, drums up top with Jaimoe buried in so many cymbals that we couldn't hardly see the aging drummer. He required some extra roadie help through the first three numbers getting everything set to his liking. Kind of a dry sound to his drums, but he and Trucks kept impeccable rhythm. Kind of like the trick of having two guitars playing the same parts slightly time shifted or with axes of different timbres, the dual-drummer setup gives a very full funky sound. It's obvious they've spent a lifetime playing together. The gentleman on percussion kept busy, but only filled in when necessary. I noted that he used mallets quite a bit on his congas and cowbells. That gave the instruments a sharp attack.

Gregg was far stage right, behind the venerable Hammond B3 and electric piano at his side. The monster Leslie cabinet behind him was noted to be mic'd on opposite sides on the top end. Don't know if this was run in stereo to the mains, but it was a full lush sound when he really stepped on it. Being a lover of good rock organ (Jon Lord, Rick Wakeman), I was disappointed that Gregg's Hammond washes were buried under the two guitars for most of the night. He sounded fantastic on vocals- my buddy leaned over at one point and commented that 'there's the best white bluesman on the planet'. I had to agree with the caveat that Joe Cocker surely runs a close second.

I'd first become aware of Warren Haynes when this same friend took me to the Halloween show of Gov't Mule last year. This beefy hulk of a guitar player has the quintessential rock licks, Les Paul tone, and every effects device known to man I think. He had a rack of gear that rivaled Frank Zappa's behind him. Also with a deep gravely voice, he probably split the vocal duties evenly with Gregg.

Warren's guitar sounds were contrasted very sharply with those of Mr. Derek Trucks- center stage. It was obvious that the spotlight was on this new superstar. Standing rock steady with double Fender cabinets behind him (I think Bassmen cabs- just like the ones he used with his band- only 6x10 instead of 4x10 this time). No effects rack or pedals could be seen. Even during his swooping slide guitar parts I didn't even see him reach for a Morley wah or volume pedal. It appears again that his playing is all technique. Word is that he was given Duane Allman's favorite slide, a heavy glass Coricidin bottle.

All I can say is BOY CAN HE PLAY! the interplay between the guitars was just magnificent. They played slide to the other's strumming, dualing slides, matching leads. From time to time Warren would lean over and kind of run the show- speaking to Derek on his left and Gregg to his right- then the sound would take off like a Jumbo jet, swooping, mesmerising lines that made you forget the melody of the song until they'd bring it back home 20 minutes later.

There was a great mix of songs, I can't name them but surely the ABB web site has a set list. I recall Gregg taking center stage during a quiet moment to play Melissa, we heard Wasted Words, Trouble No More, Melissa, a Howlin Wolf tune (something .44), what was probably only a couple of fairly new tunes that I couldn't place. No Dickey Betts numbers though, and they are some of my favorites- I don't think anyone could have sung the high parts. Unfortuanately the jamming was interrupted with a 25 minute drumming extravaganza that was just, well, boring. It was rescued by a beautiful piece by the bassist playing a 6 string bass and singing along with himself. The band launched back in and kept jamming through a single encore to end at precisely the noise abatement hour of 11 pm for a 2 1/2 hour set.

I'd recommend this show to any ABB fan out there. We had a wonderful time. Pretty well behaved audience and nice set list.

Michael

[colterphoto1]

Setlist
Order	Song or Setlist Comment
1.	Statesboro Blues
2.	Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
3.	Maydell
4.	Who to Believe
5.	Midnight Rider
6.	Wasted Words
7.	Forty-Four Blues
8.	Can't Lose What You Never Had
9.	Trouble No More
10.	Gambler's Roll
11.	The Same Thing
12.	Melissa
13.	Black Hearted Woman
14.	Jessica
	Encore
15.	One Way Out

[oldbuckster]

Hard to believe you have never seen the Allman Brothers untill now. There have been many line up changes over the years, some for the better, some not...........Glad you liked it, good review, gosh, NO Blue Sky....!!!!!!!!

[colterphoto1]

Isn't Blue Sky a Dickey Betts tune? No one left to sing in that high register, just two gravely voices nowdays.

[colterphoto1]

On the setlist, I just noticed that you can click on any song which takes you to the ABB website for lyrics and 'reviews' from fans on the song. very cool![H]

[oldbuckster]

Isn't Blue Sky a Dickey Betts tune? No one left to sing in that high register, just two gravely voices nowdays.

Jessica is a Dickie Betts song ,So? I thought they were Allman Brothers Songs..............You really have never seen them before?......some many different line-ups over the years...............Good Band Always............liked the Toler brothers Dan on guitar, Dave on drums......many ways to play those songs............

[colterphoto1]

Yes, just listen to the intonation in the voice. Dickey, despite his hard-luck looks, had the 'prettiest' voice of the bunch, and it sounds like he wrote the more mellow, 'acoustic' songs during that time.

Checking the liner notes on my Dreams 4CD set, Dickey wrote and sang lead on Revival, Long TIme Gone, Crazy Love,

He also wrote In Memory of Elizabeth Reed & Jessica (no vocals) Southbound, Angeline, and Can't Take it With you (although Gregg sings these),

On Blue Sky, Dickey is given songwriting credit but he and Gregg both sing, Dickey has the lead vocal however.

Get ahold of Dickey Betts and Great Southern or get the box set if you want to hear more of his music. (there's about a disc worth of solo efforts and a disc of early and unreleased stuff on Dreams)

And no, I'm quite sure I'd never heard them live before. Just like I never got out to see ELP or Kiss. My reputation as a rocker is far greater than my concert appearances I'm afraid. I really didn't have the expendable income to go to many shows, or I just preferred to buy the album and stay at home. Don't know which.

Michael

[oldbuckster]

Yes, just listen to the intonation in the voice. Dickey, despite his hard-luck looks, had the 'prettiest' voice of the bunch, and it sounds like he wrote the more mellow, 'acoustic' songs during that time.

Checking the liner notes on my Dreams 4CD set, Dickey wrote and sang lead on Revival, Long TIme Gone, Crazy Love,

He also wrote In Memory of Elizabeth Reed & Jessica (no vocals) Southbound, Angeline, and Can't Take it With you (although Gregg sings these),

On Blue Sky, Dickey is given songwriting credit but he and Gregg both sing, Dickey has the lead vocal however.

Get ahold of Dickey Betts and Great Southern or get the box set if you want to hear more of his music. (there's about a disc worth of solo efforts and a disc of early and unreleased stuff on Dreams)

And no, I'm quite sure I'd never heard them live before. Just like I never got out to see ELP or Kiss. My reputation as a rocker is far greater than my concert appearances I'm afraid. I really didn't have the expendable income to go to many shows, or I just preferred to buy the album and stay at home. Don't know which.

Michael

Ok, what was wrong with what I wrote? I just figured a guy your age would have seen the Allmans a couple of times, just surprised you hadn't, that's all!!! You made it a point to write it was a Dickey Betts song, and that maybe that's why they left it out, Dickey Betts was part of the Band, and I thought they were Allmnan Bro.'s Songs, always have been

I don't want more Dickey Betts, I want more Allman Bro.s, Classic Allmans that's all. Relax, those pledges are gone already.............................

[colterphoto1]

Nothing wrong with what you wrote. I just never got out to see them before. Maybe it's cause I like their music but never had many friends who did. Actually my buddy told me about this show and we went spur of the moment.

I agree, I like the Allman Brothers classic lineup. Also noticed that Berry Oakley wrote a couple and sang one or two numbers as well. That's cool to have that much talent in a group.

As far as the Pledges go, I think I'm right on. I backed out of the Heresies, and saw live music. That's right along the lines of the Pledge as I see it.

Michael

[Duke Spinner]

Howsabout I send you more Live Music ..???

does that count ..??

I mean , after i take care of Terry, 'an Thee-Bee's

[colterphoto1]

Dig it man![H]

[oldbuckster]

So many band member changes, and each one a little different than the one before, the basic Allmans Music, played alittle different each time you see them. A Good solid Blue Collar Band, that's been around the block, a few times.......