Serving the music...
Mike Keneally Band/ Godsticks
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 21st March 2013
Mike Keneally, for those of you who don’t know the name, is a San Diego based composer/ guitarist/ keyboard player, who released his first solo CD twenty-one years ago (Hat).
However, he remains better known for the people he’s played with – Frank Zappa on his final tour in 1988, Frank’s sons Dweezil and Ahmet, Steve Vai, the touring band of the heavy metal cartoon band Dethklok and most recently Joe Satriani.
Mike Keneally is not only a virtuoso, but a seriously good songwriter.
And one that plays with taste, serving the music not the ego.
Mike Keneally has been keen to tour Europe with his American band for years – previously they had only played festivals in the Netherlands, thanks to the support of Dutch radio station NTR 6.
But the economics of touring for small-scale artists in the UK had been punishing even in the good years – the recession has led to closures of venues across the UK and an even more risk adverse booking policy from those that have survived.
So the first European tour of the Mike Keneally Band is for me, something to be celebrated.
And fortunately for all concerned the quality of performance was also worth celebrating.
The Mike Keneally Band started with a false start, a comment from Mike that "it never happened" and therefore "couldn’t appear on YouTube" and then a furious reading of the first song 'Frozen Beef.' Considering that two days earlier the band had been in sunny California, the odd bit of jet-lagged raggedness was to be expected. But raggedness doesn’t come naturally to the band.
Mike Keneally’s music is full of shifting time signatures, melodies coming in wild tangents and, when necessary, brutal playing.
The two hour set was played with both passion and precision by Keneally's band of Bryan Beller (bass), Joe Travers (drums) and Rick Mussalam (guitar). The enthusiastic audience was impressed throughout.
The set was weighted to the recent album Wing Beat Fantastic, a songwriting collaboration between Mike Keneally and Andy Partridge of XTC.
With Partridge having written the bulk of the lyrics for the album, the song 'You Kill Me' was introduced by Keneally as "the views in the next song do not necessarily reflect those of the management."
The lyrics for 'You Kill Me' refer to right wing politics, media and the similarity of views of fundamentalist religious leaders, regardless of their actual beliefs. It’s a fine song.
Andy Partridge’s lyrics have helped expand the range of Mike Keneally’s lyrics – which are frequently absurdist – weather, nature and teenage stalking are now covered as well as Keneally’s recurring lyrical themes of dogs, dolphins and ceiling coasters as a path to maturity.
Highlights of the evening included the piano led 'Tranquillado,' 'Your House' (beautifully sung), 'Hum' and the set closing 'Cause of Breakfast.'
The opening set was provided by the Welsh progressive rock band Godsticks who contributed a fine set of complex music including covers of Frank Zappa’s 'Marque Chicken’s Son' and 'What’s New in Baltimore.'
A band well worth checking out both in concert and in album, Godsticks also made the UK leg of the European tour happen.
And for that, as well as their opening slot on this tour, they should be applauded.
In short this was an exceptional night for music and I hope the tour is supported well enough elsewhere for a return visit by the Mike Keneally Band to Europe in the near future.
Dave Gregory (XTC/ Tin Spirits/ Big Big Train) travelled from Swindon way to be in the audience and was suitably impressed.
That probably speaks more than my review.
Andrew Jones
for FabricationsHQ
March 2013
More information:
www.keneally.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/LamnXavb?feature=watch
www.radiokeneally.com (for 24/7 streaming of Mike’s music including much unavailable elsewhere)
www.bryanbeller.com
www.godsticks.co.uk
Mike Keneally Band/ Godsticks
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 21st March 2013
Mike Keneally, for those of you who don’t know the name, is a San Diego based composer/ guitarist/ keyboard player, who released his first solo CD twenty-one years ago (Hat).
However, he remains better known for the people he’s played with – Frank Zappa on his final tour in 1988, Frank’s sons Dweezil and Ahmet, Steve Vai, the touring band of the heavy metal cartoon band Dethklok and most recently Joe Satriani.
Mike Keneally is not only a virtuoso, but a seriously good songwriter.
And one that plays with taste, serving the music not the ego.
Mike Keneally has been keen to tour Europe with his American band for years – previously they had only played festivals in the Netherlands, thanks to the support of Dutch radio station NTR 6.
But the economics of touring for small-scale artists in the UK had been punishing even in the good years – the recession has led to closures of venues across the UK and an even more risk adverse booking policy from those that have survived.
So the first European tour of the Mike Keneally Band is for me, something to be celebrated.
And fortunately for all concerned the quality of performance was also worth celebrating.
The Mike Keneally Band started with a false start, a comment from Mike that "it never happened" and therefore "couldn’t appear on YouTube" and then a furious reading of the first song 'Frozen Beef.' Considering that two days earlier the band had been in sunny California, the odd bit of jet-lagged raggedness was to be expected. But raggedness doesn’t come naturally to the band.
Mike Keneally’s music is full of shifting time signatures, melodies coming in wild tangents and, when necessary, brutal playing.
The two hour set was played with both passion and precision by Keneally's band of Bryan Beller (bass), Joe Travers (drums) and Rick Mussalam (guitar). The enthusiastic audience was impressed throughout.
The set was weighted to the recent album Wing Beat Fantastic, a songwriting collaboration between Mike Keneally and Andy Partridge of XTC.
With Partridge having written the bulk of the lyrics for the album, the song 'You Kill Me' was introduced by Keneally as "the views in the next song do not necessarily reflect those of the management."
The lyrics for 'You Kill Me' refer to right wing politics, media and the similarity of views of fundamentalist religious leaders, regardless of their actual beliefs. It’s a fine song.
Andy Partridge’s lyrics have helped expand the range of Mike Keneally’s lyrics – which are frequently absurdist – weather, nature and teenage stalking are now covered as well as Keneally’s recurring lyrical themes of dogs, dolphins and ceiling coasters as a path to maturity.
Highlights of the evening included the piano led 'Tranquillado,' 'Your House' (beautifully sung), 'Hum' and the set closing 'Cause of Breakfast.'
The opening set was provided by the Welsh progressive rock band Godsticks who contributed a fine set of complex music including covers of Frank Zappa’s 'Marque Chicken’s Son' and 'What’s New in Baltimore.'
A band well worth checking out both in concert and in album, Godsticks also made the UK leg of the European tour happen.
And for that, as well as their opening slot on this tour, they should be applauded.
In short this was an exceptional night for music and I hope the tour is supported well enough elsewhere for a return visit by the Mike Keneally Band to Europe in the near future.
Dave Gregory (XTC/ Tin Spirits/ Big Big Train) travelled from Swindon way to be in the audience and was suitably impressed.
That probably speaks more than my review.
Andrew Jones
for FabricationsHQ
March 2013
More information:
www.keneally.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/LamnXavb?feature=watch
www.radiokeneally.com (for 24/7 streaming of Mike’s music including much unavailable elsewhere)
www.bryanbeller.com
www.godsticks.co.uk
