Joel's Byron Bay Wrap Up
Going into it, I didn't know quite what the Australian crowd would enjoy. But after our first show in Byron Bay on Saturday, I think we all had a better idea of what songs would go over best with the festival attendees. David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap said it best: "You're not just going to do a cozy fifteen minute jazz odyssey in front of a festival audience!" We had discussed some songs over the previous days, and it was Kris' birthday, so he got the Plunger opener by request. But the lodging arrangements were such that the best place to meet pre show were poolside. Ryan, Kris and I threw a few songs out at each other from the pool, while Jake contributed from his balcony overlooking the pool. Wappy, Booth Love, All In Time, Conduit, Turn and Dub, Plunger, Tinkles were rattled off in succession by all of us. We made a few adjustments, added Steely Dan's "Reelin In the Years" --the studio arrangement-and we had a set list together just a few minutes before our scheduled departure from Ballina up to the site near Byron Bay.
The band and crew traveled by shuttle bus to the festival and made the 45 minute jaunt through some pretty scenic coastal land. Sometimes bordering on lush rainforest, at other times rich farmland with the ocean as the backdrop, the land provides for great views the entire ride. A few of us went surfing the other day in one of the towns near Byron, Lennox Head, with some great breaks. Nothing but good things to say about all of the wonderful options of outdoor life here.
The festival crowd at Byron was a wide variety of age groups and a lot of people that were there for the music and nothing else. Much like the Fuji Rock Festival crowd we experienced in 2006, this audience got down to the tunes while employing moderation on the public intoxication scene.
Starting at 1900 hours as opposed to mid-afternoon also feels a lot more comfortable. For me, being able to start the set with a Jon Lord-esque B3 provided by the festival was a treat. People ask us all the time, "so how do you get all of your equipment to _____ "Europe, Australia, Jamaica, Mexico". And the answer is that most of the time, we rent backline from a local company, bringing only guitars, cymbals, a snare drum, and a few choice pedals. So the quality of the gear makes a big difference in the show. In the keyboard department, I was in great shape. On the first night, Brendan said into the talkbacks "Guys, I've got some Spinal Tap *** going on with my amp!" He was of course referencing the moment Nigel Tufnel quit the band, as his amp started projecting radio interference at the Air Force Base. Guitar amp problems from the first night aside, we were ready to lay down a crushing set for night two.
We decided on a concise, album tight version of Plunger as we knew there would be challenges on the monitor end given a rig different than our own gear. We played it pretty well for the first song of the night and got the crowd goin with one of our favorite tunes to play. We placed Wappy next to keep the tempo up. Again, the organ delivered some good consistency for me, and the Minimoog Voyager gave me a good starting point for a thunderous keyboard bass. Kris laid down some bombastic birthday grooves and at that point I noticed Bela Fleck hangin out side stage. As a side note, his African band with Oumou Sangare and Wil Calhoun, played the standout show of the festival, in my opinion. Back to our set, the end of Wappy, whose final chords are Bb major and C major, dropped out to Jake with the intro of the new tune Booth Love, as he arpeggiates a C major 7 chord to open the song. Booth Love has been getting more and more comfortable for us; it's a fun one to play too. We then picked All In Time with the newer original Conduit in the middle, and a little Kris birthday drum solo taboot. The Australian crowd loved it and suddenly the energy felt like it does back in the States, where we know we have the people on our side. They got it! Turn and Dub gave us a nice groove to work over after the fiery tenacity of All in Time. With only a few reggae-tinged acts throughout the fest, we again tried to carve out our own little niche in the wide spectrum of acts at the fest with the unique vibe of Turn and Dub.
We closed out our second show at the fest with the rousing favorite, Miss Tinkles Overture, and a familiar cover, Steely Dan's Reelin In the Years. The Australians appreciated the rock/jazz cover and we saw lots of folks singing along. As we walked off the stage, I think we were all happy with our first introduction to the land down under.
After a few interviews and dinner, we watched the sun set in the northwestern Australian sky and enjoyed the sweet, down home sounds of the Taj Mahal Trio. Between songs, Taj put on his best Australian accent and got lots of smiles and laughs from the crowd. The good times finished with a festival closing set by the Fray, featuring lots of solid melodies and sonic weight. The festival as a whole was a blast, our time in Australia a gas and we can't wait to come back.
jc
Check out the show here on umlive.net
