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Live From Old York: Krar Collective, Big Boy Bloater, Jason & The Scorchers & Walter Trout

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Krar Collective
National Centre For Early Music
York, England
October 5, 2012

Despite the increasing interest in Ethiopian music,-growing from retro appreciation to present day innovations-opportunities to catch live performances of these sounds are still reasonably scarce. The London-based Krar Collective set out to remedy this situation in October with an extensive UK tour, hotly chasing the release of their album Ethiopia Super Krar (Riverboat, 2012).
What's all this talk of the krar? Well, it's the signature instrument of Ethiopian traditional music, a variant of the harp-lute which is like no other manifestation of this stringed beast. Its closest relative is the nyatiti from Kenya. There are usually five or six strings, and the player suspends the instrument with a leather wrist-strap, the plucking and strumming fingers of one hand ranging high and low, blurring to each side of the more stationary digits. The fingertips of this last hand only touch the strings lightly. The peculiar tuning of Ethiopian music places it not quite in Africa, and not quite in the Middle East. Its tonalities are completely unique, the vibrations existing in their own netherworld of unusualness. The music has become more familiar outside its homeland during the last decade, but it still holds the shock of the strange.
Given the minimalist line-up of the Krar Collective, it might be expected that their repertoire was going to be traditionally oriented. The songs still retained a deep resonance with core methods, but Temesgen Zeleke mostly played an amplified krar, customized with pick-ups and visually very different to his battered old acoustic version (complete with its animal-skin resonator). Using an effects pedal, he largely retained a harp-like sound, but there were also many phrases that held the tonality of an electric piano, clavinet or guitar, particularly when strummed close to the pick-ups. Zeleke's mentor in his student days was Mulatu Astatke, one of Ethiopia's greatest musicians.

Zeleke and kebero drummer Amare Mulugeta both wore black velvet headbands and belts, encrusted with silver decorations. Singer Genet Assefa wafted on in a voluminous cloak and high heels, beginning the set with a pair of ethereal invocations. The control of her voice was astounding, in terms of technique, and also its sheer emotional expression. After a speedy costume change, she re-emerged in a completely different mood, flat shoes enabling some vigorous dance moves. The nature of the songs suddenly became more extroverted.

The kebero are just a pair of unremarkable-looking drums, but are capable of a rich tonal variety, particularly when plunging deep down to the bass zone. As with its album, the Collective made a dense sound with scarce resources. If peepers were closed, they sounded like a much bigger band. The krar is so multiphonic that it covers whole layers of sonic territory.

There was a balance between uncompromisingly hardcore Ethiopian elements and a leavening entertainment stance, where the audience were invited to sing or dance along. The set was well-paced, with a striking interlude featuring a entirely solo song from Zeleke, playing the acoustic krar. He slowly walked around the church, serenading the audience, casting a spell of sensitivity before plugging in and being re-joined by his band mates. He also played an outstanding solo version of "Tizita," from their album.

Big Boy Bloater
The Duchess
York, England
October 5, 2012


The English Big Boy Bloater models himself on an American bluesman prototype. Mostly, it's likely to be guitarist Freddie King, but matters aren't quite as simple as that. Bloater also infests his playing and songwriting style with a vast array of trimmings, ranging from country and rockabilly to gospel and surf rock. The dominant factor is a desire for geetar-twanging excess, his whammy bar deployed to fully vibrating effect.

The songs all featured quite specific tale-spinning lyrics, stamping a memorable imprint on the listener's face with "Big Fat Trap," "Rocket Surgery," "Insanely Happy" and "She Gets Naked For A Living." The opening track on The World Explained (Azan, 2012) is "Leonard Cohen," inspired by Bloater's previous visit to York, a bender of food poisoning featuring misery-songster hallucinations. He also dedicated a song to "all the serial killers in the house." This gives a flavor of the Bloater's highly pushy style, both as a guitarist and as a hollerin' singer. The suit, the big hat and the neck tattoos are all part of his moonshine and basement den persona. Bloater kept the joint pumpin' for just over an hour of unrelenting Americana grit, not forgetting to add British seasoning with his geographically specific subject matter. The garrulous toaster and the threatening gangster walked hand-in-hand.

Jason & The Scorchers
Fibbers
York, England
October 6, 2012


The following night, there was another example of rock'n'roll successfully bedding with humor. Both evening's acts married absurdist japery with serious musical prowess. Big Boy Bloater might have offered a certain kind of cartoon exaggeration, but Jason & The Scorchers operated with a completely different variant on this theme. While still being something of a willing band caricature, this veteran Nashville crew provoked smiles due to their sheer visible joy at performing together in their 30th anniversary year. Few outfits look like they're enjoying themselves this much.

The Scorchers in their present incarnation feature old hands Jason Ringenberg (lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar) and Warner E. Hodges (lead guitar). For the last five years, they've been joined by bassist Al Collins and drummer Pontus Snibb, both of whom now appear fully burning on the Scorcher comet trail. Snibb also has a good line in high harmony backing vocals. The band played for two hours, including encores, with the pace mostly set at frenetic. There were a few ballad pauses, but these only intensified the thrills when the fast-ridin' reared up again.

As with Bloater, it's tough to nail down this band's style. There's a prominent punk core, but also an element of poodle-rock flash, particularly when the guitar reels from riffing garage mayhem up to screaming arpeggio heaven. Hard country gets bloodied by marathon guitar overload. Ringenberg had dusted off his impressive red drape coat, bought by EMI for the 1985 video of "Shop It Around." He joked that it cost more than most of the cars he's ever owned. Ringenberg led a few beer contests, urging the crowd to request the most obscure Scorchers song they could think of, as he pulled bottles out of his coat pockets. Then he held a competition for the most nights attended during the European tour. Ringenberg's loose-limbed nonchalance was in contrast to the guitar-spinning antics of Hodges. Each member of the band would grimace in rockstasy or break out into hearty laughter, criss-crossing the stage as they romped through their classic catalogue.

Walter Trout
Fibbers
York, England
October 8, 2012


The American invasion continued two days later, although New Jersey son Walter Trout tours the UK so often that he's become something of an Anglophile in his verbal references. He's also quite a parrot (or magpie), frequently imagining what old bluesmen (mostly those he's worked with) would say under given circumstances. During the 90-minute set, he invoked the characters of Junior Wells, John Mayall and Jimmy Reed.

The mix was initially sludgy and strangely quiet, but as time passed, and your scribe moved to a better place, the sonic spread widened and clarified its thrust. It's always advisable to hear rampant blues-rock in its full glory. Trout's humor (whilst we're still discussing humor in rock) is still present, but it's a more direct form of macho rib-nudging. It doesn't interfere with the often downbeat sentiments of the songs. Trout's blues really do sound like blues, dealing with more than the usual share of chick, rehab and politician-related burdens. Lately, the band has included master organist Sammy Avila, who really broadens the palette into a soulful R&B area. All the more powerful when Trout answers back with an acid guitar splash. Rick Knapp is one of the most expressive blues bassists on the scene, endlessly delivering fills and flourishes, small-note intricacies that would be more at home in a jazz combo. He's descending from Jack Bruce.

Trout kept the energy levels on a consistently high level. There wasn't much light and shade during the set, but some songs were slower and more ballad-like. "Recovery" and the title track from Blues For The Modern Daze (Provogue, 2012) were highlights from the latest album. One significant change of gears came when the band was augmented by a guest singer who appeared to be a member of their road crew. His visual and vocal approach came across like a cross between Ian Gillan and Robert Plant, adding a dash of screaming soul to the rocking out, hitting all the high notes and shifting the accent in the same way that Avila did with his organ spillage.

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