Jason Webster
WASHINGTON, Mass., April 8, 1996 --
Four of the Berkshires' best bands performed at Woody's Roadhouse on Friday night in what was billed as the "Berkshire Groove Festival." It was an apt title, as most of the music fit into the category of "groove-rock," a particular genre that blends elements of funk with roots-rock, making for a steady, danceable groove that is also a foundation for musical improvisation.
The West Stockbridge-based trio Skillet kicked off the evening shortly after 9. Skillet was probably the most modern of the four bands, but given the decidedly retro flavor of the night, that's not saying much. In fact, Skillet's main reference point was the late-'70s punk-funk of the Talking Heads. Frontman Tim Heffernan played a very David Byrne-like guitar, and what lyrics one could decipher -- "There's a hound dog in my head, it's not Elvis's hound dog, it's mine," he sang at one point -- seemed arch and ironic.
Bassist Matt Swift propelled Skillet's riffed-based songs with a big bottom, and drummer Derrick Rodgers kept things moving. The group didn't stick to any one format and within one suite-like song they went from Pearl Jam-like grunge to Kinks-like guitar pop to Grateful Dead- like psychedelia to a reggae strut. Skillet had no shortage of ideas. What they lacked, however, was an assertive presence to tie it all together. Both Heffernan and Swift lacked confidence as vocalists, and as suggestive as Heffernan's guitar was, it wasn't aggressive enough to contrast with an otherwise bottom-heavy mix.
The East Creek Band's opening number, The Band's "Life Is a Carnival" rendered in more of a Little Feat-style than the original, set the tone for its set. The five-piece outfit mixed a few originals with such classic-rock covers as Van Morrison's "Moondance," Santana's "Evil Ways," and the Dead's "Fire On the Mountain."
The group, led by Matt Mervis, attempted some multi-part harmonies, giving the music a slight, high-lonesome, country feel, but like Skillet the vocalists' lack of confidence undermined them. The musicians knew how to examine a groove, however, and an instrumental jam on "Evil Ways" rose above the mundane. And the group's closing number, "Remedy," was a well-chosen obscurity by The Band which they invested with more vitality than the original.
The Rev. Tor Band, led by Tor Krautter, shares a few members with East Creek, and the two bands' sets merged as some members left the stage and others joined in during one continuous instrumental jam. Krautter took front and center, playing guitar and singing some of his own, blues-inflected compositions, and jamming on a song by Traffic, another hippie-rock band.
Jason Webster
Joining Krautter on guitar was Jason Webster, and the two traded twin guitar leads off and on in the distinctive style of the Allman Brothers. But it was Webster's version of Cream's "White Room" that stole the set -- indeed, so focused was the singer/guitarist on this number that it may well have been the highlight of the entire evening.
Lord Hill brought the show to a close with a mix of covers and original tunes from its upcoming album. From the first chords of "Up On the Mountain" it was clear that the crowd that had been milling around all evening was in fact their crowd and why they had come. The years on the road backing Arlo Guthrie in its incarnation as Xavier have paid off for Lord Hill. The group was a few notches above the rest in professionalism, energy and stage presence. In particular, vocalists/guitarists Jason Webster and Tim Sears were a dynamic duo, and their infectious enthusiasm on their own "Poor Boy Shake" and the Rolling Stones's "Sympathy for the Devil" was, well, groovy.
(This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on April 8, 1996. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1996. All rights reserved.)
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