The Bass Geek

Oh, GenCon. Thank you so much for bringing your afterparties to Indianapolis (Radio Radio, to be specific). Saturday night, you give us the Gothsicles with Dark Clan, and we are appreciative. The night before, check out The Last Four Digits, the long-running Vulgar Boatmen, and Large Damaging Hail. The musical act, not the weather event.

The Vollrath Tavern presents These United States and Howlies with Adam Kuhn tomorrow night. Saturday brings the Garage Punk Freakout II. ‘Cause once you’ve done one, it’s necessary to continue the process.

Deano’s Vino has acoustic music all weekend long, Maria’s Pizza has live jazz Friday and Saturday, and the Fountain Square Theater presents Swing Night with the Tim Brickley Quintet tonight. Have fun!

The new IMN podcast is up – download it here or listen at the site or on WFYI HD2 Thursdays at 4pm.

And it was great to see the rookies make their case in the Steelers’ first preseason game. Some of them will go on, some of them will not. That’s the magic of the preseason, really – so many players, so few chances. It’s unpredictable and a little bland, but you don’t just jump to the main course in a fine dinner. These are the appetizers of fall, if you will. And they’re probably the only games my dog will be able to sleep through. The real screaming doesn’t begin until after Labor Day.

It’s a good thing I didn’t mention the lack of another bass hero at the Indy Jazz Fest beyond Rufus Reid – such a statement would look foolish in light of yesterday’s announcement that Marcus Miller is joining the lineup at the Lawn at White River State State Park September 27th. Even though his solo work treads a little too close to smooth jazz for me, there’s no denying that he’s a monster player with a huge influence, and that he’s done amazing work as a sideman and composer for folks like Miles Davis. This announcement just made the show a must-see for me.

The main announcement came out last week, but I’m just now catching up with the time to post my thoughts about it. And they’re mostly good thoughts:

• The tribute to jazz giant and local hero Freddie Hubbard is the centerpiece of the festival, and deservedly so. This man was a monster of a player, and his contributions deserve to be recognized. That he actually played one of the jazz festivals before his death was a special event, and paying homage to his legacy in the Madame Walker Theater is the right thing to do.
• The talent gathered for this tribute is a fantastic lineup, including bassist Rufus Reid and stellar horn players Nicholas Payton and Randy Brecker. Nice choices!
• The inclusion of Charlie Hunter is a great move, even if it is on a “jam” night. He carries forth in the soulful side of jazz quite well, and it’s nice to see his inclusion round out the offerings of the festival.
• Headliners Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling represent jazz heavyweights without dealing with smooth jazz like Dave Koz or Spyro Gyra.
• Good local representation by artist like Brandon Meeks is much appreciated.
• Multiple locations leading up to the main event are a great idea – it makes it feel more like a festival rather than just an elongated concert.

My only regret is that they didn’t bring in somebody like Hiromi’s Uehara (expansive fusion), or possibly some more funky jazz like Roy Hargrove or Christian McBride (who are both mining more traditional fare on their latest albums, but they’re capable of killing on either side of that fence). But as it stands, it’s a good lineup – can’t wait for it to get here.

Radio Radio hosts a totally free show with Chris Merritt, Adrian Kolbo and Little Thousand this Friday evening – this man has financed the entire show as part of a promotion by Merritt. That’s dedication – it’s one thing to pay your own cover, but he’s paying the entire bar’s cover. Buy him a beer or something. You’ll have to pay $6 to see the CD release party from 40 Watts on Saturday night (along with openers Jascha, Beta Male, and Christian Taylor). But that’s not terribly expensive, either. Have fun.

The Vollrath has Christian Taylor on Friday, and These United States roll in for Saturday’s show.

Deano’s Vino has live acoustic music Friday and Saturday nights, while Maria’s Pizza has jazz those very same nights. Enjoy.

The new IMN podcast is up – download it or listen at the site or WFYI HD2 Thursdays at 4pm.

Let this blog post also serve as advance notice for the Corporate Rock-Off occurring October 10th at Radio Radio. All of the details can be found at the Second Story website, to which said Rock-Off will donate its proceeds. Download all the details there, and best of luck putting your band together.

I’m not one of the judges, but I will be lobbying for immediate disqualification for playing “Brown-Eyed Girl.” This event is for the children, remember.

The Playboy Psychonauts haven’t put out any recordings yet (although plans for 7″ vinyl are in the works), so the only way to experience us has been the live show. Which is a darn fine way, I might add. However, we’re going to be making a song available (for free, no less) as part of the Indy Fringe Fest and Midwest Emerging Artists. Look for “Playboy Psychonauts Theme” (every good band has a theme song) on the sampler these organizations will be handing out at Fringe Fest, starting August 21st in downtown Indianapolis. There might be copies available at the kickoff party that we’re playing August 20th at the Fringe HQ, but I can’t guarantee. You should be out seeing the theater productions anyway, so just pick one up there. And enjoy the shows!