The Shut Up & Play Festival has come and gone and with it great friends were made,amazing music was heard,and an incredible time was had by those who attended and participated. Jeremy and Lynn Birdsall did a bang up job putting the roster together while stage manager Jim Furlong kept things running smoothly.Sound-man and lighting tech Herb Palmer kept thing lively on Stage Two while Jupiter Groove guitarist Dan RodZ ran sound and lights for Stage One as well as play over on Stage Two.We had some great interns show up to help out with everything as well.
Over on Stage Three we had more of a laid back feel with a jazz and blues vibe happening where folks tended to go to relax and chill.It was cabaret seating and the vibe was chillin'.
I got to jam with Dominic Gaudious for his set.He invited drummer Ralph Grey and percussionist Johnny "5" Sepulveda and myself on stage for a raucous Arabian inspired jam! It was intense and the crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Lyndy Romez & Sol Y Mar hit the stage at 3:30 and performed her trumpet based smooth Nu-Jazz to an early festival crowd.We really got to flex our musical muscles as Lindy gave each one of us a chance to shine.
Jupiter Groove hit the stage at about 5:30 pm.We ripped through 5 tunes from our debut CD. Definitely the heaviest group of the day! Ralph Grey from Sol Y Mar sat in with us.Marty will be back behind the skins real soon folks,don't worry! Dan RodZ ripped up the fret board once again bringing down the metal,fusion,and blues rain on his Parker Fly...
So...the big event for me (aside from catching Regi Wooten and Dave Larue Trio) was performing with my old band mate Reed Hayes and Jeremy Birdsall. Birdsall/Leõn/Hayes is an idea that Jeremy and I have had for many years now.An experimental improvisational group using Chapman Stick,keys,bass,guitar,percussion,whatever! When we 1st decided to debut the project at this years event,we thought about adding a drummer.Enter Reed Hayes..the perfect fit for such an ambitious outing.We were blown away at the music and mood that we produced! The crowd got into the 2-15 minute pieces.The 1st consisted of Jeremy on Stick and keys,Reed on his downsized but bigger than ever sounding set,and me on octave bass (my Ibanez BTB tuned DADG using the octave strings from an 8 string bass set).We created a moody piece with ambient undertones that weaved in and out of serenity and chaos. For the second piece I switched to Stick. We laid down a mean groove and let Reed propel the music along as he switched tempos and time signatures..whew!!! It was a ride for both band and audience! A union long over due but totally worth the wait.
Keep your eyes on this site folks,I will be posting audio files of Jupiter Groove and Birdsall/Leõn/Hayes soon!
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