The Dirigible

RECAP: 12.04.2010

2011-03-28T17:37:00.000-05:00

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On 12.4, Chance Fisher played my favorite show of 2010. Filling most of the set with big jam vehicles, the band was on a mission and played some of the biggest jams we have heard all year. From O Jeremiah->Cosmic Dirigible till the very last note of Chemical Parade, Chance Fisher played with vigor and an urgency that I haven’t heard in awhile. Likely motivated by 12.4 possibly being the penultimate Chance Fisher concert, the band played with strength and concocted a set that is a highlight from start to finish.

Opening with O Jeremiah, the band opened with the jaunting blues rocker before starting the jam at around 3:26. It starts out slowly, with Jud building a solo around the rest of the band. Soon AKelly locks onto some of Jud’s lines and there is a nice build in the jam. Jud and AKelly seemed to be very locked into each other on this night. At 6:30 there is a nice tension-and-release section of the jam as it cools down into a fast, funky groove around 7:30. Staccato lines by Jud accent the jam while Sam/Joel/AKelly keep the pocket held down. Nice peak around 8:30 as the band is really communicating well with each other. At around 9:00 another build starts, AKelly begins to stick out just as much as Jud as he chords in the background over Jud’s leads. At around 10:41 this build changes and slows into an ambient-section where Jud loops sounds over top of the sonic brew building underneath him. At around 11:50 this sounds as if it could segue into Squash Anyone. Instead, AKelly starts the chords to Cosmic Dirigible (still in rhythm with the jam) – the rest of the band catches on, and a smooth segue is complete at 12:15.

The funk of Cosmic Dirigible takes off and we are launched into the song with ease – the composed section of the song is well performed. The jam starts at 5:15 as we are treated to syncopated funk grooves. This Cosmic definitely has more “bounce” than usual. Jud and AKelly play wah-drenched funk riffs with an extra playfulness here. While this song can sometimes feel a bit boring to me, this version is better than usual. 8:40 starts a really engaging section involving AKelly and Sam and a melody which almost sounds like a funked-out version of It Was a Good Day by Ice Cube which CF covered 1.21.10. At about 10:00, the jam goes back to regular Jud soloing for a bit before peaking. Overall, this is a very, very good version of Cosmic, and this was a fantastic way to start the show.

After a break in Blueberry Pie, we are treated to what is one of my biggest highlights of this show and the second half of 2010 in general: Dead Flowers->Old Town Manitoba->Dead Flowers.

Dead Flowers started off in its normal country-rock styling. I really enjoy this cover by itself, and this rendition was no exception. The jam starts at 3:00 as Jud solos for a couple minutes before, at around 6:00, the jam slows and darkens into a slower, driving beat. At around 6:50, Joel drives the beat for Old Town Manitoba, and slowly the rest the band catches on and completes the transition.

The verses of Old Town Manitoba are played well, and the jam starts around 5:33 with dark Jud-AKelly interplay. This jam growls with opaque vehemence from the start, as the entire band seems to be locked into this aphotic, post-apocalyptic groove. At 9:04, Jud starts to add more intricate melodic leads to the musical stew. AKelly follows him, playing a hypnotizing melody which only adds to the murky darkness surrounding this jam. By 10:00, AKelly is playing lead as the rest of the band builds the dismal sound around him. By 12:00, this jam still isn’t letting up by any means; Joel adds more fills as the four-headed beast changes direction momentarily.

At 13:00, Jud begins to lead the band into a major-key Dead Flowers jam. At 14:20, the major-key jam has changed into a more ambient, dulcet sound, apart from any particular song. This leads into a gorgeous section of space which opens itself quite gracefully after the foreboding darkness of the previous jam. At 16:20, we are dropped gently from space back into Dead Flowers where this musical journey began. The return into Dead Flowers is beautifully done as Jud’s wailing arpeggios careen towards the chorus. The band sings through the chorus one last time and the entire Dead Flowers->Old Town Manitoba->Dead Flowers section of the show clocks in at 25:16. This section serves to be one of my favorite moments of the show.

Out of the end of Dead Flowers comes AKelly’s piano intro to Square Root of One, my favorite of the newer songs and a fantastic new jam vehicle. The composed section was well-played and the jam starts out at 4:40. While I would usually expect more dulcet, ambient playing in this song, this rendition surprised me. While it does start out in that mode for the first minute or so, at around 6:36 this jam changes on a dime from slow, gentle playing to Cosmic-like funk grooves. This Square Root of One pops as the whole band joins in on the funk jam. At 8:31 the jam begins to build a bit more with Jud leading the jam. At 9:50 Jud is playing with a tone on his guitar which sounds like something out of a Tom Morello solo. At 10:50 Jud begins to play low, dark rhythmic lines on his guitar while AKelly begins to lead the jam for a couple bars. AKelly and Jud show great communication in this section as it seems they are finishing each other lines. A full band build begins around 12:00 as you can hear the tension up until 12:15 when they release the build. This leads to a nice peak at 12:40 before it gets funky around 13:00. After a few bars, the band reprises Square Root of One around 14:00 and the song concludes at 16:00.

Atrophy Road served as a breather after the last 40+ minutes of improvisation, before opening up another jam vehicle in the key of Schizo.

I was glad to see Schizo on this setlist and this rendition certainly did not disappoint. Starting the tune with its usual mid-tempo swing, the verses are run through quickly before the jam starts at 2:40 with a collage of looped notes, before welcoming us to more mid-tempo swing. AKelly plays a nice jazz-styled solo here before Jud enters with more subtle lines around 4:10. This first section of the jam builds nicely with tension-and-release. At 6:14, things start to get more interesting as the jam moves from typical Schizo-territory into more uncharted territory. At 6:50 Jud is playing broken funk chords overtop AKelly’s soloing. At around 8:00 the jam gets more dissonant as Jud and AKelly’s lines juxtapose and collide with one another. 8:30, a cool ambient groove passes through before a funkier section follows around 9:30. While this jam is rather long-winded at times, it certainly does have its special moments and its long-windedness is one of my favorite aspects of the song. At 10:10, we are being pushed into an open kaleidoscope of sound, immersed into this deep velvet space until, at 11:00, the band pushes its way out of the ambience and returns to more tension and release. The whole band peaks around 12:08. At 12:30, the entire band is locked in to one another as Jud starts playing a low melody on his guitar. At 13:00, this blossoms into another idea which is built upon up until 13:45 where we are brought back into Schizo. At this point, the jam once again departs into a more dischordant section. At 14:30, the jam is rather dark and slowed down from its normal tempo. This leads to an almost Black Sabbath-sounding groove for a bit, as Jud solos overtop the slowed down groove. At 16:16, the mid-tempo swing returns as we are treated to a Sam-led solo section for a bit, until the band goes back into the song and Jud comes back in with the Schizo vocals at around 17:00. The band plays through the bridge and the song ends at 18:51.

A very cool and unique cover of Brown Eyed Women followed, and I have to say the band really nailed this song, especially vocally. Well done. The biggest jam and, in my opinion, the biggest highlight of the show came next in a spectacular version of Sun Guy.

Coming out of the space after Brown Eyed Women, Chance Fisher nailed the composed section of Sun Guy before starting the jam at 4:20 with up-tempo soloing. The band has come a long way in the first jam segment of this song, and this rendition is no exception. Chance Fisher nails the first half of this jam with ripping solos and plenty of full-band interplay and tension and release. The first 2 or 3 minutes of this jam fly by fast because the band is just ripping things up here. At 7:00, AKelly starts to make things a bit funkier as Jud adds fast riffs to complement his chords. Joel is heavily contributing here too, adding in big fills to follow the intensity of the jam. At 8:30, the jam sounds like it may be going into more dulcet territory as big organ washes overtake Jud’s gentle guitar playing. But slowly, at 9:10, Jud and AKelly pull the up-tempo jam into a major key, veering away from the expected Sun Guy reprise. At 10:25, the entire band is just really ripping this section apart, AKelly and Jud playing fast major chords while Sam serves as the main melody of the jam and Joel keeps the tempo. At 11:31, Jud lets loose again and the jam shifts into organ led up-tempo funk at 12:08. Very cool playing here, you can hear the whole band really digging into the funk and finding unique ways to add to the groove.

At 13:12, Jud departs from fast funk chords and starts playing more dissonant lines – AKelly catches on and slowly the band decreases tempo until it is building back up again at 13:51. A slinky, ambient-style of jamming is going on right now. At 14:40 Jud is repeating licks as Joel and Sam change tempos around his playing. At 15:16, the jam sounds like the space at the end of Old Town Manitoba earlier in the show. At 15:35, the entire band has slowed into a Godfather jam. Jud plays Godfather Theme teases while AKelly supports him with funky organ chords underneath a slow, swanky groove. This goes on for quite some time, and at 17:22 the jam begins to sound like a Schizo jam, as the band layers sound overtop the groove, leading to a very cool, but short build.

The funk returns at 18:14 as this jam sounds like it could segue into Cosmic Dirigible at any minute. Staccato funk riffs overtake the jam at 18:50 while ambient textures morph in and out of the jam. Another build comes at 20:10, which continues to build until the band incorporates the main Sun Guy theme into the build, reprising the song at 20:54. The song ends at 21:30. I am really impressed with this jam – it did a fantastic job of completely ridding itself of its structure, then going through many different musical segments before subtly bringing itself back to the chorus. I think I’ve finally found the Sun Guy which out-does 3.4.

The light-hearted, bluegrass romp of Apple Pie came next before the show concluded with a monster rendition of Chemical Parade to close the night out with a bang. Chemical Parade was one of the first Chance Fisher songs I really loved, so I’m glad to see the song get such a big treatment here. The band nailed the composition of this song, no flubs to my ear. The jam starts at 5:47. The band really takes their time in building the jam in this rendition. Every note is carefully framed; it seems the band is playing with extra special precaution around 8:00 - AKelly’s keyboard drones add a lush tone to the jam as the band continues to build the song. At 9:42, Jud is soloing a bit louder as the band pushes the jam further and further. Finally, at 11:11, the band is rushing towards the peak, galloping together at 11:45 as they peak the jam higher and higher, with more intensity each go-round. At 13:53, Jud departs from the traditional Chemical Parade outro and pushes the jam with some funky lead lines – AKelly follows suit and as Joel changes the beat at 14:10, the song is launched into a funk jam fit for something like Cosmic Dirigible. At around 15:20, the jam slows back into the normal Chemical Parade outro, and the song ends at 16:34.

Overall, 12.4 really was an incredible Chance Fisher show. Most of the night is spent on deep improvisation, with very few breathers in between. Throw in a great cover of Brown Eyed Women, and you have a fantastic Chance Fisher show. Highlights include: Cosmic Dirigible, Dead Flowers->Old Town Manitoba->Dead Flower Reprise, Square Root of One, Schizo, Brown Eyed Women, Sun Guy, Chemical Parade – the whole show. With this being possibly the penultimate Chance Fisher show, I just want to say thank you to Chance Fisher for all of the music. It’s been fun. I hope the very best for all of you guys. Cheers.

Set One:
O! Jeremiah->Cosmic Dirigible, Blueberry Pie, Dead Flowers->Old Town Manitoba->Dead Flowers (Reprise), Square Root of One, Atrophy Road, Schizo, Brown Eyed Women->Sun Guy, Apple Pie, Chemical Parade

RECAP: 11.05.201 @ Martin's in Jackson, MS

2010-11-26T12:18:00.000-06:00

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Part 3

On 11.05, Chance Fisher played a show with arguably some of the best segments of 2010. The bar was set early on in the show with the fantastic opening segment of East African Bush->Food, and that level of energy was maintained throughout the night, with no real breathers to be found during the long 2.5 hour set. Overall, 11.05 was a fantastic night of music for Chance Fisher.

The show starts off with East African Bush, which I am glad to see has made a comeback. This rendition was mostly flawless, with no flubs to be found. The jam starts around 8:10, with Jud adding funky lead lines into the groove. The band keeps this groove going as Jud leads the jam – very nice lines by Jud at around 9:35. At 10:37, you can hear the traces of Food, but Chance Fisher chose to jam on this song for 4 more minutes, building the Food segue. Very sinister lines by Jud at 11:17. 12:30 in, AKelly comes to the front of the jam, playing piano licks that compliment Jud’s guitar playing. At 14:00, Sam starts playing the bass line to Food, and soon enough we are in the middle of a seamless, funky segue into Food at 14:20.

The Food jam starts around 3:45, as AKelly plays a solo. Very cool solo segment in here, some really interesting jazzy chromatic lines to be found. The solo ends at 6:13, as the band vamps on funk chords. Some stop-start jamming at 6:40 brings the energy level up. At around 8:18 the jam begins to change as Jud begins to play melodic lead lines over top of the funk. Food begins to move away from its typical funk and into uncharted, melodic territory. Very beautiful playing at 9:10, not something that you would ever expect to hear in a Food jam. By 10:05, this does not sound anything like Food, it sounds more like something you’d expect to see in a Square Root of One jam – gorgeous playing by everybody. At 11:25, the jam has now settled into a gentle, slow-build which has effect-laden ambient textures within it. Finally, at 13:35, we are back into regular Food territory. As the jam wraps up, we are treated to a reprise of the song’s chorus and a very cool ambient outro. The song ends at 15:17. Fantastic opening segment in this East African Bush->Food, incredible start to the show – best EAB/Food of 2010 easily.

Tax Dollars and Frying Pan followed – both of these songs were very well done and definitely kept the energy level high. Great solos on both songs. Water or Sea came next and I really enjoyed this version. Going from bluegrass to electronic to reggae and back again, this song is very unique. I also really enjoyed the brief jam in this version.

The Crepes and Bananas which followed was superb. Cutting the full-band jam for the Joel/AKelly segment, AKelly’s solo here was great as usual, bringing a nice change of pace to the set. The second jam starts at 8:35 as Jud begins to solo over the band’s groove, building the jam. The build continues to grow in intensity until finally at 11:42 there is a release and the entire band goes into the peak together, riding the peak until at 12:40 they go one step higher, building the jam again. At around 13:53, the band peaks the jam one final time before heading back into the Crepes and Bananas theme at 14:36 – incredible second jam in this Crepes, wonderful peak to be found here.

Square Root of One succeeded Crepes, and this might be one of the best versions of the song they have played all year. The jam starts at 4:22, as the band eases into mellow, melodic playing. At around 5:24 Jud starts playing lines that are reminiscent of the Food jam from the start of the show. This jam takes on a very open feel, very dulcet playing by all band members. Around 7:30, Jud begins to loop certain lines on top of the mellow playing, taking the jam into more cacophonous territory. At around 8:40, however, the dissonance is removed in place of gentle, melodious playing yet again. At 10:26, the band moves back into Square Root of One as the second verse is sung. By 11:00, the band has moved back into the intro jam, and the song concludes at 12:06. The Blueberry Pie that followed was well played - the one and only breather song of the show.

A monstrous Umbrella came next, clocking in at almost 20mins. While the song usually does not have a jam in it, this version included two long duet segments between AKelly/Jud and Jud/Sam. The composed part of this song was beautifully done, with no real flubs to be found. AKelly and Jud’s duet segment starts around 11:30, Jud adding beautiful, gentle melodies to AKelly’s playing. This gorgeous playing continues until around 16:00, when Sam comes back on stage and Jud and Sam begin their duet. This duet section is very tastefully done, with Sam’s bass lines growing in intensity as the duet goes on – soon enough, around 17:30, it almost sounds like they are going to go back into the previous Umbrella jam. At 18:34, Jud starts playing more bluesy licks and Sam follows him – at 19:00, Sam and Jud connect on a segue into Horse in the Forest. At 19:30, Joel and AKelly come back on stage and start the song out properly.

This Horse in the Forest is slowed down considerably, which definitely brings out more of the funk in the song. After a long, funked-out intro, the first verse begins at 4:09. The jam starts at 4:45 as AKelly takes a solo while Sam and Jud keep the groove going underneath him. After a lengthy AKelly solo section, the band goes back into the verses at 8:15. Horse in the Forest was probably the only jam of the night that didn’t really do anything for me musically. At 11:00, after a brief Jud-led jam, the song goes back into its traditional groove before loosely segueing into Alabaster Shavings.

Alabaster Shavings was very well done on this night, with a very dissonant jam that was nice to hear. The jam starts around 5:30, with Jud wailing on dark guitar leads which really bring out the song’s harsh tone. The discordant playing continues until around 7:20 when Jud holds one note while the rest of the band crushes the dark, gloomy groove under him. Jud does this a few more times while he slowly builds the jam to a peak at 9:17. The song builds and peaks a few more times until leading back its sinister chords around 10:30. This leads to an ambient outro which concludes at 11:18.

History of the World followed, and this is probably one of my favorite songs of the night. History of the World following that sinister Alabaster Shavings late in the show had to mean that something dark was coming, and Chance Fisher certainly delivered on this night. Filling even the opening verses with eerie loops and sustained notes, one could only expect the jam would be filled with dark, dissonant playing – and that it was.

The jam starts around 4:20 with gloomy, opaque playing from all 4 band members as they added to the discordant stew that was brewing. At 5:00 Jud plays a lick that the rest of the band follows as they speed up the jam a bit. At 5:54 a very thick dissonance takes hold of the jam as all four band members seem to be playing in different directions, transforming and morphing the jam into a psychedelic Ktulu. At 7:42, Jud eerily begins singing the Horse in the Forest verses over the abstract darkness. At 9:04, the song seems to be moving out of the jam and back into the verses. The song concludes at 11:00 – possibly my favorite jam of the night, unreal psychedelic playing throughout. The show then concludes with a funk-drenched rendition of Goodbye (Is It in You?), which ended the show with some nice funky playing from everybody – AKelly and Sam especially. Goodbye (Is It in You) brought a great end to a great show.

11.05 was a great night of Chance Fisher, as this show includes quite a few standout jams in EAB->Food, Frying Pan, Square Root of One, Alabaster Shavings, and History of the World. The first 30mins of this show, along with the Square Root of One/Alabaster Shavings/History of the World are all must-hear material. The only downside of the night was probably found in the Horse in the Forest, which, after the extended Umbrella duets, really didn’t do much for me. But overall, I will certainly be coming back to this show for the highlights mentioned above.

Set I:East African Bush->Food, Tax Dollars, Frying Pan, Water or Sea, Crepes and Bananas, Square Root of One, Blueberry Pie, Umbrella->Horse in the Forest>Alabaster Shavings, History of the World, Goodbye (Is It in You?)

RECAP: 09.11.2010 at The Mockingbird Cafe

2010-09-28T20:34:00.003-05:00

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Review:
2010.09.11 was a great night for Chance Fisher – although this show took me awhile to really dig into, I really enjoyed the mellow style of playing shown in this show. With the new tune Square Root of One, and other bustouts/reworked songs, Chance Fisher made this show unique – and overall, a great effort by the band.

Opening with the brand new song Square Root of One, Chance Fisher started out this show with a new style of jamming. From the song’s 4min intro jam in the beginning you can already see that the band was ready to play. You can hear the Grateful Dead influence in the song from the beginning. They are connecting well in this quiet introduction before the first verse kicks in at 4:00.

I really like the verses to this song – they go by fast but stick in your head for awhile. The verses end at 5:07 and the jam begins.

Starting the jam with no hesitation, the band eases into a more open style of improvisation from the start: Sam playing a big part in providing leads to guide the band forward: Sam’s playing really surprised me during this jam, he seems very energized and more up front than usual. Jud is playing with a very relaxed tone, almost in the background. Joel and AKelly are adding tone and atmosphere into the jam by 8:00. Very patient jamming underway – sounds like everybody is leading the jam equally, no real rush.

At 8:30 Jud sustains a note as Sam begins to lead the jam once again, leading the song into funkier territory. Sounding similar to “The Word” during the jam at 9:33, the whole band is contributing to the funk, with Jud chording overtop of Sam’s bass lines. This funky jam continues for another couple minutes as Joel begins to put in fills over the jam. At 12:10 Jud adds some atmosphere to the jam shortly before he starts to bring the music back into Square Root of One’s main theme. Finding their way back into the song at 14:22, the second verse is sung and the song closes with a reprise of its opening theme, concluding at 16:40. I am very excited about this song and cannot wait to see what the band does with it in the future – I could see a Sun Guy->Square Root of One sometime soon – those two songs would fit nicely together.

The hard-edged Rattlesnake followed, and aside from the front portion of the song being flubbed, this rendition was fantastic. Coming off of the new jamming found in Square Root of One, Chance Fisher opened this jam up a bit more too, pushing it past its blues-rock structure into more textural, full-band jamming. Sam once again played a big part in this jam, and the ambient AKelly-led outro of the song made this one of the most unique renditions of Rattlesnake to date.

This ambient outro segued into A River Runs Through Her, which was one of quite a few bustouts played on this night. I wasn’t so familiar with this song, but I did enjoy this rendition. This song matched the more relaxed/open style the band was playing with well – resulting in a great version of the song.

This rendition was also special because of the bonus funk jam that starts at 7:45 and ends at 9:45. The whole band, Joel and Jud especially, really seemed to dig into the funk and make this a memorable rendition.

Tax Dollars followed, and I will say that even though I am a little tired of the song itself, I am happy that the placement was changed on this night from its normal second set opening slot to somewhere else. This song fit pretty well into the set and did not feel forced. The jam was good as usual – nothing too out of the ordinary but the slowed down molasses funk was nice. Sam once again, stuck out to me here. The re-worked version of this song (with the jam after AKelly’s solo) seems to be getting better after each version.

After the “cool-down” of Aluminum Boy, we were treated to one of the other highlights in the show, Eviction Notice->Shower Song->Atrophy Road.

Starting the funky Eviction Notice off with no flubs in the verses, the band starts the jam at 2:51. With Jud in the front of the jam providing funk riffs for the rest of the band to add on to, AKelly solos while Sam and Joel keep the pocket held down. At about 4:50 AKelly backs off while Jud and Sam begin to lead the jam, slowly building it upwards. Backing off of the build in favor of more funk, AKelly coyly leads the band into Shower Song.

Continuing with the relaxed feel of the show, Chance Fisher approached this song with a laid-back, funky feel. The jam was loose with Jud and AKelly interweaving their lines, playing off one another. Jud used the wah-pedal to thicken the funk while Sam filled the pocket with bulbous bass lines – adding flavor to the jam. The funk gave way to a quiet, piano driven outro which then segued into Atrophy Road.

Following the breather of Atrophy Road, Cosmic Dirigible closed the set with more laid back funk grooves. Good version of the song, although nothing in particular stuck out at me – regardless, this was a nice, high energy way to close the set.

The second set opened with a cover of Brokedown Palace by The Grateful Dead – while this is a tough song to play/sing, I think Chance Fisher did a good job on the cover – especially vocal-wise. I love the song.

Brokedown Palace was then followed by the “new and reworked” version of Crepes and Bananas, with a full band jam instead of the traditional AKelly/Joel middle segment. I have to say I really enjoyed hearing Sam/Jud’s work overtop AKelly’s usual soloing – this could work out well in the future if the song stays like this for good. I’d love to see what could happen if Chance Fisher decides to open this song up. Sam/Joel’s work in the jam blew me away – dance party at The Mockingbird Café.

Trust Me followed – this was another song I had not heard before this show. I really like it. The jam starts around 3:28, with the band wasting no time in moving the song toward a peak. Sam is toying with the song’s theme as AKelly and Jud play patiently, moving along with the musical current. 6:06 Jud begins a climb to the top of the jam, finally peaking it at 7:15, then again at 7:34.

The band is playing very triumphantly at the 8min mark, reaching a third peak at 8:09 before the jam is brought into a harder blues edged territory. Chance Fisher is clearly communicating well as each band member helps contribute to the fast-paced funk. Around 10:36, after a few minutes of soloing, a stop/start jam starts which sounds like a “Horse in the Forest” jam. From here the jam simmers down until only AKelly remains – at around 12:50 the band slowly moves back into Trust Me’s, theme, the song ends at 14:00.

After Circles on the Ground, the set closed with a slowed-down rendition of Do What You Like. A very interesting rendition of the song, this slowed down, funked-out version certainly felt a bit more sinister than the few others I’ve heard.

Drenched with funk from the start, this jam takes no time to get into some serious dance grooves. With Jud using his wah-pedal and chording over AKelly’s bluesy leads, the entire band is locked in to each other as the jam sits in the bulbous funk goo for quite some time. Finally, they build out of it as Jud begins to build the jam to a peak at 7:00. Great interplay between Jud/AKelly 7:15-7:40.

With Joel adding in some extra fills, the jam turns dissonant from 8:20 on as Jud paints a psychedelic picture over the groove. Percussive darkness takes over at 9:10, a segment reminiscent of the jam from 2009.12.11’s “Plight of My Heart”- dark and menacing. Order is restored at 9:50 as the band brings the jam back up to a peak. Finally reaching the reprise of the song at 11:38, the song concludes at 12:00. Pretty dark rendition of the song – I like it.

Overall, this was a very good show. It featured one great new original, a few bustouts, a reworked song, and most importantly a new, relaxed jamming style. As you can hear in songs like Square Root of One, Rattlesnake, Eviction Notice->Shower Song, Trust Me, and Do What you Like, Chance Fisher definitely let the jams grow naturally on this night. I am excited about the new songs and cannot wait to see how they grow as they are played more. Good stuff.

Set I:
Square Root of One, Rattlesnake->River Runs Through Her, Tax Dollars, Aluminum Boy, Eviction Notice->Shower Song->Atrophy Road, Cosmic Dirigible
Set II:
Brokedown Palace, Crepes and Bananas, Trust Me, Circles on the Ground, Do What You Like

Recap: 07.19.2010 @ Boom Boom Room

2010-07-24T22:51:00.001-05:00

Chance Fisher: 2010.07.19 – RECAP
In a surprise Monday night show at the Boom Boom Room, Chance Fisher played a fantastic show which opened with a 25min improvisation and closed with delay loops out of Alabaster Shavings. This show was a gold-mine for exploratory jam lovers like myself, as there was atleast three *big* moments of improvisation which have been getting plenty of play from me. 7.19 brought the tightness of 2010 with the exploration of 2005. Overall a great show, with only one low point – in this case, however, the high points of this show greatly exceed the low, so it balances out nicely. Anyways, enough of this introduction, let’s get on with the show.

Opening the night with a 25min improvisation can only mean one thing: Chance Fisher is ready to jam tonight. And that they did – Opening the improvisation with ambience, Chance Fisher sat in an interesting space until a theme was determined, and off they went. Locking into a groove around the 4:00 mark, the jam takes a funky turn as AKelly jumps on the Rhodes while Jud vamps out wah-drenched funk chords around the rest of the band. The jam takes a slight Cosmic Dirigible feel around the 5:30 mark as the whole band is playing with a certain fire, tearing up the opening jam. At about 7:05 Joel and Sam are sticking in the pocket and Joel in particular begins tearing it up, adding in some nice rhythm to the jam.

At about the 9min mark, the funk is still going strong as Jud/AKelly are swapping lines with each other. This funk section goes on for quite some time, as each band member has their fair share of hot moments here. It is genuine full band funk improv – and especially well done for an opener. The jam begins to build around 12:15 as Jud begins the build towards a peak. The opening theme is once again brought out as Jud begins to solo furiously, and this continues to build until 15:12 where they abandon the build for thick, swampy funk lines. The 16:00 mark and on includes stop/start funk jamming, complete with fills by Joel. The jam simmers down at 18:00 as they return to the slow main theme that Jud has been playing throughout the jam. This section is especially neat, and includes some Jud/Joel/Sam ambience from the 19:00 mark on. AKelly returns with his synth to add atmospheric soundscapes to this section, as the jam comes full circle and slowly turns into silence. I think this was an incredible improvisation to open up the night.

This large improvisation was followed by a high energy Disease Control, which can be seen as the first song of the night. I was happy to hear this song, as it is very catchy. Good tune all around.

The second jam of the night followed in an extended Camba, which gave another big energy boost to the show – not that an energy boost was needed. I always enjoy this tune for the jam, and this one did not disappoint. Great rendition of the song, definitely seemed a bit more dissonant than usual, which is one of my favorite qualities of the song. This was followed by the first Celia in awhile, which was nice to see. This is a song I’m not too familiar with – but hearing it in this spot after that massive Camba was nice. Good placement, fun song. I like it. Everyone Here came after, and it was a pretty cool little song. Still growing on me a bit, but I liked it.

Chemical Parade followed, and this proved to be a very tight, well played rendition, with a more melancholy jam at the end than usual. This is one of my favorite Chance Fisher songs both lyrically and musically, so I’m glad they played it. The jam on this one, as I said before, seemed to have a darker tone than some of the others’ from this year. Still very well done, had a nice slow build which I enjoy. From here, Chemical Parade segued nicely into Cosmic Dirigible.

While I was surprised that Cosmic Dirigible was played after that large Cosmic-esque opening jam, I do have to say that on second listen they sold me on this one – very funky indeed. Chance Fisher ripped this Cosmic to shreds in a standard, but rocking version of the tune.

Sane followed, and this for me was the only low point of the night. It was a rather un-inspired rendition in my opinion – it definitely had potential, but they never really seemed to click and this Sane just fell flat for me. Oh well, can’t love it all.

But that is not a problem, because the set closing Helter Skelter->Frying Pan brought the energy back and then some. In a wild, ripping version of The Beatles’ Helter Skelter, Chance Fisher tore the rare cover to shreds as they led a *seamless* segue into Frying Pan – on level with the Rattlesnake->Medicine Daughter segue from 7.1. Those two songs brought the house down in what was a rocking way to close a great set.

The second set opened with the nearly hour long sequence of Tax Dollars->Old Town Manitoba->War A Peace, Sophia that served as my favorite segment of the show.

Diving into the Tax Dollars jam with a fierce intensity, AKelly tore into his organ solo while the rest of the band laid funk grooves over the jam. As they peaked the jam at the 6:50 mark, they reprised the song as Chance Fisher led an ambient outro to Tax Dollars before segueing into Old Town Manitoba.
This Old Town Manitoba was definitely the best of 2010 in my opinion, and trumped all of them from 2009. After the verses finish, the jam starts at 4:10, with Jud sustaining a chord as he begins to chug dark leads over a menacing musical background. As AKelly and Jud continue to trade musical ideas between each other, Joel/Sam keep the pocket held down nicely as the menacing jam gallops further down the rabbit hole.

The jam continues to build at the 9:00 mark as Jud moves the jam forward with sinister guitar lines. The band quiets down for a moment at the 10:40 mark as it seems we may be heading into the closing chords of the song. Instead, Jud continues to play dissonant lines while searching for a way to move the jam forward. Reaching a possible peak from the madness at 12:45, the jam continues with funky licks from AKelly at the 13:10 mark while Jud vamps heavily on wah-funk chords. This Old Town Manitoba stays in funk-mode for quite awhile until, at the 16:40 mark, AKelly begins to lead the jam into electro-industrial drone mode, using a certain synth tone to push the jam into more experimental territory.

Slowly, Old Town Manitoba disintegrates until at the 18:00 mark there is only light playing from Sam/Jud/Joel. From the ambient space Chance Fisher slyly rolls into War A Piece, placing the ballad in a perfect spot. I really like this tune, and this was a well-done version.

Sophia followed – and this served as the third *huge* jam of the night. Playing through the initial verses with ease, the jam starts out at 2:49, with some light chording from Jud. Having a “no-nonsense” approach to this jam from the start, Chance Fisher dives into the groove of this song as the jam settles itself in. Jud plays with passion in the first few minutes of the jam, placing bluesy guitar lines at a quick pace while AKelly chords under him on the organ. The jam seems to stay in auto-pilot until around the 6:20 mark, where Joel leads a build while Jud, Sam, and AKelly all lock in together, trading off lines with ease. From there the jam continues to build at a quickening pace, all four band members rushing for the peak, while still communicating extremely well. Chance Fisher continues to build the jam until the 9:20 mark when a peak is reached. Jud is using a really cool effect on his guitar that changes his tone right here, and it comes out well. Sam sticks out in this section as well, coming up with some very funky basslines all throughout this peak. The whole band rides this section out until about the 10:10 mark, where Jud begins to hold a dissonant chord and the band follows suit, taking the song into a much more dissonant plane.

Throwing themselves into deeper, more exploratory musical waters, Chance Fisher jumps into this dissonant section of the jam, each member stirring the musical stew a little more than the last. A key point in this jam comes at the 12:15 mark, where AKelly, Jud, and Sam all add the tension into one huge explosion of dissonant sound. Chance Fisher backs off of this theme at 13:35 in favor of the funk, as AKelly dominates his clavinet in what is the funkiest Sophia jamming I have heard in a long time. The boys were definitely into the jams tonight, as this Sophia gets locked into smooth percussive jamming; Joel sticking out here as the MVP for this section of the song. AKelly continues the funk up until 16:02, where Jud slides into semi-ambient territory. Chance Fisher searches for about in a minute in some O Jeremiah sounding chords before reprising Sophia at 17:08. After a quick vocal finish, the song concludes at 17:42. All I can say here is what a fantastic Sophia.

The slow number Losing The Duel came next, and served as a nice breather before the rocking Alabaster Shavings that closed the set. This Losing The Duel, Alabaster Shavings combo was a fantastic way to end a near-perfect second set, and even the Alabaster Shavings got atypical, closing in feedback delay/loops instead of its normal rock ending.

Overall, I thought this show was great – Very heavy on deep improvisation, as I said before: 7.19 basically brought the tight playing of 2010 with the big jams of 2005. I couldn’t be happier with any other combination. There are many big highlights (BBR Jam, Sophia, OTM, etc) that I highly recommend for anyone looking for deep improvisation, because that’s what Chance Fisher was about on this night. As always, keep up the good work Chance Fisher!

Set I: BBR Jam, Disease Control->Camba, Celia, Everyone Here, Chemical Parade->Cosmic Dirigible, Sane, Helter Skelter->Frying Pan
Set II: Tax Dollars->Old Town Manitoba->War; A Peace, Sophia, Losing The Duel, Alabaster Shavings

~BK

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Brandon's Highlights: 2010 Part One

2010-07-16T16:03:00.002-05:00

Chance Fisher – 2010 Highlight Reel

Hey all, I decided to do something a little different for this post and create a list of my biggest highlights from Chance Fisher in 2010 thus far. Since there is a little less than 3 weeks until new Chance Fisher, I thought this might be a nice little recap of the year so far and it’s highlights.

So here you go, roughly a five hour mix of all of my favorite Chance Fisher moments from this year so far. This is where I think their improvisation really shined and where they may have done some “Best of” versions of songs. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this list! Take it easy folks.

Disc one:
Schizo (1-21)
Horse In The Forest-> (1-21)
Cymbaline (1.21)
Tax Dollars (1-21)
Food (2-26)
East African Bush (3-4)

Disc two:
Cosmic Dirigible (3-4)
Sun Guy (3-4)
Old Town Manitoba (3-4)
Squash Anyone (4-23)
Five Senses (4-24)
Zorba Jam (4-24)

Disc three:

Sophia (5-8)
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking-> (5-8)
Dead Flowers-> (5-8)
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (5-8)
Old Town Manitoba (5-20)
The Word (5-20)
History of the World-> (7-1)
Da Bears-> (7-1)
History of the World (7-1)

Disc four:
Schizo (7-1)
Sun Guy-> (7-1)
Rattlesnake-> (7-1)
Medicine Daughter-> (7-1)
Aluminum Boy (7-1)
Plight of My Heart (7-1)

~BK

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Recap: 7/01/2010

2010-07-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

Another Brandon Kayda review:

Chance Fisher: 2010.07.01 – RECAP

First off, I’d just like to say that writing a review for this show has proved to be a rather daunting task for me, as there is so much to be written about. In a show that includes a mass of exploratory jams, and a exceptionally-flowing setlist, you could tell already that this show is something to write home about.

07.01 was a stellar show for Chance Fisher, right up there with 03.04 for the title of “Best of 2010”. This show is chock-full of big jams in both the first and second sets, includes an unbelievable setlist that seems like a dream-set that could’ve been written by a fan. On top of that, this show is filled with bustouts and includes extremely hot playing all around. Now with the introduction out of the way, let’s get on with the show.

Opening their first show since 05.20 with Crepes and Bananas, it was made clear that Chance Fisher was not messing around tonight, as this version was no slouch. Including a great drum/keys section, which included some funky playing from AKelly, and a outro jam that peaked harder than usual, the band was playing at an incredibly high energy level only one song into the night.

They followed up from the Crepes opener with a large section of dark psychedelica that reads History Of The World->Da Bears->History Of The World.

History of The World, a song that carries a certain mystic quality to it, threw the audience into a void of psychedelica and space only two songs into the show. As the jam traveled deeper and deeper into the void, Jud and Sam began hinting at Da Bears through the sheet of space that came out of History of The World. Crushing Da Bears with manic intensity, Chance Fisher ripped through the song with an iron fist, nailing the quasi-metal tune before slowly sliding back into the ending of History of The World.

After the onslaught of the opening Crepes and Bananas, History of The World->Da Bears->History of The World, I don’t think anybody could’ve suspected the massive Schizo that came next.

Grooving through the opening verse of Schizo with a particular eagerness, the jam starts at 2:20. Jud opens this jam with bluesy licks while AKelly adds texture in the background with his organ. Sam is also playing very well in this section, adding unique fills and quirks to his lines. As the jam continues, Jud takes a backseat for a bit and plays swampy funk chords as AKelly begins to lead with his synth sound. By the 6:30 mark, The whole jam has slowed into a nice funk groove with AKelly playing some very atmospheric, spacey lines over the funk. Very nice jamming by 7:30, where the pace picks up and the whole band is still locked into the swing of this Schizo jam.

AKelly jumps on the piano as Jud begins to add more dissonant lines to the jam and by the 8:30 mark we are right back into a rock-flavored jam. Jud begins the build to the peak around 9:10, and takes this build into dissonance and feedback quite a few times before the drops out of the build and dips into the unknown around 10:30. By 11:45, we are back into the Schizo groove, and AKelly uses some very interesting synth sounds around 12:40 before they drop into the verses again around 13:00. Overall, this was a very engaging and different version of Schizo, including a great jam segment with some great swing/funk. One of the best renditions of the song I have heard in awhile.

White Squall followed, and this version rocked hard as usual. Including some great playing by Jud and AKelly in particular, they peaked the jam well while Sam and Joel stayed in the pocket and kept the funk going. This was a great rendition of the song for sure. I’m glad to see this one back, one of my favorite Chance Fisher tunes for just funk/rock.

The bustout of Orange Knights, OK segued out of White Squall, and this was very nice tune to hear after the straight fire that was the Schizo, White Squall duo. This song has a cool switch from lyrically-dark ballad to rock in-between verses. I like it.

Eviction Notice came next, and this song continued the streak of great songs that this set was made out of. Aside from some flubs by Jud in the first verse/chorus of the song, this was well-performed and served as the third big bustout of the night. The jam was nice and included some good work from AKelly, who used some sort of “wha pedal” or something of the sort during this jam. This version also included a drum solo by Joel which was very cool to see. Sam led the band out of the drum solo with a funky bass solo of his own, before they dropped into the cover of Backdoor Man by The Doors.

Backdoor Man is sung by Sam, and he rocked this song vocally while AKelly and Jud destroyed their solos individually, doing the Doors’ cover justice. AKelly was channeling Ray Manzarek during his solo, and both Jud and AKelly brought the house down in what was a rocking close to the song.

The fourth bustout of the night, Umbrella, followed. This is a very interesting song, and it was nice to hear it for the first time in a while. Moving through various different sections, the band crushed this tune with ease as they led the jam into a piano outro, which then segued into the fifth bustout of the night, Enticement. I personally like this tune, seems like it might have a Kinks influence or something of the like. Enticement closed the set.

The second set started out with a massive sequence of improvisation, otherwise known as Sun Guy->Rattlesnake->Medicine Daughter->Aluminum Boy.

Sun Guy opened the second set with a bang. The jam starts at 4:25 as the band is firing on all cylinders while building the jam. AKelly and Jud are swapping lines nicely as Sam and Joel stay firmly in the background keeping the jam going. By the 7:00 mark, Jud is tearing his solo apart, bringing the jam higher and higher while AKelly is right behind him, adding flourishes of sound to the music. Extremely high energy peaking around the 8min mark as the whole band jumps into the peak, ripping the song to shreds.

At the 10:33 mark, the band slowly begins the descent from the peak into the Sun Guy outro. But instead, they end up falling on the theme from “Dark Star” by The Grateful Dead – this is where the magic begins to happen. At the 11:30 mark, Jud begins to play the main line from Dark Star and the whole band jumps in, fully immersed in the sound. AKelly and Jud slowly weave a web of sound into this jam, creating space for Joel and Sam to add in fills and leads. At the 13:30 mark, the band is playing as a single unit, building beautiful bits of space and atmosphere into the jam. AKelly is using a lush synth tone around the 14min mark, creating a cloud of music still sticking inside of the “Dark Star” jam.

As notes cascade and overlap into each other, Chance Fisher takes this jam into completely open territory, shooting for the stars as they slowly begin the build into Rattlesnake. At the 14:44 mark, AKelly slowly begins hitting chords that slowly segued into Rattlesnake. At the 15:07 mark, the segue is complete, and we take the song head on.

Rattlesnake, a hard blues rocker with teeth, was perfect in this spot. As expected, the boys rocked this one, the jam out of it was especially big as Jud ripped this one into a frenzy, peaking wildly before leading a *flawless* segue into Medicine Daughter. This segue is seriously something to hear – seamless.

This Medicine Daughter continued with the theme of the second set thus far and went beyond its standard jam and peaked with about 3 times as much energy as normal. The jam starts at 4:10 as Jud begins soloing from the start, with AKelly adding flavor in the background. This jam is a very good exercise in “tension-and release” playing, as the band certainly adds much tension and dissonance to this one before it reached its peak.

Playing in a higher register around the 6:30 mark, the band edges closer and closer to Medicine Daughter’s peak before Jud pulls the trigger at 7:05 and starts the high-octave trills, signaling the peak to the jam. And peak it did – playing with explosive energy and strength through it’s double-time ending, all four members of the band showed off here as they shredded this peak with an unreal intensity.

Finally releasing the peak at 9:05 mark, the band normally goes to the slowed down Medicine Daughter outro and ends the song – not here. In a burst of creativity, they fell on the reggae ending from Water or Sea around the 10:20 mark, singing the verse from that song before dropping into a section of “War” by Bob Marley. Finally, the song ends, clocking in at a whopping 12:21. This was definitely an interesting, high energy, atypical rendition of the song, one of the best versions I have heard in a long time.

Instead of stopping the music, AKelly kept the segues alive by creating an atmospheric, spacey wall of sound which he used as an intro to Aluminum Boy. Blasting through the new tune with the energy carried over from the past 35mins of exploratory music, the band crushed the song easily, and played it well before segueing into You.

You, a song that I have recently come to appreciate, rocked hard. The slow, sad ballad Moonshiner followed, and included great vocals by Jud. Clockwise Door followed, and it served as the sixth bustout of the night. This rendition of Clockwise Door included a nice, AKelly-led jam, which served as a nice platform for Broken Keychain. Broken Keychain is probably my favorite new tune out of the bunch, along with Aluminum Boy, so it was nice to hear this one. This dark, slow rocker was followed by the first Plight of My Heart since 1.21. I was very happy to hear this song, and it definitely delivered.

Sliding through the first verse with ease, the band starts the jam around 1:20. AKelly is leading the band through slinky funk while Sam and Joel hold down the pocket. The jam takes a dissonant turn here, as Jud begins to add leads to the jam. At the 3:00 mark, the whole band is locked in as this Plight begins its descent into dissonance. Sam is bringing the jam deeper down around the 4min mark, as he repeats a line for a few measures while Jud and AKelly are creating dissonant/atonal sounds, each time around moving closer and closer to a possible peak. Fantastic tension and release jamming here.

At the 6:03 mark, there is finally a release from the tension as Jud lets loose for a few bars before leading back into swampy funk grooves. Sam follows suit, and for a while Jud scratches out funk chords while Sam stays right on top of him, turning this song into a dance party. At the 8:10 mark, they reach the second verse, finishing the jam with a bang. After the run through the bridge/verse one more time, Plight of My Heart concludes at the 11:04 mark. Stellar Plight of My Heart, I’m glad to have the song back.

The show ends with the popular duo of He’s Gone->Lo and Outside, which has been played a good bit this year. He’s Gone included lead vocals by Joel, who did the song justice as usual – his voice is definitely fit for this song. After a short jam, Chance Fisher slid into Lo and Outside, closing the massive second set with a bang. Including a high energy jam before the “One for AKelly” section, the band played this song with a furious intensity, ending the show on the highest note possible.

Overall, this was a great, great Chance Fisher show. Multiple exploratory jam segments (“History of Da Bears”, Schizo, Sun Guy->Rattlesnake->Medicine Daughter, Plight of My Heart), extremely tight playing and no real flubs (other than Eviction Notice), and several bustouts (History of The World, White Squall, Orange Knights, OK, Eviction Notice, Backdoor Man, Umbrella, Enticement, Clockwise Door), there is something for everyone to enjoy here. I hope you all enjoyed this show as much as I did. Keep up the great work, Chance Fisher!

Set I: Crepes and Bananas, History of The World->Da Bears->History of The World, Schizo, White Squall, Orange Knights, OK, Eviction Notice->Backdoor Man, Umbrella->Enticement
Set II: Sun Guy->Rattlesnake->Medicine Daughter->Aluminum Boy, You, Moonshiner, Clockwise Door->Broken Keychain, Plight of My Heart, He’s Gone->Lo and Outside

~BK

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Recap: 5.20.2010 @ Mockingbird Cafe

2010-06-09T20:25:00.000-05:00

Chance Fisher: 2010.05.20 – RECAP

Hey everybody. Before I write this next recap I just thought I’d introduce myself to y’all. My name is Brandon Kayda and I’ve been listening to Chance Fisher for just about a year. I’ve taken the spot as the article/show review/recap/etc writer for The Dirigible, and I appreciate the opportunity. Now, with that out of the way, on with the 2010.05.20 recap…

5.20 was a pretty atypical night for Chance Fisher, in a good way. Filled with exploratory improvisation and a few songs that haven’t been played in awhile, this show was definitely unique. However, the show was marred by sound obligations (they had to play quietly) which may have dampened their enthusiasm to play some songs (Plight of My Heart, for instance). Anyways, on with the show…

Opening the first set with the 33min combination of Cut off to Melba->Old Town Manitoba, the band warmed up their improvisational legs quickly as each song was jammed out further than the norm.

Cut off to Melba, a song we haven’t seen since early 2009/2008 was a surprise opener and set the stage for an interesting night. The song being essentially an improvisation let the band warm up their chops and get ready for a jam-oriented night. In total, this Cut off to Melba lasted about 15mins and included some great playing from Jud on guitar in the second half of the song. Everybody was on point as Joel led a smooth segue into Old Town Manitoba, which was one I had been anxious to hear for awhile. This version, clocking in at 18:06 did not disappoint.

Starting the jam at about 4:40 in, Jud and AKelly immediately led the band into some thick, dark, funk grooves which this song has become known for. Sam and Joel on bass/drums remained firmly in the pocket as Jud and AKelly led with hypnotizing lines around 7:50. At this point, it was well-known that this was no typical Old Town Manitoba as the band led further into dissonant, swampy funk grooves.

Coming to a collective peak at around the 10min mark, the jam seemed to simmer down until about 11:05 where the band gets very quiet and Jud starts a D-Major jam. The entire band catches on this quickly as Joel plays very softly on the cymbals; Sam’s bass lines lead the jam, and AKelly begins a D-Major progression on the piano. At around 12:40, the entire band drops into the second half of this Old Town Manitoba strongly, with an eagerness you can hear through the tapes.

As this jam progresses, Sam and Jud begin to climb further and further up on their fret boards, Joel follows suit, and AKelly is climbing octaves until the second segment of this jam reaches its peak around 15:20. The band then goes back into the Dm funk jam, which includes a particularly inspired organ section by AKelly, and this Old Town Manitoba ends, clocking in at a final time of 18:06.

After a brief interlude in Vigilante Restaurant, the onslaught of jams continued with Oh Jeremiah->Medicine Daughter. This Oh Jeremiah, quickly abandoning its country/ blues rock sound, went straight for the jugular as Jud led this rendition with furious guitar playing, which was complemented by AKelly on the keys, who added a bit of dissonance to the jam. Oh Jeremiah was unfinished, instead leading into a brief portion of ambience not unlike the intro to Sane (which we’ll see later in the show).

Medicine Daughter came out of this and proved to be a rather atypical version. AKelly is very prominent in the “first section” of the song, with some unusual pentatonic-sounding runs in his solo, very interesting. The first portion of this song was jammed out much longer than usual, and even Jud led a solo for a bit.

The second portion of this tune starts at 5:05, and they ease into the jam at 5:40 with Sam plucking bass eagerly and AKelly providing interesting atmospheric sounds on the keys. Joel and Sam seem especially motivated as they add little variations and quirks to their instruments and build the jam nicely. Everybody is spot on at 8:50 as they head full-speed into the double-time ending of Medicine Daughter. After the outro section, the song concludes at 11:21.

Up next was Circles on the Ground, which was an interesting little bust-out to hear, definitely an enjoyable rendition. After that, a particularly raging version of Camba closed the set. This Camba was packed with the dissonance and girth that we have grown accustomed to, and it certainly did not disappoint.

The Word opened the second set, and its typical funk jam got turned upside down this night in what proved to be a great version of the tune.

Starting the jam at around 3:10, the band wasted no time easing into a solid, mean funk jam. AKelly was especially vocal here on the keys, and his traces of ambience helped to lead it into the percussion led jam that began around 5:40. From here, the band slowly quiets down, still in the normal “The Word” funk, when at 6:30 AKelly and Joel take the lead and Jud and Sam serve as backing. At 7:00, this jam is not unlike what you might hear during the drums/keys section of Crepes and Bananas, although Jud is accenting some lines in over the top. Around 8:10, organ washes bring the jam into more ambient territory as the Jud and Sam drop into the background yet again. Painting an abstract painting of sound, Joel and AKelly lead the jam until at 8:45 when Sam and Jud slam back into the forefront with some wah-drenched funk, which gets everybody back into rhythm as they begin the build onto the peak at 10:20.

Still funking along, Jud begins to lead the jam again with some rhythm chops and Sam and Joel are holding down the pocket nicely. At 11:30, Joel begins building further as AKelly pushes his way up the octaves. This is short-lived however, because at 11:50 they ease back into The Word chords and wrap the song up at 13:42. Overall, this was a fantastic rendition of The Word, it was very unique.

Aluminum Boy followed, and it was good as usual. I really like the lyrics in this tune. The lyrically-dark Food came after and it proved to be a great version to get the crowd dancing with its clav-drenched funk. Jud was especially hot during this song and proceeded to bring the house down while Sam and AKelly kept the funk going.

The next portion of the set was one big highlight, also known as Sane->He’s Gone->Jam->Water or Sea. This Sane rocked solidly, with an especially gripping jam section which was very uplifting and definitely served me well. The Grateful Dead cover He’s Gone, which is mainly sung by Joel, followed. This, much like the Sane that preceded it, was a particularly heart-warming version, with great vocals and a nice jam that followed. This He’s Gone led into a short little funk groove which eventually segued into what turned out to be a particularly interesting rendition of Water or Sea.

This Water or Sea, a genre-bouncing song in itself, did not waste time getting into the meat of the jam. As Jud played some fast funk licks, AKelly took front and center here as he took the song away from its bluegrass nature and into synth-filled electronica without remorse. This segment of the jam goes on for quite awhile, with the song getting more and more abstract as time goes on. Jud takes the lead role at 4:30, and solos for a bit while AKelly goes back onto piano. Eventually Jud leads the song back into the central theme and we return to the verses. From here the song goes its normal course and closes with the reggae-section (which I love) to finish out the song. This was an extremely entertaining version of the song – it got very atypical in a very short amount of time. I’d like to see Chance Fisher stretch this one out a few more times, as they seem to be onto something here.

After the intermission of Stock Report, an extended, wild version of Anika’s Brew served to close up the show. This Anika’s Brew was clearly inspired, and included an extended Jud-led jam in-between verses. Anika’s Brew was a rocking ending to an atypical, but good show.

Overall, 5.20 was a nice change of pace and I really enjoyed seeing the underplayed songs and the multiple big jams this night. Well done, Chance Fisher.

Set I:Cut off to Melba->Old Town Manitoba, Vigilante Restaurant, Oh Jeremiah->Medicine Daughter, Circles in the Ground, Camba
Set II:The Word, Aluminum Boy, Food, Sane->He’s Gone->Jam->Water or Sea, Stock Report, Anika’s Brew
~BK

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Recap: 5.14.2010 @ Martin's: Jackson, MS

2010-06-06T09:50:00.001-05:00

I want to introduce a new contributor to this site.

Brandon Kayda out of Maryland will be writing the recaps from here on out. His enthusiasm is infectious, so I hope you guys welcome him into the fold.

Without further ado, Brandon's first official recap:

Chance Fisher – 2010.05.14 – RECAP5.14 was an interesting night for Chance Fisher. Culminating into one massive, 2.7-hour set, there is many a highlight to be discussed.

The show opened up with a powerful, mood-setting Broken Keychain->Sun Guy, which set the stage for a great night. Broken Keychain’s dark, heavy pace mixed with the jam vehicle that is Sun Guy proved to be a great opener to what ended up as a great concert.

The duo was followed by Blueberry Pie and Sarah Mundane – the latter’s dark, sinister subject matter compared with the song’s light, almost upbeat music makes Sarah Mundane so gloriously demented that you can’t help but love it – after all, who wouldn’t love a song about the drug-induced murder of a lover? Blueberry Pie is quickly growing on me as well, great tune to follow the Broken Keychain->Sun Guy opening. However, one of the improvisational highlights of the show would come next in Sophia.

This Sophia, in its 13mins, led us through a very funky, dissonant jam which went further than some of the other Sophia’s from the year, and can be considered one of the best Sophia’s of 2010 so far. This Sophia slides through dissonant territory with ease, throwing us into murky, shark infested waters with no intentions of reeling us back in. The spacey, ambient-textured jam at the end was to my liking as well. Overall, this was a fantastic rendition of the tune, and I’m glad we have been hearing it more recently. Well done boys.

From here the set continues with Aluminum Boy, a new tune which I have really enjoyed as of late. Its lyrics/melody never fails to deliver for me. This was followed by Medicine Daughter, which was another raging jam of the night. Great work by Joel on drums in really helping to build into the double-time peak at the end. In the end, it served as a fantastic rendition of the tune.

Medicine Daughter was then followed by Down by the River, a Neil Young cover, which included bassist Sam on vocals. The vocal delivery of this song was nailed, and the jam that followed was equally as crisp. The jam that evolved out of Down by the River was dissonant and drenched in distortion, just as Neil would’ve ordered it. What followed after this was a raging Alabaster Shavings, which definitely helped to keep the energy level of the set high.
After a breather in the fun bluegrass number Rosa Lee, Chance Fisher dropped into Its an Ambush, which with its dark lyrics and psychedelic-funk jamming made itself into one of the highlights of this seemingly never-ending set. Sam on bass made a big impression during this jam, his bass lines holding down the funk while Jud and AKelly created a dissonant sphere of music during this jam. It was nice hearing this one stretched out.

After a rocking Tax Dollars, which included a bit of an extended jam that was nice to see, we got a break with a nice, relaxing cover of Moonshiner, which is a rarity that is nice to hear. After this short break however, we were thrown back into the improvisational hemisphere with the clav-filled, funk monster that is Food. This Food included an extended, funky Joel-Sam intro, which helped to inspire the rather large jam that would come out of this Food. Highlights include some particularly funky clav work by AKelly with Sam and Joel staying firmly in the pocket, adding some flavor and spice to the jam.

Following the funk-filled Food was Chemical Parade, which, with its multiple different segments and musical genres, is one of my favorite tunes in the Chance Fisher catalogue. This Chemical Parade included an uplifting, slow-building, inspired jam at the end which never fails to amaze me. A particularly powerful peak ended this Chemical Parade with a bang. After some playful banter, Two Eyes, one of the new tunes, followed. This song has been growing on me lately, and I have come to appreciate its vocal melodies and jam-potential. I can easily see this song becoming the next big jam vehicle in Chance Fisher’s repertoire. 5.14’s version is no exception – Two Eyes contains a big jam segment, with Jud taking the lead with some funk licks while AKelly and Sam provide a spacious, almost ambient face to the jam. After a long ride, the jam peaks and the song comes to a stop at about 12mins. I’d really like to see what Chance Fisher could do with this one if they let it branch out further as they are. Regardless, well done boys!

Crepes and Bananas followed, and this was definitely a great version. Crepes included a fantastic, dissonant piano-drums section with Joel and AKelly; with a big refrain jam to close the song out properly. The Pixies’ Where is My Mind, followed, and as usual Chance Fisher gave The Pixies’ classic justice here, with Sam’s vocals mixing perfectly into the song. The 2hr, 45min set then closed with crowd favorite Cornelius, which went into …And We Bid You Goodnight before going back into the Cornelius refrain, making it Cornelius->…And We Bid You Goodnight->Cornelius. The bluegrass tinge of Cornelius was a fun way to end a great show.

Overall, 5.14 was a great night, with plenty of highlights taboot’. I enjoyed the listen, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to write the recap for y’all. Keep up the good work Chance Fisher!

Set I:
Broken Keychain->Sun Guy->Blueberry Pie, Sarah Mundane, Sophia, Aluminum Boy, Medicine Daughter, Down By The River->Alabaster Shavings > Rosa Lee > It’s An Ambush, Tax Dollars, Moonshiner, Food, Chemical Parade, Two Eyes, Crepes and Bananas, Where Is My Mind?*->Cornelius->…And We Bid You Goodnight->Cornelius.
~BK

Download

Stream:

Recap: 4.23.10 Boom Boom Room

2010-04-27T16:22:00.001-05:00

Well another Chance Fisher weekend under our belt, now we are two shows heavier and three songs stronger.

4.23 marked the debut of three new originals: Two Eyes, Aluminum Boy, and Broken Key Chain. It also marked a shift in songs that got the improvisational treatment.

Camba clocked in a succinct, somewhat tame version, where Food > Squash Anyone proved to be the improvisational highlight of the night.

Check out the show here:

Or Download It!

Setlist:

1: Alabaster Shavings > Water or Sea, Hoverboard, Chemical Parade. Two Eyes* > Lo and Outside > Crepes and Bananas > Broken Key Chain*

2: Tax Dollars> Down By the River^, Aluminum Boy*, Food > Squash Anyone **> Schizo, Anika's Brew, Camba, Tender Situation^^, Frying Pan, National Anthem^^^, Cornelius

E: Blueberry Pie

Notes: * - Debut, ** - with extended space jam, also a speech by the Benny the Boom Boom Room bar owner, ^ Neil Young Cover, ^^ Ween Cover, ^^^ Radiohead cover

Recap: 2/26/10 and 3/04/10

2010-03-07T12:01:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone,

Its been a minute, but I got two new shows for ya.

Without further ado:

02/26/2010: Barrister's, Starkville, MS:

Set 1: Food, Sane > Camba, Sand > Water or Sea*, Jam > Crepes and Bananas > National Anthem, Fame > Born Under a Bad Sign, Where is My Mind?, Sophia, I Shall Be Released

Notes: * With War - Bob Marley lyrics
Download

03/04/2010: Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS:

Set 1: Da Bears > O Jeremiah > Is Truth+ > Medicine Daughter > Cosmic Dirigible > Sun Guy > Old Town Manitoba, Tax Dollars

Set 2: Frying Pan**, East African Bush, He's Gone* > Jam* > Lo and Outside*, Its an Ambush* > Squash Anyone* > Camba*

Encore: Where is my Mind* > Keyboard Jam* > I Shall Be Released*# > Space*^

Notes: + with Jason Ball on vocals * with John Mark on guitar, ** Bass drum head broke, # with Natalie Kirk on Vocals, ^ with And We Bid You Goodnight quotes. Whole show was dedicated to Jeff Sullivan, The Godfather of Chance Fisher

Download

Recap: Live at Martins 2-06-2010

2010-02-11T21:39:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone!

Its recap again but this time its going to be a little different.

I would like to welcome aboard a new poster: Fairchild East. She will be providing you with the recaps for a while. Thanks go out to her and without further adieu, your review for 2-06:

Chance Fisher @ Martins 02.06.2010

Set One

1.) PDF- An interesting song with a more interesting chorus. The chorus stands out the most as rhythmic and catchy. However, the vocals tend to be a bit weak in this opening song.

2.) Water or Sea- Vocals catch up in this second song. Overall good, steady song with an undeniable urge to stomp your feet or wiggle your hips. Halfway through the guitar really brings the song into a fun frenzy of sound and towards the very end is the real treat with a change of pace to a funky break down of the basic sounds during the song. DEFINITELY worth a hear.

3.) Alabaster Springs- Wantin’ to hit somebody lately? If so, this songs one for you. Starts out with a simple “get the hell outta my way, wanna punch you in the nose” but it’s not overbearing or to heavy at all. It’s got slow, sway worthy sound until a dramatic turn about 4 minutes in to pump you up and goes back that sway worthy rock to mellow you out.

4.) Lucky- A familiar song with a different Chance Fisher twist. Well covered from vocals to instrumentals all the way. A nice take on a Radiohead favorite.

5.) East African Bush- Starts out strong with another undeniable musical push to sway you in the right directions. If you like strong drums, YOU’RE IN LUCK. It’s here!

6.) River Ox- Starts out slow but about a minute into it you hear that nice funky organ sound on the keys. LOVE IT. The keys get a little bit crazy as do the vocals, hittin the wild spot. A good listen.

7.) Hoverboard- Rolls in with synchronized vocals in good harmony. The whole song kind of rolls along, very gentle and steady.

8.) Sophia- Catchy song, especially to the keys. It slowly rolls you into a chaotic mixture of psychedelic and funk sounds.

Set Two

1.) Umbrella- Love that electric beginning that takes you into some strong vocals and guitar. Good chorus with a romantic twist. Changes pace towards the end to a little bippity boppity sound on the keys. Good stuff.

2.) Squash- A slow song with, drags on a bit. Definitely good if you’re feeling superchill.

3.) Sane- Very catchy and worth making it a favorite. Wait about 10 minutes in till you hear that sweet boom boom tink of the guitar and keys.

4.) Cosmic Dirigible- Cosmic in its sound as well as the perfect amount of funk and jam served to you on a platter. Doesn’t stick out much but is still a well put together performance.

5.) It’s an Ambush- Starts out very nicely with a good beat and nice vocals. Breaks out into a wicked psychedelic funk near the middle. In the top five picks of the show for sure.

6.) Losing the Duel- Melodic and Melancholy.

7.) Anika’s Brew- A good steady song with nice vocals and lyrics. Wait until about half way through when the Keys are unleashed.

8.) Frying Pan- Begins like any other song but about 2 minutes in evolves into a solid drum beat paired with some haunting keys and guitar. Nicely done, I say, Nicely Done. Put on your dancin’ shoes for this one!

9.) Lo and Outside- No lyrics needed to send you off with a fond farewell of funk and jam and goodness. Enjoyable for sure!

Download

Stream:

Recap: 01.21.10 @ Bennie's Boom Boom Room

2010-01-28T16:37:00.005-06:00

Well, it was Chance Fisher's first show of the year and a relative success.
It was a celebration for Judson's birthday that started Thursday and carried over into Friday on the coast.

I hope everyone in attendance had a great time, because I know we did.
Special thanks to ChefBrad that made the long trip to be there!

On to the show:

This time in lieu of the usually all to embarrassingly self-referential show reviews, I am going to use the words of our friend Fairchild East do the talking. Quoted from the Student Printz of USM:

"It's a night just like any other as I ride my bike up to Benny’s Boom Boom Room; I can hear the loud boom-boom-funk creeping around the corner, meeting my ears before my eyes. I park my bike and shuffle into the club as Chance Fisher, a well known collaborative group that performs rock/jam/funk music, takes the stage.

Like many other musical shows, people are still ambling in, getting settled, and getting their alcoholic accompaniments as the music starts and a wide semi-circle of smooth concrete separates the band from the audience. Soon, a slow leak of funkadelic sound seeps into the group of funk-hungry folks and their joints and sockets begin to sway to the sound they came for.

As the show progresses, the crowd inadvertently sneaks closer to the band. They begin to spill over the velvet lined partitions that separate them from an electric slew of wires and peddles and gadgets and gizmos. They hardly realize the music taking over them pumps through their heads one simple thought: get down.

Listeners are pleased by the sounds of Judson Vance on vocals and guitar in blue disco glasses and mis-matched socks. He stands surrounded by a variety of multi-colored pedals to create that perfect sound, which he rightly achieves. Stage right of Judson stands Sam Adcock on vocals and bass making those heavy thunk-thunk sounds that are absolutely pivotal to the overall effect and sound.

During a quick break in the show, Adcock shares with me that it’s the freedom of being able to express yourself and play what you want to play in the band that has him settled with Chance Fisher.

The very talented Adam Kelly fluidly commands his fingers over a double-decker keyboard like he has been doing it since the day he was born. Lastly, back in the corner, but surely not hiding out is Joel Vance, brother of Judson Vance, on drums and vocals. His drum-set faces the crowd and sets them back with his steady rhythm and the boom-clack, boom-clack.

When asked one word to describe the performance, Kelsa Temple, a close friend of the band, answered “ecclesiastical.”

Shaffer Carter, a fan and avid listener, said it’s the band's ability to “put you into another world” with its sound and how that effect is rejuvenating for him."

Download Here
Stream Here:

Links to Show Downloads

2010-01-15T18:06:00.011-06:00

Here is a page with easy links to all our shows and relevant information. The shows with blog write-ups will have *s next to them and the * will link you to the write up. This page will be permanently linked in our links section on the right side of the blog. Enjoy!

Chance Fisher Downloads

07/18/2008: Dulcinea's, Denver, CO

05/14/2009: Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St. Louis, MS

06/13/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

08/08/2009: Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St. Louis, MS

09/17/2009: The Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS - ***

10/24/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

10/30/2009: Government St. Grocery, Ocean Springs, MS

11/24/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS - ***

12/11/2009: Barrister's, Starkville, MS - ***

12/12/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS -       ***

01/21/2010: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS -

02/06/2010: Martin's, Jackson, MS -                                   ***

02/26/2010: Barristers, Starkville, MS

03/04/2010: Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

04/23/2010: Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

04/24/2010: Zorba's, Starkville, MS

05/08/2010: George St. Grocery, Ocean Springs, MS

05/14/2010: Martin's, Jackson, MS

05/20/2010: The Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St Louis, MS

This Side Up Downloads:
Date          Place
09/24/2009: Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St. Louis, MS

10/17/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

12/10/2009: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

02/01/2010: Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS

02/19/2010: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS

03/26/2010: Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg, MS

If there is a show you would like to see added, just put the request in the comment box.

Recap: 12/11 and 12/12: The F--k You Audience and the Whoops! shows

2009-12-17T23:39:00.002-06:00

Recap time everyone.

12.11.09: Barrister's, Starkville, MS:

Set 1: Enticement > Blueberry Pie > Apple Pie, Frying Pan, White Squall, Down by the River > Celia, East African Bush* > Lo and Outside
Set 2: The Word > Medicine Daughter, Julie*, Plight of My Heart, Look Up, Where is My Mind **
Notes: *-debuts, **-with piano outro.

Well we started this show off with high hopes of winning over the crowd. But alas it was not to be. After a fun and funky first set with a Frying Pan Highlight and a nice Lo and Outside closer, we decided second set was for us.

Consciously trying to get the audience to respond in anyway, whether it be interest or disgust, we dove in Medicine Daughter and Plight of My Heart with a ferocious attack of dissonance. These two are not for the faint of heart, isn't that right Sam?

All in all though, we were pleased with the playing of this show, despite the audience's complete lack of interest. The next night however...

12.12.09: Bennie's Boom Boom Room, Hattiesburg, MS:

Setlist:

Set 1: Umbrella > Rhetorical 3rd St, Rattlesnake, A Hostage Situation, Julie, O Jeremiah > History of the World, Disease Control
Set 2: Frying Pan, War a piece > Old Town Manitoba > National Anthem, Food, The Word > Da Bears > Ways of the Grizzly Bear, Chemical Parade > Lo and Outside

This show features an unorthodox setlist and some sloppy yet exploratory playing. Check out the O Jeremiah > History for some good mind melts. The War A piece > OTM > National Anthem is an interesting section of music, but beware the Bear portion of the show. Major flubs abound!

So until next time.

Download links:

12.11.09

12.12.09

A Collection: Best of Chance Fisher 2005

2009-12-16T16:17:00.008-06:00

Its been a while since I have posted a Live Pick of the Day on this board. So in their place, I am posting this list of some of my favorite tracks from 2005.

This was a interesting year for us, that marks a big turning point in our direction and style. Coming in at the end of our Inn on the Hill times, we were in full on crazy mode. With all the themed shows and big jams, we started to realize that we could actually write some songs in there. This year marked the debut of some of the audience and our favorites. Camba, Do What You Like, Stock Report, Lo and Outside, Five Senses, Celia, Goodbye, Trust Me, and Look Up were among the originals debuted that year.

2005 also served as the year of the covers. Busting out all sorts of one time covers ranging from the Beatles to Pink Floyd to Les Claypool to the Band. Some of these still make our rotation today.

Here is the list, unfortunately it doesnt have a play list attached to it, but you can go here to download and see the playlist. You can use this player however just like a CD player and skip to tracks you want to hear.

On to the list:

Medicine Daughter 8-16-05

Morningstar 9-30-05

Cosmic Dirigible 11-21-05

Midnight Ramblers 9-23-05

Horse in the Forest 4-23-05

Schizo 7-01-05

Rhetorical 3rd Street 5-16-05

Brooklyn 9-16-05
Loser 9-16-05

See an Inn 9-16-05
Cosmic Dirigble 9-16-05
Bleath 9-16-05

Do What You Like 5-16-05

Echoes 4-23-05

I Want You 9-23-05

Clockwise Door 3-25-05

Cut-off to Melba 7-16-05

River Ox 9-23-05

O Jeremiah 9-23-05

The Word 5-16-05

Old Town Manitoba 11-21-05

See an Inn 9-23-05
Camba 11-21-05

Brooklyn 11-21-05

Up and Down Strut 7-01-05

Clockwise Door 5-16-05

Recap: 11.28.09 @ Bennie's Boom Boom Room

2009-12-03T16:10:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone!

Man what a great time we had at the Boom Boom Room last Saturday. Thanks so much for packin the house and shaking your turkey fat off with us. Don't get too comfortable though because we do it all again next weekend at the Boom Boom Room: Saturday Dec. 12!

Show Summary:

Starting with a rare Cosmic Dirigible opener that bled into a Camba, the show was destined to be jam heavy and that it was.

The first set consisted of 7 songs, pretty low considering the usual 9-10. With a reinvented 5 Senses and a blistering White Squall, the set ended with a piano outro from Crepes and Bananas, spliting the crowd favorite for the first time over two sets.

The second set picked up where Crepes left of and delivered the Bananas. Then an old school throwdown in the shape of Clockwise Door which led into the always spacey Squash Anyone.

Backdoor Man was busted out after being on the shelf for 4 years! Way to go Sam with the powerful vocals.

Lycanthropy was played for one of our oldest and long time fans that will be leaving our fold. Brittany we will miss you more than you know. Thank you for all the support that you have shown Chance Fisher in the years. Hopefully, this won't be your last show. Maybe we can come play in Florida!

Then enter J-Ball with the Is Truth bust out! Smack in the middle of Ambush too. Well done Jason! Truly old school happenings.

A tight Sophia, and a chaotic Horse in the Forest rounded out the show.

Setlist:

Set 1: Cosmic Dirigible -> Camba, Chemical Parade -> Five Senses, White Squall, You, Crepes and Bananas pt I

Set 2: Crepes and Bananas pt 2, Clockwise Door -> Squash Anyone > Its an Ambush -> Is Truth -> Its an Ambush, Lycanthropy, Backdoor Man, Tax Dollars, Sophia, Anika's Brew > Horse in the Forest

Download here: http://www.archive.org/details/ChanceFisherBbr11.24.09
Thanks again everyone for coming. See ya next weekend!

October Happenings

2009-11-07T16:33:00.002-06:00

So its time to sum up some of our October shows.

10.24.09: Bennies Boom Boom Room
AKA - Mustache Pie Show

Set 1 (Moustache Pie): Moustache Pie Intro#, Apple Pie > Alabaster Shavings, White Squall, "Pie Time"# -> A River Runs Through Her -> "Pie Time"# -> Bleath -> "Pie Time"# -> Old Town Manitoba -> "Pie Time"# -> Something in the Way* > Tax Dollars, Rattlesnake > Blueberry Pie
Set 2: Pigs on the Wing pt 1**, Camba, Frying Pan, History of the World, Crepes and Bananas*** > Hoverboard, Umbrella > Can't You Hear Me Knocking****, Everyone Here
Encore: Cornelius > Pigs on the Wing pt 2**
Notes: *- Nirvana cover; **- Pink Floyd Cover, band came to the stage to spell out Pi with their shirts; ***- w/Tweezer tease; ****- Rolling Stones cover
#- Pie Time consisted of facts about moustaches and pies said over spacy ambience.

This was such a fun night for all of us... I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves cause we sure did.
Long live Moustache Pie!

Highlights of the night: OTM, Camba, Frying Pan, Crepes

10.30.09: Government St. Grocery, Ocean Springs, MS:
Set 1: Cut the Loving Off, Plight of My Heart, Rosa Lee, Schizo, Sane Intro > Sane, Atrophy Road, Chemical Parade* > Blueberry Pie
Set 2: Medicine Daughter, Sarah Mundane, Dead Flowers**, Spinal Meningitis Jam > Camba***, Jam****> Lo and Outside, Object, Song: Bob Marley, You, Sophia
Notes: *- intro flubbed, **- Rolling Stones cover with extended jamming, ***- w/Spinal Meningitis (Ween) teases, ****- This jam featured Jud and Sam for an extended intro to Lo and Outside.

We enjoyed ourselves at one of our home away from homes. We strongly encourage you guys to follow us down there the next time we play as it is always a fun show.

Highlights: Schizo, Medicine Daughter, Dead Flowers, Lo and Outside

11.04.09: Echo Lounge, Meridian, MS:
Set 1: Medicine Daughter > Enticement, Five Senses, Casting Call, Eviction Notice > Sun Guy, Anika's Brew, Celia, Go Ring Outside
Set 2: Dead Flowers, Rhetorical 3rd Street, Look Up, Food, Paper Cups, Stock Report, War a Piece, Old Town Manitoba

Or something like that.. I may be adding a correction update soon.

All of these shows can be found at our new online music home:
http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/lycanthropist

Check em out!

Catch Up!

2009-10-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

I know its been a while since a post, and I apologize to those keeping up.

Got some interesting points to cover today so lets get right to it.

First off, Chance Fisher is available on Archive.org now!
These site features easier downloads and full show streaming capabilities.
Right now I have only put up a few of my favorite Chance Fisher shows (as well as some This Side Up).
Hop on over there now to check it out:
http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/Lycanthropist

Secondly, the Chance Fisher Halloween Extravaganza is this weekend! Please come in costume and ready to dance to some dark, spooky grooves!

Third, we would still like feedback on what you guys would like to see on this site, so feel free to leave us a comment with your suggestions!

See ya soon.

Covers: Doorways to Influences

2009-09-26T12:41:00.004-05:00

For your weekend listening pleasure I decided to do an article that touches on some of our obvious influences and some of our less obvious ones.

We owe our love to music to so many bands, so here is a chance for us to show you some of that respect.

The Beatles:

While this one may be apparent, it may suprise you just how many Beatles tunes we have played. At one point we seriously considered trying to learn every Beatles song there was. Their vocal harmonies and song structure impacted Rock and Roll forever, and as far as we are concerned they are the Godfathers.

This is a list of all the Beatles songs we covered, with the ones I have good recordings of available to listen:

A Day in the Life
Across the Universe
Blue Jay Way
Don't Let Me Down
Eleanor Rigby (not so good of an attempt lol)
Flying
Helter Skelter 09.13.08

Hey Bulldog
I Am the Walrus 03.25.05

I Want You (She's So Heavy) 09.23.05

I'm So Tired
I've Got a Feeling
Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Taxman 09.16.05

The Word 05.16.05

Tomorrow Never Knows
Twist and Shout
With a Little Help From My Friends
Your Mother Should Know

So as you can see, we like us some Beatles.

Radiohead:

Radiohead had a huge influence and role in pulling us away from pure "jamminess". They manage to be psychedelic without unnecessary noodling. One of my favorite bands, and definitely high up in the band's esteem, we covered The Bends album in its entirity one Halloween. We also have played quite a few of Radioheads other tunes as well:

Talk Show Host
National Anthem

Lucky
A Wolf at the Door
Planet Telex
The Bends
High and Dry

Fake Plastic Trees
Bones
Nice Dream
Just
My Iron Lung
Bulletproof...I Wish I Was
Blackstar
Sulk
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
I Might Be Wrong (Rooster Blues did this one)

If you haven't listened to Radiohead, I urge you to give it a listen.

Phish:

This is one of our more obvious, yet touchy influences. We are undoubtedly influenced by Phish, but we also want to distance ourselves from them as much as possible. I almost didn't even add them to the post, but I would be misrepresenting if I didn't. We used to cover a good bit of Phish, but we rarely do now at all.
Here's the list:

Birds of a Feather 05.16.05

Dirt (last played 2002)
Run Like an Antelope (last played 2002)
Gotta Jibboo (last played 2002)
Tweezer (only truly played once, teased a lot otherwise, but not since 03)
Mike's Song (once)
Sand
Twist 09.17.05

Bathtub Gin 05.30.03

Thats all of the Phish we directly played, but used to quote a lot more of it back in the day. We hope that we have moved past this for the most part, but we still owe them a lot.

Pink Floyd:

Of course another band that means alot to us is Pink Floyd. This band took the art of extended songs to the next level. Surprisingly very little improv in Floyd songs despite their long, psychedelic nature. They planned most of their notes and the result is some epic perfection. Our tributes:

Echoes 04.23.05

Pigs on the Wing I and II
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Nobody's Home
Brain Damage/Eclipse
Have a Cigar
In the Flesh
Shine on You Crazy Diamond

Other Covers:
We also have picked and choosed some other covers from band you may be surprised that we covered. All of these bands have had some part in the development in Chance Fisher's sound. Here is certainly not complete but close list of the other covers we do and have done:

Where is My Mind? - Pixies

Can't You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
Dead Flowers - The Rolling Stones
Midnight Rambler - The Rolling Stones 09.23.05

Stray Cat Blues - The Rolling Stones 06.14.05

Ophelia - The Band 08.08.09

The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down - The Band
Backdoor Man - The Doors 05.16.05
5 to 1 - The Doors
Memories Can't Wait - Talking Heads
Slippery People - Talking Heads
Shimmy Shimmy Ya - Ol Dirty Bastard
Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana
Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
Take it to the Limit - The Eagles
Company in my Back - Wilco
I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan
Down by the River - Neil Young 06.20.09

Object - Ween 06.13.09

Tender Situation - Ween

Fame - David Bowie 05.16.05

Starman - David Bowie
Space Oddity - David Bowie
El Scorcho - Weezer
Samson and Delilah - Grateful Dead
Loser - Grateful Dead
Birdsong - Grateful Dead
Darkstar - Grateful Dead
Forever Loving Jah - Bob Marley
Burnin and Lootin - Bob Marley
Rastaman Chant - Bob Marley

I could probably go on forever.. but I won't.. This is just to give you an idea of some of our influences. As you can see we have a wide selection of covers; however, we don't play a lot of covers regularly, we prefer our originials. So it goes. Hope you guys enjoy your weekend.

Until next time.

PLOW: 9.23.09

2009-09-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

Its that time of the week again for new tunes.

Today's first pick will continue to feature last weekend's show at the Hippo. White Squall is a lovely tune about or for Jud's son. We are slowly realizing that this song needs to be more in rotation, so in turn we now offer it to you to familiarize yourself with it.

White Squall 9.17.09 -

Our second tune is a soundcheck jam from 3.28.08. I figured I would offer up this 20 minute exploration for you guys. Hope you enjoy!

Soundcheck 3.28.08 -

Thanks for continuing to check in with us, come back this weekend for updates on the Book Club.

09.19.09 @ Mugshots in Starkville Recap

2009-09-20T12:18:00.000-05:00

Well what a long weekend.

We wrapped it up last night with a two set, cover filled blowout for our new fans in Starkville. We had a great time and we are looking forward to our next trip to Starkville where we will be breaking in Barrister's.

Since we didn't get this show recorded, it is going to be tough to recall the setlist. But I am gonna do my best. So here it goes

09.19.09 Mugshots, Starkville, MS
Set 1: Cut the Lovin Off, Food, Vigilante Resteraunt, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Its an Ambush, National Anthem, Rattlesnake, Sane
Set 2: Shimmy Shimmy Ya > Tax Dollars, Crepes and Bananas, Birds of a Feather, Horse in the Forest > Where is My Mind?

So thanks again for a great weekend, and look for us in October! Big month for Chance Fisher.

09.17.09 @ Thirsty Hippo Recap and Download

2009-09-19T15:22:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a great night!

Thanks to all of you who came out. We had a wonderful night. It was nice to be in the Hippo again with all of you.

The show started with the ever changing More Russians and led into Sun Guy. A nice one two combo to start of the show. We worked out our two new songs again, both clocking in at about ten minutes. Thinking both of these will be big songs as the develop. The show featured a lengthy Sophia and the ultra-rare in town Where is My Mind. I think we are in breach of some contract or something on that one. :)

Here is Frying Pan for your listening pleasure.

Frying Pan - 09.17.09

We want to give a big thank you and shout out to Travis Linville who opened for us. He traveled all the way from Oklahoma, and it is always a special treat to see him play. Thank you Travis.

Full setlist:

09.17.09 - The Thirsty Hippo:
More Russians -> Sun Guy > Blueberry Pie > Sliding Home, Orange Knights OK, Frying Pan, Chemical Parade -> Cosmic Dirigible, White Squall, Circles in the Ground > Da Bears -> Lo and Outside, Hoverboard > Sophia, Where is My Mind

Encore: Cornelius

You can download this show here.

Thanks again everyone! Its off to Starkville now.

PLOW: 9.16.09

2009-09-16T16:31:00.002-05:00

Its time for the live picks of the week again.

For the first pick I am going to put a selection from the Saenger Theater. This show is the one show that we haven't put up for free download, so I hope you enjoy this Blog-Only stream of this jam.

This Sophia is one of my favorites. It may be short, but it is sweet. Very groove oriented, this one establishes a space and runs with it before emerging into the climax. This night at the Theater was very special to us and we had a lot of fun. We are hoping to put up some videos from that night soon.

Make sure you give this one a second to load. It has a 2 second delay before it actually starts.
Sophia 09.13.08

This next tune is a very old tune that we used to play called Brooklyn. It has been about 4 years since we have played this tune. It was often a centerpiece jam that regularly clocked in over 20 minutes. This one is just shy of that, and has a band introduction breakdown in the middle. It is from the Hippo show on 11.21.05 and I am selecting it in preparation for tomorrow's show at this Hattiesburg venue. Who knows, maybe this song will be revived some day. Just a friendly reminder: Keep in mind that in 2005, chaos was the name of the game for Chance Fisher. Lol.

Brooklyn 11.21.05

We also have a winner for our song naming competition. The winning entry was, "Sliding Home", submitted by Jamie Stewart. Congratulations Jamie!

Meet the Side Projects

2009-09-13T14:32:00.002-05:00

I figured for this post I would take the time to introduce you to the other projects that the members of Chance Fisher are working on. If you haven't taken the time to check these other projects out, make today the day.

Rooster Blues
This guitar and drums duo features Jud and Joel Vance exploring brotherhood and blues. Together, they take the old school genre of Blues and mesh it with new school Psychedelia. Occasionally they forray into bluegrass, but they really shine in the electric setting. Here are a few videos for you guys to check out:
Invisible Man

And a personal favorite:
Fancy Picasso

This Side Up

This is AKelly's side project feature a keys, bass and drums set up. Exploring improv as the central focus, TSU works to organically create music in the moment. Again here is a video and a jam for you guys to enjoy.

U Noddabossa Me

And this is an example of the open ended improv:

Improv

So I hope you guys enjoy this step into the side street so to speak. I will occasionally touch back on these projects as they continue to grow. And as always, there are links on our Links Sidebar to both of these bands' homes.

Summary of Post Happenings

2009-09-09T19:20:00.000-05:00

This is just a nice reminder post to let you know of the things going on right now:

1.) Our song naming contest is still running strong. If you haven't made your entry slide over here to listen to the song and submit your song title. Remember, winner gets a T-Shirt and a CD Package. The winning entry will be announced at our next Hattiesburg show which will be at the Thirsty Hippo on 09.17.09.

2.) Our book club started this month, and our selection is Jitterbug Perfume. Hope those of you who have time to read join us in this endeavor.

3.) As always, our selected show archive is available for downloads and you can find that archive here.

4.) Still looking for new followers and new suggestions for this page. So spread the word and lets make this a true community portal for Chance Fisher.

PLOW: 9.09.09

2009-09-09T15:33:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone!

Its time for the Pick of the Week again.
This week we have another old and new track for your listening pleasure.

The first is Medicine Daughter from 8/08/09 at the Mockingbird Cafe.
Some of you may not realize it, but this song has been a toughie for us for some time. Its the second jam in particular that we never really solidified. We have before, no doubt, but most times this portion of the song gets lost in the mix and heads to the finale quicker than usual. However, this night, outside and enjoying the festivities of Second Saturday we clicked and fired this one off on all cylinders. This is one of my personal favorites so I hope you enjoy.
Medicine Daugter - 08.08.09:

This next pick is an old track from 2005. Played on March 25th (Akelly's Birthday, for those who keep up with that sort of thing), this features an extended keyboard solo. I selected this one for our upcoming return to the Hippo. This song is called Clockwise Door and its an old tune that is slowly making its way back in rotation. So for all of those who aren't familier with it, take a gander. For those who are: revisit it.

Clockwise Door - 03.25.05

Thanks again for checkin out our live tracks. Don't forget to peep our Links list for links to our free downloads and side projects. Speaking of side projects, I will be featuring both the Rooster Blues and This Side Up in tomorrow's post, so tune back in to check it out!

Happy Humpday!

Entire Live Shows for Download

2009-09-08T13:21:00.002-05:00

Hey guys.

Just a friendly reminder post that we have several Chance Fisher shows available for FREE download!
You can find the link in our links list or you can just use this one:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/8640325/4c31096d/sharing.html

Feel free to grab whatever you would like!
Here are some suggested shows:

6.13.09: Bennies Boom Boom Room

Set 1: Disease Control -> O Jeremiah, Camba, Lycanthropiy -> Sane -> Squash Anyone -> Crepes and Bananas, Object, Plight of My Heart, Water or Sea?
Set 2: Anika's Brew, Chemical Parade -> Sun Guy, Rattlesnake > Alabaster Shavings > Tax Dollars > You Its an Ambush -> Cosmic Dirigible, Orange Knights OK

8.08.09: Mockingbird Cafe

Set 1: Cut the Lovin Off -> Plight of My Heart, Rattlesnake, Apple Pie, Horse in the Forest, Take it to the Limit, Camba, Ophelia, Celia

Set 2: Lo and Outside, Medicine Daughter, Sarah Mundane, Anika's Brew, Crepes and Bananas, Dead Flowers*, Evicition Notice

* - with extended funk jam

Chance Fisher Book Club: Month 1's pick: Jitterbug Perfume

2009-09-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

So we are going to go ahead and go forward with this book club. This months pick will be:

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

A book about human philosophy, Jitterbug Perfume covers tons of ground. Starting from the early 600s and moving all the way through to the present, all religions and philosophies are fair game in this playful stab at human spirituality. The protagonist of this book starts as a simple man who feels that death comes to soon and without asking and follows his journey through the evolution of our theology. See how Pan and Jesus Christ are related. See as a Bohemian and a Hindu fall in love. Laugh as the modern world encroaches on old school thought.

Tom Robbins writing style may be a little wordy at first and he is no stranger to the occasional tangent, but the deep philosophy that he taps into makes it all worth it. Poetic, humorous, sad, fantastical, all too real, this book has it all.

I can't wait to delve deep into it with all of you.

For all those interested here is how it works:
We will read a book every month.
I will post a brief introduction to the book.
Halfway through I will make a post with some discussion topics regarding the first half of the book.
We shall discuss.
Then at the end of the month, we will review the last half of the book and continue our discussion.

Happy Reading!

Live Pick of the Week

2009-09-02T15:53:00.005-05:00

So for today's humpday we are going to make Wednesday official the Live Pick of the Week day. We are also gonna change the acronym from LPOW to PLOW, ya know to make it easier on your tongue and eyes. Thats us thinkin about you. Because we love you...

But in a platonic way of course.

Anyway moving right along.

Our first pick today is by request. This is a Dead Flowers from the Mockingbird Cafe with a little extra zing in it. What at first was a normal run through of the Rolling Stones classic ballad developed into a full on jam and then back nicely into the end of the song. Check it out:
Dead Flowers - 08.08.09

Our second pick is our pick and I am digging a little deep for this one. This is an OLD school track comin at ya from 2006. From a show at The Thirsty Hippo on 05.06.2006, Cosmic Dirigible.

LISTENER WARNING: May not be for the light of heart. If this is your first time listening to Chance Fisher, don't say we didn't warn you. Bwah ha ha.

Cosmic Dirigible 05.06.06

This track is fitting for two reasons:
1.) The name of the blog is "The Dirigible" after all.
2.) We are now playing at the Hippo on Sept.17. So we expect to see all you guys out there.

This also puts a date on the end of the contest! So get to checkin out the new song and putting your suggestions in.

Anyway, enjoy your PLOW...

Chance Fisher Book Club: Month 1: Introduction

2009-09-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

So we are thinking about starting a book club with all you fine fans.
However we have to generate enough interest.
Each band member will take turns picking a book, and then you guys can pick one!
Let us know what you think about this idea, book suggestions, possible format for discussion?

If you are continuing to check back regularly: thank you! We are trying to make this a fun place to visit often.

Please don't be shy.

I`ll say it again, this is meant to be a GROUP project, not just us band members.

NAME THAT TUNE Contest!

2009-08-31T17:09:00.000-05:00

So friends, we have a new tune.
You can find it in the previous post.
Go give it a listen.
It needs a good name.
We have a T-Shirt, a Sticker, and a CD package for the winner.

Just post your suggestions as comments.

You have until the next time we perform in Hattiesburg.

Put those thinking caps on.

08.21.09 Recap and Download

2009-08-30T21:09:00.004-05:00

I know this is fairly late.

But here is a short synopsis of our last show which is now available for download at the posted link.

The night was opened up in style by newcomer: The Purpetrator.
These guys are fantastic, and do your self and check them out. Very funky originals in their set, which was highlighted by a well-done cover of "Paranoid Android".
Many thanks to the band and their fans for arriving early and making it a full night of fun.

Our set followed shortly after. The first set featured an ironic Sane > Schizo and the debut of two new originals and one new cover. The first original is yet to be named, and I now post it here for all of you to hear:

suggestions welcome:

Help us name this song!
The other original is a nice heavy new tune called, Frying Pan.
The real heat of this set lay in the Old Town Manitoba > Goodbye.

Old Town Manitoba - 8.21.09

The second set, featured a jam heavy first half, and then a dip into some older Chance Fisher material. With a unique and huge Crepes and Bananas the set carried on nicely to the end of the evening. Then the silliness ensued with Floppy Obstacle, Hoverboard and Da Bears. A nice fun way to close the set, with the soft I Shall Be Released and the funky Cut the Lovin Off. Thank you guys so much for dancing and giving us the energy to feed off of.

The full setlist:

Set 1: Rattlesnake > Lo and Outside > Sane > Schizo, Its Good to be King*, untitled*, Tax Dollars, Old Town Manitoba** > Goodbye is it in you?, Frying Pan*

Set 2: Do What You Like, Umbrella > Squash Anyone > Crepes and Bananas > Take it to the Limit, Sophia > Floppy Obstacle > Anika's Brew, Hoverboard > Da Bears, I Shall Be Released, Cut the Lovin Off***

Notes: * - first time played, ** - with The Wall tease, *** - ends in vocal jam.

Thank you all so much for coming! We will see you again soon.

Bonus LPOW Track!

2009-08-29T20:35:00.006-05:00

Just since this is the start of our archival postings, I figured I would go ahead and hook you guys up with another selection:

Food - 06.24.08

Will Jam For Food - 06.24.08

This is a unique Food from 6.24 at The Bottling Company. With a peak replacing the normal straight forward funk during the jam, this Food started reaching to new levels early. Then as the chaos from the end of Food was carried out a new jam ensued. Will Jam for food remains one of my favorite Chance Fisher moments. The show was interesting, because they shut the doors at 2 and let us keep playing. We played for 4 hours that night, well past two. Huge night to say the least.

As a bonus we also have video for the Will Jam for Food portion:

First Live Pick of the Week (LPOW)

2009-08-29T19:12:00.001-05:00

Alright, this will be our first attempt at a new feature, "Live Chance Fisher of the Week". Every Saturday, we will post a new selection for your listening pleasure. Please give us feedback on what you may want to hear, and how it sounds.

Our first selection is: Cut the Lovin Off - 08.08.09

This is one of our older but maybe lesser known tracks. A nice funky way to start our show at the Mockingbird Cafe. So we will start our weekly choices with it as well. This is always a fun song, so we hope you enjoy!

Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

The Return of the Blog

2009-08-29T18:41:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the return of the blog. This will be a semi regularly updated site with posts regarding Chance Fisher news, stories or shows. Check back often and feel free to comment.

We are working on getting streaming capablity online, so we can post selected weekly live tracks for your listening enjoyment.

Until the next post!