The first time I saw The Slip (Brad Barr on guitar, Andrew Barr on drums and Marc Friedman on bass) was at Wetlands, and I had really come to see Percy Hill, who was playing earlier in the night. After kicking around in the downstairs lounge post PH, I made my way up to check out the trio and found them grouped tightly on their knees facing each other, playing drumsticks on the same spot on the ground, no mics or anything.
On that particular night, that was enough weirdness for me and we headed out, but the image stayed with me, and I started to keep my eyes and ears open for the band, seeing them at odd little festivals and big name festivals, tiny rooms and opening slots in much bigger rooms, and it was always clear to me just how much respect other musicians showed the trio. Players in other bands were always crowded around the stage, or on the side of the stage, watching closely. There was something special about The Slip.
It’s important to remember that jamnation was heavily dominated by largely instrumental acts at the turn of the century, and while much of that music certainly turned toward the funk, much of it was very sophisticated as well. And in this context, The Slip was a very jazzy group that played with guts and bravado, although their music was always cut with some beautiful singer songwriter tunes as well. As the years wore on, the band’s sound, if not its approach, changed, leaning more into an indie rock vibe with some truly stunning songs and much more aggressive playing. The Slip in 2000 and The Slip in 2006 could not be more different, and I loved them both with equal fervor.
This week, with the long holiday weekend in mind, we’re featuring an extended set from the trio just at the tail end of the jazzy years and not quite at the beginning of the Eisenhower era. It’s from Berkfest (The Berkshire Mountain Music Festival) in 2001, a great little festival that lived in western Mass for a number of years, the last four at a ski hill in the southern Berkshires. The Slip was closing out the side stage, which was tucked away behind the lodge, and was supposed to end as moe. started on the main stage, but the crowd only grew as the set continued, and the band just kept playing and playing, and no one made any attempt to shut them down. A festival set is usually an hour, give or take, but on that August evening, The Slip played for two and a half hours!
The music starts off like the soundtrack to a sunny summer day with Munf and Torque, but turns to weirdness with Trane-ing and then to funky grooving with Don’t Foil the Mohel, and by that point you’re off on a musical journey. The John Brown’s Body horns sit in for a bit, there’s a long (12+ minutes) and amazing cover of Moral Decay, and a monster version of the band’s classic improv vehicle Yellow Medicine. When that tune finishes, Brad makes a comment about probably having to stop, and a sly, deep voice replies from the soundboard, “You can play as long as you want.” It’s just about half way through the set.
This is one of my favorite concert experiences from an amazing band in an ideal situation. Plus the recording here, done with stealth Schoeps, is crystal clear and captures the magic perfectly. Listen to it in chunks and hear all the ground the band was able to cover, or better yet, all in a single sitting to get the true immersion experience the music has to offer. And as always, enjoy!
The Slip, August 11, 2001, Berkfest, Great Barrington , MA
Munf, Torque, Trane-ing > Don’t Foil the Mohel, New Song, Moral Decay, Yellow Medicine, Spice Groove, Maybelline, Cumulus, Nashua Rose, Dogs on Bikes
