The Trio slew audience ears in the Cary Street Café in Richmond, Virginia recently with a vehement outpouring of funk, blues, and rock. While their name may have become synonymous with Colonel Bruce Hampton, the Colonel has always maintained a godfather relationship with the core trio of Bobby Lee Rodgers (guitar), Tyler Greenwell (drums) and Ted Pecchio (upright bass). The Codetalkers have recently stepped out from the protective wing of the Colonel, and they have been touring to promote their upcoming disc, Now.
Although the rainy Sunday night initially intimidated some people from coming out, the Trio brought their hard-hitting blend of music full-force. “Rain will kill your act worse than if the Beatles were playing next door,” the Colonel has been known to say. The Codetalkers took exception to this adage, laying down some of the thickest chops of the century. Beginning with “Victor the Snake Man,” track ten from their new album, the boys filled the room with an extra edgy vibe that invited people to throw down and dance. Rodgers broke out his “chank” guitar sound and filled the room with his unique brew of tones. Utilizing his exclusive Bakos amp, Rodgers was able to achieve sounds only dreamed about by other musical geniuses. His guitar emitted organ tones amongst others.
The guys did not miss a beat as they segued into “Niagara Falls.” Heading into a rockabilly jam after the initial verses, Greenwell accelerated the rhythm into double time and then triple time. Along with him, Rodgers and Pecchio stepped their games up a few notches, causing many a jaw to drop. Everyone was astonished by the accuracy of their notes at such a speed. Rodgers’ right hand was a blur to the naked eye, but the ears did not lie. He still picked the strings and shimmied his hands along a precise set of notes. Even with all the precision, there was still a sense of looseness. Being able to achieve that among many delicate balances is what sets the Codetalkers apart from other bands today.
Slowing the song to a samba swing, the guys swung the room in several directions until Rodgers began the notes for their next song, “Tumblin’ Down.” A quiet background grew into a mega foreground of sound. After awhile of this consistent buildup, the musicians took to a system of hitting their instruments to achieve their sound. Pecchio and Rodgers whacked their strings from a loud volume to as lightly as possible. Even the quietest points had an effusive energy. Greenwell (aka the Falcon) entered into a regimental drum solo and smashed himself into his cymbals. His solo was brief, almost as if to whet the audience appetites for more. A fierce bass-line jutted through the room as “Airtran Woman” took flight. The song had a lucid dream quality to it. On one hand a dark, evil funk sound arose, and dancing from the audience almost seemed to propel the momentum. The harder they dance, they harder they play. And vice versa. The sounds of gangsters speeding away fused with 80’s shredding metal, creating a dynamic combination. The boys paused briefly before Rodgers came back on with his dreamy, dramatic vocals. He manipulated his feedback and then the others joined him for some sort of surf metal. To finish things off, the Falcon head butted his cymbals a few times, exhibiting his reckless rock and roll air.
“Outer Space” came up next, with a quiet Rodgers intro. The others joined him in a pianissimo foreword, and Cary Street became hushed. Not a beer bottle clanked. In fact, things got so quiet that only those standing in the front could hear – until some jackass took the time to yell out “sex!” until the Falcon yelled back, “Your Mother!” There is nothing like a mother threat to shut someone up. “Broken Home,” a melancholy ballad from Now came next, followed by “All We Want to Hear.” So much had occurred in just the first set. “Swordcrosser” closed the set with high energy and fortitude. At set break Rodgers sang along with the New Vaudeville Band’s “Winchester Cathedral.” The song eerily fit his persona.
Set two opened with “Maestro,” which began with a hoedown vibe. Rodgers played his guitar, but it might as well have been his banjo. The clean, twangy tones were there. Settled back into their groove, they chose to play the rare live tune “Sagittarius Face” next. The Falcon began speaking in clicks, as though he were a native African Falcon. Although the tempo slowed a bit, the guys failed to show any signs of fatigue. They maintained an even tone, spreading a certain warmth. At this point, each soul shone through his instrument, enveloping each and every body in the room in their continuum. They hit a frantic calm going into “Saved by the Same Thing.” Rodgers and Pecchio played with their feedback as the Falcon played some techno beats.
“Adore Ignore” was next, and then “Speedway.” Both tunes delivered more edge than the Empire State Building. “Adore” built in intensity from a softness to a hard sound. “Speedway” borrowed from a grunge era of rock and roll, taking the audience on a brief trip to the Headbangers Ball. Pecchio next picked up his upright bass and played it sideways, or in electric bass fashion. He still got all the sounds right. The man has been seen on top of his bass still playing accurately, so there was no surprise there. The crowd demanded an encore, and the Codetalkers delivered. They announced that they had to crown a new “Miss Hawaii,” pulling a lady from the audience to dance on stage with them. It was arguably the best rendition of the song ever. The Trio put the moves on the audience the entire evening, stepping up their game to prove to the world that they do indeed rule without the Colonel. No names holding them back or defining them is where they want to be right now, and it couldn’t sound better.
