CD Review

With festival season upon us, the headliners may bring in the crowds, but it’s the relatively unknowns that often bring the house down. At last years Bonnaroo Festival, there was plenty of fire on the main stage, but some band named Particle played there too, and their set became a thing of legend, immediately establishing the band as a new force on the growing scene. In order to put a definitive sound behind those names you see randomly on the net, Apogee Records has released a live double-cd sampling of six acts you’ll want to get in early or stay up late to see this summer.

Disc one features three cuts from Umphrey’s McGee’s 2001 New Years Eve show from their hometown of Chicago. Deemed as the bands favorite performance of the year, the selections are full of holiday revelry, though "All Things Ninja" peaks into the band’s mysterious side with heavy, growling guitar and the thrashing drum work of Mike Mirro. Another home crowd is heard on the three tracks from The Big Wu’s 2.3.02 Minneapolis show. The set closer, "Texas Fireball" may be full throttle, but the "Makebelievers" from the pre-production time of the new "Spring Reverb" album is the real keeper here. Uncle Sammy completes disc one with a 26 minute "#1" that moves seamlessly from jazz, to improvised space trance, led by keyboardist Beau Sasser, and eventually into a hideously dark "Tweezer"-esque jam that makes the album.

The one-year anniversary party in Los Angeles is the featured show for Particle, which also happened to be Halloween night, so both the band and crowd were in festive spirits. The chosen songs, "Ed &Molly" and the "Ghost Highway Jam" are prime examples of the bands self-described "Space Porn Funk." Filling in the jazz element of the scene, three tracks are taken from a March 2002, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey show. "Son of Jah" is signature JFJO exploration, and the audience requested "Fourth Aye" develops into mind-altering complexities highlighted by Brian Haas. Rounding out the disc with yet another California hometown show is true newcomer Netwerk:Electric. "Back Home Revival" launches into the newest form of jamband influences, namely the Gospel sound, for a 17 minute church inspired celebration.

Stages: Where the music plays the band, is available through the HGMN, jambase and apogeerecords.com.