One of the signs of growth in a musician is the willingness to step up and have a little fun with their craft. The McLovins have a playful side and they have the skill and confidence to allow it to surface in their music in many ways, and one of the most enjoyable is the fine art of the tease. A tease is a familiar musical aside tossed into the mix, usually during a jam or the climax of a song and the effect is usually one of surprise or delight. Jeff Howard has been tossing teases in as long as I've been seeing the band perform and many of these have become live concert staples.
This was one of the first that I picked up on, this is also a favorite of guitarist Warren Haynes who has used it to great effect.
The first time I heard this one was at the Brewfest show, during Sea of Wisdom.
Frankenstein shows up in the heart of jams, I've heard Jefff play this during YEM and Killing Time as a quick throw when he's running up and down the frets.
I'm not sure if it was the first time, but I noticed the First Tube tease when it showed up in the heart of the Shakedown Street jam they were playing during the Phish pre-show at Sully's this summer.
This has started to show up as a quick little rip in Cissy Strut, running through expansive jam that is a feature of this classic cover song.
The barn show was the mother of all tease shows, they were all over the set, they played a "tease game" for the first time and improv was the name of the game that night. Jason snuck a tight little "Do It Good" tease that Jake picked up on and carried a bit with the vocals.
But the breadth of the teases were just remarkable..
From the sublime....
To the ridiculous...
There is always one tease that always brings me back with this band. This is the first song I ever heard them play, from a performance on cable access television. It always makes me smile and just for me will always be the sound of The McLovins. In the spirit of this most festive of holiday seasons and the upcoming pre-Halloween show in Albany, I give you...
The Barn Show - Pick Up The Pieces and The Tease Game
Looking back a couple days after the fact, this was a very good show for the band. Arriving at the Brewfest about 20 minutes before show time, I noticed a couple things that might beome issues during the performance. The stage was a nice permanent structure, solid concrete and very deep, but during the soundcheck the drums seemed to be under mic’ed a bit and Jake didn’t look like he felt well. The rain of thd day before held off and after a little bit of noodling they launched into the genesis of a new song, a melodic and bouncy jam that had a slightly symphonic feel. This was quite enjoyable and flowed right into Sea Of Wisdom. This song really stretched out, with soaring vocals and firm rhythm, Jeffrey broke out a “Fly Me To The Moon” tease that he repeated during the jam. Guillotine Machine followed and was a slug-fest between Jeff and Jason. I noticed the levels were near perfect, moving 5 feet to the right of center and Jason was thundering, 5 feet to the left and Jeffrey was dominant. They had a very good sound system for the show, Drew the soundman hit all the marks and the sound really shined. Any questions about how Jake felt were answered as Virtual Circle bubbled up, this song is a vocal showcase for Jason and Jake and moves at a breakneck pace with Jake just a blur and yet still fits in with the band’s jammy feel. Jeffrey echoed “My Favorite Things’ teases throughout as the song dissolves.
Dynne started slow and steady, building in fervor but still controlled and firm as it leads into Bri, another soulful song , stout and powerful but still showing restraint as it flows along . Purple Trees begins and live this is a crowd-pleaser and I feel the closest to a traditional single that Conundrum has to offer. The crowd was pretty interesting, its as if the band was playing at the first hour of a 1,000 person, 6 hour keg party. If someone liked the music, they were vocal and made sure the guys knew they were appreciated! They started into Killing Time which is a monster piece, a complex jam that culminates in a fury of feedback and rhythm, I just adore hearing this song. Conundrum climaxed the show, a fitting closer, Conundrum echoes a lot of the musical themes of the album and sums up the set quite nicely. All things considered, the set came off very well, the guys amaze me, nothing phases them, they’re just at ease playing to 20 as playing to hundreds. After the show they talked to some new fans, took some pictures and enjoyed the moment.
