Out of the Belew

VINTAGE ADRIAN BELEW on YouTube

2008-08-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

My photo of Ade at the Quebec City Summer Music Festival on July 6th, 2008.

Now for something from the archives.....

Adrian Belew Television Interview 1983 – with Robert Fripp

Adrian Belew – Inner Revolution 1992 Acoustic version Live

CGT + 2 AT THE QUEBEC CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 12TH

2008-07-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO + 2 ...... LARKS TONGUES IN ASPIC PT II

This performance of the KC legendary song is superb! Full kudos to the guys for such an excellent rendition!
Why oh why didn't they play it in the F.o.C.K. gig on July 8th!!!! The audience would have absolutely ate it up!!!

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO + 2 & KEVIN PARENT ...... SOLSBURY HILL

ABPT at Harpers Ferry in Boston, 10 July 2008

2008-07-14T13:51:00.001-07:00

Here's another excellent video from the current ABPT tour - this time from July 10th gig at Harpers Ferry in Boston.....

ABPT - Matchless Man

Julie's not wearing shoes this time - she was wearing slip-on sandals in the River Boat Cruise clip on my previous blog : )
And, of course, huge thanks to Mozy7 for providing us with this footage of Ade, Julie and Eric....

ABPT - 'ROCKIN THE RIVER' CRUISE July 11, 2008

2008-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Feast your eyes and ears on this YouTube vid from the New York River Cruise, on Friday 11th July....
This has to be the very best version of this song I have ever heard.....

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO Drive-Within/without you

Huge thanks to 'BuffaloVoice' for sharing this video with us all....be sure to click on 'high quality' button : )

INTERVIEW WITH ADRIAN BELEW from the Ottawa Bluesfest, July 2008

2008-07-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Barbara Pacey sits down with Adrian Belew at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest 2008

Here's something else worth watching - an interview with Adrian
from 2nd June, 1990.....by Denver TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GGa3Otj4L0

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO at the Ottawa Bluesfest 5th July 2008

2008-07-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Adrian Belew Power Trio playing 'Ampersand' at Ottawa Bluesfest, July 5, 2008

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO in Quebec City 6th July 2008

2008-07-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the outdoor venue - 'Scene Molson Dry' - early, in the hopes of catching the Trio setting-up and any subsequent soundcheck.

Fortunately, I was in luck, as the guys got in late from Ottawa, at around 3pm or so..... and I caught Eric spending some 45 mins of one-on-one time with his (rented ?) drum kit, setting up his rig just so.

Andre was also busy setting up Ade and Julie's guitars.....

Eventually, all is ready, and Ade comes out and straps on his Parker, and prepares for soundcheck.... 1 2, 1 2, hey hey hey.....

Closely followed by Eric and Julie..... sweeeeet!
They get settled, then hit us with 'Young Lion', followed by portions of 'E' and finally 'Three of a Perfect Pair' (if my memory serves me correctly).... Then, they departed stage right.....
Simply awesome! Certainly whetted my appetite for the main course : ) Roll on 7.30pm.....

Soon, the people began to gather, until there was a large crowd also anxiously awaiting the opening of the gates - and the mad dash to the barricade in front of the stage..... Fortunately, I secured a position on the fence, right in the sweet spot between Ade and Eric : ) I was one very happy audient indeed!

Just one of Ade's 2 ever-so-sweet Parker guitars.... I love the colour of this one.

Finally, it's 7.30pm, and the crowd is getting charged up, just to let the Trio (who are hovering stage right) know that we're ready for blast off to Planet Belewbeloid!

And we're off!

Right from the get go, it is easy to see that Ade just feeds off the audience energy....
he was having a ball - and so was the audience!
We made eye contact a number of times, and from his reaction I am sure he could tell I was right into the Trio's performance - I was totally belew'd away!

Man can Julie play that sweet bass guitar!!!
Her chops are huge - way bigger than she is....I had no idea just how petite she is - AND drop-dead gorgeous!
She plays that bass as a stand alone - up front instrument...not just your regular background-rhythm section player keeping the beat..... To me, she plays in the style of Tony Levin and Trey Gunn - front and centre, such a powerhouse - an integral part of the 'Power' Trio...... phenomenal talent!

And Eric....you have to see this guy in action, to get the full FORCE of his jaw-dropping, gut-thumping, mind-blowing drumming! This awesome young man has chops dripping from every pore of his very cute teddy-bear cuddly body - he literally BELEW ME AWAY! I knew beforehand that he was an incredible player - but believe me, having experienced his phenomenal talent live and in person - I KNOW that Eric WILL be a MEGA STAR!!!

Alas, it was all over way too soon!
There was only time for one encore, before the guys made way for Zappa Plays Zappa.....

Fortunately for me, with HUGE THANKS to Robin Slick, I was able to spend some quality time with Eric (from whom I was lucky enough to have been given one of his drumsticks - which was subsequently signed by the whole Trio), Julie and then Ade, shortly after they left the stage....

I cannot say enough about these incredible young musicians - they were so unaffected by their 'status'; so genuine and unassuming.....happily answering my questions, and grateful in accepting my praise. I believe they are so very worthy of a bright and successful future - wherever their mega talents take them.....

Now, that just leaves me with the incomparable Mr. Adrian Belew...... I am so very very grateful, to have finally (after all these years of listening to his various albums, and watching every concert, DVD, and YouTube video I could get my hands on) been able to experience his incredible and wonderful magic, and supreme virtuosity, live and in person. And then, incredibly, to be able to finally meet him personally, look deep into his eyes, shake his hand, and thank him from the bottom of my heart, for all the countless hours of pleasure he has given us over the past 30 years..... Words cannot express the joy that I felt, when I finally got to live out my dream.....

Thank you again, Ade....
You rock my world!

Wendy Loz-en-ee-kins : )

12 year old drummer plays "Red"

2008-07-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

ADE INTERVIEW with Daily Gazette dot com

2008-06-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief interview with Ade and the DailyGazette.com (Schenectady NY) reporter Brian McElhiney, that took place just before Ade began the latest King Crimson rehearsals in Nashville in late May.....

"Belew glad he has right duo to form perfect power trio......

Guitarist Adrian Belew has played with some of the best musicians in rock and pop, including Frank Zappa, Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and, since two years ago, Eric and Julie Slick.

While those last two names might not be as well known as the others, Belew is adamant that the Slick siblings are the real deal.

“It just so happened, magically, that I leapt into finding the best young duo in the whole country, I’m sure,” Belew said during a phone interview.

Collectively, Belew and the Slicks make up the Adrian Belew Power Trio, which will perform at Revolution Hall on Sunday at 7 p.m. The show is part of the trio’s “mop-up tour,” which includes dates in Florida, North and South Carolina and the Northeast.

“We just finished a complete U.S. tour, and now we’re going back to the areas that we didn’t get to go to,” Belew said. “We’re going to some of the secondary places that we really like to go to.”

When he spoke, Belew had just finished rehearsing with the group at his home studio in Tennessee the day before. The trio is currently working on its first studio record of original material, following last year’s live recording, “Side 4.”

“That’s why they were here,” Belew said. “I’ve written four new pieces so far, and we’re rehearsing new material to be recorded later this year.”

Belew assembled his trio to tour behind his most recent solo efforts, a succession of albums — “Side 1,” “Side 2” and “Side 3” — released in 2005 and 2006. The releases marked Belew’s first solo studio recordings since 1997’s “Op Zop Too Wah.”

According to Belew, the more lyrically sparse, instrumentally ambitious recordings found on these albums initially inspired the idea of forming a power trio. Belew recorded parts of the albums with bassist Les Claypool of Primus and drummer Danny Carey of Tool.

“Then Eric and Julie became my permanent, real trio, which shows you how good they are,” Belew said.

Belew met the Slicks when he was asked to host a seminar at the Paul Green School of Rock Music in Philadelphia. Eric and Julie Slick were two of the school’s earliest graduates.

“[Green] said, ‘You’ve got to hear my best graduates I’ve ever had,’ ” Belew said. “We played a little bit together, and that was how it started.”

The trio has helped to re-energize Belew, whose first big break into the music business came in 1977 when he joined Zappa’s touring band.

“The energy level is so different; we sound and play like a very young band, but a band that is very mature and experienced,” Belew said. “I can’t believe these guys are so good for their age. At the same time, [the audience] gets kind of a younger version of me.”

Tour with King Crimson

Although Belew is currently focused on his trio, he has other projects in the works. Seminal rock band King Crimson, which Belew has fronted since 1981, will be touring later this year into next year, although no new album is planned.

“It’s just a way to keep King Crimson moving forward,” Belew said. “Robert Fripp [guitarist and founder of King Crimson] and I are not ready to tackle [an album] again; we need two to three years to rest for a moment first.”

Belew says King Crimson has been tagged unfairly with the progressive rock label. Fans searching for a label for his power trio may be tempted to lump them into the progressive genre as well.

“Progressive rock is a very poor term,” Belew said. “The only label that works is power trio, going back to the ’60s with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, and that continues today with Rush. It’s the only thing it’s comparable to, three sort of virtuoso musicians playing their butts off.”

Adrian Belew Power Trio

with: Chris O’Connor

When: 7 p.m. Sunday, June 8

where: Revolution Hall, 425 River St., Troy

how much: $25 (doors); $22 (advance)

More info: Ages 18 and up. 465-0444, www.revolutionhall.com."

1500 SIGNATURES! INDUCT ADRIAN BELEW IN 2009! we need more - please sign my petition...

2008-06-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to George Lindsay for this lovely portrait of Ade.....

I am so incredibly happy to announce that we have reached the 1500 signature level on my
Petition to Induct Adrian Belew into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009....

Thank you all so very much for adding your ever-so-important support to my petition....

But, in order to effectively change the minds of the voting committee of the HoF Foundation, we will need many more signatures than this.... Unfortunately, Adrian's stylings of music, have not been readily supported by those within the Foundation, and we need to push them hard, to the point where they can no longer brush the pure brilliance and mastery of Adrian Belew aside, simply as a mere lightweight within the music industry - we need to show them that Adrian IS truly worthy of induction, that he has a huge body of work to prove it, plus that he has a huge worldwide base of supporters and fans who will not stand by and let him go, once again, unnoticed by the Voting Committee.....

So please, I urge you, with the utmost urgency..... If you believe in Adrian Belew's simply awesome talent, as much as I do, please sign my petition here; or if you already have, please send the link to all your friends, and let them know just how deserving this sweet and humble musician truly is, and ask them to sign the petition, and pass on the message to their friends..... TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THEM TAKE NOTICE - ADRIAN BELEW MUST BE INDUCTED IN 2009!

Here are just a few of the latest comments that have accompanied petition signatures, that I would like to share....

- I stopped counting years ago, how many times I found myself rapidly fumbling open a CD or tape case-- or vinyl sleeve-- to see who was responsible for some jaw-dropping guitar acrobatics, inevitably to find it has been the inimitable Belew. From my teen years of joyously bouncing to Belew as Cincinnati’s 97X blasted Big Electric Cat and Fear is Never Boring into my thirsty ears, to my early 30’s and wide-eyed adoration when finally seeing King Crimson at Indianapolis’ Murat Theatre, I have been a Rhino King addict. His guitar is woven through my decades and so many of my favorite artists; I know his sound so well, I could pick his pick out of a lineup. If the man wishes to be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame – well, the institution should be thankful he would grace it, and recognize this singular 21st Century artist.

- There are few musicians in the history of electric guitar who have proven so innovative and musical. Adrian's resume is proof enough of his RRHOF worthiness - and that is only surpassed by the audio content of the recordings themselves.

- One of the most fantastic performers to hear or especially to see live. The most inspiring musician I've ever heard and a favorite for 25+ years, he always projects his tremendous joy and his true love of his craft on stage!

- adrian is bar none the most talented musician on the face of planet earth.

I couldn't agree with these people more....

Once again, thank you all for taking the time and effort to support my petition to induct Adrian Belew into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

God bless you all :)

'Bishops Boulderdashes' and Belew - and more things that start with a 'B' this time

2008-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from "Bishops Boulderdash and Ballyhoo" Blog :)

"Well it's now 7.15pm on Sat the 31st and I am heading out to see adrian belew tonight, I'm upset that I'm missing the dance at Kindly with Diva, but I just can't miss Mr Belew.. I had this shirt made today from when I met him for the first time back in 1989 at an event for the school "Full Sail" in Orlando. Afterwards I got to hang out with him and we talked a good while outside the event which is when the pic was taken, yes me with long hair 19 years ago.
He's a great musician and I highly respect him and his approachable attitude. He has signed quite a bit of stuff everytime I have seen him, outside of when with King Crimson, and I have yet to miss any show I can get to reasonably in Florida. I have lots of signed goodies and this is the newest item which will get done tonite."

Hopefully Bishops Boulderdashes was successful in his mission at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth FL (of which I am certain; knowing how Ade loves to spread the joy personally after each and every show), and I hope that we are granted a review of the gig, plus a photo of the said t-shirt complete with Belew monika....watch this space :)

ABPT @ SKIPPERS SMOKEHOUSE FRI 30 MAY 2008

2008-06-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

Here are my brand new ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE photographs of Adrian Belew!

Taken by the brilliant photographer George Lindsay.....
on Friday night at the Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa, FL.

I am sure you will agree that they are top quality - and capture Ade in such a refreshing way :)

Huge thank you to George Lindsay for sharing your most excellent photo's with us all.....

ABPT in High Definition YouTube Videos!

2008-05-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

I adore this brand new 'Lakeland Bass' that Julie is playing : D

Eric has such SWEEEEET chops!

The absolutely incomparable 'Twang Bar King!' Adrian Belew!

Here are some simply stunning video's of the Adrian Belew Power Trio, filmed in High Definition, at the Belly Up Tavern, in Solana Beach CA, back on Feb 26th, 2008 - by "Laubster Video".
Excellent quality video and sound - certainly a high cut above your average YouTube video!

MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON "WATCH IN HIGH QUALITY" UNDER THE "VIEWS" HEADING....

Writing on the Wall - ABPT

Ampersand - ABPT

Of Bow and Drum - ABPT

Dinosaur - ABPT

OTTAWA BLUESFEST appearance by ABPT - JULY 5th

2008-04-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

My dreams have been finally realised - the Adrian Belew Power Trio's triumphant 'Tour 2008' is continuing to roll ever onwards and upwards - and not just with additional dates being posted for the U.S.

Canada is in-line for a blast of 'Terror and Power' this summer.... Yipeeeee!!!!

As mentioned in my previous post - it was released to the press earlier today, that the Adrian Belew Power Trio will be appearing at the hugely popular 'Ottawa Bluesfest'...... being held this year from July 3 - 13 in Canada's national capital of Ottawa.....

Adrian, Julie and Eric will be playing on the newly added 'Roots and Gospel Stage', which is located between the main headliner 'River' and 'Rogers' stages, located close to the banks of the Ottawa River. The ABPT are scheduled to take the stage at 7.15pm, on Saturday July 5, and will be immediately followed by 'Zappa Plays Zappa' . Certainly sounds like a tasty combination : )

Tickets go on sale ONLINE on Saturday April 26th; a one day pass (which covers the whole festival/all stages for the day) for July 5th will be $39.50 for an adult. The Festival WEBSITE has loads of links to 'accommodation partners' (city hotels who are offering discounted prices for festival attendees, which include accommodation, entry passes, shuttle buses to the venue etc etc), maps, transport links etc.... everything you could need to streamline booking your attendance requirements.

Described by 'Exclaim.ca'.......

"As far as Canadian music festivals go, perhaps the best of the bunch over the last few years has been Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, which despite the obvious blues fetish, has continued to attract an impressive and broad variety of entertainers. This year is no different, and who are we kidding, easily the strongest line-up to date.

Taking place between July 3 and July 13 in Downtown Ottawa, the ten-day fest will feature over 2,000 performers including big names like Brian Wilson, the Tragically Hip, James Taylor, Feist and Fergie, as well as an array of shall we say "what the kids are listening to these days" artists such as TV On the Radio, Tokyo Police Club, Ladytron, Jose Gonzalez and Calexico, among others."

If you would like to know just exactly who will be playing at this years Bluesfest, click HERE to pop on over to Exclaim.ca's complete and exhaustive list of all the 2000 performers.

Meanwhile, if that isn't enough to whet your whistle.......

Over at the Ottawa Sun, they reported on today's news:

"Today, the festival’s artistic director Mark Monahan put an end to the speculation, announcing that James Taylor, Steely Dan, Feist, Brian Wilson, Wyclef Jean, The Black Crowes, Fergie, Boz Scaggs, Don McLean and Lucinda Williams are among the 210 music stars who will play the 2008 edition of Bluesfest, July 3-13.

Also scheduled is Donna Summer, Richard Thompson, Joan Armatrading, Zappa Plays Zappa, Matthew Good, Keb’ Mo’, The Weakerthans, Dr. John, Adrian Belew, Cassandra Wilson, Jakob Dylan, Shelby Lynne, Canned Heat, Sam Roberts, Guy Davis, James Blood Ulmer, Three Days Grace and many others.

Monahan says it's the biggest he’s ever produced in the festival’s 15-year history, about 20% bigger than last year’s relaunch at LeBreton Flats. He’s added a sixth stage - The Roots and Gospel Stage.

The return stages are the two headline mains, the Bank of America (formerly the MBNA Stage) and the Rogers, the two sides the Black Sheep and The River, and the War Museum’s Barney Danson Theatre.

In addition, he’s also added a new electric/eclectic series of experimental music and avant-garde talent, and a reading series featuring rock star authors Dave Bidini, formerly from The Rheostatics, and Gord Downey, of The Tragically Hip."

Well, I cannot wait to get to Ottawa, to finally see the brilliant Adrian Belew Power Trio for myself. You can bet that I will be there, right up front, yeah, the one with the great big grin splitting my face from ear to ear.....!!!! Make sure you come on over and introduce yourself : )

NEWSFLASH!!! ABPT COMING TO CANADA IN JULY!

2008-04-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Watch this space for more in-depth info regarding this most excellent news....

The Adrian Belew Power Trio are set to play at this years

OTTAWA BLUES FESTIVAL,

here in Canada,

on Saturday July 5th

on the 'Roots Stage', at 7.15pm

Book your tickets here

GIRD YOUR LOINS - THE RE-EMERGENCE OF THE RECUMBANT CRIMSON KING IS NIGH!

2008-04-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited new line-up of King Crimson 2008...... Is that #9 now?

Group shot of the newly-energized Crim - Nashville Rehearsals for the upcoming dates.....

King Crimson - Aug. 06, 07, 08 2008
Chicago, Illinois
Park West

King Crimson - Aug. 11, 12 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Keswick Theatre

King Crimson - Aug. 14, 15, 16 2008
New York, New York
Nokia Theatre

Could this be a sneak-peak of the upcoming set-list for the Nashville warm-up shows?
From what I can make out, some good old classics are making a welcome re-emergence also.....
Dinosaur, Thela Hun Ginjeet, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, Elephant Talk, Level Five is mentioned below the list with other comments along side - maybe something to be worked on and possibly included....

Thats about all I can work out - If you can resolve anymore, please share your info with this blogger : )

Mmmm.....looks like the venerable one has lost Gavin's attention......

Is he wondering.... 'Piece of Cake'.... or 'What the hell have I gotten myself into here'..... : )

I wonder what they are comparing here..... I'm sure it's not You-Tube vids of the past Crim escapades.....

Does Ade possess a laptop? Probably not.
I for one am certainly lamenting the scarcity of recent Elephant Blog posts....
We miss you Ade - please write home soon...... ; )

Oh, to be a fly on the proverbial wall here......

Thanks to Tony Levin (welcome home Tony!) for these photo's of his fellow Rhythm Section buddies.....

Pat and Gavin co-ordinating their stick attack plans - cannot wait to hear the outcome of this pairing : )

And thanks must go to the ever well-informed and very dapper correspondent with his finger constantly on the KC pulse - theSidSmith! Thanks for all the info Sid - you keep us ever-hungry KC fans well fed : )

I love this photo - Fripp and Belew together again at Studio Belewbeloid!
The forward advancement may be slow - but at least it is forward in motion....
Roll on August!!!!

1000TH SIGNATURE and counting!

2008-03-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Adrian recently working at Trent Reznor's for the upcoming NIN 'Ghosts I-IV' release

WE'VE CRACKED THE 1000 SIGNATURE MARK!!!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!

"Belew is a true "artist" - while many others of his age and tenure rely on reworking their old classics, Belew continuously refreshes his sound and utilizes all instruments and tools to deliver that vision to his fans. Brilliant is the only word that defines him."

This quote is from an Adrian Belew fan who was recently moved enough to sign my 'Petition to Induct Adrian Belew into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009'...... It pretty much sums up how I feel about Adrian..... and why I firmly believe that Adrian Belew MUST be inducted NOW!

If the Foundation once again rejects this incredibly brilliant musician (who more than amply fulfills the criteria) from the HoF, then I believe that it exposes the true agenda of the R&R HoF and its Foundation Selection Committee of music industry heads et al - the 'Boy's Club' still reigns supreme, and goes to show that their focus is certainly not to honour those musicians who truly embody their criteria of a 'CONTRIBUTION TO THE INNOVATION & EVOLUTION OF ROCK MUSIC' - as no-one could lay claim to this more than Adrian Belew....

As a result - we still have a long ways to go.....

That is why it is imperative that everyone who knows and loves Adrian's work, sign this petition - and that each and every one of us spreads the word of the Petition far and wide, to all who will listen, and take an active interest....

We must show the Foundation Selection Committee, that they cannot overlook Adrian again this year....

They must see what is so obvious to us all - THAT ADRIAN DESERVES TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE R&R HoF IN 2009!

RARE ROBERT FRIPP INTERVIEW FROM 1979! Parts II - IV

2008-03-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Robert Fripp interview Part II

Robert Fripp interview Part III

Robert Fripp interview Part IV

RARE ROBERT FRIPP INTERVIEW FROM 1979!

2008-03-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Robert Fripp interview Part I
This is from his "Drive to 1981 Tour" in 1979

Thanks to RP Curtiss (I'm the already balding (bad hair day) Dodger hatted skinny proggeek (interviewer - sitting on the right), now a totally bald, older and ever so slightly heavier proggeek.)

The Boffomundo Show existed in the early daze of cable television from 1979-80.
Interviews with progressive rock luminaries included: Robert Fripp (King Crimson founder), Phil Collins & John Goodsall(Genesis & Brand X), fusion guitarist Al Di Meola (Return to Forever), singer Bernardo Lanzetti (from Italy's PFM) and bass/vocalist John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K. and by 1981, Asia.)
Why Boffomundo? It's a name I made up, with inspiration from the TV show, Happy Days. Later incarnations were called In The Mode (1982) which featured an interview with singer/guitarist Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and finally Total Sound (1990-92), which included a day with drummer/composer Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson, U.K., Bruford and Bill Bruford's Earthworks).

Here are some excerpts from the comments section of these YouTube videos - almost as interesting as the video's themselves.....

It was taped in Santa Monica, CA at what once was called Theta Cable in the early days of public access.

Ah ha! Sort figured that by looking the intro, full screen that looked like it was typed on paper!

It was! Prehistoric technology! Eventually we used black cutout cards and then actual graphics. Those were the daze.

Wetton said Fripp ended the band after "Red" because he thought the world would end in 1981.

"chuckles" Fripp as he's known in the trade. awesome guy

Great interview. Funny how Fripp was uncomfortable facing such prepared interviewers

I find that the "press" question requires an answer rather than an explanation.
Great to see Mr Fripp explaining the question , for all of us....whatever we may be.

Declare your tongue at the airport next time you fly Mr Fripp , as it may be considered a sharp object.

Why am I still listening to this? I'd love to watch this guy mow a lawn or go food shopping. You expect John Cleese to come out at any moment and hit Fripp over the head with a rubber fish.

Yes indeed a kick on the backside might be in order, just answer the bloody question Robert, stop postulating! My but he does go on. All his transgressions are forgiven through his 20th century masterpiece; Exposure, AND his bad-ass contribution to Bowie's (Heroes and Teenage Wildlife)and King Crimson. That's plenty bankable redemption I say.
Bowie, Fripp, Eno...the holy trinity of sound.

Look for Parts II thru IV of this rare Robert Fripp interview in the posts that follow.....

FRANK ZAPPA video FROM 1963!!!

2008-03-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

1963 Frank Zappa on Steve Allen Show

Thanks to fellow Adrian Belew 'Tribe' member Mike Illoman - for unearthing this awesome EARLY footage of (to me) an almost unrecognizable Frank Zappa in an appearance on the 'Steve Allen Show' in 1963.....

Adrian Belew all over Spider Jam!

2008-03-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

Thanks to 'Line6Movies' on YouTube, here is Adrian Belew at home at Studio Belew - exploring looping features using Spider Jam backing track #112, Mid Tempo Rock.

Man, Adrian makes it look so simple!

ABPT encore performance of 'E'

2008-03-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO - 'E'

from the World Cafe Live - Philly show last night.....

thanks to Twangbarking96 for the YouTube footage : )

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some excellent photographs taken by Papa (Gary) Slick from his 'adventurous' trip to view The Trio of Terror at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland on Friday 7 March....

ABPT - new song 'E'

2008-03-12T16:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Farx, for posting this video from the March 9 Nantick MA show.... :)
Yes, a work in progress - but....
I LIKE IT!

27 GHOST III {FAN VIDEO}

2008-03-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Featuring the guitar wizardry of Adrian Belew!
Video by AcidTiger1

If you haven't already listened to Nine Inch Nails latest offering - Ghosts I-IV - do so immediately, for some devilish Adrian Belew spotting : )

2008-03-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

All you Belew-lovers out there!
You MUST check out this video of the Trio of Power and Terror Arising.....If you only look at one YouTube vid all year - THIS IS THE ONE to see!
It starts out with Eric absolutely smoking this awesome extended intro to YOUNG LIONS......then, just when you think it couldn't get any better than this - Ade and Julie join him.....and then we are treated to THE SWEETEST Ade solo EVER! It was absolutely KILLER! Ohhhh - to have been there to witness it in FULL TRIO POWER!
Check it out here.....

Adrian Belew Power Trio - Young Lions

Recorded at Sunday nights show at the Center for the Arts in Natick, MA - March 9, 2008

Posted on YouTube by 'Farx'

E - the new ABP3 song!

2008-03-12T07:11:00.001-07:00

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO - E

from the Center for the Arts in Natick, MA - March 9, 2008

Thanks to FARX for the YouTube vid - thankfully the rest of us unlucky souls who have not been able to attend can finally hear this new tune : )

Oh, and thanks to Jasper De Boer for the brilliant Trio photograph : )

NEWS FLASH!!!! KING CRIMSON DATES RELEASED TODAY!!!!

2008-03-12T06:29:00.001-07:00

Thanks to that incredibly informative and downright intriguing Sid Smith from the hallowed halls of DGMLive

here are the 'old-goat' confirmed upcoming dates for the long-awaited re-awakening of the long-slumbering Crimson King!

"Get along to your nearest travel agent quick as you like - King Crimson have confirmed the following dates marking their return to active service later this year."

Wednesday 6th August, Park West, Chicago
Thursday 7th August, Park West, Chicago
Friday 8th August Park West, Chicago
Monday 11th August, Keswick Theater, Philadelphia
Tuesday 12th August, Keswick Theater, Philadelphia
Thursday 14th August, Nokia Theater, New York
Friday 15th August, Nokia Theater, New York
Saturday 16th August, Nokia Theater, New York

You don't want to miss a second of any of these shows - it may be the last chance to see the Mighty Crim in action.....

2009 is a long way off yet, and who knows if the planned 40th anniversary shows for next year will come to fruition....

Better to get in this year, just in case!

Nice shot of Gavin Harrison..... can't wait to see what he brings to KC : )

And the long-awaited return of the one and only Tony Levin!
Long overdue TLev.....

Thanks to Mark Colman for the excellent photograph of P@ Mastelotto in Red!

SET LIST for the ABPT Winter Tour 2008

2008-03-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have been looking for a

SET LIST

for the recent ABPT 2008 Winter Tour.....

Writing on the Wall

Dinosaur

Ampersand

Young Lions

Beat Box Guitar

Matchless Man

A Little Madness

Improv.....

Elephant Talk

Drive (Within/Without You)

'E'

Neurotica

Of Bow and Drum

Big Electric Cat

Modern Man Hurricane Blues

Three of a Perfect Pair

Frame by Frame

Thela Hun Ginjeet

Wow!
What a collection of Brilliant Music!
Played by the absolutely Phenominal

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO!

THE BUFFALO NEWS: ENTERTAINMENT ABPT review

2008-03-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Jeff Miers: Adrian Belew is energized by power trio

Jeff Miers - News Pop Music Critic
Updated: 03/07/08 8:12 AM

The Adrian Belew Power Trio makes a stop at the Tralf Music Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday.">: The Adrian Belew Power Trio makes a stop at the Tralf Music Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday.

A casual glance at the man’s resume is enough to make you question your own achievements. Clearly, Adrian Belew has not slept much over the past 30 years. His musical exuberance, indelible guitar stylings, unfailing songwriting acumen, and apparently, unerring ability to land in the right place at the right time, have served him rather well.

Belew has made it plain that he owes his career’s genesis to a certain Frank Zappa, who spotted the guitarist playing with a cover band in a hotel lounge and hauled him kicking and screaming from relative obscurity into the weird and wonderful spotlight of his own ensemble. This was right around the time of Zappa’s “Sheik Yerbouti” album, and the filming of his “Baby Snakes” film, both of which feature Belew prominently.

From there, Belew moved seamlessly into David Bowie’s band; played with the Talking Heads; teamed with Robert Fripp for the strongest lineup of King Crimson the band could ever have hoped for; maintained a prolific solo career; worked with his own power-pop outfit, the Bears; and found a kindred creative spirit in Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor.

Belew’s latest gambit, however, is one of his highest-yielding, creativity wise.

A few years back, the guitarist visited the famed Paul Green School of Rock Music in Chicago — the eccentric institution that provided the inspiration for the Jack Black film vehicle “School of Rock.” There, at the behest of the mercurial Green, Belew happened upon the talents of the still teenage b r other-sister bass/drum s combo of Julie and Eric Slick. The Slicks played Zappa’s “City of Tiny Lights” — a

complex number, to say the least — for Belew, whose jaw rather rapidly smacked against the carpet.

Belew saw more than abundant talent in the Slick siblings. He saw his own future. Within weeks, he’d enlisted the pair, and the Adrian Belew Power Trio was born.

“Julie and Eric are absolutely incredible musicians, for any age,” says Belew, speaking by phone from his home office just prior to hitting the road for a winter tour that stops at the Tralf Music Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday.

“The fact that they are as young as they are — well, it baffles me, first of all. But it also gives me a great feeling of hope. These guys know their history, and they are more than able to add to it.”

Much of that history, ironically or not, involves Belew himself.

“The Slicks grew up on their father’s record collection, and they fully digested all of this music. Funnily enough, so many of the records they grew up with were things that I played on! So there was a commonality, a shared language from the first moment we played together.”

Indeed, the level of intuitive musical interaction the Belew Trio has grasped is in full evidence on the just-released in-concert document “Side IV: Adrian Belew Power Trio Live,” available through AdrianBe- lew.net.

On the record, Belew and the Slicks tackle pieces from throughout the guitarist’s career, but this is no oldies revue: Rather, the Slicks add abundant fire to the performances, make the music their own at every turn, while always performing in the spirit of the original composition. Most importantly, the fluid, dynamic and incredibly energetic rhythm section is clearly pushing Belew, and hard, toward new creative vistas.

“Man, this is definitely the best band I’ve ever had, in my solo career,” Belew all but gushes. “Because Julie and Eric can do anything at all, there is the opportunity to stretch out — way out! [laughs] To the point where I’m almost overplaying in order to fit into the fabric of what they’re doing. It’s forcing me to really play in the moment. And I’m finding that really thrilling.”

Finding himself in the thick of uber-dynamic, high-intensity, envelope-pushing musical situations is far from a new thing for Belew. With Fripp in King Crimson, Belew radically combined elements of hyper-percussive Indonesian Gam-elan music with the minimalist tape loop/phasing experiments of American composer Steve Reich.

And they made it rock, a fact incredibly evident throughout the pioneering works “Discipline,” “Beat,” “Three of a Perfect Pair,” “Thrak” and “The Power to Believe,” among several others. Crimson, by the way, is an ongoing concern for Belew: As our conversation commenced, the guitarist was just finishing an e-mail to Fripp, cementing the beginning date for Crimson tour rehearsals, which Belew says “will begin pretty much the day I get back from this tour.” (Did I find myself a bit giddy talking to one of my musical heroes as he sent an e-mail to another of my musical heroes? In a word, yup.)

For now, though, Belew has his eyes firmly on the prize, that being seeing just how far he and the Slicks can take the music.

“Playing live is definitely what separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls. And really, with the trio, I’m just the old guy in the middle, [laughs] thanking his lucky stars for the opportunity to play with these incredibly talented young people.”•

jmiers@buffnews.com

ADRIAN's having a 'GEAR - AGE' SALE soon!

2008-03-11T12:17:00.001-07:00

Here's your chance - all you GearHeads out there!

Starting at the end of March, 2008, Adrian will begin offering up some of his legendary gear for sale on Ebay.....

So make sure you keep you're eyes on Ade's site HERE for the latest info on what, when, and how much!

If you're lucky, you could snag yourself some authentic ADRIAN BELEW LOVED GEAR! All items come with a certificate of Ade-authenticity to prove it!

THE WORD ON THE ABPT SHOW BY HYPHOID LOGIC

2008-03-11T05:42:00.001-07:00

March 11, 2008

A Word on the Adrian Belew Show

It was the musical equivalent of watching an artist take a nuclear blast between his hands and sculpt it into form after form, ranging from soaring seagull to cudgel. Belew's sound can best be described as walking a thin line between order and chaos. The sound is too big, too protean, for one man to control it, but control it he does. There's nobody like Belew.

Belew's companions on the stage were

Sunday night's Adrian Belew Power Trio show was tremendous. The set list was as shown on his website and perfectly amazing. Belew has spent a lifetime perfecting his craft and it shows. The videos on the sight tell the story in ways I can't put into words other than to say it was a thrill to not only hear Belew's legendary guitar but have the opportunity to see how he makes those sounds. You know, even after watching it at a close enough range that I could see every move of every finger, I still can't tell you. I'm nearly willing to put it down to magic.

Julie (bass)

and Eric (drums)

Slick, a couple of amazingly proficient kids whose combined ages are the same as mine and a bit less than Belew's. Nonetheless, neither of them had any problem adding their sounds to that of Belew's guitar. I was particularly impressed with Eric's mastery of the sometimes stuttering and frequently complex rhythms; it was easy to forget that this is a guy who is at the very beginning of what is likely to be a noteworthy musical career. I wish I could say I did anything as well as that when I was Slick's age — either one of them. All I can say about Julie Slick's playing was that by all rights she should have hands twice the size of those she possesses. She did much more with her bass than I'm used to hearing or seeing bass players do; she managed to coax sounds out of her instrument that complimented Belew's crazy, crazy noise.

Seeing Belew after so many years was an experience by itself. He certainly looks different than when I saw him play with the Talking Heads in the early 80's. He certainly looked to be having a good time, though. There was an infectiousness about his demeanor; by the end of the show, my cheekbones hurt from all the smiling. He exuded humor in his manor and his music. There were moments in the show where he produced riffs that literally made me laugh and these were accompanied by a glance at the audience that bore the look of someone who had just delivered the punchline of a joke. This was particularly so during Ampersand and Dinosaur. I can't say I've had the experience of chuckling over great guitar before; I may have laughed at a screw-up before, but never at sounds produced with such technical excellence and manifested intent.

The only downside to the show was the sound system at the Natick Center for the Arts. There were a few occasions during which it seemed like the system just couldn't keep up with Belew's power. The worst of this came during the Trio's encore; the sound got so muddy that I couldn't tell you what the song was. The set list on Belew's site lists Thela Hun Jinjeet; that's a song I've known for years and have on the MP3 player I keep in my car, but if that was the song being played it was lost on me. Belew has a sound that could fill any stadium, though, so it isn't too surprising that both the sound system and the walls at the Center for the Arts seemed ready to crumble at any moment.

Belew and Company have seven more shows to go in this tour, several of which are at small venues. The dates are on Belew's website. If they're not sold out already, go! Even if you don't know who the heck Adrian Belew is, it's worth seeing one of these shows to find out. You've never heard guitar like this. You've never heard anything like this.

Posted by Mike O'Risal at 05:36

"A LIFE GONE TO THE DOGS" Review of the ABPT by Jeff Jankowski

2008-03-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Adrian Belew Power Trio at The Tralf

Wow! That's all I can say about the Adrian Belew Power Trio at The Tralf last night. I anticipated a good show, knowing beforehand that Belew would be doing some familiar solo and Crimson material, but I didn't expect the direction of some of the instrumentals. To say the band went "out there" would be an understatement.

They were WAY out at times and we were all blown away. Blown away that they could do such a beautiful song such as "Matchless Man" one minute and then launch into a jazz-fusion/avant garde/hard-rock instrumental the next.

Some thoughts - Belew's playing and his guitar (Parker Fly) sound are better than ever. Eric Slick (20) played the evening like a cross between Steve Smith and Keith Moon and did a great job on an impromtu drum solo when a fuse blew early in the show. Belew commented that this was one of the benefits of having a great drummer. Just in case of moments like these.

Julie Slick (his 22 yr old sister) is hands down one of the best bass players I've ever seen. Even our waitress admitted she "tore it up". In fact, the two of them easily handled Crimson material without being carbon copies of Tony Levin and Bill Bruford. They played the parts, but played them their way, leaving nothing lacking in their interpretation.

The band looked and sounded like they were having a blast the whole night and I thought it was great to have a set that offered such a variety of styles. Great too to hear "Big Electric Cat", "Neurotica" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet". Also great to hear they are going into the studio at some point for a CD of new material. Well worth braving the winter storm for this show.

ABP3@SLIMS - FEB 23RD REVIEW from GROUND CONTROL'S DARYL BARNETT

2008-03-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Adrian Belew Power Trio - [Live]
'The Brother, the Sister & the Holy Ghost Show'
VENUE: Slims, San Francisco, February 23, 2008
DATE: 03-03-08
REVIEW BY: Daryl Barnett
PHOTO: Daryl Barnett
Additional Photos
Now Playing: "Three of a Perfect Pair" from Side 4
The first sign of dedication to the music of Adrian Belew I witnessed was seeing about 30 people standing in the rain outside of Slim's waiting for the box office to open. The next was to hear how far some people travelled to see this show—one man I stood next to in line flew in from Kansas City, I overheard another say he came from Houston, and yet another said that she had driven from Tahoe, where she saw the band's performance the night before. Once the doors opened the stage was immediately swarmed. People knew it was important to be as close to the stage as possible to be best able to scrutinize the mastery of guitar wizard Adrian Belew.
This was my third time watching the Adrian Belew Power Trio perform live. Nearly 15 months since the last time they were on the west coast, and the wait was worth it. The anticipation combined with how much more excitable their musical skills had become literally blew me away. I knew it would be great, I just didn't know how great.
I wasn't moved to tears tonight the way I was at The Waterboys concert in October. And I didn't start to wander into a hypnotic mental trance the way I did last week at Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, but something else spiritual did happen to me during tonight's concert. I was standing face to face with POWER. And I don't mean that in a light or filial sense. When Adrian Belew walks on stage he comes out with POWER radiating out of him; out of his eyes, out of his smile, out of his demeanor, and it is undeniable that he feels healthy, but more so it is undeniable that he is happy and loved. I don't mean this in any sappy sense either. The guy radiates energy (and confidence) like a god.
When his band mates came on stage they too were confident and grounded. And they were united. They are Adrian's 'back & side men,' sure, but they are more. There was something else going on here than just musicians playing music. If I hadn't heard this idea from Adrian himself I may not have gotten this deeper realization during the show—these 'kids,' Eric and Julie Slick, are not just happenstance sessions players Adrian found that were looking for work. Eric and Julie are brother and sister who have listened to and played music together since they were small children. They grew up in a house of music lovers. They know each other extremely well and know how to read each other. Their unity together, and with Adrian, was uncanny and powerful. There has never been a missed note or beat in the shows I have seen.
It's hard to isolate highlights of the night because the crowd knew the Belew catalog so well; he stormed in with his own "Writing on the Wall," then King Crimson's "Dinosaur" moved into his own "Ampersand," where he began his first improv of the night. Improvisation is a hallmark experience of every Belew and Crimson show. The improvisations tonight seemed to be lengthier and a little more animated than I recall them being before. For one thing, Adrian stood and played more during this show than I remember from the 2006 shows. Still, the space he had to move about in was limited to a small circle due to the amount of distortion contraptions and pedals he was plugged into. Also, being a photographer, I'd have liked to see him have more space to bend, gyrate and hop around in, but still, maybe that wasn't really necessary.
Oh yeah, it wasn't really necessary because the barefoot dancing muse of the band was bassist Julie Slick. She was one to watch. Julie is a magician when it comes to playing bass guitar, or maybe psychic surgeon is a better description. The way she reaches into the instrument with her powerful and dexterous fingers to elucidate some of the most complexly written bass lines out there is genuinely phenomenal. If I were deaf but could sit and watch her play, I think I'd still hear the music, she dances it to life as if it were as simple as breathing.
Eric Slick is rumored to be just as remarkably life giving to the music. Someone posted some video of him playing on YouTube and I was able to watch more closely how delicately, yet powerfully he meets the needs of all the compositions that Adrian has written. He sat perfectly upright at his drum set—spine erect and straight—but his arms wailed away like a multi-armed deity on his drum set. He was sensitive, stoic, solid and grounded; immovable by any external distraction. And he looked only two places; at Adrian and at Julie. He truly is the anchor of the trio.
I got the feeling from the sophisticated audience that most attendees were long term Crimson listeners and technical guitar players, although there were new comers to the music as well. One guy brought his 10-year-old son to this show and there was a young woman in the show that embarrassed herself by calling out songs for the band to play, like Radiohead's “Creep,” thinking that they had been playing covers all along. There are so many incredible songs in the Belew and Crimson catalog that I wish they had mixed up the set list a little more this tour. Alas, time constraints of the three prevented them from even having time to rehearse before the opening show in Seattle. One new song that appeared on the set list, “Neurotica” from King Crimson's BEAT, was actually hard to listen to. There was a tape feed of a lot of the background elements that the band played over and it came across screechy on the Slim's sound system. Regardless, the audience seemed hyper excited that it was added to the set.
Remarkably the concert ended at 10:40 pm, the earliest I have ever gotten out of a show at Slim's. It felt like I had been immersed in a world of sounds that easily lasted three times that long.
For more information visit www.adrianbelew.net

ABPT ARTICLE FROM 'THE DAILY NEWS TRANSCRIPT' MAR 6, 2008

2008-03-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

POWER PLAYER

Adrian Belew, former Talking Heads and King Crimson guitarist, plays at TCAN Sunday with sister and brother Julie and Eric Slick on bass and drums. Together they're The Adrian Belew Power Trio.

By David Riley/DAILY NEWS STAFF

GHS

Posted Mar 06, 2008 @ 12:44 AM

NATICK —

With David Byrne's neurotic vocals and a blend of bouncing funk, punk and fractured pop, Talking Heads was an unusual band from the start.

But three minutes into their fourth studio album, 1980's "Remain In Light," in tumbled a guitar solo that pushed the boundaries of their sound. Its scattershot bleeps, bloops and bending notes sounded more like Pac Man in the throes of a seizure than any six-string instrument.

Even a listener familiar with the band had to sit up and wonder: What the heck was that?

It wasn't a video game on the fritz, but Adrian Belew, whose squawks and squeals, abstract textures and intricately plucked patterns have defied the limits of guitar music for more than three decades. He got his first big break touring with Frank Zappa in 1977, became front man for progressive rock giants King Crimson, and has played with everyone from David Bowie to Paul Simon to Nine Inch Nails to Cyndi Lauper.

Soon, Belew will add Natick to the long list of places he's toured. His latest project, the Adrian Belew Power Trio - featuring young brother and sister Eric and Julie Slick on drums and bass - stops at the Center for Arts in Natick on Sunday, March 9, during a month-long national tour in support of their new live album, "Side Four."

"I get to play with my hero," Eric Slick, 20, said in a phone interview. "I've been listening to Adrian since I was about 11 years old and I heard a cassette tape of King Crimson's 'Frame by Frame."'

For the most part, the trio is playing a showcase of Belew's work, with about two-thirds of the songs pulled from his solo albums. Much of the rest of their set is made up of King Crimson songs from the '80s and later, Slick said.

But the trio is exploring new territory of its own, debuting an original song, "e," live during the tour. While the songs pull from Belew's catalog, the shows aren't rote performances, but three musicians reacting and playing off one another.

"It's coming from a place that's very personal and fun and playful. We're having fun on stage. You don't see that much these days," Slick said.

"We're having a ball. We're collectively improvising and really striving to do something musically adventurous."

Despite his influence in the music world, Belew is far from a pampered rock God - his near-hit "Oh Daddy" in 1989 featured his daughter wondering when he'd finally strike it rich. The Power Trio is traversing the country not in a private jet or giant tour bus, but in a Dodge Caravan, Slick said. Belew and his wife, Martha, share duties at the wheel.

Though they have performed together since 2006, this is the trio's first long tour together. They first met while Belew was visiting the School of Rock in Philadelphia to advise students, and the owner urged him to jam with two of his former students - Eric and Julie.

"I was freaked," Slick said. "I was very nervous. I still get nervous, but I was very nervous before that happened. It's something out of a book. Opportunities like that don't really come along ever."

Before long, the trio performed together in New York, and Belew invited the siblings to his studio outside Nashville to start learning songs, Slick said.

Slick said he and his sister have been musically inclined since the beginning, using a microphone and two boomboxes to record songs in their Philadelphia living room. "I started playing percussion when I was about 2 years old. She would just kind of sing along," he said. "We would sing songs about how much we loved our mom."

Though Slick said he listens to bands like Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective, his views seem well-paired with Belew, who laments in a video on his Web site that so much modern music is "fashionable crap dressed as artistry."

"I try and stay current with new music, but a lot of it, I can't really tolerate it," said Slick, who spent much of his teenage years exploring classic rock and bands like The Flaming Lips. Now he's often occupied with Igor Stravinsky and Charles Mingus.

The trio breaks away from that "highly choreographed" and "overly serious" music, Slick said. He said the band shares a special, sophisticated sense of communication on stage, and they're working hard. But above all, they're having fun.

"I think what we're doing is very unique and very different," Slick said. "There's a lot of soul in our show."

The Adrian Belew Power Trio plays at The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Sunday, March 9, at 8 p.m. Admission is $37, $35 for members and seniors and students get a $1 discount. Call 508-647-0097 or visit natickarts.org.

MARTYR'S CHICAGO REVIEW FOR MARCH 5TH 2008

2008-03-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

Fellow Tribe-member Petey attended the Chicago show last night, and here is his review of the latest high-voltage Adrian Belew POWER Trio gig.....

"WOW. This was the first time we caught the power trio, due to a bad
series of fates in 2006 we missed the first leg of the tour in
chicago. we did see the first side of this tour in 05 with mike and
mike backing him up at the naperville "RIBFEST". but boy we were in
for a surprise tonight, not only has mr. belew beefed up his arsenal
of effect processers, his fellow band mates have pushed the live
adrian belew experience beyond the perception of what an intense show
would normally have to offer.

julie and eric have propelled adrians live preformance into a space
rarely achieved in the status quo of ho hum pose laden rock shows.
there is plenty of room to breathe, if you can count into the one
hundredth of a thousandth of a millisecond. eric layed down a
powerfull nuclear clock synchronized mean time beat, only to be
rivaled by his big sisters tapestry of hand spun low frequencies that
would make a certain claypool ponder, how did that happen again?
seriously jeopardizing my normal amazement of adrians fret work, my
attention was immediately pulled to julie's nonchalant "i didn't even
realize i just played 60 notes in 8 seconds" approach to playing the
bass guitar.

seriously, his fellow stagemates have not only pushed him, they
definitely have inspired him, as demonstrated in the jaw-dropping
rendition of "E", a yet to be released gem that sprouted from these
sessions. now more than ever some of his whacky stage antics like
playing over loops and multiple loop overdubs make an impression that
these tricks are old hat to this ridiculously symbiotic trio. almost
to the point of questioning if perhaps a certain twang bar king had
perhaps moonlighted as a mailman some 23 years ago in whatever town
the slick kids have called home.

i did get a chance to talk to eric after the show, he had a set of
castinets, and was clickety clacking them in an ordinary fashion
going on about them. "what about in 7/8?" i asked him, he closed
his eyes, tapped it out and did it. julie was very humble and down
to earth, acting like i was exaggerating when i couldn't stop
bringing up how great she can play the bass. she told me a story
about jeff beck's bass player saying "i am not julie slick" when
questioned after a show! heh. she said adrian will have them play on
his new solo album, but probably not all of it, (solo album),
either way i can't wait to hear a new one. it is so exciting to see
him always end up working with such talented folks, and these guys
are cutting their teeth with him, but they don't sound young at all,
they just have a really clean soul , and can play like you wouldn't
fucking believe.

adrian's set up was one of the largest most disgusting displays of
guitar effects he has been seen with in a while. he has a whole new
section, for the footpedal that controls the vg-99, (rolands
sickest guitar thingy ever) only to be topped by the new eventide
delay box, a boomerang, some boutique fuzzes, compressors, synth,
dual fade pedals, chopper, j.h pedal, the list goes on, gomti got
some nice pics which i shall post soon, its late so, thanks for
reading all of this.

it always strikes me how much of a gentleman he is after the show,
i mean a lot of folks that are that talented don't seem to have any
time for the common man, much to say take a picture with him, i
think that is the best part of adrian belew's character , , i mean
you can even read his signature, how many rock stars can you say
that about.

bottom line, if you don't have side four yet, get it, and if you
have ANY possible way to catch this tour, don't miss it, a truly
new take on an artists work that is even more unique."

Thanks Petey - can't wait to see your photo's of the night, and all those pedals!

Personally, I had hoped and prayed that I might be able to make it to last nights show in Chicago myself, but to my chagrin, the fates have not allowed this to come to fruition.....so I must continue to be patient, and keep on wishing on a star, that the ABPT will eventually make it, even if only for one or two dates, up here in Canada!

NIN - GHOST I - IV Review....well worth reading.

2008-03-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

"Summary: Leave the anger at the door, Trent Reznor has finally grown up.
This 36 track instrumental is astonishing at the very least.

Don’t deny it-Trent Reznor loves controversy and attention. He’s tried to act like a seedy recluse with a bad chip on his shoulder throughout his career, but somehow, the public eye has stayed consistently focused on him. When Pretty Hate Machine broke into the mainstream and all that mess with TVT was publicly displayed, guess what? Reznor was practically begging for all the public attention he could muster. When The Fragile hit and he openly spoke out about how he was unhappy with the final product, he caught plenty of attention. When Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor butted heads, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Only Trent Reznor would go off on a tangent about how “the record executives are ripping the fans off. So you know what that means? Steal, steal, steal my music. Go steal it, and steal some more!” Things like this seem to always turn the public eye keen to Trent Reznor and often get him in hot water.

And throughout all the controversy over Year Zero, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind has stayed fairly quiet, going into hiding, yet again. However, this time, the infamous recluse didn’t stay quiet for nearly four years like before; he waited about half a year. All the while, Trent Reznor was secretly wasting away at the keyboards and synthesizers as the Nine Inch Nails fans prepared to settle in for another four to five year absence, messages on the Nine Inch Nails website blog began reading "We’ve been doing secret things. We’ll begin to tell you about them soon." On March 2nd, a simple message on the blog read "2 hours." Wasting no time, in two hours, a new website design was up with a download link. Despite the online server meltdown, Trent kept to his word and offered the album online in a variety of downloadable ways (one offering the first Ghosts edition for free), and one offering a $10 double-disk digipak shipped on April 8th. The album's release was so well planned and it's tactic of catching people off-guard may very well be the best planned album release in near history.

The best part is that this is a 36-track instrumental album that nobody expected. Maybe its too early, or the shock factor is still there, but Ghosts is truly amazing. Trent has compiled a wide variety of unorthodox instruments, electronic tools, distorted guitars, lush soundscapes, and eerie sounds into this collection of Explosions in the Sky influenced Nine Inch Nails. On the online booklet, a picture is shown of one of the guys, during recording, rubbing aluminum foil on strings. That is what you can expect from the album-unorthodox sounds coming from unorthodox instruments and playing styles. You can still distinctly hear the Nails sound throughout the album, but the wide variety of instruments, the soundscapes, and the unusual guitar riffs make a strange post-rock influenced ambience.

The initial response when I realized that Ghosts was a massive 36-track instrumental package was immediate excitement, but it then faded away. I imagined a boring album with 36 low-key instrumental tracks. But when I actually got Ghosts the feelings of being let-down left my body. The melancholic opening piano track sets such a dull, depressing feeling inside of you, and the same goes for the second track. But just as you begin to think this isn’t quite Nine Inch Nails, this is more Sigur Ros than NIN, you quickly discover you’re wrong. Very, very wrong. Because when you think you've figured out this is a piano-led album, songs like 3 (which is a lot like The Becoming) show up, or track 19 which wouldn't be out of place on a Skinny Puppy album, with all of it's heavy industrial beats. Basically, if you expected Ghosts to lull you with pianos, almost something in the vein of Still, you are quite wrong. Some of the stuff is heavy, loud, and aggressive, if not some of the loudest Nails music; 31 is like Hyperpower!’s aborted brother. Newcomer Brian Vigilone lays down a cymbal-heavy drum pattern and distorted guitars overpower the mix into a headbanger. And just as it gets loud, it ends abruptly.

The album has no issue with flow, either. Despite being 36 tracks that span a wide variety of genres and phases in NIN’s career, the songs seep into one another, and the four Ghosts editions have four distinctive feels. Ghosts I has a melancholic edge, seemingly painting the picture for a cold, rainy day. Ghosts II has an upbeat, foreign edge that reminds me a lot of The Fragile, and Ghosts III comes off as an industrial powerhouse. Ghosts IV is electronic, funky, and danceable. The tracks are all distinctive, original, and grandly epic. You can’t confuse a track with another, they all stand-out. Some of the tracks are clear throwbacks to various areas in Nine Inch Nails’ career, while some offer new sounds and vibrations. However, Ghosts IV definitely the stand-out. It’s like a more fun, less repetitive, and danceable Year Zero. So it’s not like the album is droningly monotone with no separate areas and sounds, each Ghosts volume presents a new sound and aura to the mix. But what’s the best, most surprising about the album is how atmospheric it is. Every track creates a new sound, a new feeling you get lost in. The tracks won’t lull you to sleep, but they send you to another place, another place Trent Reznor and co. have perfectly handcrafted. But what else stands out on the album is the fact that Trent doesn't seem to be catering to the teenagers and what's popular anymore. The last two NIN albums seemed to be what the public wanted, not what Reznor wanted. At age 42, it was time for Trent to stop catering to what the public wants and to start making what he wants to make; no more overused angst, screaming, and profanity. This is proof that Trent Reznor has finally grown out of the teenage angst.

But it wasn’t pure shock factor and surprise that runs this album. The originality, inventiveness, variety, and the emotional soundscapes could have carried this album without the marketing scheme. It’s so dreamy, and atmospheric that you can’t not enjoy it, no matter what type of music you listen to. It doesn’t bore at all, it keeps you interested and going, for two hours straight. As I sat outside in the cold, pelting freezing rain this morning, the sky was bleak and dull, I had Ghosts playing in my ears, and thought to myself "this is how Trent Reznor meant this album to be listened to." Complete creativity and inventiveness at its core, Ghosts I-IV proves that Trent Reznor is one of the most vital artists in music today."

This is an article written by Porter W Richards, and you can find the original post HERE

If you check it out, you will see that this well written article has, since it was posted on March 3, scored 18,406 hits, and elicited 176 comments so far...... (Numbers I can only but dream about...lol)

ADRIAN BELEW ARTICLE from 'CLEVELAND SCENE'

2008-03-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Guitar legend Adrian Belew gigs with kids half his age, tries to keep up

By Mark Wedel

Published: March 5, 2008

Adrian Belew's self-portrait leaves a lot to be desired.

Details:

8:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. $20, 216-383-1124.

Subject(s): King Crimson, rock, Adrian Belew

Adrian Belew recently celebrated his 30th anniversary as a professional musician. In 1977, Frank Zappa pulled the guitarist out of Kentucky club hell and cast him as an auxiliary musician who would join him onstage as performer or visual punch line. Sometimes Belew would wear a military uniform; other times he'd don a dress, like the one he sports in Zappa's 1979 concert film, Baby Snakes.

"It was OK — my legs are not embarrassing," laughs Belew. "It could've been worse. It could've been a bikini."

These days, Belew fronts a trio made up of 20-year-old drummer Eric Slick and Eric's 21-year-old bass-playing sister, Julie. Belew swears he has no intention of humiliating the kids onstage, as Zappa did to him years ago. Then again, Zappa taught him a valuable lesson in showmanship, he says.

Since those dress-wearing days, the 59-year-old guitarist has gigged with everyone from David Bowie to Talking Heads to Nine Inch Nails. He even fronted veteran prog-rockers King Crimson for a spell in the early '80s.

Belew's latest project features a pair of Philadelphia siblings who still live with their parents. They've been wowing audiences together since 2006. "The old guy in the middle isn't that bad either," jokes Belew, who met the Slicks after he participated in a Paul Green School of Rock Music program. The kids' father gave his children instruments a decade ago and pointed them toward his vinyl record collection, which featured more than 5,000 LPs — including albums by Zappa, King Crimson, and a solo Belew.

The sibs performed some Zappa tunes for Belew at their first meeting, "And that was it," says the guitar legend. "Something magical was there." Belew's old boss, King Crimson's Robert Fripp, dubbed Belew's new group "the trio of terror." "It isn't that we terrorize people," clarifies Belew. "It's that we surprise them with our intensity and power. They're so good at it. They sound like 50-year-old musicians. But they're so energetic. You can't get that out of a 50-year-old."

Belew should know — he's been trying to jump-start a power trio for most of the '00s. He didn't want to be in front of yet another group of solid but faceless backing musicians; he was dying to be part of an actual band made up of three distinct voices. Les Claypool and Tool's Danny Carey joined Belew on his 2005 CD, Side One, but they weren't about to leave their careers to join him full-time. Belew then tried working with jazz vets Mike Gallagher and Mike Hodges, but the fiftysomething musicians came to the conclusion that no one really had the initiative to commit to a permanent project.

It all came down to age. Old folks get set in their ways, become jaded, and have super-huge egos. The youthful Slicks, on the other hand, were eager to try anything Belew threw at them. "I can tell Eric, 'Tonight, you've got to play on bongos,'" says Belew. "But they aren't kids to me. They're very smart, gifted people, and very responsible."

Last year's Side Four Live caps Belew's Side series, which he's been working on since 2005. It features the trio performing cover versions of old Belew and King Crimson tunes. Taken together, the quartet of guitar-heavy and experimental CDs "represents all the stuff that has gone through my head in the last five years," says Belew.

But don't call it prog-rock; Belew has never been comfortable with that label. He thinks it's an old-fashioned tag that conjures images of cluttered '70s concept albums about dancing unicorns and malicious gnomes. He prefers to call his new trio's material "modern music." "One of the things that I picked up from people like Frank Zappa or Robert Fripp or David Bowie is that, if you can possibly form your own little corner of the world, that's the best way that you can go," he says. "Because you are the only person who has it."

The kids have sparked Belew, who has been plotting a new version of King Crimson with Fripp, bassist Tony Levin, and drummers Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison, the latter a member of alt-prog combo Porcupine Tree. After Belew wraps his current tour, he'll join up with his old pals for a couple of high-profile gigs this summer. He also contributed guitar noises for something Trent Reznor put together late last year. Belew — who played on Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral and The Fragile albums — is coy about the project. Or maybe he just doesn't have a clue about it. "[Reznor] was very secretive about what it was going to be," says Belew. "I didn't press him on it."

Belew says performing with people half his age "rejuvenates" him. At first, he feared "it would sound silly and look silly." But the guitarist recalls a time 30 years ago when Zappa lifted him out of obscurity, put him in a dress, and launched a career that's been exploring music's many different shades ever since. "I have a debt to Frank Zappa for discovering me and putting up with me for a year," he says. Now Belew is in position to be that "someone who believes in you." And he's relishing every minute of it.

ABPT @ BOULDER MARCH 2, 2008

2008-03-05T09:57:00.001-08:00

DRIVE (not complete)

from the FOX THEATRE - BOULDER gig on MARCH 2nd

AMPERSAND

from the FOX THEATRE - BOULDER gig on MARCH 2nd

WRITING ON THE WALL
from the FOX THEATRE - BOULDER gig on March 2nd

Many thanks to 'Zaliga' for the YouTube photography : )

REVIEW OF THE ABPT @ THE SHANK HALL IN MILWAUKEE, MARCH 4TH

2008-03-05T04:44:00.000-08:00

Freekee attended last nights ABPT gig at the Shank Hall in Milwaukee WI, and here is his review of the night....

"We saw Adrian Belew at Shank Hall tonight. Fun show.

Adrian is a guitar guy. Innovative and fun loving. He's a member of King Crimson, and plays with a lot of people. This time out, he's doing the Adrian Belew Power Trio. It's him with bassist Julie Slick and drummer Eric Slick. They're brother and sister, she's 22 and he's 20. They've been playing with Belew for a couple of years. Here's a bit of history: Julie Slick began taking bass lessons at age twelve at the Paul Green School of Rock as one of seventeen students Paul Green taught in his apartment in 1998 in order to help pay his tuition at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a philosophy major. Green had the students jam at venues around the city to give them real experience as musicians. For their first show, Green and his students performed Pink Floyd's The Wall at the Griffin Cafe in Philadelphia, PA. He didn't have a drummer so the owner of the restaurant sat in. Julie’s mother, Robin, suggested that Green consider her 11-year-old son, Eric Slick, who eventually became the house drummer. The Paul Green School of Rock was later born. Eric began studying drum lessons at the school and now teaches there.

Eric is pretty damn good. Adrian seemed to enjoy working with him, since he usually faced Eric, and interacted with him a lot. He only occasionally interacted with Julie. Julie and Eric, however, interacted with each other a lot. It was fun to watch the signals back and forth behind Adrian's back. Like the time Eric tricked Julie with a fake cue. She was like, thanks a lot! He was laughing his ass off.

Julie was pretty damn good too. She doesn't look like a rock star, with her skirt and sweater (and bare feet), but man can she play. It was kinda wild watching these kids playing Bruford and Levin.

Adrian was having a good time. He could hardly contain himself during the first few songs. He's a madman. He actually kinda devolved into wankery a few times, but he was having fun. Most of the songs they played were either Crimson or from his latest Side albums. My favorite song of the night was "Three of a perfect Pair." Smokin! (Hey, you can hear it here, for a little bit: http://www.adrianbelew.net/)

The downside: really loud. I'm going to be hearing it tomorrow. Not good. I need to find some musician's earplugs."

Thanks for the info on the show Freekee!

"Wankery"..... interesting turn of phrase - not sure at which point having fun turns you into a 'wanker', or how one could 'devolve' to such....but I am glad that Ade was having such a wonderful time.

And HUGE THANKS to Burton Lo (Bam0027) for the excellent photos used throughout todays post....

If you haven't checked out his huge selection of ABPT photo's from the Coach House gig on Feb 24, then you really need to click on this link and see them all on his Flickr site.... I really enjoyed the slideshow, especially the sets that seem to morph from one to the other...excellent!

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO from February 26th 2008

2008-03-03T08:09:00.001-08:00

FRAME BY FRAME + THELA HUN GINJEET

BELLY UP – SOLANA BEACH CA FEB 26

THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR

BELLY UP – SOLANA BEACH CA FEB 26

WRITING ON THE WALL

BELLY UP – SOLANA BEACH CA FEB 26

AMPERSAND

BELLY UP - SOLANA BEACH CA FEB 26

Thanks to YouTube publishers "Astralpuke" for the first three vids, and to "Musiclover78" for the last vid.

Thanks to your efforts, those of us unable to attend still get to enjoy these brilliant Trio performances : )

KING CRIMSON - CLOUDS animation

2008-03-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

A new offering from YouTube this morning..... from the 'certainly not mainstream' collection of King Crimson sound bites, out-takes and back-room rehearsals of years gone by....

KING CRIMSON - CLOUDS

from the 'Happy with what you have to be happy with' disc.

Brilliantly set to the fitting and strangely interesting animations created by "Achtungrael" (Francisco Contreras Esquinca)

I really enjoyed this clip - hope you do too : )

GHOSTS I - IV - TRENT REZNOR and ADRIAN BELEW et al

2008-03-03T07:17:00.001-08:00

"Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain."

Well folks, I've listened through the full 36 tracks twice, since posting my initial NIN News Flash this morning - and I thoroughly enjoyed it all..... Certainly worthy and listenable material..... It was also great fun listening with an ear for the Adrian Belew signature sounds in many of the tracks.... I will certainly be downloading the full 36 LOSSLESS files - @ $5.00 an absolute deal! I probably will also lash out and purchase the $10.00 2 disc set.... : )

Trent Reznor explains, "I've been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn't have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I'm very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts."

Says Trent Reznor (from the NIN Website)....
"This music arrived unexpectedly as the result of an experiment. The rules were as follows: 10 weeks, no clear agenda, no overthinking, everything driven by impulse. Whatever happens during that time gets released as... something.

The team: Atticus Ross, Alan Moulder and myself with some help from Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew and Brian Viglione. Rob Sheridan collaborated with Artist in Residence (A+R) to create the accompanying visual and physical aesthetic.

We began improvising and let the music decide the direction. Eyes were closed, hands played instruments and it began. Within a matter of days it became clear we were on to something, and a lot of material began appearing. What we thought could be a five song EP became much more. I invited some friends over to join in and we all enjoyed the process of collaborating on this.

The end result is a wildly varied body of music that we're able to present to the world in ways the confines of a major record label would never have allowed - from a 100% DRM-free, high-quality download, to the most luxurious physical package we've ever created.

More volumes of Ghosts are likely to appear in the future."

- Trent Reznor, March 2, 2008

Interestingly, I unearthed this cryptic message whilst browsing through the site.....

"Ghosts I-IV is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.

An exciting partnership and experience regarding this release will be announced soon."

Not sure exactly what this could mean - but I for one will certainly be keeping my eyes and ears open for any new info regarding this recording....

NEWS FLASH!.....NINE INCH NAILS - NEW RELEASE featuring ADRIAN BELEW!

2008-03-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

Nine Inch Nails released a four volume collection of 36 instrumental tracks through their website last night (March 2).

Entitled Ghosts I-IV, the tracks are now available on the band's official website NIN.com, with nine tracks that will form an album available free to download.

Ghosts was recorded during an impulsive ten week recording session last year with the help of longtime NIN and now Arctic Monkeys producer Alan Moulder, NIN touring keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, King Crimson's Adrian Belew and Dresden Dolls and Jesse Malin drummer Brian Viglione.

Speaking on the website, Reznor states that the 36 tracks were: "The result of working from a visual perspective – coating imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams".

Ghosts I-IV is available in different download and physical packages, including a deluxe four 180-gram vinyl set numbered and signed by Reznor.

A double CD set will be released in retail outlets in the UK on April 8.

Full details of all the variations are below.

FREE DOWNLOAD
Ghosts I - The first 9 tracks from the Ghosts I-IV collection available as high-quality DRM-free MP3s (320kbps LAME encoded, fully tagged) including complete 40 page PDF. Also includes the digital extras pack - various wallpapers, icons, and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.

$5 DOWNLOAD:
Ghosts I-IV - All 36 tracks in a variety of DRM-free digital formats (320 kbps LAME encoded, fully tagged; FLAC Lossless; Apple Lossless) including a 40 page PDF. Also includes the digital extras pack - various wallpapers, icons, and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.

$10 2 CD SET:
Ghosts I-IV - 2 audio CDs in a gatefold digipak package with a 16-page booklet. To be shipped TBD. Includes immediate DRM-free download of the entire collection in same choice of formats as $5 Download option. Download will include the 40 page PDF and the digital extras pack - various wallpapers, icons, and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.

This configuration will be released to retail April 5 in Australia and Japan, and April 8 in North America, the UK and most European territories.

$75 LIMITED EDITION DELUXE PACKAGE:
Ghosts I-IV - Hardcover book holding 2 audio CDs, 1 data DVD of all 36 tracks in multi-track format (in .wav files readable by Mac and Windows), and Blu-ray disc featuring stereo recordings in high-definition 24 bit 96Khz with exclusive slide show. Includes immediate DRM-free download of the entire collection in all formats and with all extras mentioned above. Also includes 48-page hardcover of photographs by Phillip Graybill and Rob Sheridan. Discs and art book both housed in fabric slipcover.

$300 ULTRA-DELUXE LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE:
Ghosts I-IV - Contains all elements from deluxe package, along with exclusive 4XLP 180-gram vinyl set, and two limited edition Giclee prints available exclusively in this package. Disc book, art book, and prints are all housed in a fabric slipcover. 4XLP vinyl set comes in its own fabric slipcover. INCLUDES immediate DRM-free download of the entire collection in all formats and with all extras mentioned above. LIMITED TO 2500 PIECES, NUMBERED AND PERSONALLY SIGNED BY TRENT REZNOR.

A $39 4 x vinyl version will be available at retail at a later date.

ADRIAN BELEW INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

2008-02-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

ARTIST: Adrian Belew of the Adrian Belew Power Trio
DATE: 02-27-08

WRITER: Daryl Barnett
PHOTO: Hepyaddakat

Now Playing: "Beat Box Guitar" from Side One

Adrian Belew has racked up an impressive resume over the years. A singer and virtuoso guitarist, he's played with Zappa, Bowie and the Talking Heads, among others, but he's best known as the frontman for prog-rock gods King Crimson. In between King Crimson tours, Belew has been performing with the Adrian Belew Power Trio, and is currently in the middle of a 21-city jaunt across the United States. Earlier this month, Ground Control spoke to Belew's Power Trio bandmates, bassist Julie Slick and her brother, drummer Eric. As they prepared for the first show of their tour, Belew took time out to talk to Ground Control about his history in the music industry and the direction of his newest collaboration.

Adrian Belew: I started in the school junior high school band, I was a drummer. Then after three years my family moved...that was the year that The Beatles came out, so my focus shifted entirely from being in the school band to being in a rock band. When I started school again I didn't know anybody. I didn't bother joining the school band again, they were full up with drummers. I met and befriended all the local musicians, and ended up being invited to be in the best band in the whole Cincinnati area, The Denims. We played almost nothing but Beatles music, we didn't bother with much else. You know, The Kinks and a few other things, but mostly Beatles. We wore the military outfits and had the vox amps and the whole bit.

Ground Control: Wow, beautiful! How many years did you play with The Denims?

AB: I think it turned out to be four years. And by that time The Beatles had evolved to a point where you couldn't really play their music anymore—you know, you needed an orchestra.

GC: So when did you shift from being a drummer to learning to play guitar?

AB: Right around my junior year, I got sick for two months. I had mononucleosis—which is not much of a sickness, but it means you have to stay quiet, at least sit quietly, you can't have any activities for at least two months, stay at home and be tutored. And so I borrowed a guitar, an acoustic guitar from one of the guys in The Denims, and I taught myself to play over those two months. I even wrote five songs. Just figured it out on my own. The next couple of years I spent as the drummer for The Denims until they broke up after we all left high school—at that point I switched to guitar.

GC: Okay...

AB: By then I was interested in the guitar as more than just a writing tool. I started playing because I wanted to write songs which I couldn't do when I played drums. By the time The Denims broke up in 1967 or 1968, um, the guitar was a whole different vehicle. All of a sudden you had Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton burning up the world, you know...So I wanted to do more with guitars and that's when I started taking it as my first serious instrument.

GC: Okay. Was it long after that when you started to experiment with the sounds and noises you could get out of a guitar?

AB: It was a few years, because really you have to put a few time into the mechanics of an instrument. I learned a lot of styles. I could finger pick American style, I could play blues like a lot of players, I could imitate Hendrix or Jeff Beck. You know, I could play a lot of different things and then at some points in the early 70s I realized I just sounded like a lot of people. That is when I started, in '73 or so, '74, trying to find my own voice on guitar and what I forced myself to do when I caught myself playing someone else's lick I would try to find something else to substitute it with. A difficult process but what I eventually forced myself to do was to come up with my own ideas. One thing that I really, really liked was the idea that you could make the guitar sound like things. No one really seemed to be interested in that. I liked that idea, that you could kinda make it sound like an animal, or a car horn. And that became the beginnings of my being interested in using it for more than just playing solos and notes and chords.

GC: Well you've certainly become the grand master of making the guitar sound like other things.

AB: No one else still wants to do that.

GC: So around 1973, when did you first hear the music of King Crimson? When did you first meet Robert Fripp? I know a little more about your time with Frank Zappa and Bowie and other people but Crimson is what interests me more.

AB: I first met Robert in 1980. I still was working with David Bowie—it was at the end of our relationship the first time around. David and I were in New York City at the Bottom Line and watching a guy named Steve Reich and we were watching his performance; the end of the show, the lights came on, I looked over and David said, Hey, look, that table over there, that's Robert Fripp.' So, I walked over and introduced myself, he was very nice, and he wrote his number, his hotel phone number on my arm in indelible ink, which I couldn't get off for years. So I ended up calling him over the next couple days and we went out for coffee a couple of times and that was my initial meeting and befriending with Robert. What really happened in the long term was, eventually, he took his band out on tour of the mid-west and I took my band on tour of the mid-west, and we became their opening act for five shows, and during those five shows, in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Columbus, OH and places like that, I think that's when Robert realized that, 'oh, this guy's more than a stunt guitarist, he's a songwriter and a singer and a frontman,' and I think that's when he developed the idea of maybe there being another King Crimson with me involved and later that year, in 1980, is when he called me and asked me to join. Of course, it wasn't called King Crimson for the first couple of months, but eventually it was.

GC: What was it called?

AB: Originally, it was called Discipline. That was good for Bill Bruford, but not for me and Tony Levin. I guess maybe we were spanked too often when we were kids. I really never thought the name was a good name for a band—it's a great name for other things, and obviously we named a record that and now Robert's record label is called Discipline. A few weeks into rehearsing, writing, and being close together, Robert said, 'you know, whatever we call this band, it has the spirit of King Crimson,' and I said 'well, why don't we call it King Crimson, then?' For me, that made it an entirely different apple, to call it King Crimson. Now you were dealing with a certain tradition, a musical history, and an integrity and something to be proud of, rather than starting another band with a different name.

GC: When you started to play with King Crimson in '81, the music took on a whole new sound. Was that from your initial influence, or was it a conglomeration of all the new minds working together?

AB: Yeah, sure, I think it would be fair to say it was everyone. It would also be fair to say that the writing of it was Robert and I. It was the two of us developing the songwriting aspect of it and then giving it to the whole band to deal with it. You had these very strong unique players blended together, Tony and Bill and all of us had new tools that no one else had tried to work with. Robert and I were the first guitar synthesizer players that I had ever heard of, Bill was the first electronic drummer, Tony was the first Stick player. So, we had new instruments, new technology, and we had this blueprint that came from the songwriting area that Robert and I were developing all the time. Tony and Bill mostly wrote their own parts, of course, added their own parts like anyone does, but I think the development of the basis for what the music is came from the pens of Robert and I.

GC: I want to shift over to your current project with the Power Trio, with the Slick kids. How is this tour going to be different than the last tour? Are you going to have a new set list, or...?

AB: We're going to play a lot of the same things, but one of the things that I think makes this band exciting is the fact that we improvise and change constantly, even material that we are doing. We're going to add in—as time goes by during this tour—some new material. I've written three new pieces that eventually we'll be attempting to play. I've incorporated a few new songs from the catalog that were never played, but the problem that we have with this tour—it's not a problem, but I think it's something that people might want to understand, is there is no rehearsal time. Julie has been in audio school for her last semester and she was only available two days ago. By then, our equipment was all gone and we couldn't even rehearse, so we're appearing tonight in Seattle for the first time in three or four months, and we're going to walk on stage and play without a single note of rehearsing! That shows how confident I guess we are, or maybe how stupid, I'm not sure. But I think over the course of this tour—which has 21 shows—at sound checks and otherwise, we're going to incorporate new material...and people are not tired of hearing what we do yet, I don't think, so I plan to improvise even more. I've got some new tools, some new sounds, some new little tricks in my bag, and I think it'll be worth it even if you've heard the band a few times before. By this time next year, who knows where we'll be. I would expect that, by then, we'll probably be playing a whole new round of material.

For more information visit www.adrianbelew.net

ERIC SLICK INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

2008-02-29T05:33:00.000-08:00

ARTIST: Eric Slick of the Adrian Belew Power Trio

DATE: 01-30-08

WRITER: Daryl Barnett
PHOTO: Burton Lo

"In Part II of Ground Control's interview with the Adrian Belew Power Trio, drummer Eric Slick talks about finding the right fit, tour diets and the Philadelphia music scene. For Part I, click here.

Eric Slick - Question & Answer

Ground Control: From what I know about you already, if you meet someone and it feels right for you to play with them you just go with it.

Eric Slick: Absolutely, if it doesn't feel right I really can't do it. If I'm not committed to it musically it's very hard for me to stay on track with it. I've been in plenty of bands I didn't enjoy, and there is nothing worse than that; if your art is superficial and you are not true to yourself it really shows. It shows in the way you respond to the other musicians, it shows in the way you handle yourself on a day to day basis. If you surround yourself with musicians that you like to play with—that will take you to another level musically—that's what you need to follow. You need to follow the music you would love playing every night for the rest of your life, which is why I'm so lucky to play with Adrian, because it's exactly the case.

GC: So when you make a decision about who you choose to play with, what components make up that judgment? Is it the genre of music, or is it maybe a simpler decision that you don't like the people in a band? Or if the music was good but the people were hard to get along with would you go anyway because you like that style of music?

ES: No, it's a mixture of things. You have to compromise and you have to find a balance. You have to enjoy the personalities of the musicians you play with. You have to respect them as musicians. Even if they are lesser of a musician than you. First and foremost the relationship thing is the biggest part of it. I don't care if I was playing in a band with the best guitar player in the world, but if he was a jerk then it wouldn't last. When you are in a van with someone for more than eight hours at a time you learn a lot about them. And you learn a lot about them very fast, so you have to be conscious of that and if you can't get along with them it's not going to work. My main criteria is that the musicians have to play with conviction and have to play with a certain spirit. As long as what they are doing is done well and with conviction, I really can't argue with that. I know plenty of musicians that I may not really like their music, but I can't necessarily say bad things about them because they do it with such conviction, you know?

GC: Now talking about writing your own composition, you said you are not sure about your commitment to instrumentation. Do you play other instruments besides the drums?

ES: I've been playing guitar since 6th grade—about 1998—and I picked up bass around the same time. I picked up marimba when I was in 10th grade so that would be around 2002. I picked up piano and saxophone, but I'm not really good at either of those. I'm not really good at guitar either, but I've been playing it for so long because I'm surrounded by guitars in my house. And one time I got sick with sinusitis and I was around my house for two weeks in 6th grade and I started playing songs on the guitar and going on the Internet and looking up the chords and then realized I had perfect pitch after playing guitar. I realized I was able to memorize the notes so I was very lucky. It was all kind of a surprise. I just realized one day, "Oh, I heard that 'G' on the guitar and then I was listening to the radio in the car and I could remember that that was a 'G'."

GC: So 6th grade was when you started playing instruments or discovering that you had a gift?

ES: Well I've been playing the drums since I was about two.

GC: Are you kidding me? Oh my god, wow!

ES: I've been playing drums for a very long time, but I have to be careful when I talk about this because I guess you could say I started playing percussion when I was two. I got bongos for Christmas but then I tore through those and I got a set of electronic drums the next year, a Yamaha DV-60 or something like that. And then when I was five I got my first real drum set for Christmas after begging and pleading. I didn't really start taking it seriously till I was eleven years old—practicing and understanding how to set up the instrument.

GC: So what I understand about your family history through information from your mother (Robin Slick) you kids were primed to become musicians from an early age based on the love of rock music that your mom and dad had. I didn't know though that you had a natural inclination to play since you were a baby.

ES: My parents would play vinyl records, they'd put on Jimi Hendrix, they'd put on Santana, they'd put on Ella Fitzgerald. Whatever it was I'd play along to it on my crib. I just had a knack for bashing ever since I was a kid. So my parents started taking this bashing seriously and they bought a set of bongos and I'd play along to Guns n Roses and Queen. Whatever they put on I'd play along to it. Especially Eric Clapton, who is my namesake. Yeah, I'm named after Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. My parents decided that whether or not I liked it my destiny was to play music. The good news is that I did like, I love it and I can't imagine life without it.

GC: About a year ago when you guys were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then you drove south through Ohio. You played one night in Dayton and I just remember following the weather reports worrying while you guys were driving that route and I remember praying that you guys had the safest journey.

ES: That was a rough one. We were supposed to have a flight and the flight was canceled because of the storm, so at the last minute our dad had to drive us. Not only did he have to drive us but our windows broke on the car. No one broke into the car—the power windows broke and we drove in the freezing temperatures with duct tape all over the car.

GC: You mean the power windows broke in the open position?

ES: There was a recall on the Jeep Liberty because of this and we didn't know about this—that eventually the power windows were going to break. It was unbelievable. We drove from Philadelphia to Cleveland, from Cleveland to Dayton, then from Dayton, Ohio to Lexington, Kentucky without working windows in the middle of a blizzard.

GC: And when you guys got to Lexington that must have been the ultimate experience for you to do a live performance that was going to be recorded for Side Four.

ES: The funny thing is that performance didn't actually get used for Side Four. The Dayton performance was the one that was used.

GC: Ok, that is where I was confused. So the plan was for the Lexington show to be it but it was the Dayton show.

ES: The Dayton show was a better show. The Lexington show was good but I was nervous, and it showed. I mean I was still nervous before the Dayton show, but I was particularly nervous before the Lexington show. This was going to be my first big statement in the music world and I wanted to make sure it was good. Not to mention that we hadn't played together as a trio for three months before that recording was made. Adrian had decided that it was time to record Side Four and that we were going to book three dates around it. It was cold, so I was doing so much warming up back stage so that by the time we got on stage the tempos were just flying, you know. They were 30 beats faster than they were supposed to be. The things I do like about it is it gives the live recording a sense of urgency, a sense of attention, you know, you listen to how energetic this is and any kind of flubs or bum notes, if they mattered to me then they don't matter to me now because I'm so happy with the energy that is pumping through the record.

GC: Did the other band members have the same nervousness about playing? Was it a synchronicity of discomfort that you guys had?

ES: I don't think so. Adrian has played so many shows in his lifetime. I can't imagine Adrian being nervous in front of 90,000 people with David Bowie in an arena. I mean I would be inconsolable if I were in that position. I don't think he was nervous. Julie is never nervous. She is so cool and calm about all of these shows. She goes up there and kills it every night. I don't know how she does it—I'm pacing around backstage nervously eating things I shouldn't eat. I'm a wreck before some of these shows.

GC: Maybe it's something different about being a drummer. You've got a different physical energy that you've got to exert.

ES: Absolutely! I have to give it 100% every night and it's a workout. With the Adrian set it's 100% all of the time—every song has to match the intensity of the first song. To maintain can be very difficult but I've come up with a concept called "Salad Touring" meaning that every night before a show no matter what, I eat a salad. And I swear by my "Salad Touring" concept. I used to barely make it through these shows but ever since "Salad Touring" has become a part of my life there has been a monumental difference. Next tour I'm going to try "Brown Rice Touring," and then I'm going to eradicate sweets. Because I do have an obsession with chocolate. I'm going to have to calm down with that.

GC: That may be a wise decision.

ES: I'm also going to have to cut back on the caffeine. I tend to have four cups a day. I'm already high strung enough. Thats why I don't do drugs. I can't possibly do drugs for several reasons. I'm already insane. If anything drugs would ground me. I like being insane. I can't do drugs. Or maybe I don't want to be artificially insane. I dunno.

GC: You don't need 'em!

ES: Absolutely not, Frank (Zappa) didn't. He is an idol of mine. When I see the output of work and I see the quality of work you can't argue with that. His art and his output of art is so massive and complex and dense that he couldn't have created that with drugs, although caffeine is a drug. And so are cigarettes, but he considered those more like food. Read his interviews, he'll say that is his "meat." That's what he eats to pump out those amazing compositions. By the way when I said "compositition" earlier I meant a large piece that would last awhile, not just a song.

GC: So like an orchestral piece, you mean?

ES: Yeah, I would really want to do that. To push it forward a little bit because there hasn't been...let me think of a good way to put this. I very rarely hear contemporary classical music that sounds any different than the classical music written since the 1960's. Or from the 70's with some of the Steve Reich pieces, like MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS and Tehillim. I haven't heard anything radically different since then and I'd like to use the device of classical music as in a large ensemble piece that is lengthy. I think more electronics need to be incorporated. Extended techniques need to be included. There needs to be a different spin on it, something that is more like every day sounds as opposed to a violin. Even more concrete sounding. Not music concrete per se. It's going to take a lot of thought and I probably won't finish it this year—I still have a lot more reading to do on music theory before I even get to that point—but that's what I want my first solo contribution to be to the world. I'd like it to be one long piece that could be played by an ensemble on a stage. Thats my goal.

GC: There is a huge difference between east coast music and west coast music. Or at least "the scenes." The music coming out of the northwest is really different than the music coming out of your area (Philadelphia).

ES: The Philadelphia music scene is very weird. Which is a good thing. There is a band in particular that I really like called Make a Rising. They are really awesome. They remind me of late 70s Henry Cow mixed with Daniel Johnston with a touch of King Crimson, and they're great. And then there is a band called Normal Love that's more along the lines of Mr. Bungle in terms of the genre hopping that they do. They'll go from metal to repetitive figures to twelve tones, Weberns, excerpts. They're really great and they are all part of the West Philadelphia music scene. You can't really say "Philadelphia Music Scene" because when you say that people automatically think about "soul music." There is the "neo soul," like The Roots or Jill Scott, because that's the mainstream out of Philadelphia, but West Philadelphia has quite an art scene thats going on.

GC: Your sister mentioned a trend—or I don't know if it's an actual event—named "Psychedelphia"?

ES: Oh, I had no idea about that. What's Psychedelphia?

GC: Apparently theres a psychedelic music...

ES: Oh yeah, there's a psychedelic movement. My sister's boyfriend's band is a part of the movement. They're a band called Cheers Elephant.

GC: Right, but she made it sound like it's something that is taking root in Philadelphia...

ES: Oh it is! There are bands like Teeth, bands like Dr. Dog. Those bands are becoming more and more successful. They're straight-forward pop bands, like psychedelic pop to the core. They are very, very accessible. I hate to sound pretentious but I don't listen to much of that stuff anymore because I'm looking for things that are inaccessible on purpose I think. Or I'm subconsciously doing it, I'm not really sure. I tend to follow things that are more dissonant and quote-unquote "ugly sounding." Just because that's always been the way I am. Being a fan of Frank and being a fan of Captain Beefheart and being a fan of Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman and later John Coltrane.

GC: Hey, there would be a thing for you to do. Start a Sun Ra cover band. And I bet no one else has done it.

ES: Oh my god, that would be great. But The Arkestra does a fine job of maintaining the legacy. Marshall Allen is only going to be alive for so much longer so someone is going to have to take over. The Arkestra is never going to go away and they still play in Philadelphia from time to time

GC: Really, now see, you guys get to hear music on the east coast that we don't get to hear out here. And my big awakening to this separation between the coasts was Project/Object. Are you guys ever going to make it out here to the west coast?

ES: Probably not. Zappa Plays Zappa is the premiere Frank Zappa tribute act and the fact is, we're not a money making band as it is. I would love to tour the world with Project/Object but it is very difficult though. It is absolutely a labor of love and when people try to argue that with me I have to give them the facts and the truth hurts but I love that band and I love playing with Project/Object and I love playing that music but its hard to tour when you are going to lose that much money. But that is why my love and undying respect goes to Andre and Eric and Dave and Josh and any previous members of Project/Object because it is absolutely a labor of love. If we did have enough money to do it, of course we would do it. We'd go out and even if there was money to fund it, you know, we'd probably still not make money off of it because it's always a break even kind of thing."

For more on The Adrian Belew Power Trio, including tour dates, visit www.adrianbelew.net

JULIE SLICK INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

2008-02-29T05:23:00.000-08:00

ARTIST: Julie Slick of the Adrian Belew Power Trio

DATE: 01-18-08

WRITER: Daryl Barnett
PHOTO: Kat Wilson

Now Playing: "Matchless Man" from Side One

"Call it kismet, or fate, or luck, or intelligent design, or whatever, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Julie Slick began taking bass lessons at age twelve as one of the original students at The Paul Green School of Rock. Her younger brother Eric later enrolled as a drummer, and together the two played with musical luminaries including King Crimson's Adrian Belew. Impressed by their skills, Belew—who has played with the Talking Heads, Bowie, Zappa, Paul Simon, and hell, even William Shattner—tapped the Slick siblings to round out The Adrian Belew Power Trio.

I was fortunate enough to see the Power Trio twice in 2006. It's a dynamic and engaging show, full of musical expertise from the young rhythm section and the intoxicating guitar playing of the masterful Adrian Belew, and it is an experience not to be missed.

I sat down with the band to talk about their upcoming tour, their live album Side 4, and—for the Slicks—what it's like to share the stage with a legend. What follows is an interview with 21-year-old Julie Slick, the first part of a three-part feature. Eric Slick will be part two of the installation, capped off by an interview with Adrian Belew himself.

Julie Slick - Question & Answer:

GC: So Julie Slick, it's 2008 and you are about to go on tour with The Adrian Belew Power Trio. What an auspicious beginning for a new year! What other goals do you have in mind to achieve this year?

JS: Well my first goal for the new year was to score a deal with Lakland basses. I must say I'm off to a good start, as they are currently building me a custom bass for the upcoming tour. I think that upgrading my instrument will have a great effect on our sound, and I'm very excited to be able to break it in so soon! After the tour is over, I'd love to focus on writing more material with Eric and get a band started here in Philly. Of course, I'd love to play huge festivals and see more of the world with Adrian, but it would be nice to have a project to work on while we're home. I'll also be graduating from Drexel University's Music Industry program this spring, and I plan on upgrading my studio to capture my own ideas, as well as record more local bands.

GC: I just looked at the Lakland site. Are they going to add your name to the list of other Lakland owners? Pretty impressive company to keep! (side question I'd like to know about: Have you ever considered learning to play a 5 string bass, or a fretless bass?)

JS: I sure hope they add me to the list, since they're being so kind as to build me a custom bass! To answer your other question, I'm not really interested in learning 5-string because I feel I approach the bass in a very classic way and I don't think the extra string is all that necessary. That's just my opinion though—I think there are plenty of players who are able to use that extra bottom to suit their style. As far as fretless is considered, I already do play that kind of bass. In fact I learned how to play on my Dad's fretless Gibson Ripper. This is the same bass I take on tour to play "Matchless Man."

GC: So you and Eric have been writing together, that is very interesting. How does that practice manifest for you? Does one of you primarily write lyrics while the other does compositions? Having lived your whole lives together and growing as musicians, there must be a deep sense of personal intimacy that you share that makes creation of new music very unique.

JS: Well, we haven't written anything really structured yet. We love to jam—sometimes I'll come up with a melodic theme that we both like, and we'll reuse it later on. We like to go into a studio (either my own or one at Drexel). Sometimes we grab a guitar player, sometimes it's just the two of us. Either way, I set up some mics, and we capture our ideas. It's pretty magical—we have a lot of fun and from having played together for so long, we definitely have a connection that many rhythm sections don't have. When we're finished, we listen back to some of these "sketches" and I think once we get more organized we will start making songs out of our favorite moments. Where lyrics are concerned, they have never been our strong point—we just focus on the music.

GC: Is there talk about more travels for the Power Trio later this year? And graduating from Drexel is huge news! Congrats on that! When you speak of recording local bands, that sounds like you have a desire to become a producer. With the vast knowledge you have of different musical genres I bet you'd be a natural at that.

JS: I honestly have no idea what's in store for the Trio beyond this next tour. The past year and half has been chock full of pleasant surprises, so I'm pretty sure I can expect something great. Even if nothing happens beyond the tour, then I'm okay with that, because I'll just focus on my projects with Eric. I'll also do more recordings of other bands. I've produced a couple local bands already—I've been recording since I was 14. I'm already set out to put out two albums by the spring. And the two bands are very different—one is Sweatheart and they are kind of a mixed bag of pop/rap/comedy. The other is Cheers Elephant, and they are getting a lot of attention as part of the up and coming "psychedelphia" movement.

GC: Do you imagine that you could ever become a substantial and prolific producer like a T-Bone Burnett or a Phil Spector or an Alan Parsons? I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there are musicians that couldn't produce if they were shown how to, and there are musicians that have expansive minds that can imagine ways to help others create music. What is your dream job in the future that lies before you?

JS: Well, I approach production with a more technical frame of mind. I'm more of an engineer who lets the artist (as long as he/she can be trusted) produce their own material. Occasionally I'll make an executive decision, or if the client believes in what I'm doing, I'll produce the work myself. I don't know if I ever want this to be my "main job" but I enjoy making records a lot. I'll be happy as long as I'm financially stable enough to have lot of outlets where I can express creativity.

GC: You and Eric have played with (and met) LOTS of different and amazing, successful musicians out there. Perhaps someday you'll be invited to be part of another "Power Trio." If you could pick any musician to do that with, who would it be? Also, if it could be any musician that has passed away, who would that be?

JS: Oh man that question is really tough. In all honesty, I wouldn't want to play with any other musicians right now. Adrian's the man, and we have so much fun—on-stage and off. He's an incredible person, and I just don't know if any other guitarists are as kind and brilliant as he is. Or course it would be great to travel back in time and play with Hendrix, but I just don't know if we'd have the same fun that we have with Adrian.

GC: And just to get a little philosophical, tell me what you think about the current state of modern music. There are so many musicians out there creating new music. It seems like a new genre or sub-genre is born every week. And there are new bands appearing on the scene at an astronomical rate. If you could see in a crystal ball the music industry 5, 10, and 20 years from now what do you think it will look like?

JS: I think the future is bright. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think many people are growing sick and tired of mainstream music. Once somebody perfects the way music is distributed—because right now, we all know the industry is in a very sad state—I think the scene will improve exponentially. I also believe that live music will continue to grow in popularity, and therefore better musicians will be produced. People are tired of seeing overproduced bands who play crappy shows because, well, they don't know how to play.

GC: Do you want to say anything about "Psychedelphia"? I was introduced to the east coast psychedelic genre/movement when I saw Dead Meadow [who are from D.C. -ed.] for the first time in 2006.

<JS:> Psychedelphia is an ever-growing scene here, and I believe it started with Dr. Dog two years ago. It basically consists of a couple young bands who are heavily influenced by the psychedelic groups of the 60s (most obviously), but also some other artists like Dylan, the Band, and Neil Young. The band I produce, Cheers Elephant, even bring in some classical and progressive elements to the table.

GC: And finally, tell me about the music you are listening to the most right now. What genre or bands excite you the most? And ooh, I know! Put your iPod on shuffle and tell me the first 10 songs that come up.

JS: I don't listen to a lot of music—just Dr. Dog, Cheers Elephant, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, and maybe some Cornelius. I don't know if my iPod accurately depicts what I listen to all the time—I got it when I was 19 and am pretty bad about updating it. Here goes:

1. "Already Died" Eagles Of Death Metal
2. "A Day In The Life" from The Beatles' Love
3. "Under Pressure" Queen & David Bowie
4. "Thick As A Brick (Side 2)" Jethro Tull
5. "Red" King Crimson (ha!)
6. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" The Police
7. "Politician" Cream
8. "Dharma" Cheers Elephant
9. "River Euphrates" Pixies
10. "In Limbo" Radiohead.

JS: Well, there ya have it... pretty random, but what good iPod isn't?"

For more on The Adrian Belew Power Trio, including tour dates, visit www.adrianbelew.net

'SIDE FOUR LIVE' review

2008-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Robin Slick for finding this brilliant reveiw by 'Sprial 429' from Progressive Ears

"King Crimson fans! Guitar freaks! Or just anyone with an interest in incredible musicianship and fascinating sounds. If you've missed out on the greatest disc of 2007 (which was easy since it was only released in Nov and has been website-only so far), don't hesitate any more. Chances are most folks browsing this site already know the name, and if not, the resume (KC, Zappa, Bowie, Talking Heads, NIN, Tori Amos, Flecktones and half a million others) should speak for itself. The guy's one of the most innovative guitarists alive. In addition to being a wildly intelligent songwriter, he can make a guitar sound like anything from an organ to a telephone to an elephant.

If you know who he is already, this CD more than recommends itself. Adrian had already been on a creative streak with his series of three solo albums/EPs over the last couple years, but Side Four still blows them all out of the water. Just be careful it doesn't set your speakers on fire too.

Credit where credit's due: the injection of high-octane power chiefly comes from Julie and Eric Slick, who make up his current trio. Not only are they two of the most phenomenal players you'll ever hear for their ages (21 and 20), but Adrian is so fired up by their energy that he's churning out some of the most sizzling hot six-stringing of his career. (Yes, and that includes King Crimson.) Speaking of which, the KC material here is also as smoking hot as you've ever heard it. "Dinosaur" pounds as hard as the Thrak-era group ever did with half the people, and "Thela" is powered by drumming so machine-gun crazy you'd swear Eric was an octopus. Playing material this complex is like navigating a musical minefield, but these three pull it off with the precision of a Swiss watch and make it seem next to effortless. And though I say 'complex,' for the most part it's infectiously catchy as well. It's stuff you could play around the kids or the parents. (Although "Madness" might scare the cat a little. You've been warned.)

But as great as the songs are, just hearing the group play is what really makes the whole thing worthwhile. The interaction is worthy of a world-class jazz group. You can pick out any one of the trio to focus on for the entire running time and never be bored for a second. It's easy to focus on Adrian's guitar first, whether it's high-speed shredding or animal squeals and skronks, but it's your loss if you don't take the time to pick out just how J&E underpin everything too. There are crazy little licks and fills all over the place, and yet it never stops grooving like a rave party on crank. (Except for "Beat Box Guitar," which becomes a psychedelic head-trip that Pink Floyd would have been proud of.)

Click over to adrianbelew.net to find this one. Even if your wallet doesn't thank you, your ears will. And whatever you do, DO NOT miss them live. It's transcendental."

Excellent review Spiral - man I wish I could write reviews like that.... makes me want to go out and buy my 3rd copy of this truly brilliant album.... If you haven't heard it, or purchased it, do yourself a huge favour and check it out - you WILL NOT be disappointed! And if the ABPT are playing at a venue near you - make sure you go and see them for yourself....be prepared to get 'BELEW'ed' away by this amazing Trio of Power! They will leave you looking for their next gig - once is 'NEVER ENOUGH'!

finally, some fresh ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO videos from the 2008 tour!

2008-02-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

"DRIVE" - Ade's truly brilliant solo from the Belly Up Tavern

And here is two songs of a perfect pair.......

"NEUROTICA" and "OF BOW AND DRUM" also from the Belly Up Tavern
I really enjoyed this brand new to ABPT take on the KC epic 'Neurotica' - certainly a welcome inclusion to the Trio's fantastic set list....cannot wait to see what else they unleash : )

"A LITTLE MADNESS" from the Crystal Bay Club Lake Tahoe Feb 22, 2008
Wow! Julie totally owns this beast!

And, very proud mama of the incredibly Slick Duo of Undeniable Talent, Robin Slick, let slip on her blog today, about the 'unconfirmed rumours' concerning the ABPT Fall Tour of the UK!!!!!!!

I was totally gobsmacked by this news!

As was - I am certain - my fellow Tribester and great mate from Portsmouth.... Gareth Howells - from the EXCELLENT and numerously 'Out of the Belew' featured acoustic duo BEMIS! If Ade, Julie and Eric DO in fact make it to England to play, I know that their number 1 British Fan Gareth will be there! Certainly a dream come true to him....

I can only wait and pray that the Trio make a stop-over north of the border in Canada, on their jet-setting way to England.... (pleeeeeeeeze - pretty pleeeeeeeeze!)

Anyways, I shall continue to live, dream of LIVE ABPT gigs, and scour YouTube for any new videos of the Trio of Terror and Power Arising!

Thanks to YouTube friends bam0027 and willybee08 for the brilliant videos!

ABPT @ SLIM'S IN SAN FRANCISCO

2008-02-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

ABPT – FRAME BY FRAME

YouTube Video thanks to 'Nandotam' from Slims in San Francisco on Saturday Feb 23rd, 2008.

I've been wondering why there seems to be a decided lack of decent video footage of any of the ABPT gigs from this 2008 tour so far..... The reason is provided by fellow Tribe-ster 'Monty Wolf', in his blog today, where he recounts for us, his weekend Adrian Belew Power Trio Odyssey in San Francisco..... For those who may be interested, I've sniped a little of Monty's blog and put it here for us to enjoy.... When oh When will the 'Trio of Terror' venture to the Great White North!!!!!

"No sooner had we arrived at slim’s, to stand in line with about 30 other fans, than rena and her friend laurie/lori walked up to joins us. moments later, jen, my singing friend, and her boyfriend, renée, called saying they were just around the corner and would be joining us soon.

when the doors finally opened and we all began to enter, i was stopped by security and told i could not enter with my camera. apparently, only small pocket cams were allowed; the slr didn’t fit that description. so, they confiscated it and held onto it until the concert was over-and-done-with. not that i could have shot anything with it from either of the seats we occupied.

the pictures of the trio on this blog-post are courtesy of mark coleman from the planet crimson website.

i’m getting too old to want to stand at the front of the stage (after the show, adrian asked me where i was during the concert. i pointed to the balcony and said i’m getting to old to stand at the boards. his reply was: “i’m getting to old to stand on stage!”) so, misook and i took the first table we could find, which was too short to see the tops of the mic stands. we stuck it out at that table through saul zonana’s performance (which i have to say i really love the sound of his guitar but i’m not sure i really care that much for his musical style), but jennifer and renée were gracious enough to surrender their seats in the balcony to us and we were able to watch the trio while they danced.

thanks, jen!

when we assumed our new positions up in the balcony, i received a tap on my shoulder and turned to find andrea standing there with geoff sitting just a few tables away.

it’s always great to meet up with old and new friends at adrian belew/king crimson concerts!

and what a concert it was!

the trio hit the stage smokin’ and never let up! julie and eric slick, brother and sister rhythm section (bass and drums, respectively) have all the prowess it takes to keep up with the master who is some 16-years older than their combined ages. these kids are going to go a long way in the music business! you deserve to be proud, robin!

they played all of the songs you can hear on “side 4 (live)” and even more, including the first live version i have heard in person of “neurotica”. they must have played at least half-a-dozen king crimson songs and, despite just being a trio with one lead-instrument, never lacked energy, execution, excitement, exuberance (these are words with an “e” this time), extrusiveness, effusiveness, effervescence, enthusiasm, or entertainment!

what surprised me the most was how much misook enjoyed the concert; she was dancing in her seat all night and never stopped telling me how much she liked the music. even the atonal pieces/sections put broad smiles on her face. “it’s so beautiful!” she kept saying. on our walk back to the hotel, she told me that she had seen kenny rogers, dolly parton (i’m sorry to hear that, misook), eric clapton (getting better) and (uncle) ray charles (right on!) and none of them were anywhere near as good as adrian! “i never dreamed anyone could make music like that or make the guitar sound the way he made it!”

i dream of it all the time!

before adrian came out to say hi to those of us still in the building, young eric was out on the stage breaking down his kit. misook said she wanted to meet him. during the show she kept saying how impressed she was with the “the boy playing drums.” so, i introduced myself and told him that misook wanted to shake his hand. she said she was never going to wash her hand!

too cute!

before too long, adrian came out to greet us."

If you wish to read the Full Monty.... you can find him HERE

Once again, these wonderful shots are thanks to Mark Colman

PAUL RICHARDS (CGTrio) Interview with Scott Preston

2008-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Interview with Paul Richards from California Guitar Trio

California Guitar Trio - photo by Christina Florkowski

Febuary 24, 2008

Interview by Scott Preston

With a whirlwind of instrumental styles fusing classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music, progressive, as well as the quintessential California musical genre surf music, the California Guitar Trio's stunning virtuosity and sly sense of humor have earned them an enthusiastic following and wide notoriety, with significant crossover in the progressive, acoustic and classical music scenes.

Notably, CGT music was featured on the television coverage of the 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004 Olympics, and also on CBS, NBC, CNN, and ESPN TV programs. The CGT performed on the 2003 Grammy Awards nominated track Apollo on Tony Levin's CD Pieces of the Sun; and CGT music was sent into outer space as wake up music for the crew aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavor. (from cgtrio.com)

California Guitar Trio will be performing at the Seton Performance Hall here in Cincinnati, OH on March 8, 2008. Supporting the California Guitar Trio will be Fareed Haque (from Garaj Mahal) and April Aloisio. Paul Richards was kind enough to take some time to speak with me:

Cincy Groove: How did the 3 of you meet? The 3 of you seem to have very different backgrounds.

Paul Richards: All three of us met while we were studying with Robert Fripp. Robert Fripp started these guitar classes and workshops that were originally these one week courses that were held near Washington D.C. called Guitar Craft. As they began to develop , in the late 1980's he purchased a home in the English countryside where he invited a bunch of the students to come for extended periods of time. I was there for 2 years. It was during this time I met the two other guys in the California Guitar Trio. So we played together a lot during that time. We were studying music together and playing with Robert. Robert had this group he formed with the students called The League of Crafty Guitarists. It was around this time me and the other two guys in the Trio started to realize we had some things in common and started playing together as a trio. It wasn't until 1991 when Bert Lams, one of the other guys in the trio, he had moved to Los Angeles and he had invited myself and Hideyo Moriya to move to L.A. and form the California Guitar Trio.

Cincy Groove: The band name California Guitar Trio is pretty straight forward, how did you guys come up with it?

Paul Richards: I remember back then I was a big fan of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, who are really world class guitar players. So I remember thinking it would be great if our name could set a standard as high as something as those guys. Being in California at that time really had an impact on what we were doing at that time both musically and the formation of the group. It seemed like a natural thing for us to name the group after where we started playing together.

Cincy Groove: I noticed that the three of you live in very different places when your not on the road. How do you guys write new material?

Paul Richards: Well when we first formed the Trio we were based in Los Angeles for about 4 or 5 years. During that time we were rehearsing and playing guitar constantly. That sort of set the foundation for us that has helped keep us going. So now we have a pretty good idea how we can work together. Bert recently just moved to Pennsylvania, Hideyo is back in Japan where he is originally from. He commutes for every tour which is an amazing feat in itself. We just completed a tour on the west coast and we have a few weeks break until this next tour. So in the meantime each of us will spend some time working on ideas or arrangements. Right now we are currently working on new music for a new original music cd. At the beginning of each of the tours we will get together usually in our hotel rooms and rehearse for a few days before we start the tour. We also do a lot via the internet. We can send scores to each other or mp3s that we have recorded on our laptops.

Cincy Groove: Do you prefer to record a studio cd or a live cd?

Paul Richards: There two completely different things really. This last one we just recorded we really took our time with it. We emailed tracks to some of our friends to add their own parts to the songs. So we have a few guest players on there. Its interesting to look at the liner notes on it because we have the violinist who recorded his part in England. There is a theremin player who recorded in Vienna, Austria and some of our friends here in the states who recorded there parts in Texas and New York.

We travel with a cd recorder and cd duplication tower and we sell cds of the concert right after the show. This has kind of taken over us releasing live cds. People love being able to buy something they just heard. Within 10 minutes after the show we are printing cds on the cd duplicator. We travel with our own sound man who has to create a mix that sounds good on the recording separate from whats happening in the room. So while he is mixing us he has a set of head phones he will occasionally put on during the show to make sure whats going on to the cd recorder sounds good.

Cincy Groove: Who has California Guitar Trio collaborated with recently?

Paul Richards: We have been doing some collaboration with the vocalist from YES John Anderson. He has some music he has invited us to work on and thats kind of another project that I hope with come to light at some point. Its a bit tricky with his schedule and our schedule. I just spoke to him a few days ago and he invited us to his house in southern California to work in the studio he has at his home.

One of our friends who we have been collaborating the most with the most lately is Tony Levin, the bass player for Peter Gabriel and King Crimson. We have an ongoing working relationship with him.

Cincy Groove: What do you like to do between gigs when your not on the road?

Paul Richards: Just this past week after I got home from this last out our soundman and I went up to Brighton Ski Resort and went snowboarding. Growing up in Utah I liked to do a lot of skiing and snow boarding.

One of the things people don't realize is all the work that goes into getting a tour going. We spend a lot of time on the business side of things, so when I'm at home I put in 8 - 10 hour days dealing with our agency, record label and all those things that go unseen. I think when people have this idea of becoming a touring musician that forget about all the things that go along with it. I like being able to have a lot of the management things under our own control because we know whats going on with our money but at the same time its a huge amount of work.

Cincy Groove: I notice you are playing a lot of different types of venues.

Paul Richards: This past year we have been playing a lot at his performing arts centers and its actually widen our audience in a way. Because when we first started out we were playing music clubs and smaller venues. Something I have noticed is that the age range of the audience is very wide since we started playing these performing arts centers. We have these elementary school kids coming to the show with their parents and then we will have older folks as well. The music we play is so varied different parts of the audience will light up depending what song we are playing.

Blockhead by California Guitar Trio

California Guitar Trio are:
Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah
Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium
Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo, Japan

Upcoming California Guitar Trio shows:
for complete show details visit California Guitar Trio's website: http://www.cgtrio.com
02/29/2008 Crosstown Station Kansas City, MO
03/01/2008 White Concert Hall at Washburn University Topeka, KS
03/02/2008 Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts Salina, KS
03/03/2008 Parsons Municipal Auditorium Parsons, KS
03/06/2008 Music Mill Indianapolis, IN
03/07/2008 Midland Theatre Newark, OH
03/08/2008 Seton Performance hall Cincinnati, OH
03/10/2008 Pike Auditorium Bolivar, MO
03/11/2008 21C Museum Louisville, KY
03/13/2008 The Cultural Center Capitol Theatre Charleston, WV
03/14/2008 Sunoco Performance Theater Harrisburg, PA
03/15/2008 Sellersville Theater Sellersville, PA
04/05/2008 PAC Forest Grove, OR
04/06/2008 Wow Hall Eugene, OR
04/11/2008 Holladay United Church of Christ Holladay, UT
04/12/2008 Grind Coffee House Cedar City, UT
04/14/2008 Future Studios Sedona, AZ
04/15/2008 Rhythm Room Phoenix, AZ
04/16/2008 Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Cerritos, CA
04/17/2008 Don Quixote's International Music Hall Felton, CA
04/18/2008 Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse Berkeley, CA
04/19/2008 Sutter Creek Theater Sutter Creek, CA
05/14/2008 the New Morning PARIS, France With Tony Levin
05/15/2008 Sound and Vision Festival MILAN, ITALY With Tony Levin
05/16/2008 Stazione Birra Morena, ROMA, ITALY With Tony Levin
07/15/2008 Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival Redlands, CA 07/22/2008 San Juan Community Theater Friday Harbor, WA
10/24/2008 The Stone Church Newmarket, NH
10/25/2008 Center for the Arts Natick, MA
for complete show details visit California Guitar Trio's website: http://www.cgtrio.com

ADRIAN BELEW and the ROCK and ROLL HALL of FAME.....

2008-02-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

As some of you may be aware,
I recently put together an Online Petition
to help the R 'n' R HoF Selection Committee
realise that it is high time that
THE MOST UNDER-RATED MUSICIAN OF OUR TIME
- ADRIAN BELEW -
be inducted into their hallowed hall.....
But my petition is nothing, without your input....
So I've posted here on my blog, a small piece of my petition - the whole of which is really Ade's professional musical 'Life in a Nutshell' - so to speak.....

....in the hope that, if you haven't already visited the Petition HERE and left your electronic signature with the other 649 signatories, that you might do so POST HASTE!

The more voices we collect, the louder will be our united mantra -
INDUCT ADRIAN BELEW INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 2009!

* * * * * *

It is the intention of this petition to increase the awareness to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Selection Committee, regarding the long overdue induction of the internationally esteemed and legendary singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer ADRIAN BELEW, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

As consumers and fans of the many genres of Rock Music, we wish to demonstrate to the Selection Committee, that the fans, friends, and colleagues of Adrian Belew eagerly await his thoroughly deserved inclusion into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We believe that Adrian Belew has rightly earned his place in the illustrious Hall of Fame, and we will endeavor to display this in the following snapshot of the incredible life and career of this man, who is not only an incredibly talented and prolific musician, but is without a doubt, THE most genuine, caring and illuminating performer to have ever graced the stage.

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE INNOVATION & EVOLUTION OF ROCK MUSIC.
The career of guitar visionary Adrian Belew has been an inventive musical odyssey. Combining his virtuosic guitar playing and multi-dimensional vocals, with the complete lexicon of electronically produced animal sounds and symphonic musical instruments, Adrian has mastered the ability to journey into the avant-garde while still anchoring his compositions to the fundamental driving forces of pop and rock, often playing along the outer edges of contemporary music in ways that have been at times punky, new wave, comedic, bizarre, and twisted.

Renowned as a wizard of sonic manipulation and texture, Adrian Belew is a self-proclaimed ‘stunt-guitarist’. He is constantly seeking new ideas and forms within his music to express his growing and ever evolving creativity. Adrian has continued to explore the outer limits, both acoustically, or more typically, employing a full range of techno-heavy effects, to deliver his sound. More than any other musician, he tirelessly explores the sonic possibilities of the electric guitar. Adrian is blessed with the un-canny ability to write incredible songs, provide the perfect vocal interpretation, all the while juggling his collection of gadgets, knobs, and pedals, whilst blowing our minds with his absolutely breathtaking guitar gymnastics. He is liberal in the use of the whammy bar, the echo delay, and several other devices. And his sound is large, by turns screaming, growling, oozing, spacey, precise, and futuristic. He keeps us mesmerized with his mixed and matched genres, popping from pop-rock to avant-garde with ease - always multitasking… always discovering and re-inventing, always pushing the envelope.

Thanks to MARK COLMAN for the use of his beautiful photography.
Make sure you pop on over to Mark's website, and check out his other amazing works....
http://www.markcolman.com/music/

DAVID BOWIE - a rare gem

2008-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

David Bowie- Space Oddity Original Video (1969)

Although he released an album and numerous singles earlier, David Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in the autumn of 1969, when his space-age mini-melodrama "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK singles chart.

David Bowie – "Space Oddity" – First TV appearance in 1970

After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam-rock era as a flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona epitomised a career often marked by musical innovation, reinvention and striking visual presentation.

In 1975 Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the hit album Young Americans, which the singer identified as "plastic soul". The sound constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees.[citation needed]

He then confounded the expectations of both his record label and his American audiences by recording the minimalist album Low -- the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno. His most experimental works to date, the so-called "Berlin Trilogy" nevertheless produced three UK top-five albums. The anthem-like, towering title track of the second work "Heroes" (1977) is widely regarded as a milestone in rock and pop.

David Bowie "Space Oddity", live at the Tokyo Dome, 16 May 1990. From the "Sound & Vision" greatest hits tour. Featuring Adrian Belew.

David Bowie in Tokyo 1978 - "Heroes"
A live performance from the Stage-period.

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO @ SLIM'S with Daryl Darko

2008-02-25T05:25:00.000-08:00

RHAPSODY IN BELEW....... (to quote my fellow Belew-loving bloggist Rhetro Zenberg)

Ade, Julie and Eric 'belew' the roof off of Slim's in San Francisco on Saturday night (Feb 23)!

By all accounts it was another stellar performance by the 'Trio of Terror'......

The first review of the night to reach my desk, was a most impassioned one from our old friend Daryl Darko
His words moved me enough to want to share them with you, just in case you might not find his blogspot yourself....

"i was standing face to face with POWER. and i don't mean that in a light or filial sense. when Adrian Belew walks on stage he comes out with POWER radiating out of him; out of his eyes, out of his smile, out of his demeanor, and it is undeniable that he feels healthy, but more so it was undeniable that he is happy and loved. i don't mean this in any sappy sense either. the guy, dressed in dark brown, radiates energy like a god."

photograph by Daryl Darko

"when his band mates come on stage they too are confident and grounded. and they are united. they are Adrian's "back men", sure, but they are more. there is something else going on here than just musicians playing music. if i hadn't heard this idea from Adrian himself (i was given the honor of interviewing him on the phone earlier this week - that will be published soon at Ground Control too) i may not have gotten this deeper realization tonight. these "kids", Eric and Julie Slick are not just happenstance sessions players Adrian found that were looking for work. Eric and Julie are brother and sister who have been playing music together since they were small children. they grew up in a house of music. they know each other extremely well and know how to read each other. their unity together, and with Adrian, is uncanny and powerful. there is never a missed note or beat in the shows i have seen.

ok, now this is where my deeper understanding of this union comes out. this power they have, it seemed to me, tonight, to be beyond human. it seems to be super-human, or even super-natural."

photograph by Daryl Darko

"there was Eric, sitting perfectly upright at his drum set - spine erect and straight but his arms were wailing away like a dervish on his drum set. he was stoic, solid and grounded; immovable by any external distraction. and he looked only two places; at Adrian and at Julie. he is the anchor of the trio. then there was Julie on the opposite end of the stage. (by the way, i swear to Zeus and all other esoteric gods, she is the most amazingly talented bassist i have ever seen. she is mesmerizing to watch.) she moves around like an animated muse, no gesture unintended she is the life force of the trio. but Adrian, oh Adrian... he is the sprite, the elf, the lost boy in the toy store after hours who gets to play wildly with abandon. they are a trio. a spiritual trio. they complement each other. are they the same being in three different bodies though? a holy trinity? The Brother, The Sister and The Holy Ghost? or maybe a musical incarnation of Vishnu (Adrian), Shiva (Julie) and Brahma (Eric). i'm thinking that maybe they are!!!

the power of their performance was so amazing..."

Daryl Darko

San Ramon, California

WOW!..... I couldn't agree with Daryl more....

What I wouldn't give to be able to experience these awe-inspiring musicians myself : (

I still live in hope that the ABPT will make it back to Canada some-time soon - then wild horses will not be able to keep me away from enjoying the full onslaught of 'Power and Terror Arising' that is the Adrian Belew Power Trio!

Now, an extra special treat for our viewing pleasure.... more ABPT from their Portland show.....

The consumate photography of the incomparable MARK COLMAN

make sure you check out his other works over on his website http://www.markcolman.com/music/

Deep gratitude to Mark Colman and Daryl Darko for their great works : )

Secret Websites, Coded Messages: The New World of Immersive Games

2008-02-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

The initial clue was so subtle that for nearly two days nobody noticed it.

"On February 10, 2007, the first night of Nine Inch Nails' European tour, T-shirts went on sale at a 19th-century Lisbon concert hall with what looked to be a printing error: Random letters in the tour schedule on the back seemed slightly boldfaced. Then a 27-year-old Lisbon photographer named Nuno Foros realized that, strung together, the boldface letters spelled "i am trying to believe." Foros posted a photo of his T-shirt on the Spiral, the Nine Inch Nails fan forum. People started typing "iamtryingtobelieve.com" into their Web browsers. That led them to a site denouncing something called Parepin, a drug apparently introduced into the US water supply. Ostensibly, Parepin was an antidote to bioterror agents, but in reality, the page declared, it was part of a government plot to confuse and sedate citizens. Email sent to the site's contact link generated a cryptic auto-response: "I'm drinking the water. So should you." Online, fans worldwide debated what this had to do with Nine Inch Nails. A setup for the next album? Some kind of interactive game? Or what?

A few days later, on February 14, a woman named Sue was about to wash a different T-shirt, which she had bought at one of the Lisbon shows, when she noticed that the tour dates included several boldface digits. Fans quickly interpreted this as a Los Angeles telephone number. People who called it heard a recording of a newscaster announcing, "Presidential address: America is born again," followed by a distorted snippet of what could only be a new Nine Inch Nails song. Then, a woman named Ana reported finding a USB flash drive in a bathroom stall at the hall where the band had been playing. On the drive was a previously unreleased song, which she promptly uploaded. The metadata tag on the song contained a clue that led to a site displaying a glowing wheat field, with the legend "America Is Born Again." Clicking and dragging the mouse across the screen, however, revealed a much grimmer-looking site labeled "Another Version of the Truth." Clicking on that led to a forum about acts of underground resistance......."

This is a very interesting piece from 'Wired Magazine', concerning the future of music, bands, fans, and marketing where, in this cyber-age...nothing is impossible! You can catch the rest of this intriguing piece HERE

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO and TONY LEVIN rehearsal

2008-02-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

"This video is of The California Guitar Trio rehearsing their beautiful song "Eve" accompanied by Tony Levin on Bass. It was taken an hour or two before their show on Oct 19, 2007 at Keegan's Ales in Kingston, NY."

Thanks to YesFanDon for making this video available on YouTube.....

ROBERT FRIPP Interview ...... NEW YORK - WIMBORNE 1985

2008-02-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

Robert Fripp Interview Part 1
New York - Wimborne
Late Night In Concert, BBC2, 1985

Robert Fripp Interview Part 2

Robert Fripp Interview Part 3

Adrian Belew Power Trio en el Teatro Diana GDL 2006

2008-02-16T07:11:00.001-08:00

Three of a Perfect Pair

David Bowie - I Pray Ole

2008-02-16T06:50:00.001-08:00

a unused 'Lodger' track.

ADRIAN BELEW (1982) INTERVIEW

2008-02-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

From the 'In the Mode' Show (formerly the Boffomundo Show) Interview from 1982 with Adrian Belew Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Thanks to Mark Colman for the brilliant photography : )

Space Oddity - 16 May 1990 - Tokyo Dome

2008-02-05T12:55:00.001-08:00

Excellent video of David and a spectacular Adrian finish to cap it all off! What a brilliant tour!

Delicious @ The Black Lodge - 1/26/2008

2008-02-05T12:46:00.001-08:00

Here's what Eric gets up to when he's not rocking with Adrian Belew!
Too cool Eric - man can this kid play!
Rock on Eric!

THE ROBERT FRIPP STRING QUINTET

2008-01-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

ROBERT FRIPP STRING QUINTET - KAN-NON POWER... live in Japan

Paul Richards recently wrote in 'Pathways: the CGT Yahoo Group' - "The RFSQ video was shot on
November 11th, 1992. It was filmed at Tokyo FM Hall for "Wowow" TV. This is back when Bert still had hair!

In 1992 and 1993, the Robert Fripp String Quintet did a few short tours in Japan, Italy, Argentina, England and the USA. We recorded this video and released one CD. And I've seen a bootleg of one of the Italy shows, which some Argentinean's told me that they like better than the official release CD. These were very special concerts for the CGT. It was in the beginning years of the California Guitar Trio, back when we were struggling to get by living in Los Angeles, taking any gig that we could. Just two weeks prior to the filming of the RFSQ video, CGT played a concert sitting in the dirt under a tree at a "party" hosted by a very eccentric woman at an animal refuge in Malibu Canyon. And a few days later at an auction hosted by Jeff Goldblum for the California Democratic Party.

Performing CGT pieces at sold out venues with Robert and Trey was by far the most exciting thing we'd ever done. And sitting on stage next to them while they played amazing soundscapes was heavenly. Hopefully there will be another RFSQ project sometime in the future."

I also hope that another RFSQ project becomes reality soon - I have the CD Paul mentions, 'The RFSQ - The Bridge Between' - and it is brilliant. The addition of Robert Fripp and his heavenly soundscapes, and Trey Gunn with his supremely eloquent Warr Guitar rhythms and interludes, add the perfect foil for the excellence that is the California Guitar Trio's acoustic tour de force..... Hideyo, Bert and Paul are certainly masters of their instruments; as are Fripp and Gunn... pure sonic bliss!

Thanks to KIPPLEDODO for the YouTube footage...

Induct Adrian Belew into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 Petition

2008-01-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

Induct Adrian Belew into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 Petition

Hey all you Adrian Belew fans, indeed all lovers of Prog Rock!

Don't you think it's about time that Adrian Belew got inducted into the hallowed halls of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Sadly, to my knowledge, there are NO Prog Rock Inductees at all!
Certainly a sorry indictment for such a wonder collection of earth-shattering, mind-altering, and ground-breaking Music!

Well, I have set out on a long, and arduous journey to try and change this sorry state of affairs....

I have set up an online PETITION directed entirely at the R and R Hall of Fame Foundation itself.... demanding that ADRIAN BELEW be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009!

But one voice out there in the petition wilderness is not going to be noticed, heard, nor taken seriously...

THAT IS WHERE ALL YOU GUYS COME INTO THE PICTURE!

I need everyone, and your grandma too! - to sign this petition!
YES, EVERYONE!

That is what it's gonna take to make the change... and I'm confident that we can....

Adrian has what it takes to make the grade - his credentials are SOLID GOLD! What we have to do is support his brilliant talent with our united voice - shouting out to the Hall of Fame Foundation, that we have waited long enough - and they must act NOW - and
INDUCT ADRIAN BELEW INTO THE HALL OF FAME 2009!!!

Thanks all you true music lovers....
I knew I could count on you - when the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Just click on the Heading link, and it will take you straight to the Petition. All you need to do is provide your name, and an email address (which is kept private - promise) and you're in! Then, don't forget to send a message (from the petition site) to all your friends, and have them add their names to the petition too.

Brilliant!
Thanks so much guys!

Wendy Lozenicins
(Belewhale)

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ab2009/petition.html

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO - Music of the Day

2008-01-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

California Guitar Trio playing
an interpretation of a Japanese
Surf Guitar version of Beethovens
5th Symphony. Original version
by Takeshi Tarauchi, known in Japan
as Unmei. Plus a short interview on
the Woodsongs Radio show.

TALKING HEADS - blast from the distant past

2008-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

PSYCHO KILLER - 1978

A RARE GEM - TONY LEVIN

2008-01-11T06:45:00.001-08:00

TONY LEVIN speaks at BASS PLAYER Live 2007 seminar, in October 2007 - and plays some sweet licks....
A rare glimpse of this most humble and sweet player.....obviously happy to share his gift :)
Thanks Tony, and special thanks to Mygr8afro for recording this, and posting it on YouTube......

MUSIC OF THE DAY

2008-01-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some YouTube vids of the Trio for your enjoyment...
Apologies in advance for the quality - not always the best (although the audio is good)....
But for those of us yet to experience the ABP3 Live.....these glimpses are eminently acceptable!

THELA HUN GINJEET - ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO

WRITING ON THE WALL - ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO

BIG ELECTRIC CAT - ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO

THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR - ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO

Teatro de la Ciudad
Monterrey, Mexico
10 September 2007

Thanks to Bomberitojuarez for the YouTube footage

Out of the Belew

VINTAGE ADRIAN BELEW on YouTube

CGT + 2 AT THE QUEBEC CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 12TH

ABPT at Harpers Ferry in Boston, 10 July 2008

ABPT - 'ROCKIN THE RIVER' CRUISE July 11, 2008

INTERVIEW WITH ADRIAN BELEW from the Ottawa Bluesfest, July 2008

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO at the Ottawa Bluesfest 5th July 2008

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO in Quebec City 6th July 2008

12 year old drummer plays "Red"

ADE INTERVIEW with Daily Gazette dot com

Tour with King Crimson

Adrian Belew Power Trio

1500 SIGNATURES! INDUCT ADRIAN BELEW IN 2009! we need more - please sign my petition...

'Bishops Boulderdashes' and Belew - and more things that start with a 'B' this time

ABPT @ SKIPPERS SMOKEHOUSE FRI 30 MAY 2008

ABPT in High Definition YouTube Videos!

OTTAWA BLUESFEST appearance by ABPT - JULY 5th

NEWSFLASH!!! ABPT COMING TO CANADA IN JULY!

GIRD YOUR LOINS - THE RE-EMERGENCE OF THE RECUMBANT CRIMSON KING IS NIGH!

1000TH SIGNATURE and counting!

RARE ROBERT FRIPP INTERVIEW FROM 1979! Parts II - IV

RARE ROBERT FRIPP INTERVIEW FROM 1979!

FRANK ZAPPA video FROM 1963!!!

Adrian Belew all over Spider Jam!

ABPT encore performance of 'E'

ABPT - new song 'E'

27 GHOST III {FAN VIDEO}

E - the new ABP3 song!

NEWS FLASH!!!! KING CRIMSON DATES RELEASED TODAY!!!!

SET LIST for the ABPT Winter Tour 2008

THE BUFFALO NEWS: ENTERTAINMENT ABPT review

Jeff Miers: Adrian Belew is energized by power trio

Jeff Miers - News Pop Music CriticUpdated: 03/07/08 8:12 AM

ADRIAN's having a 'GEAR - AGE' SALE soon!

THE WORD ON THE ABPT SHOW BY HYPHOID LOGIC

March 11, 2008

A Word on the Adrian Belew Show

"A LIFE GONE TO THE DOGS" Review of the ABPT by Jeff Jankowski

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Adrian Belew Power Trio at The Tralf

ABP3@SLIMS - FEB 23RD REVIEW from GROUND CONTROL'S DARYL BARNETT

ABPT ARTICLE FROM 'THE DAILY NEWS TRANSCRIPT' MAR 6, 2008

MARTYR'S CHICAGO REVIEW FOR MARCH 5TH 2008

NIN - GHOST I - IV Review....well worth reading.

ADRIAN BELEW ARTICLE from 'CLEVELAND SCENE'

Guitar legend Adrian Belew gigs with kids half his age, tries to keep up

By Mark Wedel

Adrian Belew's self-portrait leaves a lot to be desired.

Details:

Subject(s): King Crimson, rock, Adrian Belew

ABPT @ BOULDER MARCH 2, 2008

REVIEW OF THE ABPT @ THE SHANK HALL IN MILWAUKEE, MARCH 4TH

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO from February 26th 2008

KING CRIMSON - CLOUDS animation

GHOSTS I - IV - TRENT REZNOR and ADRIAN BELEW et al

NEWS FLASH!.....NINE INCH NAILS - NEW RELEASE featuring ADRIAN BELEW!

ADRIAN BELEW INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

ERIC SLICK INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

JULIE SLICK INTERVIEW from Ground Control E-zine

'SIDE FOUR LIVE' review

finally, some fresh ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO videos from the 2008 tour!

ABPT @ SLIM'S IN SAN FRANCISCO

PAUL RICHARDS (CGTrio) Interview with Scott Preston

Interview with Paul Richards from California Guitar Trio

ADRIAN BELEW and the ROCK and ROLL HALL of FAME.....

DAVID BOWIE - a rare gem

ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO @ SLIM'S with Daryl Darko

Secret Websites, Coded Messages: The New World of Immersive Games

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO and TONY LEVIN rehearsal

ROBERT FRIPP Interview ...... NEW YORK - WIMBORNE 1985

Adrian Belew Power Trio en el Teatro Diana GDL 2006

David Bowie - I Pray Ole

ADRIAN BELEW (1982) INTERVIEW

Space Oddity - 16 May 1990 - Tokyo Dome

Delicious @ The Black Lodge - 1/26/2008

THE ROBERT FRIPP STRING QUINTET

Induct Adrian Belew into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 Petition

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO - Music of the Day

TALKING HEADS - blast from the distant past

A RARE GEM - TONY LEVIN

Jeff Miers - News Pop Music Critic
Updated: 03/07/08 8:12 AM