I'm alive. So is that Buckethead on stage?
Yeah, so I've been busy as hell with work but also with more social activity, perhaps because the new season is showing signs that it would like to, y'know, spring upon us. Does that make people more social? I've been lucky to see some truly excellent shows recently... Orchestra Baobab, the Slint reunion (great despite the absence of any stage presence whatsoever) and the Tabla Beat Science show last night. The last show was kind of a surprise as I didn't know much about TBS except that Bill Laswell was involved. It turns out, two of Laswell's bands played last night. The first was ABYSSINIA INFINITE (though I didn't know that at the time) featuring GiGi included Pharoah Sanders, Laswell, and Hamid Drake on the drums. I guessed that it was GiGi and I was right. The second band was TBS had the tabla and sarangi players who were phenomenal and various players I couldn't identify with Laswell but I would assume they're the same folks on the albums. The weirdest aspect of the whole show was the occasional presence of Laswell co-hort Buckethead, the guitar player who briefly joined Guns 'n' Roses, who comes out and freaks some totally bizarre riffs and hammer-ons off his Les Paul while wearing a weird white mask, not the KFC bucket that he is known for sporting. At first I thought it was the guy who quit Limp Bizkit and everytime the lady singer introduced him I thought she was speaking another language and saying "booheethad" or something like thank you, thank you. Anyway, the whole Buckethead schtick is kinda weird. I guess he makes records with Bootsie but still. In other news, I deejayed again and had a blast, got to see the Bridge Club play and they were rad. It's just been hyperactive get busy month this March has and shows no signs of letting up.