Reivew of the Happy the Man with special guests Birdsongs of the Mesozoic live at the Lowell Brewery 6/5/05. Thanks to Dave Meeks for the review!
Now, Birdsongs is not everyone's cup of tea, as their very mathematical and angular approach to music is more of a "close your eyes and enjoy" than a rock-out kind of band. Intricate rhythms, colors, and instrumentation tend to dominate more than the catchy lyrics, emotional vocals, and soaring guitars of say, the Flower Kings last weekend. But, for those that like this kind of music, and have the patience, it pays off very well.
The only thing I wish they would have had was a real drummer, as the drum machine leaves the sound a bit too cold, and for a group as competent and complex as they are, an equally competent drummer would really add a great deal of depth to their music.
Happy the Man hit the stage right on target, roughly 9:30 or so, and it was their first time in Boston in close to 30 years I think they said. Well, it was definitely great to see them back in town, as one of the seminal progressive bands of the 70/80s US scene was in top form. Three of the original members (Frank Wyatt, Stanley Whitaker, and Rick Kennell) are still there, and they have added David Rosenthal and Joe Bergamini.
For those not familiar with HTM, they are a delight to listen to and see perform. They span the range of very colorfol, Camel-like pieces, to a brighter UK (the band, not the country) sound. Also, unlike many progressive bands, they don't really go into the 8-20 minute songs, but rather, allow their music to make it's statement and not hammer it home over and over. They deliver very catchy songs, and one could almost say they have quite the 'hook' in them, even though they have very little vocals. And, I have to re-iterate, unlike many bands that hit you with dissonance, dark or scary sounds, or overly bombastic solos, this band is 'bright and happy'. They are, however, also very talented. Frank Wyatt and David Rosenthal are excellent keyboardists, with Wyatt also truly wearing the label of 'multi-instrumentalist', as he was playing what appeared to be the sax, the clarinet, the oboe, and a few other instruments as well. Gotta love those tiger stripped saxes :-) Rosenthal seemed to be from the 'I can never have enough keyboards on stage' school, as he had at least 5 or 6 major sets on stage, and seemed most comfortable when he was playing at least 2 (or 3) at one time.
Their drummer was very good as well, and tastefully complex. He wasn't the over-the-top masher, or the million-rolls-a-minute guy either, but still added a lot of intricate little shifts that added some very nice texture/depth to things (if you like that sort of thing).
And, the bassist, who seemed very much in the back through much of the set, really shined when it seemed he needed to...
But, most importantly, that seemed to be the way the band approached things. While they often highlighted a particular instrument at any given time, you never felt like it was your tradional "solo", as this was a BAND, and not just a collection of excellent musicians. They really gave each member the space to fill, and the total was truly greater than the sum of the parts!!!
Sad that not more people didn't get out to see this, as they were a true joy to see...
Special thanks to Brother Al and crew for getting these guys out here... if they wait another 30 years to come again, it will be a shame...
Now, Birdsongs is not everyone's cup of tea, as their very mathematical and angular approach to music is more of a "close your eyes and enjoy" than a rock-out kind of band. Intricate rhythms, colors, and instrumentation tend to dominate more than the catchy lyrics, emotional vocals, and soaring guitars of say, the Flower Kings last weekend. But, for those that like this kind of music, and have the patience, it pays off very well.
The only thing I wish they would have had was a real drummer, as the drum machine leaves the sound a bit too cold, and for a group as competent and complex as they are, an equally competent drummer would really add a great deal of depth to their music.
Happy the Man hit the stage right on target, roughly 9:30 or so, and it was their first time in Boston in close to 30 years I think they said. Well, it was definitely great to see them back in town, as one of the seminal progressive bands of the 70/80s US scene was in top form. Three of the original members (Frank Wyatt, Stanley Whitaker, and Rick Kennell) are still there, and they have added David Rosenthal and Joe Bergamini.
For those not familiar with HTM, they are a delight to listen to and see perform. They span the range of very colorfol, Camel-like pieces, to a brighter UK (the band, not the country) sound. Also, unlike many progressive bands, they don't really go into the 8-20 minute songs, but rather, allow their music to make it's statement and not hammer it home over and over. They deliver very catchy songs, and one could almost say they have quite the 'hook' in them, even though they have very little vocals. And, I have to re-iterate, unlike many bands that hit you with dissonance, dark or scary sounds, or overly bombastic solos, this band is 'bright and happy'. They are, however, also very talented. Frank Wyatt and David Rosenthal are excellent keyboardists, with Wyatt also truly wearing the label of 'multi-instrumentalist', as he was playing what appeared to be the sax, the clarinet, the oboe, and a few other instruments as well. Gotta love those tiger stripped saxes :-) Rosenthal seemed to be from the 'I can never have enough keyboards on stage' school, as he had at least 5 or 6 major sets on stage, and seemed most comfortable when he was playing at least 2 (or 3) at one time.
Their drummer was very good as well, and tastefully complex. He wasn't the over-the-top masher, or the million-rolls-a-minute guy either, but still added a lot of intricate little shifts that added some very nice texture/depth to things (if you like that sort of thing).
And, the bassist, who seemed very much in the back through much of the set, really shined when it seemed he needed to...
But, most importantly, that seemed to be the way the band approached things. While they often highlighted a particular instrument at any given time, you never felt like it was your tradional "solo", as this was a BAND, and not just a collection of excellent musicians. They really gave each member the space to fill, and the total was truly greater than the sum of the parts!!!
Sad that not more people didn't get out to see this, as they were a true joy to see...
Special thanks to Brother Al and crew for getting these guys out here... if they wait another 30 years to come again, it will be a shame...