In fact, by the time the guys begin to close out the first hour, it seems that they try to clear the air of abstraction a bit by rocking out with "Empire State." This must have pissed off one of the locals because somebody punctured the generators' diesel tanks...and there went the power.
There is no record of what transpired during the time between this catastrophic outage and the official restart of the recording session (the guys wouldn't let me into the back room), but clearly Groundtruther was inspired. Without the background whirrr of those engines, the instruments really shimmer in the wet echo of that warehouse. John Medeski switches to piano, Previte to an all acoustic kit, and Hunter to the acoutic guitar. Undeterred by the enforced shift of aural venue, the level of interplay is ratcheted upwards. Piano arpeggios chime into the air as the acoustic guitar attempts to fashion a mating pattern, and the drums shift roles from rhythmic to melodic instrument and back. There are indeed moments of seeming chaos and violence ("Tectonic Revolution"), creepy soundscapes (just what the hell is going on with the chanting in "Cold Seep"?), as well as extreme & ominous beauty ("Subduction Mode").
After going over my notes, I discovered that a few facts needed to be straighted out. I wanted to ask Charlie Hunter to comment on the amazing versatility of Groundtruther, especially given the adversity endured that evening in the warehouse. Also at the top of my list were the Warsaw Radio Mast and that black box.
My calls were not returned.
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
Wow! How'd you get into the session?
2 - Mark Saleski
uhm...i made the whole thing up?
3 - Michael J. West
...Did you ever realize that something was fairly clear in retrospect and feel really, really silly?
4 - Mark Saleski
yes, my first marriage.
feel better now?
;-)
5 - Pico
"Wow! How'd you get into the session?"
They mistook him for an extra-terrestrial lifeform.
*rimshot*
Lame jokes aside, thanks for turning me onto to this one, Mark. It's every bit as beautifully twisted as you described it.