3/7: Marco Benevento @ the Bell House

Sorry about the delay here, kids.  I spent the last eleven days on a Delaware sandwich between two thick slices of busy as all get-out.

Two weekends ago I saw the Marco Benevento trio at the Bell House.  Marco is a highly skilled keyboardist that plays with any number of people, that evening being Marc Friedman and Brad Barr from The Slip.  Andrew Barr, the third member of The Slip, was opening.

I haven’t enjoyed The Slip’s newer stuff all that much.  They sound like a jazz-centric jamband trying to write rock songs, and they were much better when they embraced their jazz-centric jambandedness and turned this mother out.  The real casualty of this war with mediocrity is the bassist, Marc Friedman.  That man is one of the best bassists around and watching him used to be a class in improvisation.  I don’t know what was discussed regarding the future of the band, but he simply doesn’t play like he used to.

Neither does this man. Things that make you go

Andrew Barr had thin strings – strands, really – tied to the guitar strings which made an eerie sound when he ran them through his fingers.  It was nice to see something new and I thought he sounded quite pleasant.

Between sets, we were standing outside and a guy near us said, “I have chicken nuggets like, all the time.”  I wrote it down.

The Marco Benevento trio was highly experimental, using a lot of effects and psychedelic visuals.  Joe Russo – the other half of the Benevento Russo Duo – came out to help, as well as Andrew Barr.  Brad Barr played beautifully and Marc Friedman was enjoyable, yet not as inspiring as he used to be, according to me earlier in this post.  Marco can play pretty much whatever he wants, from what I can tell, and he has decided to go with an almost prog rock sound for his various bands.  It’s fun to watch, and I know many a fan, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s my personal jam.

Next up after that which was actually last Thursday:  Eli “Paperboy” Reed @ the Bell House