Photos by Julia Mordaunt © 2010 Mike Gordon, All Rights Reserved
STROUDSBURG — A few songs into his delightfully odd concert on a sleepy Sunday night, Mike Gordon addressed the crowd. “It’s like a ghost town, infused with a cool energy,” the Phish bassist told the Sherman Theater.
It was an appropriate statement during a show equal parts accessible and weird, an intimate glimpse into the musical mind of a musician most fans have only seen in massive arenas.
The stage was dreamlike: cables holding small disco balls, bubble machines at either side of the stage, pussy willow branches here and there and a magnificent light show that included lasers. Gordon added to the homey, interactive vibe, allowing fans to contribute to the music by letting them press buttons on an effects pad, asking them to chant his cat’s name Izz so his daughter could hear it on the recording and meeting with concertgoers at the merch stand after the show.
Fittingly, Gordon and his talented band — Scott Murawski (guitar), Tom Cleary (keyboards), Todd Isler (drums) and Craig Myers (percussion) — opened with “Only A Dream,” bolstered by a clean, linear solo by Murawski and percussion textures. “Pretend,” a quirky and pleasant love song from Gordon’s 2008 album “The Green Sparrow,” flowed into an ambling jam.
A first-set highlight was a stunning cover of Radiohead’s “15 Step,” complete with the powerful and edgy bassline in the midsection. When “15 Step” melted into an airy jam, the taut but laidback feel of the music combined with most of the nearly 500-person audience swaying in the front of the stage gave the show a small club feel. Later in the set, the Latin-flavored “Cruel World” was amplified with green lasers and patterns projected on the walls and ceiling.
The quintet opened the second set with “Dig Further Down,” a rocking “Green Sparrow” track that featured some synchronized jumps by Gordon and Murawski. Gordon and company followed with a Talking Heads-esque “Hap Nappy,” a snappy take on The Beatles’ “She Said, She Said” and the remarkably Little Feat-ish “Crumblin’ Bones.” The latter featured a deep, funky groove, with Cleary on lead vocals; the song segued into “Morphing Again,” another “Sparrow” tune that found Myers and Isler engaging in a back-and-forth duel before the band lifted off into a segment similar to the Grateful Dead’s “Spanish Jam.”
Predictably, many fans yelled for Phish songs — “Mike’s Song” and “Uncle Pen” were popular requests — and while Gordon didn’t play either of those, he offered “Meat” late in the show. The groove was again deep and funky, and the band nailed the complex vocal arrangements. As bubbles floated from the stage, Cleary, Gordon, Murawski, Isler and Myers all took spotlighted turns, Gordon using his spot to yell “Izz!” For the encore, Gordon brought out opener Danny Barnes on banjo for the bluegrass tune “Country Boy.”
Comparing Sunday’s show to a Phish show is a natural tendency, and there were similarities. Both bands jam, and both feature the unique bass work of Gordon. But the similarities end there. Murawski’s guitar tone and style — despite playing what appears to be a Languedoc guitar very similar to Phish’s Trey Anastasio — is much smoother and direct than Anastasio’s. The percussion, too, adds a distinct element to Gordon’s group, and the jams were more focused than many of Phish’s.
Seeing Gordon in a much smaller pond than with Phish, and with different musicians, afforded fans a unique opportunity to get a feel for what makes him tick. His songwriting, bass playing, vocals and overall outlook are one of a kind, and on Sunday, they were on display, wonderfully weird and inimitable. w
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