The hits just keep on comin'

"Does it ever end?," SuperDee asks herself as the train leaves Brooklyn headed for Times Square.

After two 4am nights in a row, how do I still have the compulsion to get out of the house and go see live music? I am just a few days shy of being an NYC resident for a month and I have seen, lemme count... 15? 20? different shows. Let's just say I feel like a superhero in a Superhero Supply store.

Anyhoo... Last night, after emerging from underground onto the Disneyland that Times Square has become, I elbowed my way through a billion gawking tourists to walk the 2 blocks to Nokia Theatre where JFJO was about to take the stage. Flashing my backstage stickie a few times I navigated the maze of rooms and hallways at the Theatre and finally found the boys who were ready to release the hounds in NYC. They absolutely killed it. They started with their Bjork cover from The Sameness of Difference. Here's a bit of that:



They demolished the audience after that. When Brian said, "This next song features Reed Mathis on guitar," I about fell over. I heard that Reed had been picking up an axe but for some reason I still was not prepared. Sure, he still kinda looks like a bass player playing guitar (albeit, a bass player who plays soaring guitar solos on his bass), but the direction they are headed is undeniably exciting. I got a sweet dedication (awww) and at first didn't recognize what they were playing until I heard that old melody ring out - "Vernal Equinox." To say they have reworked this song is an understatement as this "Vernal," which I've heard many, many, many times, was a tricked out space funk rock jam version of "Vernal" featuring Reed on guitar with Pink Floyd teases.... um... WHAT?

I have known JFJO for a long time - about six years - and have seen them perform countless times. I need to stress the fact that they seemed to have turned a corner - be it mental or musical or otherwise. They are fired up and they sound great. I don't know what the future may hold for our sweet boys but they are tapping into something that will send them on a magical carpet ride. The rest of the year sounds fantastic for them - a trip to Europe and invited to open for Primus (!!). Go, go, JFJO!

Next up was STS9. Those of you who know me well (is anyone even reading this??) know that I have a history of being a Sector 9 addict of sorts. When they first came into my life, it was like the apocolypse had come and the only thing that brought me salvation was listening to Sound Tribe Sector 9 (and Phish, too, probably). I'm not sure if it was a slow and steady shift in my musical world, or if it was a few dinstinct happenings or bands, but the shift did come and my adoration for STS9 became less pronounced. Sort of like that love affair that was full of passion and steam and then somehow you both just sorta moved on to something else. No hard feelings, just people changing.

All that being said, STS9 is a sick band. They have perfected what they do and it sounds amazing. It might be a little too perfect at points. It's so clean that it makes me thirst for something a little messy, a little less calculated. Another thing that strikes me is that the ego on stage seems bigger than ever. This is a band that started with the notion of selflessness. I can't help but think how cool they look up there and how much they look like they know it. Not that there's anything wrong with that! They are enjoying their success and they deserve every piece of it. I love to see them do well. I love to see fans fly in from all over just to see "Sound Tribe" in NYC or Red Rocks or wherever the "big," "not-to-be-missed" shows are. Congrats, STS9, you're DOIN' IT!

So, to answer our superhero, who is burning the candle at both ends, when she asks, "Does it ever end?"... We must simply tell her, "No, SuperDee. It does not." As the clock struck midnight, we entered Rocktober and after some atonement on Long Island for the next 36 or so hours, I'll be riding the trains again...