Nels Cline and Marc Ribot Played Le Poisson Rouge - Pictures, Review

On Wednesday night we had the pleasure of stopping in at Le Poisson Rouge to catch the first-ever live performance by two of the greatest guitarists out there today. Nels Cline and Marc Ribot came out to a packed house at LPR to bring together their unique styles, and reward the room with an evening of uniquely riveting composition that left us hungry for more.

The first half of the set was entirely acoustic, with the two trading lead parts on externally mic'ed guitars. The sound vacillated from being almost folky, to bouts of intricate jazz interplay, to rock-like melody that borrowed a fair bit of character from classic Who tracks. While the technical mastery was unquestionably evident, the first half was almost certainly a warm up for what was to come next.

In the second half of the show, both picked up electric guitars, and things got moving quickly. Ribot got started with a Gibson ES-175, while Cline reached first for his lap steel. Both artists had a fair amount of pedal board work going on as well, and Cline had his signature batch of electronics at the ready.

As the show progressed, things got gradually more chaotic and noise-driven, in the very best sense. The interplay between both guitars was perfect, and waves of sound from Cline's Kaoss Pad combined with the guitar sonics in an ideally rewarding fashion. By the end of the set, Cline had broken out his signature Jazzmaster, and it was completely clear that both players were enjoying themselves immensely.

While Wednesday night's set was certainly a collaboration in every sense of the word, we have to say that it felt more like Cline's show that Ribot's. While it's obviously hard to say what goes on behind closed doors, to us it felt like Cline was more consistently leading the feel of the tunes, with Ribot playing a more complimentary role. Either way, the set was fantastic, and we have fingers crossed that this pair will play again soon.

Nels Cline appears tonight at The Blue Note.

More pictures at the HAD Archive

Nels Cline At LPR Tonight, Blue Note Friday

If, like us, you're stuck in the city and not lucky enough to be attending Wilco's Solid Sound Festival next weekend, fear not: you still have a chance to get a taste of some Wilco-y goodness. Nels Cline is popping into New York this week for two shows, and we can assure you that the Wilco axe-man is well worth hearing in his other pursuits.

The first show is tonight at Le Poisson Rouge with noted guitar compatriot Marc Ribot. The second is on Friday at the Blue Note, where Cline will be participating in "Spontaneous Construction" with Billy Martin, Jacob Sacks, and Oren Bloedow. We'll be hitting up tonight's show, as we're fans of Ribot as well, and we certainly recommend you do the same.

Nels Cline Singers Are At Le Poisson Rouge Tonight

Nels Cline in Central Park, from the HAD Archive

We'll be the first to admit that our exposure to Nels Cline is firmly rooted in his association with Wilco. However, that does nothing to change the fact that the man is a guitar badass who has a list of musical projects almost too long to comprehend. We caught him last summer at Central Park with Floored By Four, and now the man is back in town with his band The Nels Cline Singers.

The group has a new disc out, Initiate (cover above), and will be delivering two sets (7PM and 9:30PM) tonight at Le Poisson Rouge. While we haven't seen them since a couple of years back in San Francisco, wbut suffice it to say: if you have any interest in modern jazz performance, you certainly won't be disappointed.

Floored By Four (Nels Cline, Mike Watt) and M. Ward Played Central Park Summer Stage - Review, Pics, Setlist

On Saturday night, the rains managed to hold off just in time for an amazing evening at Central Park's Summer Stage. Not only was the gig free and the headliner a Mr. Matt Ward, but it was also the live debut of Nels Cline and Mike Watt's new project, Floored By Four. It was beautiful summer evening event that was not to be missed.

Floored By Four opened the night with a fantastic set that not only showcased all four member's talents, but ran the gamut stylistically as well. The tunes the band played could be described as everything from prog rock to ambient to experimental jazz. Suffice it to say, it was interesting.

Suprisingly, the audience seemed relatively uninformed of the band's considerable artistic legacy, and we overheard little beyond "some guy named Mike Watt with the guitarist from Wilco" as a descriptive phrase. Suffice it to say, kids, time to do your research. Nonetheless, the set was fantastic, and those who did appreciate it, did so in spades.

While the whole set was a blast, we have to say that the highlight of the set was the searing guitar work by Cline at the end of the set. Every time he reached a plateau that didn't seem possible to exceed, he would go further, and then some. It wasn't hurting things that Cline and Watt clearly have a long established dynamic, and play off of each other ridiculously well. We can't wait to hear this record.

M. Ward hit the stage promptly at 8:30, to a crowd that was devoutedly engaged with him. Dressed as the man in black, Ward delivered an hour twenty set that hit decidedly upon all the fan favorites. Apparently the set was the last one of the Ward's tour in support of Hold Time, and it was clear from the get go that he was there to deliver.

Despite some technical difficulties with an amp, Ward delivered an incredibly solid set. In fact, our only complaint would be that it was almost too solid. It seems that Ward has gotten so comfortable with his band and his carefully manicured sound, that there was little adventure or surprise to be had in his performance.

Granted, surprise is not necessarily the key to a good rock show, and Ward unquestionably gave exactly that. As always, his voice was in top form, the band was dead on, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Still, having seen Ward a number of times, we have to say that this was probably the most staid and reserved we've seen him. While there's little you can argue with given a fantastic free set from an amazing artist, we're just hoping that his outing with Monsters of Folk will put a bit more of an edge on him the next time he's in town.

M Ward Setlist
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Sad Song
One Hundred Million Years
Post War
Chinese Translation
Rave On (Buddy Holly Cover)
Never Had Nobody Like You
Hold Time
Jailbird
To Save Me
Poor Boy, Minor Key
Poison Cup
Fool Says
Magic Trick
Big Boat
Bean Vine Blues (John Fahey Cover)
Fisher Of Men
Requiem
Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry Cover)
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Helicopter
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To Go Home

Nels Cline: New Record, Yoshi's Oakland Tomorrow Night

While his solo work is a far cry from his musical endeavors with Wilco, Nels Cline certainly has a lot to offer on his own. For those who have taken the time to explore Cline's records, it's extremely clear that Jeff Tweedy handpicked him for a reason. His avant garde jazz material pushes many of the genre's boundries, and offers up some compelling insights into sonic experimentation.

This Spring (in addition to touring with Wilco) Cline has released a new solo record, Coward, and is touring in its support. Tomorrow night, Cline will be playing two shows at Yoshi's Oakland with his namesake band, The Nels Cline Singers. The show is a showcase for Cline's label, Cryptogramaphone Records, and will also include The Jeff Gautier Goatette. In our experience, Cline's live shows are something of a transcendent experience, and the night will definitely be do-not-miss. What's more, the new record is extremely acoustic-centric, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out in a live environment.

If that's not enough Cline for you, you're in luck! Nels' twin brother Alex will also be at Yoshi's as part of the Cryptogramaphone showcase. That show is tonight, and features the Alex Cline Continuation Quintet, with Alex on drums. What's more, you can hear the brothers talk a bit about their forays into jazz in this interview over at NPR.

mp3: Nels Cline - Epiphullum