Three Remedies

An instant rush of cold chill sweeping up your spine.

All it takes is the split second between plectrum striking
guitar string and unholy howl screaming from the amp.

We're talking about guitar solos. And not just any guitar solos.

Definitely not bland solos. Or careless ventures up and down the
pentatonic scale embodied by cheesy, ripped off blues riffs
that would fit perfectly with a 16-bar break in the
middle of an equally ripped off three-chord shit show of a
drunken barroom romp.

We're talking about something altogether more electric and
expressive, something that tugs at the most vulnerable
points of our souls without ever verbalizing it.

Now those are truly great guitar solos.

In my previous blog post I wanted to discuss the three different lead
guitarists I've seen play with The Black Crowes.

Since the band's inception in 1989 The Crowes have had five different
guitarists, and like many people who repeatedly get married, The
Crowes have been married to a particular lead guitarist twice (and twice
broke up with him because of his "drug problems").

The first ill-fated leadman, Jeff Cease, was booted from
the band after the first album because his playing wasn't
up to snuff. Paul Stacey had a recent stint but wasn't much
more than a touring utility player.

Then there was Marc Ford, the man whose distinctive style added layers to the
band's music, seamlessly weaving the rhythm and lead guitar parts together.

I saw him during his second stint with the band (marriage #2) at
the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in 2006. His soloing was
something that borders between primal and majestic, bending notes more
than 1 1/2 steps and striking the strings like an electric charge was
emanating from his body.

He draws influences from the likes of Hendrix and expands upon the conventions of
the dreaded pentatonic, the fallback for every lead guitarist in
rock 'n roll. But for whatever reason, Ford's playing is something
more tasty and delicately flawed than the rock player's scale of choice
can confine.

Marc's a player who's all about feel. It's the feel that's endearing.

It's impassioned playing, sometimes to the point of being "noodly,"
but nonetheless it's distinct and adds a very raw yet precise element
to the music that takes it beyond what it would be with a single
guitar player and no solos. In a sense the songs are better for his
playing.

Three albums go by and The Crowes get rid of Marc. They make "By Your
Side" with Rich Robinson doing lead and rhythm parts. Not bad, but not
great solo work.

Enter Audley Freed, ex-lead guitarist from Cry of Love.

I saw him play with The Crowes at The Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in
2001, my first ever Black Crowes concert. Audley's style is
markedly different than Marc Ford's, but it's impressive nonetheless
(listen to "Highway Jones" by Cry of Love and tell me
he isn't masterful).

But Freed abandoned much of the quick-fingered fiery blues soloing
that became his trademark in Cry of Love when he joined The Crowes.
His interpretations of Marc Ford solos were pretty decent and he
played well weaving his parts with Rich Robinson, yet it felt at times
like he was purposely trying not to "overplay."

You see, "overplaying" was a point of contention during Ford's
later days.

(Rich Robinson claims Ford would be so drugged out of his mind during
his final tour with the band that he often would just start spacing
out and playing the wrong songs.)

Needless to say, seeing Audley Freed play with The Crowes was a good
experience. Seeing Marc Ford play with The Black Crowes was the
equivalent to turning back a page of history and reliving it.

Ford always felt more like a full-time member. Freed always had the
vibe of a touring musician.

During last week's concert at The Riviera in Chicago I had a chance to
check out Luther Dickinson during my third Crowes concert.

Three concerts, three lead guitarists...

Dickinson is best known for his playing and singing with the North
Mississippi Allstars.

I have to say his country-blues slide guitar work fits in with The
Crowes' latest two albums, and it should, because he played on them.

Yet it's limited and lacks a certain gritty quality that's become
associated with "the most rock 'n roll band in rock 'n roll."

Dickinson plays a Gibson SG, uses slide most of the time
and plucks with his right-hand fingers. It's called the
Duane Allman book of soloing.

And it's fantastic (when Duane Allman played it in the early
1970s).

The Crowes have been called derivative too much in
the past and fought that misnomer fist and nail for two decades. To
regress because of a new lead guitarist's desire to emulate the past
would be shameful.

Marc Ford's guitar playing organically meshed with Rich Robinson's to
give The Crowes a distinctive sound that worked like a perfect
marriage.

Bring him back. Now.

The Black Crowes cover The Velvet Underground

The Black Crowes take Chicago

Anyone who’s ever seen The Black Crowes knows they’ll leave the venue with a greater appreciation for a band that truly plays well live.

And leave smelling like Nag Champa and reefer.

But unlike many jam bands and their 60s influences, The Black Crowes aren’t one of those groups that takes to the far-out soloing over an extended version of the original song. Instead, they take that song somewhere else, inviting the audience along in the passenger seat and passing a joint.

The extended versions breathe life to the live music experience, revitalizing a lost form of art that today is often forsaken by people who have three-minute attentions spans and bland, unchallenged consumerism.

The Black Crowes blasted through a more than two-hour set at The Riviera in Chicago on Friday in front of a sold-out crowd.

The sound was impeccable. Chris Robinson’s voice never faltered and the band’s energy and precision never failed.

The concert opened with “Good Morning Captain” from the Crowes’ latest album, “Before The Freeze,” moving swiftly into “Cursed Diamond” from “Amorica” and “Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye” from “The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion.”

Luckily for the crowd, the Crowes showcased the better parts of their 20-year-history while including fan favorites (rather than performing a Greatest Hits gig).

Highlights included “Ozone Mama,” “Good Friday,” “(Only) Halfway To Everywhere” and “No Speak No Slave.”

An unsuspecting crowd was also treated to guitarist Rich Robinson taking the lead vocals on a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Nothing.” A band known for having a rich array of cover tunes at its disposal (who could forget Bob Marley’s “Time Will Tell” or The Band’s “The Weight), their version was flawless, complete with three-part vocal harmonies and extended jam solos.

The set also included about a half dozen tracks from the latest album, which was to be expected.

If they’re coming to a city near you on this concert tour, check them out. The only thing that perplexed me is they neglected to play anything from their debut album, “Shake Your Money Maker,” or 1999’s “By Your Side.”

All in all, a great show.

Now it's time to let my hair down and imbibe.

In the words of the Brothers Robinson, "I'm only halfway to everywhere."

The continuing saga of The Black Crowes

No band likes to be called "derivative." It's synonymous to being
classified as "unoriginal."

It's a label The Black Crowes have struggled to overcome since the
release of their debut album, "Shake Your Money Maker," in 1990. Since
then they've drawn comparisons to The Rolling Stones and The Faces
because of their blues-based riff rock that grooves along with '70s
swagger.

Ironic, then, that every album they've released sounds like a
conscious effort to veer from that comparison with the band
screaming for their lives away from musical expectations
and the sound of the albums that came before. Never the
darlings of critical acclaim but always finding a strong fan base, the
Crowes have always been one of those bands that stylistically changes
their hat with each album.

Where "Shake Your Money Maker" was straight ahead bluesy rock, "The
Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" took on a harder edge with
some funkier moments and allowed them to shine through the element
known as "jamming." Longer songs, longer solos, more intricate
acoustic parts. The songs were a little more sophisticated without
losing their visceral edge.

"Amorica" offered more ballads and drug-induced freak-outs while
"Three Snakes And One Charm" felt like coming down. Exit guitarist
Marc Ford and enter backup singers. "By Your Side" was a return to
those bluesy origins with a hell of a lot more soul and even a bit of
gospel. It was like an old school R&B album thrown together with slide
blues.

"Lions" was a cosmic hodgepodge more akin to a Parliament album and
"Warpaint" gave us the band's first true country rock effort.

Caught up yet? Good.

Now let's get to the point. With each move in a new direction, you'd
be hard-pressed to call the band "uninspired." How could you? They
change styles about as often as I change underwear, yet they never
lose their roots, that uncompromising heart-on-your-sleeve honesty.

Well I think I've changed my mind after hearing "Before The
Frost...Until The Freeze." For the first time in my life, I wonder why
they even bothered making a new album. It sounds like leftovers from
"Warpaint" re-heated and served up to their audience in an effort to
justify touring without another "Greatest Hits" album.

It's country rock. It's slow, there are no standout tracks and it
sounds, quite frankly, uninspired.

Where's the excitement?

Lead singer Chris Robinson said of "Warpaint" that the band had
finally found the sound they'd always wanted. The problem is, there
are no dynamics. Like most country music, it all starts to blend
together after a while, and like all of the worst parts of acoustic
folk music, it tries painfully to verge on the melodic without quite
reaching it.

The album was recorded live at Levon Helm's Woodstock studio (he was
in The Band, you know, the one that backed Dylan) before live
audiences on about four different nights.

The sound quality is there. Unfortunately, the songs sound burned out
and forced, like the life's been sucked out of them with a Dyson.

Here's to hoping their concert at The Riviera in Chicago will be
better this Friday. Stay tuned to check out a review after the show.