PAINTING WITH GUITAR HAS ADRIAN BELEW GIVING NEW MEANING TO THE PHRASE ONE MAN SHOW! PART TWO

by Jeff Boule in Editorials, Musician Reviews, Opinion Posts, Reviews, Song Reviews

Maniacal bassist and, as Dave Letterman used to say, "one fabulous babe," Julie Slick. Photo by Lynn Vala

Apparently my fears were not founded, or perhaps Belew has advised her that I have found evidence to support his claim that, he too, was on the outside of the truth about King Crimson’s demise, as she was very friendly, personable, even after letting her know that I was NOT the person she thought was connected to the Paul Green School Of Rock.  A very nice woman, I only hope she continues to allow me to call her Birdwoman as it is a term of endearment and not derogatory (Robin, bird, Birdwoman, I couldn’t call her birdgirl as the producers of Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law would have my head) but I rarely refer to people by their names if they frequent my blog, I prefer to maintain privacy for people.  If she has a complaint about it, she has my contact card and can stop me if she wishes.  She’s so nice, I would for her.

But our conversation is limited as her daughter Julie is poised to take the stage after her father Gary introduces her and reminds the crowd that Belew will be out later.

Slick then OWNS that stage as she starts her offering with a manic sounding track (having found out after listening to the disc that I THINK it was “Mora”), administering some crazed music (that’s a good thing) and some most unbassly sounds!  When we hear her play the instrument with little or no effects, it is masterful.  Here we go with more amazing lead bass, Jeff Berlin, what have you wrought?

Photo by Lynn Vala

I wish I knew the name of this track and I hope it is on the CD we purchased, this is killer!  When she gets into the song, you can see it in her face, she is one with the muse.  In between songs, she even talks tech about the equipment she is using to make more sound than one person should be allowed to on a public stage, mindblowing!

I’m in love!

Photo by Lynn Vala

She describes her process of recording her solo album before she breaks into another from her self-titled CD, the track “Many Laughs”.  With some synths and a killer drum line from Marco Minneman, and not her brother Eric as was intended, it’s an infectious melody that I find staying with me 2^nd only to Laurie Anderson’s “Only An Expert” from her new album Homeland but I’ll speak to that in a later blog.

After Slick loops her bass line, she wails on lead after pulling a pick from her teeth.  Once her fingers started spidering up the neck, that is when the track came afire.

I can’t wait to get home and listen to this disc.

Photo by Lynn Vala

After more bass acrobatics, she ends this track with a bass chord.  Closure.

For her next piece, “Aphrodite” she talks to the audience about getting Pat Mastellotto to play drums.  A catchy hook starts “Aphrodite” and it riffs into a catch-me-if-you-can kind of chorus.  Then with the push of a pedal (Slick prefers to play barefoot) a rather hackneyed break comes in.  The break gives Slick a chance to flex her fingers.  She is the definition of refined talent.

The only complaint I could muster is the backing track got kind of lost in the mix when the bass kicks in heavy.

For her track “Spice Trade” Slick details how she attempted to get Robert Fripp to play on her track.  He replied with his usual basic ‘no’ but this time with a twist; she could sample any of his previous work if it would suit the track.  Slick them went on to confess that she was not familiar with a lot of his Frippertronics, Soundscapes and other works outside King Crimson, and now she had to sort through that mountain of work trying to find bits that might work.

No easy task.

During the change from the intro to the main section, I thought I had detected a glitch.  Such are the pratfalls of live performance.  But the dynamic change was distinctly noticeable from the power section ending on, it became a sorrowful song.  Beautifully composed, but sad in context, it seemed.

Another diatribe about the help of her brother  on the track “The Rivalry”.  A heavy bass accompanies a harrowing, spooky track.  She really needs to get some vocals on these songs as several have traces of pop appeal.  Right up to the succinct ending.

Sorry folks, but I have taken up enough bandwidth for one week, if you want to read about how Slick finishes her show, the Belew performance, and that after show function with the surprise ending, check back next time!

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