Slick Is the Word: A Review of the Adrian Belew Power Trio at Riverbend — June 10, 2009

The last time Adrian Belew played Chattanooga, the rhythm section of his power trio consisted of two bald dudes (Mike Hodges and Mike Gallaher) who successfully aided the Lone Rhino in tearing up the Nightfall stage. Both were experienced players: Gallaher, an accomplished jazz guitarist, switched to bass to play with Belew, and Hodges was the drummer when Belew was the music director on (yes) David Bowie’s “Sound and Vision” tour. They were fantastic both that night and a few nights later when I drove down to see them play in Atlanta. If I had never seen another Adrian Belew Power Trio show, I would have been satisfied.

Fast forward a couple of years: Gallaher and Hodges eventually left Belew and were replaced by a brother and sister rhythm section, Julie and Eric Slick, both in their early 20’s, both graduates of Paul Green’s School of Rock, and both ridiculously talented. The new band’s first recorded effort, 2007’s live Side Four, is a testament to how quickly the new trio jelled. It is also a testament to another fact: As great as Hodges and Gallaher were, they were, in essence, Belew’s backing band. The longer the Slick’s have played with Belew, the more evident it’s become that they are, well, a bit more than that. The strength of their collective contribution to the band was probably best summed up by my buddy Joe Lance (a great musician in his own right) when the trio played Riverbend last night, “When Adrian eventually hangs it up, those two will still have a long, long career ahead of them.”

The trio kicked off their 115-minute Riverbend performance with ripping versions of “Writing on the Wall” and “Young Lions” before Belew introduced some new music, two “movements,” titled “A” and “B,” from the forthcoming all-instrumental album, E. The two pieces contained many elements common to Belew’s previous work: feedback, ferocious bent notes, smart and irresistibly gorgeous chord progressions, and layer upon layer of Crimson-esque interlocking guitar parts, all of which Belew played by himself by creating—and then playing along with—a dizzying series loops. And the Slicks more than kept up. They pushed Belew’s already envelope-pushing ideas forward by either deftly doubling his riffs or aggressively soloing against them. In all honesty, I can’t remember when I’ve been more knocked out by a single song or performance.

The rest of the show was full of highlights, too. While Adrian fiddled with a pesky pedal before the band launched into “Beat Box Guitar,” Eric put on a mini drum clinic. Julie was seamless all night transitioning between different bass styles. (I think the jury is still out as to which Slick was more slick.) Also, the inclusion of “Color Futurevision” took on particular significance in light of the tragic shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day.

Towards the end of the show, a middle-aged man, who appeared to already have enjoyed several beers, approached Joe and myself, asking if we were familiar with the band’s material. When I answered that I was, he asked if he was going to play any Crimson songs, offering in a quite disappointed tone, “Well, he has to at least play ’21st Century Schizoid Man.’”

I would suggest that this guy just doesn’t get it. While they did contribute playful versions of King Crimson classics, “Dinosaur” and “Three of a Perfect Pair,” it’s quite obvious this band does not exist just to “play the hits.” They exist to push boundaries and leave an indelible mark.

Just like “Schizoid Man” did.

Setlist:
Writing on the Wall
Young Lions
“A” (from the upcoming album, E)
“B” (from the upcoming album, E)
Dinosaur
Beat Box Guitar
Of Bow and Drum
Color Futurevision
Three of a Perfect Pair
“E” (from the upcoming album, E)