HW Space Ritual

[mike coleman]

i'VE HEARD FROM niK
BOTH MUSICALLY AND PERSONALLY
MY SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR JUST NOW HEARING THE SPACE ODDYSEY CD AND OTHERS
NIK RULES
DAVE RULES
I'M THINKING OF ASKING DAVE TO DO IT AGAIN
WANT TO HEAR NIK IN SOME DEVON MUSIC
THE END


On 1/20/09, Ian Abrahams <ianabrahams1 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> What????? The likes of Jerry Richards are *really* not to be classified in
> the 'shambles' terms... or, to be honest, neither are people like Dave
> Anderson who to me is a very together guy. I think Nik's perference for
> playing a bit unrehearsed and ad-hoc sort of goes towards people thinking
> this but I've seen Space Ritual a lot and I think they are a highly
> enjoyable, well together band who are getting better and better. So, umm,
> didn't really agree with this Jon :)
>
> --- On Tue, 1/20/09, Jonathan Jarrett <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK>
> wrote:
> From: Jonathan Jarrett <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK>
> Subject: Re: HW Space Ritual
> To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET
> Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 3:26 PM
>
> On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 07:40:42AM -0800, Steve Swann typed out:
> > I have to wonder what happened when I saw Nikwind (when he was backed
> > the Pressurehead guys) in NY years ago.  The band gave a great
> > performance and Nik was downright gentlemanly.  He freaking bowed to
> > the audience at the end, and in a very formal voice thanked us all for
> > attending!  It was a great show I wouldn't have thought twice about
> > going back to see them again.  And my wife saw Nikwind twice and she
> > said the show I missed was even better.
> >
> > And yet I always hear these stories about him being a loose cannon.
> > Did I just get lucky seeing that show??
>
>        I think the explanation here is that Nik in the USA is a very
> different thing from Nik in the UK. To tour the USA Nik needs someone
> else to do the bulk of the work, and he tends to tour with bands who are
> bands in and of themselves, Pressurehed/Farflung, 5:15, Spaceseed and so
> on. They're all rehearsed and in practice before he arrives, the
> bookings are made and the dates known well in advance and so it unrolls
> professionally. And then in the UK he seems to gather a bunch of mates,
> many of whom should no longer be allowed on a stage for a paying public,
> together at the last minute, there is no rehearsal and either he and THE
> MIGHTY JUDGE TREV save the day or they can't (if, e. g. Trev isn't
> there). But people always come. So he can get away with much less effort
> (and works with some people for whom organisation and professional
> musiciansip is less of a concern than it is for Grenas and del Rio who
> both make their living at it) and so he doesn't try harder. Nik himself
> has always been when I've seen him a gentleman, friendly, and a quality
> frontman, often even playing well, especially when All Stars members
> were involved. But his bands in the UK are shambles and in the USA
> they're well-drilled units and that's the difference you're seeing.
>
>        Somehow Space Ritual have never managed to climb above this
> problem despite being a band in and of themselves. Which is not to say
> that the new album isn't very good, because it is, but it's also a fine
> example of the miracle of what a good studio and producer can do for a
> ropey live outfit. Yours,
>                          Jon
>
>
> --
> "When fortune wanes, of what assistance are quantities of elephants?"
>            (Juvaini, Afghan Muslim chronicler, c. 1206)
> Jon Jarrett, Fitzwilliam Museum, jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
>