HW Space Ritual

[mike coleman]

LAST i HEARD IT WAS THE BEST BAND ON THE FLOOR BUT YOU GOT ME KICKED OFF
THAT FORUM AND i MAY HAVE READ OUT OF CONTEXT
NEXT TIME USE FIRE AND A STRETCHER WHILE STILL PERFORMING OR SOMETHING


On 1/20/09, trev <judge48 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yea, I recon Trev and Kev are the best band on the road in the UK at the
> moment.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jonathan Jarrett" <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:26 PM
> To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
> Subject: Re: HW Space Ritual
>
>  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
>>
>>