Tammany Hall was a difficult gig for Fiddlehead. It was about a three hour drive out to Tammany with traffic and another two hours back. They brought the entire light show and all their equipment and had to unload and load it all. Some of them didn't get home until 5 AM! Despite the band being run down from the week and the trip, they still brought it all together.
Brown Chicken Brown Cow showed up at Tammany with a rented U-Haul, that shows some dedication. BCBC played a great set and filled Tammany with funk. Brian Houde was excellent on bass and Eric Houde ripped some great solos. Mike O'Toole held it down on the drums and overall the band sounded top notch despite the trip and everything.
There was a canned food/perishable items drive for Strangers Helping Strangers that night organized by Fiddlehead. Several boxes of items were collected in exchange for door charges. This made it more of a benefit show than anything else really. Quite a few people made the trip all the way to Worcester to support Fiddlehead, including local fans and fans from as far away as Maine.
Fiddlehead played a good show with few technical errors and a killer light show. The band was a bit worn down so they weren't quite jelling the way they usually do. Despite this, they still sounded tight and organized. Mike Strakus did a great job both playing and helping to setup and organize everything including the light show. Tim Johnson sounded great on the drums this particular night and was very enthusiastic despite the trip. Pat and Kevin's voices sounded good in the hall as well.
After Tammany, on Friday the 18th, Fiddlehead played at Overtime in Beverly. OT's reminds me a bit of Dodge Street without a lot of the flavor. Originally Fiddlehead was only supposed to play one set, but they played so well and there were only two bands, so they were allowed to play a second set. All I have to say is - WOW, this was a truly stellar performance. I mean maybe one of the top Fiddlehead performances of all time. I think they were doing a lot of jamming and practicing up on stage and just letting loose and it paid off.
I think they were ready for the Dodge Street show, so that one went really well, Tammany kind of caught them off guard and they just decided to go for it at OT's. It was pedal to the metal funktastic as Pat Nelson and Mike Strakus shredded solos over the smooth funkalicious sounds of Kevin Maestranzi's new Fender Jazz Bass. Tim Johnson also played particularly well and I think the whole band really came together subconsciously, relieved some stress and just blew the doors off the place.
They opened for another band called Skyfoot as well. Skyfoot sounded pretty cool also, with some country and bluegrass mixed into their funky ensemble. A three piece band including a guitarist, drummer and keyboard player on double duty playing the bass on one keyboard and piano on the other. I'm sure this gig was a particularly good night for them since Fiddlehead brought the light show! Perhaps we will see more of Skyfoot playing with Fiddlehead in the future.
Unfortunately I am pressed for time and have to cut this short but I had to get it done! Been going to shows and working non-stop but I am trying hard to keep this blog updated. Fiddlehead's next show is at the Winter Baller's Ball way out in Keene and after that they are playing at Bangkok Paradise on March 5th. I'll hopefully be covering both of these events so stay tuned!
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