Bruins Breakdown Shakedown

Ahh, The Farm. One of the coolest venues I have ever been to. There's a volleyball court outside for crying out loud, who doesn't love that? Located in historic Essex, The Farm is a bar and grille where sports and live music collide. While a majority of the bar is watching the Bruins in overtime, Fiddlehead begins their set in a foggy, light-speed haze. Even though the beginning of their set is slowed by the game, they still bring it and start to build a crowd.

By the time Space Cream and Nicotine roll around, the crowd is really bumping. The Farm has to be one of the most hospitable places I have been in a while. Everyone is incredibly nice and friendly. Pat Nelson's SG sings from the soul tonight, and no broken strings! Strakus both dominates the SYB pedal and his Jazz Master in his epic battle against the Blorg. Kevin and Pat both combat the lack of a second mic in style. Tim Johnson rides the snake on a very shiny Gretsch kit! Desirae paints another masterpiece. Felipe's light show is out of this world.

Speaking of WORLDS, lets talk about OUR OWN WORLD for a moment, shall we? They are an incredibly awesome band with very solid licks. I really like how the lead guitar player rips a Les Paul, I haven't seen one of those since Zubru at Dodge street! They play an excellent set filled with great tunes. They are also a very agreeable and friendly bunch of guys. I definitely see Fiddlehead and Our Own World playing together again in the future.

Apparently now Fiddlehead is being played on College radio. Pretty soon that ole Blorg is going to have to make a deal here because the lads are just getting too big for their britches. In fact, the whole jam scene around Beverly, Salem and Lynn is just exploding. Pretty soon I see some of these bands touring the country, playing huge festivals and creating music all over the world. Stay tuned for more Fiddlefun!

Night at the Limelight

As I walk into this cozy, shotgun-style bar on a second story in downtown Haverhill, I am not met with quite what I expected. This seems like a very down to Earth, but hopping venue. The stage is angled and in a pretty good spot over by the windows. I am very impressed by the extremely professional setup of Guitar Center's own Nils Carlson and Chris "Keebler" Wadden. From wireless systems to a Mac book to record the whole evening, these guys cover all the bases.

The first band is a Weezer cover band fronted by Nils and they sound awesome. They put a new spin on all of the Weezer favorites. The whole band is very tight and the sound mix is excellent. The drum kit is mic'd perfectly and between the great band, awesome lights and the fog machine, everyone starts to get down. Who doesn't like Weezer anyway?!

Fiddlehead quickly sets up shop and prepares to unleash chaos on the masses. At this point the bar is starting to fill in a little more. As Fiddlehead progresses through their set, more and more people come pouring in and more and more people get closer to the stage and start dancing. I thought Tim's drumming is particularly good tonight, especially considering he isn't playing his own kit. Kevin hops in and out of the crowd with the aid of a wireless system. Mike masters the SYB pedal tonight and goes the distance. Pat's guitar and vocal mic give him some trouble but he handles it like a champion.

After the set, we head across the street real quick to check out our good friends Brown Chicken Brown Cow. Two Lynn jam bands playing in Haverhill right across the street from each other on the same night? Priceless. They sound awesome tonight especially with the addition of harmonica. They are definitely moving up in the world and making a name for themselves on the jam band scene. They have matching band t-shirts tonight as well, red, white and blue! Check them out at a venue near you.

Sorry to cut it short but sweet, will most likely be writing about Fiddlehead's next show at The Farm in Essex tomorrow night with Our Own World!

BlorGulu w/Cheese, $11.99

(I don't know if you've heard...but there is this band called Fiddlehead and well, they have been playing tons of shows all around the Northshore and beyond. On Thursday, April 7th, they played at the good old Gulu Gulu Cafe. This was a long time coming since their musical roots took hold in the original Gulu in Lynn. Legend says that Steve Feldmann himself once booted them for being too loud. Well, no longer! It appears the lads have been welcomed back to the new Gulu Gulu with open arms.)

As I walk through the door, I witness many of the typical items that come along with a Fiddlehead show. Desirae Hudson is painting a lovely picture to be raffled later on during the show. Cherie Mann is displaying all of her wonderful jewelry for sale. Felipe is running with a minimal light kit this evening but the drums are still lit up quite nicely. Fiddlehead is wailing away on one of their soon-to-be hit songs and wreaking havoc on yet another crowd.

Something feels particularly warm about this show. Maybe its the fact that the Gulu Gulu is just a comfortable place for me, but it just feels awesome. There is a decent crowd for a Thursday night and everyone is definitely entertained. Then suddenly I am summoned to the stage to play during the break. Luckily Dan Kupka happened to be there with his melodica and played along splendidly. After some good time favorites and a botched rendition of "Friend of the Devil" I gladly hop off the stage and let Fiddlehead continue to unleash chaos.

Most of the second set sounds damn good, for reasons which may be obvious if you know Fiddlehead at all...Some people get up and dance for a bit, which is awesome. The original concerns about Fiddlehead maybe being too loud are not a problem at all. Even Tim Johnson, the monster himself, rages just a bit lighter in the Cafe environment. They play right up until the wire and even a little beyond, as the crowd begs for encore after encore.

If you missed your chance to have your face melted off this time, tune in next time, as the Fiddleheads fight the Blorg once again at The Farm in Essex on April 23rd...or perhaps some other exciting locale in the meantime. Until then here is a preview of a little something you should attend next month:

Dodge Street Triple Threat

On Saturday, April 2nd, three awesome bands took the stage at the Dodge Street. Absylum kicked things off, followed by Fiddlehead and finally, BrownChicken BrownCow. I got the chance to chill with the bands while they were setting up and I must say it was all very professionally done. The mix sounds really good tonight and all the bands seem ready to rip it.

The crowd starts coming in around 9:30 or 10:00 as Absylum takes the stage. They perform a very excellent set and Justin Lopes sounds particularly good this evening. His piano is a lot less muddy than it was at the Foobar and I think the mix had something to do with that. I also heard he couldn't hear himself so kudos to Justin, very well played. MJ Sands holds down the dirty beats and Sean McCormick's bass playing is superb this evening. I see this band definitely going places in the future, very awesome!

Fiddlehead performs a very technically sound and tight set. I hear very few flaws and notice that Tim Johnson isn't dropping his sticks tonight. This is a very well rehearsed set and extremely well performed. I think Kevin sounds great, especially his singing this evening. Mike Strakus sounds awesome and I really like some of the new effects he is trying out. Pat Nelson, as always, rips epic solos and brings the house down with his thunderous vocals. These guys are incredible pretty much no matter what they do. Oh, and there were puppets...huge puppets, courtesy of Andy Burke and One World Puppetry - bringing the festival inside!

Brown Chicken Brown Cow plays last and the crowd starts to dwindle out a bit. They are a good band and play particularly well, but they just don't hold the crowd quite like the other bands this evening. Eric Houde plays excellent and lets the metal out on his birthday. They have some very catchy songs, but maybe they need a few more or a little more depth. They are still young and an up and coming band so I think they need some time to grow as well. Still a very good performance and they did hold their own for being a newer band.

If you didn't get your Fiddlefix this time, you're in luck! Fiddlehead will be playing at the Gulu Gulu Cafe this Thursday starting at 8 PM. Come by and check them out, it is going to be an epic evening!