To: BIMA-Talk@lists.cowswithguns.com
From: dweiss@bima.com (David Weiss)
Subject: 1998 BIMA Benefit Concert
Hey everyone,
Thanks to all who helped out or came to the BIMA show on May 29. We had a good turn out and made a little bit of money, which will go towards buying some new harware for the venerable BIMA computer.
In case you couldn't make it, Curt Dubois took some snap shots with a digital camera. You can see them at:
http://members.aol.com/ctdubois/concert.htm
Aaron Booker took some video earlier in the night. More footage to edit for the BIMA TV special that we hope to air on Channel 10 like we did last year...
Phil Heaven did a great job with the sound. He got called in to do sound two days before the show and I swear I didn't hear a speck of feedback the whole night. We sold (and pre-sold) a few tapes and CD's for everyone that had music to sell. Joe Ponder did a great job as M.C. in between sets and explaining to the audience about BIMA.
I think we got VERY lucky with promotion this year from KISM (Jon Eliot) and the Bellingham Herald (Mike McQuaide). I think a lot of people like what we're doing and it's perceived as a very positive thing to promote. There's been talk about taking next year's show into a bigger venue, like the Doublewide on N. State St.
My Notes About The Show:
Every performer played a short half-hour set. There were no sound checks. Phil Heaven (Soundings of the Planet Studios) had his hands full with so many set changes! But the music was wrapped up by 11:40 PM, we were packed and out of there just after midnight. *whew!*
8:15 - DAVID WEISS BAND
David Weiss - acoustic & electric guitar
Denny Reynolds - bass
Tom Harbeson - percussion & drums
Mike Simmons - drums
Anna Schaad - electric viola
My set felt very strange from the stage. I couldn't hear a thing except drums and my guitar (and viola when Anna played). I have no idea how it sounded out front. I seem to remember doing some pretty wild guitar & viola wah-wah double leads during the Santana song. I thought my bass player Denny played a REALLY hot thumb-slapping bass solo in our funk jam at the end of the set. Seemed like people liked it...
8:55 - BRETT LOVINS & TWANG FACTOR 4
Brett Lovins - acoustic & slide guitar, lead vocals
Jim Linduist - bass & backup vocals
Mike Simmons - drums & backup vocals
A lot of my friends who hadn't heard him before really liked Brett's music. One thing that really impressed me was how tight the band was vocally, with Jim Lindquist and Mike Simmons singing clear tight harmonies. (And I didn't see any vocal monitor back by the drum riser.) They had a good solid groove. A new CD from Brett is long overdue... it's only $3,000 away!
9:30 - MEN WITHOUT PANTS
Steve Webb - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums
Val D'Alessio - backup vocals & acoustic guitar John Butorac (sp?) - congas
Aiden Hunter (sp?) - bass)Steve Webb & company got rave reviews from EVERYBODY... he's just got great songs with excellent lyrics, memorable melodic hooks, interesting rhythmic grooves and the perfect pop vocal sensibility to express himself. Add the novelty of his toy drum kit, his self-depreciating stage banter, a capable backup band and you have Men Without Pants. I keep wondering when we will see a CD from Steve because I for one want to buy one! $3,000, anybody?
10:15 - TIM McHUGH (12-string Acoustic guitar & vocals)
I see Tim every day at WWU (since I work there and so does he) and we thought it would be neat to have him come up and play a couple of songs solo after Men Without Pants. I thought he gave a very inspired performance, and banged out a hard-strumming version of "Are You Real?" from his Edge of Forever CD.
10:25 - THE SAD CAFE
Gino - vocals & electric guitar
Mesha - vocals & electric guitar
Denise - vocals & keyboards
Jake - bass
Andy - drums
I don't know any of their last names, but I liked their music when I heard them one night at Anna's Caddyshack in Fairhaven so Joe Ponder & I managed to get them on the bill. Very pop. Gino & I talked a lot about how much we've both been inspired by the Posies over the years. Sad Cafe were easily the loudest act of the night, maybe a little too much for the room with full five-piece instrumentation and three-part harmony vocals. I think a bigger venue with a full sound system & monitors would have done justice to their songs. They just recently added a drummer and Friday was his public performance with the band.
11:00 - ANNA SCHAAD (viola) & DAVID MacVITTIE (guitars)
Anna got a huge full-page picture on the cover the Bellingham Herald's Take Five section. I'd been receiving a bunch of calls prior to the show wanting to know when she was going to be performing. Since the show a couple of people have e-mailed me wanting to know when and where she's playing next. I almost feel like her friggn' publicist! Since she missed the KISM interview show, all us other bands decided that she would be the "headliner," therefore she should go on last. I was hoping that people would stay to hear her set, and it did seem like there were quite a few people who came specifically to hear her... she sure was pushing advance sales of her new CD (due out by the end of the week). Naturally she sounded great, and so did David MacVittie on some blistering guitar work, and Tom Harbeson (who also plays in my band) sat in on African percussion for a song. I'm looking forward to hearing her CD "The Raven Project." Isn't everybody?
Thanks once again for a successful event!
