Dax Riggs/Mike Cummings/Heavy Temple/Village 12.15.13 KungFuNecktie Philly

[SabbathJeff]

Cool show.  (This sold out). Apparently Heavy Temple's 6 string was a "douchenozzle" and they played with a new drummer as a bass and drum duo.  It was interesting.

We missed half of Village's set maybe, they went on early as shit I think because they were a surprise addition and a welcome one to my ears, the lady friend as well.

Village I think are an instrumental only band, there was a mic up, if I missed the singing I'm wrong, but what I heard was instrumental.  2 axes, one of whom plays the organ sounding keyboard, bass and drums.  It was like Deep Purple mixed with Sabbath and Hawkwind with the power of 2013's tones.  I dug, asked the bassist about any bandcamp, he said a fastspace?  I'll look it up.  

Heavy Temple they called themselves; in reality they were the bassist/vocalist of Heavy Temple only, and another drummer who was absolutely nuts for how tiny he is.  As only playing the bass and drum bits to the songs, i assume her songs, there was a very real sons OTISy tone I was detecting.   Because the songs were meant to be with guitar, she took on the solos and all basically and the songs drugged their spacy way to  their endpoints.  Since OTIS are basically a canadian only band live, I'd never think I'd be able to hear tones like that mixed with space acid freak out cosmic sludge in a live setting, but I'll be damned if I didn't close my eyes, let her beautiful voice take me to more beautifully universal places than OTIS could ever attain.  Really fucking outstanding she found that guy so fast or whatever and he knew the songs, he was standing up and crashing down on the symbols, kept having to move the bass drum back to him, etc.  And then there was the one, and best, seciton I thought, where they toned it down, slowed it down, jazzed it out, drug it along, and it was like hearing Bill Ward in 1969 man.  I'll probably never be able to see them again as a duo, because some real gutiar solos would have aced it, but that set was a black monolith trudged through by a white witch and some tiny really angry dude on drums.  He was so happy playing, it looked like they really had fun trying the songs like this.

Mike quitely took the stage, the place was pretty full by then.  I'd heard the first track he posted on bandcamp whenever that was, and will check it again to see if new songs were released.  He has a great voice and solo acoustic he really let it shine.  The songs were pretty somehow, heavy bluesy but uplifting.  I'd check an album out if he were to want to release this kind of stuff.  They'd be better rounded with a fiddle, upright bass..

Dax capped the night with an opener of What A Wonderful World.  It was so beautiful yet the rest of his set wasn't any less.  This stuff rivaled unplugged Nirvana for me as far as sorrowful yet beautiful simple acoustic songs.  Dax has been going a long time and I really enjoyed hearing this side of him live for the first time I was introduced to him.  I'd be down for sludge, but this was initmate.  He had a bassist next to him who was playing Paul McCartney's bass (the model, whathaveyou) and it was cool to see and hear that different bass live for the first for me.

It was like 8 9 different firsts for my lady friend, she had a blast, and basically shows are more fun with the one you love.  Some are for different friends, but last night was for her.

Go see Village.  And this tour.  You can thank me later if you must.
   

[MichaelZodiac]

This sounds like a pretty awesome show. I've been wanting to see Dax Riggs for years now but so far he hasn't crossed the pond yet.