Mike Keneally Band

Mike Keneally Band - Bakin' @ The Potato! (Audio Disc 1) - 2011 - ExoWax

In 2010, Mike Keneally Band bassist Bryan Beller hatched a rather ambitious plot: to launch a tour in support of his own two solo albums and have the Keneally Band open for itself under the Beller moniker. Fairly simple, really. Called the They’re Both The Same Band Tour, the jaunt saw the Keneally Band—Keneally, Beller, guitarist Rick Musallam, drummer Joe Travers—augmented by longtime friend and guitarist Griff Peters. Circumstances dictated that the tour was brief, so the two bands reconvened in September 2010, at the legendary Baked Potato in Los Angeles for one more show, the results of which were captured on Beller’s recent inaugural live release, Wednesday Night Live (available on both CD and DVD), and this, the third official live album from Keneally. If there was a weak spot in the Keneally output of the past, it was 1996’s Half Alive in Hollywood. A two-disc affair, the record served as a kind of aural documentary of Keneally and Beer For Dolphins both in the studio and on the stage at the Musicians’ Institute in Hollywood. Half Alive is the sound of a band finding its way in those two mediums with occasional aplomb. But it’s a far less confident sounding unit than the one that appeared a decade later on the more streamlined and time-tested Guitar Therapy Live. That record saw the written-in-the-stars rhythm section of Beller and Travers mesh flawlessly with the guitar brotherhood of Keneally and Musallam. It was the quintessential Mike Keneally Band and the quintessential live Keneally release. Until now. Here, Keneally sounds more relaxed as a live performer, a more confident and at-ease vocalist, an artist more fully in tune with himself and his music. Thus, one might reason that bakin’ @ the potato! would be another leap forward, the sound of the man and the band’s potential made nigh on tangible. You might reason that this is further evidence of an outfit capable of receiving vital, engaging music that inspires the mind and elevates the soul. And your reasoning would be, in this writer’s estimation, correct. Keneally consistently levels expectations and the opening moments of bakin’ are no exception. The album opens with “Kedgeree”, a track that appeared late in the sequence of 2000’s Dancing. Its placement on that release was exactly correct––it unleashed some late-album fireworks and its Who-ish rhythms and vibe begged for the piece to be a show-closer or a highlight of encores. But its placement here at the top of the set eases listeners into an hour-plus of musical mastery, majesty, and magic. Rather than thrust a typical rockin’ pyrotechnic opening track upon an unsuspecting audience the band offers an implicit promise that there are plenty of peaks to come but that this journey, like many journeys, has to begin on the ground. By the time the quintet gracefully glides into “Blameless (The Floating Face)”, the album’s second track, there’s no doubt that bakin’ is Keneally’s live masterpiece. Like most great bands this one sees the inherent potential in live performance, the way that the stage can push and pull and re-shape material into fascinating new forms, how the stage demands its own nomenclature and how the almighty moment can be as much of compositional tool as a quill or a pawn shop guitar and an archaic echo unit. “My Dilemma”, a favorite that originally appeared on 1994’s Boil That Dust Speck, is presented in a way that respects the studio version and the spirit in which the piece was conceived but lacks the kind of painful reverence that frequently renders live rock albums as exciting as a bowl of day old Quaker Oats. “Dilemma” is a tune owned by the Beller-Travers rhythm section and on this version said rhythm section does not disappoint. To call their performance a textbook example of how to lay down an earth-shattering groove is unfair as the term textbook carries with it a clinical aroma; rather, this is the kind of performance that reveals the character of both the players and the composer, demonstrating for us the certain indefinable elements that come together when two players are as cosmically linked as these gentlemen are—and it sounds as dirty as a coal miner’s lungs. Peters’ presence offers a new density to the material here, especially on tracks such as “Taster”, wherein you can almost weigh the atmosphere, and “Chatfield Manor”, wherein he and Musallam re-create the track’s Southern California-ness with sublime effortlessness. Musallam is an equally mesmerizing presence as he seems not so much to play the music as channel it especially during “Chee”, “Pretty Enough For Girls”, and the aforementioned “Taster”. If it seems that Keneally’s name is sorely lacking from the above paragraphs it is perhaps because what emanates so brilliantly from the heart of this release is the San Diego resident’s skills as a composer and bandleader and the benevolence of his presence. That is to say that his presence is so there that it’s, paradoxically, not there. The presentation of the music is clearly a shared endeavor in which the players pass the energy of the notes, of the emotions, of the moment between them in such a way that they function as a seamless unit. It is, in short, a selflessness and a spiritual bond that allows the experience of these songs and these players to connect with the listener. Some of this is perhaps best witnessed on the bakin’DVD which contains 20 selections against the CD’s 16. Watching the magic unfold during “Taster” and on “Career Politicians” (originally recorded by The Mistakes, a mid-90s collaboration between Keneally, guitarist Henry Kaiser, former Dixie Dregs bassist Andy West and drum wizard Prairie Prince) is awe-inspiring, but you really do have to experience it for yourself to get the full awesomeness, the complete Bang! Zoom! contained within its confines. (The DVD commentary tracks––two of them––are unusually entertaining, funny, and insightful.) bakin’ at the potato! isn’t just a consciousness-raising, ante-upping, grab bag o’ awesomeness, it is the sole inspiration for that phrase. Isn’t that enough? By & © Jedd Beaudoin 15 August 2011 © 1999-2011 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/144638-mike-keneally-band-bakin-the-potato

Ex-Zappa guitarist, Mike Keneally is an extraordinary musician and composer. Since 1992, the vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and multi- instrumentalist has released over 20 albums of music of remarkable inventiveness and originality. He provided vocals, guitar and keyboards in Frank Zappa's last touring band and appeared on numerous Zappa albums. He has also played keyboards with the Joe Satriani Band, and has performed and/or recorded with artists that include Robert Fripp, Kevin Gilbert, Steve Vai, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Persuasions and many more. He is noted for his innovative, and often unpredictable live shows. All Music Guide stated that "Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era." The current Mike Keneally Band includes drummer Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa), bassist Bryan Beller (Steve Vai, Dethklok), and guitarists Rick Musallam (Ben Taylor, Byrd York) and Griff Peters (Billie Myers, Anika Paris). Time Out New York says "this band, with such a peculiar genius leading it, is a thing to savour." Steve Vai has said that "Bryan Beller is the most intuitive and responsive bass player I have ever played with. He has impossible ears and everything he plays sounds like music." Jeff Miers, The Buffalo News (reviewing Wednesday Night Live) said that “Electric bass virtuoso Bryan Beller is part of a new elite in the world of jazz-rock fusion... Beller and Co. tear through several of the bassist's complex but deeply grooving compositions displaying fire and precision. The interplay between the musicians is of the highest order throughout.” On this live set recorded at L.A's Baked Potato club, Mike & Co. play a terrific live set of 16 progressive rock, and jazz fusion tracks.An impressive album, and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Mike Keneally's brilliant "The Universe Will Provide" album and/or Bryan Beller's great "Thanks In Advance" album. Try and listen to Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins' "Dancing" album [All tracks @ 160 Kbps: File size = 93.6 Mb]

TRACKS

Kedgeree
Blameless (The Floating Face)
Life's Too Small
Click
My Dilemma
Chee
Them Dolphins Is Smart
1988 Was A Million Years Ago
Yep, Them Dolphins Is Smart, Alright
Bullys (sic)
Pretty Enough For Girls
Taster
Tomorrow
Scotch
Chatfield Manor
Potato

All tracks composed by Mike Keneally except "Kedgeree" by Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller

MUSICIANS

Mike Keneally - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Rick Musallam - Guitar, Vocals
Griff Peters - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Bryan Beller - Bass, Vocals
Joe Travers - Drums, Vocals

MIKE KENEALLY BIO

Mike Keneally obviously doesn't like to be labeled -- he's a bandleader and bandmember, a rock and jazz fusion player, and also an outstanding guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, and percussionist. Taking up keyboards at age five, Keneally's life changed when he moved from New York to California in 1970 and heard Frank Zappa for the first time at age ten. Woodshedding for the next 15 years as a self-taught guitarist, Keneally formed a band called Drop Control in his hometown of San Diego in 1985 and became one of the city's musical heroes. Keneally auditioned for Zappa's band in 1987 as a "stunt guitar" replacement for Steve Vai, and was hired as a guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist. The multi-instrumentalist would appear on some classic Zappa albums like Broadway the Hard Way and The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life, but little did he know that his lineup would be Zappa's final touring band. Between 1988 and 1991, Keneally performed with Drop Control and Zappa's son Dweezil's band Z, toyed with studio-musician status, and moved to Los Angeles. After working on the Grammy-winning tribute album Zappa's Universe, Keneally started a solo career with his 1992 debut album, Hat. Quirky and hard to categorize (with Zappa trademarks like classical undertones, stuttering, jazz-like rhythms, and humorous lyrics), the debut was a big hit with critics. But the next year would claim both Keneally's father and Zappa, leading to the moody yet brilliant 1994 CD Boil That Dust Speck. Ranging from intense rock ("Skunk") to ballads ("Blameless [The Floating Face]") to Keneally's closing percussion tribute saga to Zappa, "The Old Boat Guy," the disc showcased every facet of his array of talents. Leaving Z in 1996 and naming his solo touring band Beer for Dolphins, Keneally released the riotous double CD Half Alive in Hollywood, featuring one disc of live-in-a-studio originals and one of live stage performances (including covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Power to Love" and Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"). He also formed a band called the Mistakes, with Henry Kaiser, Andy West (Dixie Dregs), and Prairie Prince (the Tubes), who released a self-titled album. The same year, Keneally joined fellow Zappa alumnus Steve Vai's band, playing on the G3 Tour over the next year with Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Playing classical piano-like keyboard lines, percussion, and intricate harmonized guitar lines with rock virtuoso Vai, Keneally helped the band steal the G3 show often (as evidenced by the G3: Live in Concert CD). Between releases by Beer for Dolphins (1997's Sluggo!; 2000's Dancing) and solo albums (1999's Nonkertompf, on which he played all of the instruments), Keneally also found time to record two CDs with Vai, 1999's The Ultra Zone and 2001's Alive in an Ultra World. In 2001, Keneally got a new acoustic guitar, which led to the release of the largely acoustic-based and mellow Wooden Smoke, which showed yet another side of Keneally's musical personality. For another interesting detour, in 2002, Keneally was approached by Co de Kloet, commissioning director for Holland's NPS Radio, and was commissioned to write music for electric guitar and orchestra. The resulting music and live performances with the renowned Metropole Orchestra were such a success that de Kloet started the NPS Output label to release The Universe Will Provide in 2004, just a month after Keneally turned around and delivered his hardest-rocking album to date, Dog, with the newly christened Mike Keneally Band. Just a few months after that came Piano Reductions, Vol. 1, an album of Vai songs played solo on piano that was actually recorded in 1999 at Steve's request. As if he weren't busy enough, around the same time he got involved with Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's Yo Miles! project, appearing on both Sky Garden and Upriver. The Mike Keneally Band hit the road in 2005, playing across the U.S., with Guitar Therapy Live appearing as the tour document in 2006. That same year, Keneally acquired the rights to his early catalog on Immune with plans to re-release it in deluxe editions in 2007 on Exowax (each of Keneally's Exowax recordings has been available as a limited-edition package with lots of bonus material). With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era. By & © Sean Westergaard & Bill Meredith © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-keneally-p93263/biography

BRYAN BELLER BIO

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1993, Bryan Beller's first big gig was with Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa's band Z, which is where he first met Mike Keneally. In 1996, after two albums and a tour, Keneally decided to leave Z for a solo career and Beller decided to stick with Keneally, beginning a musical partnership that's now lasted more than ten years over the course of seven albums and countless tours. During his time in Los Angeles, Beller also played and/or recorded with Wayne Kramer (MC5), Dream Theater's James LaBrie, singer/songwriter Janet Robin (Lindsey Buckingham), and Steve Vai. Beller appears on several Vai albums, and was asked to be bassist for Vai's 2004 shows with the prestigious Metropole Orchestra (their performance of "Lotus Feet" was nominated for a 2005 Grammy). In 2002, Beller began work on View, his debut as a leader. Financed, composed, and produced by Beller, the critically praised View was released on his own Onion Boy label in the fall of 2003. Beller is also a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including a long-running column in Bass Player magazine (1999-2003). He's interviewed several heavyweight bass players like Lee Sklar, Neil Stubenhaus, and Billy Sheehan, and currently has a column called Masterclass in Bass Player. Beller moved from Los Angeles to Nashville in early 2006, but continues to work as both a freelance bassist and writer while working on material for his second album. Despite the location change, he is also still recording and touring with Mike Keneally both in the Mike Keneally Band and as a clinician for Taylor Guitars. By & © Sean Westergaard © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bryan-beller-p55658