Skip to main content

Twiddle & Spyn Reset 10.19.17


Nectar Lounge
Seattle, Washington

Words & Photos by Erica Garvey


“When it rains it pours,” so goes the Twiddle standard, and so went the show when Seattleites packed Nectar Lounge on a remarkably dreary October school-night to see the just-shy-of-mainstream jammers deliver two fiery sets of crowd-pleasers.

Local group Spyn Reset perfectly complemented the main act with their opening performance of electronic rock. The band sounds like a metal-tinged Juno What?!: traditional rock drums with heavy guitar, centered around synth keys and altered vocals of the lead, YASU. Late in the set, YASU stood alone on the stage for an outstanding solo of looping keys that, against all odds, momentarily caused the restless audience to forget how eagerly they were waiting for Twiddle.

This was no small feat considering the absolute devotion the “Frends” have for Twiddle (there “ain’t no ‘i’ in ‘frends,’” so say those of the Twiddle universe). By the time the band took the stage, the rail-riders had formed a sort of hierarchy based on Twiddle loyalty. A mild-mannered gentleman with the words “JamFlowMan Don’t Give a Damn” emblazoned on the back of his shirt was allowed the front center position for the entire first set. The stage was littered with unexplained kitsch: a Yoda doll, a plush raccoon, a small statue of Buddha holding a crystal ball, and the like. No one questioned the collection, we just admired it.

If you have heard anything about Twiddle, you know the band often draws comparisons to that other band* from Vermont: four dudes with a very decent light rig, heavy on guitar jams and thumping bass lines. Mihali Savoulidis has an incredible command of the guitar, making his instruments’ melodies really sing, slightly overshadowing his actual unique and engaging singing voice. Ryan Dempsey (keys), Zdenek Gubb (bass), and Brook Jordan (drums) provide weighty backup and intermittent solos. This was only my second time seeing Twiddle live, and I felt like the three non-guitarists were shining just a little brighter this time. Though Savoulidis is entertaining on his own, I am sure many fans would be thrilled to hear the other members featured more prominently as the band continues evolving and producing new music.

Over the course of the evening, I was constantly hearing influences from other bands and genres, sometimes only for a measure or two, though Twiddle never strayed from the core makeup of that particular song or from their overall sound. Aside from the typical jam band sounds, there were influences of reggae and metal, a few Dopapod-worthy sections, and bass lines that were in the range of Red Hot Chili Peppers all the way to Ott. Perhaps some credit is due to the sound engineers/instrument technicians that Twiddle brought on tour (definitely a plus), but the songs are crafted in a way that allows ample room for emulation of a wide range of musical styles while staying true to the Twiddle feel.

The Frends are definitely onto something here. Twiddle’s sunshiny live show is a welcome cure for a dark rainy night, whether you are at Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont, or that other Nectar in Seattle, Washington.

*It’s Phish. You know this one!

www.twiddlemusic.com

www.spynreset.com

Set One: Amydst The Myst, Gatsby The Great, Second Wind, Cabbage Face

Set Two: Nicodemus Portulay, Fire On High, Every Soul, Carter Candlestick> Too Many Puppies> Carter Candlestick, When It Rains It Pours, Garden Grove> Ganja Medley

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Livetronica Sampler 3.22.11

Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) Ozric Tentacles This British group has proven innovative throughout the years offering a space-rock meets psytrance sound that remains alive to this day. Though never having a major record label, Ozric Tentacles has produced 28 albums of diverse psychedelia throughout its career. The band met at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 and truly fathered livetronica music with its use of sequencers and synthesizers. Simply put, there would be no livetronica without Ozric Tentacles. www.ozrics.com Octopus Nebula Colorado’s Octopus Nebula has certainly hit its stride as of late with its constant touring and increased festival interest. The group expands on the deep sounds of highly regarded acts such as STS9 and Shpongle but also carves a path of its own with its fresh takes on synthesizer tones and sampling in the live setting. Octopus Nebula Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 26, 2010. <--- Direct Archive Link www.octopus

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least

The Origin of MusicMarauders

Words By J-man "What should I name this fucking thing?" I asked myself in the midst of a joint in my Upstate, NY apartment. "It's got to be something with just 'Music'in the title. Nothing more specific than that, as we'll be covering a wide variety of genres." One more drag on the joint yielded the memory of driving down Woodward Ave. in Detroit, listening to Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders. "MusicMarauders! That's it... It completely encompasses what we do in the sense the we are 'maraudering' or 'pillaging' for music," I thought as I stared out of the window at about three and a half feet of fresh Upstate snow. First things first, the domain had to be registered. "Do I have ten dollars in my account?" I thought to myself from a position of just scraping by. Pulling out my shiny, rarely used debit card, I put it to the test and was able to secure MusicMarauders.com. "What's next?" I