PopWars

We ran into my brother, Fran, and then Cyro Baptista on the street just after Cyro’s show at Montage. We were knocked out by the way this woman exhaled her cigarette smoke. It seems every time Cyro Baptista steps out of the house he is peforming with a new band under a new name. He has played with everyone from Paul Simon to Yo Yo Ma. Supergenerous featured Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit and Cyro with a new bass player. We were excited to see them because Cyro’s performance with Beat The Donkey in this same club (Montage) a few years back was sensational. This time around the band barely gelled. 

Carolyn Wonderland played the night before at Montage and we heard a few rave reviews from friends who caught her so we made a point to check her out when played for free on the street tonight. She was surrounded by the Headhunter’s trappings but all eyes were on her. She is cute and tough at the same time and an incredible guitarist with a great voice. What else is there? She plays without a pick and sings like Janis Joplin. If she is not already huge, she should be.

We walked down East Avenue to the Alexander Street stage to check out the scene and Medeski, Martin and Wood. They were pretty good but nothing to write home about. Wait, we are home, I almost forgot. We have seen and heard so many amazing groups in the last week, our heads are spinning. We stood in line for Catherine Russell but couldn’t get in. We talked to Tom Kohn, Frank DeBlase and Julia Fiqueres outside of Kilbourn while a fight broke out across the street. Frank said, Now it’s a real festival”. Julia had just interviewed Catherine Russell for WXXI’s Sound Stage. Now it’s over until next year. You’d think we would have had enough but we’re thinking of riding our bikes over to the soccer stadium hear Gato Barbieri open for The Roots this afternoon.

I’ve added my last batch of photos from this year’s Jazz Fest here. Click on 2008 Club Pass.

We were in line early for Billy’s Band at Max’s. Someone came by offering Chap Stick courtesy of Toyota and then free Vitamin water. It said “no sodium” but it tasted salty. Must have been the “natural flavoring”.

Billy’s Band looked like a bunch of hobos. In fact they were hard to photograph because they all huddled in circle like bums around a barrel of burning trash. The Saint Petersburg quartet sounded like Tom Waits but they sang Russian. Most of the material was Tom Waits’ too. Tom Waits is good so Billy’s Band was good. The guitar player looked like Abbie Hoffman or a miniature Armand Schaubroeck from the House of Guitars. The bass player worked the room with his broken English and they were very entertaining.

I’ve added some more photos from the Jazz Fest here. Click on 2008 Club Pass.