Jeff Sipe Trio 4/26/08 Slim’s (Raleigh)
“That was the best 3 bucks I’ve ever spent.”….”Best live music I’ve seen in Raleigh in 10 years.”…those are just 2 of the quotes I heard last night after the Jeff Sipe Trio show at Slim’s Downtown.
The Jeff Sipe Trio show, along with 2 other shows at the Lincoln Theatre & The Pour House, was billed as a Widespread Panic After Party Show. After leaving a wedding shower (I didn’t really know guys went to these things up until about a year ago or so) and opting out of seeing Widespread (on account of allergies) I called the Slim’s phone number – the answering machine said the show starts at 11, cover charge is $3, and special guests in the audience. Let’s see – Panic’s in town…Jimmy Herring is touring with them. Jeff’s played in quite a few bands with Mr. Herring (several incarnations of Aquarium Rescue Unit, Project Z, Herring Rodgers Sipe)…I’m thinking I may be paying 3 bucks to see Jeff Sipe and possibly Jimmy Herring in some local dive…pretty incredible huh. I’ve caught Sipe and Herring with ARU (opening up for Derek Trucks Band @ Innsbrook in Richmond) and with Herring Rodgers Sipe at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro – the chemistry these guys have is out of this world – zambi’s the only way to describe it I suppose.
A lot of my friends were going out for my roommate’s birthday, which we didn’t find out about until the day of – but I opted to go see Sipe…I live for this stuff, so I pretty much had to go…Leave my place at about 10:40, and after parking a bit aways from the venue (some roads were blocked out from the Beer Festival) I got there right at 11 – go straight to the bar, Sipe’s right there, tell him I’m looking forward to the show and ask about the “special guests.” He said Jimmy’s mom just got married and he’s hanging out with the family (Jimmy’s from nearby Fayetteville) and being at a bar was the last place he’d wanna be. We both grab our Amstel Lights and head towards the stage, I tell him either way I’m looking forward to it.
I’d caught them last summer at the now defunct Hideaway BBQ and right off the bat there was a different energy with the band – more progressive/fusion sound which just blew away everyone paying any bit of attention…a lot of the people there didn’t know the caliber of the players and certainly didn’t know what kind of company Mr Sipe has kept (Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, Project Z, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Col Bruce Hampton, Alex Machacek, Leftover Salmon, Trey Anastasio, Phil & Friends, Shawn Lane…and so on). The first 2 numbers were quite impressive. When I caught them at the Hideaway, they had just started playing and most the audience was sitting down – this show just had a ton of energy.
Couple of the covers I remember from the first set were Ray Charles’ Busted which featured a pair of audience members doing what I can only describe as primal animalistic ritual dance interpretations set to music…it was quite the sight. I’ve gone to a lot of shows and the only other thing along those lines I can remember topping that was the 1/19/03 Wilmington Derek Trucks Band show at the Marrz Theater where a couple practically went into triple x mode in the front row. They also covered Stevie Wonder’s Too High.
After a short intermission, the band went into Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life. Other highlights of this set were Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” which morphed from a reggae feel to a uptempo bluegrassish feel that sent the crowd into a frenzy. What was left of the crowd was mesmerized by all the players – there was a mutual feeling of astonishment of catching such a band for 3 bucks in a hole in the wall.
The band launched into a phenomenal cover of John Coltrane’s Mr PC. There was a guy next to me wearing a Dinosaur Jr shirt that began almost headbanging right in front of guitarist Mike Seal – who went on to just shred the tune. Jeff told Mike it was the fastest he’s ever seen him play.
After the show I talked a bit to a couple of people I knew that happened to be there and with Mike – telling him I caught them last time they were around, we talked some music and then he told me to come outside with the band and hang out with them. After we talked about some about jazz/fusion and other stuff they covered – I mentioned that Oteil Burbridge had told me that Jaco’s playing on Metheny’s Bright Size Life was one of his biggest influences…they asked if I played anything – I said guitar and some mandolin with Mike & the bassist Vince…Mike asked if I played bluegrass which I responded “not exactly that I never had the patience to learn fiddle tunes note for note to be a legitimate bluegrass player” but being from the mountains (he’s from Tenn) you can’t help but absorb some of the stuff. We then talk about Chris Thile and his last two records and just the entire genius that is Chris Thile. We then talk about the Bela Fleck Tales From Acoustic Planet, Strength In Numbers and I recommended the first Mark O’Connor CD – Markology. He then asked if I had the Nashville Cats CD, which I’ve just bought in the past month but haven’t given it enough spins yet – we then talk about some of the other nashville cats like Brent Mason and such. At about 2:30 the people working there made us all quit “partying” and closed up. Turns out that Jeff has family that owns Slim’s – so there’ll be more Sipe shows at Slim’s. All in all quite the night and not one that I’ll be forgetting.
Old Review:
8/18/07 – Hideaway BBQ (Raleigh)
Just got back from seeing the Jeff Sipe Trio. The trio is Jeff on drums; Mike Seal on guitar; I can’t recall the bassist (electric & standup). Mike is 22 still studying at University of Tennesse – but was a phenomenal player…great command of chords/harmony/melody – sorta in the Frisell/Scofield vein.
They played mostly covers…did some Stevie Wonder tunes (Too High, I Wish, Sir Duke); Scofield (Chank); Coltrane (Impressions); Pat Metheny (Bright Size Life) and a pretty nifty cover of Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry Be Happy among others. Too High sounded fantastic – first time they had every played the song.
They’re playing mostly in the NC/SC area, but check em out if you have a chance.
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