PGroove and the Colonel (retired)

So, I'm back at the Mayor's place. I found it necessary to start calling Shimon the Mayor of Atlanta because everywhere we went, people would line up to give him a hug--like an acne-faced Bar Mitzvah kid's parents' reception line. He knew everyone and definitely knows how to show me a good time.

We left his place around 4 this afternoon and headed to the New Yorker Deli. Now, I'm one who is quite familiar with a good deli sandwich. And I'd even venture to say I'm quite the Reuben conoisseur, but apparently I've never had a *true* New York Reueben. Sure, regular russian dressing isn't enough, so I guess it is beneficial to have some spicy mustard as a counterpoint. That being said, logic stands to reason that simply having thinly-sliced pastrami between two pieces of rye doesn't cut it, so the only way to restore balance to the galaxy is to compensate with some added corned beef.

And so it goes... who am I to complain with some extra Boar's Head?

Onwards to TreeSound, where we found the band hanging out, low-key, at 5:30. A few red bull/vodkas later (and Josh would be proud that Ben bought a handle of Svedka),
the crowd started shuffling in. Plenty of people in green, ready to dance. At 8, the band took the stage and started off on fire with a great Space Paranoids. They kept loose and winded the first set through a high-energy Robot Waltz. Set break found us talking to some fun people (including Russ from Brother Bean). They boys really locked in during the second set with Adam and Albert dropping a solid beat throughout TSMM and Speed Queen.


The sound was spectacular inside the Cave, but what really impressed me was Huffer's lights. Not only did he do a great job lighting the band, but he really understands the beauty of not shining the bright lights in the audience's eyes.

But the real magic came out when the boys took the stage for the encore. Brock started it out slowly with Matt adding the perfect layers on top of the guitar work. 20 minutes later, the place exploded when the jam turned itself into Perihelion. All in all, a phenominal show!

After saying our goodbyes (until tomorrow), Seth and I headed over to Smith's Olde Bar to see Col. Bruce and the Codetalkers. We got there just as the first set was ending. Thanks to the Mayor's handshaking campaign, I was able to chat with all the Codetalkers, Guarav from Captain Soularcat, and Kofi Burbridge of DTB fame.

Indeed, Kofi sat in as the Codetalkers started the second set. With him on organ and the Col. (ret.) on lap steel, Bobby Lee was able to keep the band on task--everyone in the room was dancing and revelling in the green-ale upstairs at Smith's.

But most importantly, Rob Turner was in FINE form. And god bless him--he brings a smile to everyone's face. Our favorite wavy-haired pot-bellied writer's antics got even Bruce's attention, as he looked up mid-jam only to shake his head at Rob with an ever-inviting smirk.

After being on the receiving end to a few of Turner's punches Shimon and I figured it was about time to head home. (Hey, at least I walked out of there before he bit off part of my ear!) So now I find myself ready to get some sleep, very much looking forward to tomorrow's show.




Random Note
Before the show started, I found myself upstairs in the Degy office, flipping through the Xingolati program only to find myself reading the Thank Yous on the last page. It was quite a surprise when I saw that they thanked (in order) "Aaron Benner, Relix Magazine, [and] Jambands.com." Hey, it was definitely close enough to put a big smile on my face!