Topic: REX Lorsch, germany 29. April 2006
.: Hi there...
on April 29th the waiting had an end. After the last year's concert had been cancelled due to Joe's illness, yesterday I was there to get a lesson in guitar-playing and singing and guitar sounds and drumming and ahhhhh whatever...
He was incredible. His sound was "haute cuisine" of guitar sounds... He played the Gigliotti Telly, the Les Paul, the Chandler Slide axe and on top of all that for the encore the natural ES335... and this thing blow me off... this guitar had a tone - wow. Now I know how an ES335 axe can sing... It seemed to be a similar one to mine (just a different colour)... Don't get me wrong the other guitars he made them sing, scream, wheep all. They all sounded wonderful...
There was a short intermission in between when the band left the stage and Joe fired to songs on a Takamine acoustic guitar into the venue... So he can play an acoustic as well... heck !!!
The new band is great, too. Being a drummer, too, I actually liked the new drummer, Bogie Bowles, better than the former one, Kenny Kramme... Bogie, a young slim guy, but he rocked and grooved more appropriate fitting to Joe's music in my opinion than the old Kenny. His kit sounded great, it looked great what he did and how he did it, very relaxed, but he had the punch when needed. Very very good. !!!!
The bassplayer now is Mark Epstein, he seems to be a likeable laid-back guy, laying down a great low fundament. Other than the former Eric Czar, who seemed to me much more upfront and freaked out. Mark's sounds seemed to be more warm and mellow and classic.
If you ask me who I would prefer... I can't say. I always liked Eric's playing, but I did like Mark yesterday as well. Maybe a little tendency to Eric...
One last thing... the soundman at the FOH mixer was real a soundman... Joe's vocals normally came dry through the PA system... no reverb/delay or stuff. Which is pretty rare to find. His voice was soooo direct and punchy... great. And he can sing, yeeep. When the moments were right the soundman gave a little reverb/delay to the vocals and as well to the drums, which had been dry in normal mode as well. Great job, too.
For me one of the best gigs I have seen in my life. Gov't Mule last year and M3 had been such gigs as well...
All in all, I am happy having been there and I think I will go again, if JB returns someday to here.
Cheers...