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BUC

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Nov 16, 2011
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398
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Phoenix, Arizona
Tonight in Phoenix. Anyone else see them this tour? Can't wait...except I probably won't be able to pick up a guitar for a couple of days until I get my self respect back.
 

kestrou

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Feb 6, 2013
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Danville, IL
Yeah, BUC - I caught them in Indianapolis about a month ago - GREAT show and you won't be disappointed! :)

Do you have the latest TLB album (Shift)? There's some really great stuff on there - and Travis has definitely come into his own artistic voice on it.

Kevin
 
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kestrou

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I'm going with two drummer friends of mine who have the same fear of watching Marco play. ;-)

To comment on The Aristocrats...

Bryan Beller is pretty darned good, and Guthrie Govan is awesome - but Marco Minneman absolutely blew my mind! :)

Kevin
 

BUC

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Nov 16, 2011
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Phoenix, Arizona
Just got back from the show.

TLB was a-f-ing-mazing. Love their music but I'd never seen them live before. What a treat. Travis just pulls amazing sounds one after another, and Jennifer and Dale are a precision bombing rhythm section. Shock and awe.

Then...The Aristocrats. I don't actually think they're from this universe. My face was ripped off by whatever black hole that transported these beings to us. Really. It's exhausting to listen to them for more than about 1+30. Exhausting yet exhilarating.

If you're a musician, GO SEE THIS SHOW. Best I've seen in a long time. This is going into my all time top 5.

The irony of the musical world we live in: This week I paid north of $700 for my wife and daughter to see Taylor Swift from the upper level of an 18,000 seater.

Tonight I paid $25 to see two three piece bands melt my face from the front row.

I got nothing against Tay Tay, but the worlds a little out of whack when that happens.
 

ScoobySteve

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May 1, 2008
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Busan, Republic of Korea
Travis Dale and Jen are just wonderful musicians. I'm very jealous. TLB is regularly on the playlist.

And well, we all know Guthrie and MM are simply not from this planet. I'm glad you got to go to the show No pics? =D
 

xjbebop

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Jan 8, 2013
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AZ High Country
Awesome show! We came away enjoying TLB's performance more than the Aristocrats...
More details and a few fuzzy photo's in a few days when I get more time...
 

xjbebop

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Jan 8, 2013
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AZ High Country
TLB
I had not heard of the Travis Larson Band until about a year ago when I started hearing about them on the forum here. Checked them out and was immediately interested!
I’ve been a big Steve Morse & the Dixie Dregs fan since way back when they were still making records together. Got to meet Steve a few times back then too. So I really enjoy TLB’s music as it’s very reminiscent of the Dregs... and then some!

Just by chance I bumped into the band as they stepped out of the nearby pub before the show the other night. I was quickly struck by the feeling that these three have a strong “family / team” vibe about them. SUPER nice & friendly, they were more than happy to stop and chat with me.
They put on a fabulous show live. Dale is super solid on drums. Jennifer has serious chops and makes it look easy and fun. She does a Stu Hamm style two-handed tapping intro to the song “Georgia on my Mind” and just nails it. The thing I notice most about Travis’ guitar work, along with the skill and musicality of his playing, is his impeccable tone and use of effects. Like seasoning on a great meal, it’s done just right.:)
He had a Majesty on stage, but played his BFR JP the whole show (which has about the most gorgeous finish of any I’ve seen!)
They present a very professional and yet comfortable/casual performance. After the show they were all hanging out at the merch table to chat & sign autographs. I would enjoy spending more time ‘hanging out’ with them if given the chance, and already look forward to seeing them play again.

The Aristocrats
I don’t know if it was because they were all worn out from an 8 week tour or if it’s because I’ve been lucky enough to see quite a few “not from this planet” players over the years, but I wasn’t as ‘stunned’ by the group as I thought I might be. They are absolutely incredible players and musicians, but during their performance, I found myself more observant than star struck.
I’ve been familiar with Bryan Beller since he played with Dweezil Zappa way back when, and I’ve seen him play with Mike Keneally many times in the past. Solid bass player with a great feel for odd time signatures.
I guess I’ve watched so many videos of Guthrie that I wasn’t too surprised by his playing. It was awesome to get to watch him go live though. And I always enjoy listening to him speak.
I was most impressed watching Marco live. In the recordings, he is so damn good that he often just disappears into the music (in my head anyways..). But getting to see/hear/feel him in person was a treat! And he got to do a fabulous drum solo for about 10 (?) minutes that was interesting the whole way through.
It became apparent to me that Guthrie and Marco have an incredibly extensive musical vocabulary, and that along with loads of talent, skill and intelligence is what allows them to play such creative and impressive music.
*kind of like listening to Guthrie speaking…his vocabulary is so extensive and developed that simply telling the story about the birth of a particular song is an event unto itself…
The Aristocrats performance and humor was very entertaining, however, at some points it seemed to turn into a bit of a wankfest… because they can… and that’s part of the point of that band, it seems.

So the few days following the show, Mrs. Bebop and I both agreed that it was wonderful to get to witness the Aristocrats live performance, but the music played by the TLB will be much longer lasting, and we hope to get to see them again.

...just my humble opinion...

Here’s a few fuzzy pics. My little pocket camera doesn’t do too well in low light & moving subject situations.

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