Greetings
Everyone. Hope you are enjoying this last day of summer. It has been absolutely
gorgeous up here the last few weeks. Definitely makes dealing with the scary
cold of winter and the grey blahness that is early spring and mud season up
here. Today I am writing about a unique opportunity I had up here. I got to see
an artist (Justin Mazer) perform in 4 different bands over the course of 4
days. So without further do, Kempepedia is proud to present. The Vermont Justin
Mazer Tour 2019.
I first heard
Justin’s playing when he joined Cabinet for a little bit before they went on
hiatus. After I moved up to Vermont in the summer of 2017, I learned that both
Pappy and Justin were residing in the Green Mountain state. I saw Justin play Dead Set Tuesday at Nectar’s
and was blown away. He plays a Telecaster through a Fender amp. It really doesn’t
get more OG blues based rock and roll than that. He also plays in several different
bands (Starbird, Ryan Montbleau Band among others) and tours all across the US.
Did I also mention he is from NE PA?
Back in July,
Pappy announced another JJ Cale Appreciation Night. Justin was at the last one
so he booked a few shows around it. First up, The Light Club Lamp Shop. It is a
cozy little club that has more lights and lamps than you can imagine. It has
music 7 days a week and caters to all tastes. An Irish band was playing when I
showed up and Sat. nights DJ Taka throws down.
Tonight
was Justin accompanying Giovanina Bucci on electric while she played acoustic.
She is a singer songwriter from Burlington and has a great voice to go along
with some really good melodies. Justin didn’t know any of her tunes but you
could have fooled me. One song really spoke to my divorce and that was really
cool. After that set, Justin went next door to Radio Bean and played with The
Midweek Mosaic Band, fronted by the super talented Bob Wagner. All bluesy soul music.
It was fantastic but I had to work the next day and split after a few songs.
Night 2 was at
the LCLS again but this time it was a four piece and all improv. 30 minutes of spontaneous
deliciousness, a break to introduce the band and then another 30 minutes of
cosmic awesomeness. This band consisted of Al Smith, who hails originally from
York PA of all places, on keys and percussion. Josh Weinstein was holding down
the bottom (he also was in the Midweek Mosaic Band) and Caleb Bronz on drums.
Justin remarked Caleb and himself have spent more time playing music than
talking. I am always amazed how well
musicians can get locked into a groove so quickly. Very little wasted time in this
show. The lamps are on timers and
faders, so you get this soothing psychedelic light show
Night 3 was at
Orlando’s in downtown Burlington. It was another 4 piece, this time featuring
Ryan Clausen on drums, Josh Dobbs on keyboards, and Josh Carter on bass. This was more focused improv. Almost like
they had a destination in mind, just had to find the best way there. A few
songs had vocals but most were instrumentals. The first song was Tomorrow Never
Knows. They really took their time meandering through it. Other highlights
included He’s Gone and a very fast No Quarter. One observation I had at Orlando’s.
A wave of students would come in, buy a round of drinks, and then split. They were
followed by another group of students, buy a round, and then split. Wonder if
this migration applies to all the bars.
Last but not
least was night 4, the event that started this whole Mazer run, Pappy’s tribute
to JJ Cale. They did this back in January and that was fantastic. Slightly
different lineup and a little more cosmic.
Instrumental, Cajun
Moon, Waymore's Blues, Devil in Disguise, Don't Wait, Wish I Had Me a Dollar, Call
Me the Breeze, Lies, Hey Baby, Ever Since You Said Goodbye, Traveling Light, Cherry,
Cocaine, After Midnight
Encore:
Another Song, Magnolia
You can stream it
here
The lineup was this time was
Al Smith on drums, Craig Myers on percussion, Justin Mazer on guitar, Dylan
Skursky on electric and upright bass, Pappy on acoustic guitar and banjo, and
Brett Lanier on pedal steel.
I can’t stress enough how good Brett is on the
pedal steel. Man, his licks intertwining with Justin’s leads are spine
tingling. Al is a great minimalist drummer. Small kit, only what he really
needs. Craig was spot on with his shakers, noise makers, and whatever else he
has picked up in his worldly travels. Please check out his band Barika. African
funk spiked with maple syrup. Dylan played electric most of the show but did
play the upright for a few tunes.
Pappy was having the time of
his life. His mom and dad were in attendance, making the trip up from PA. It
was a joy watching the interplay between himself, Brett, and Justin. A big
thank you to Keith, Phil, and Doug taping the performance. The scene would not
exist without tapers.
So there you have it.
Burlington is like an all healthy food all you can eat buffet. Chow down
people!
