JJ’s Journal - Cap Ale House (Dec. 2 & 3, 2021)
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December 2nd Capital Ale…
A rare Thursday night appearance kicked off a four show December last night as Suggesting Rhythm graced the stage at Capital Ale House. The band seemed revved up and decided to rearrange the usual positions and stand in reverse order tonight.
'Feel like a stranger', in it's normal spot, kicked things off. Immediately you could tell the energy was high on stage and the boys got super spacey right off the bat. Organ and guitar tag teamed in 2 deep jams filled with attitude to get the dance floor warm.
Ed thumped around on the base waiting for the others to get set and then came 'Althea'. A little slower than usual in the first verse it seemed but by the 1st jam the tempo was getting hot. Noel and Jeff's enthusiasm was extremely noticeable and Ed was dropping bombs again in the 3rd jam that everyone felt.
Another tuning session led us into the passionate Dave delivery of Dylan's 'Ballad of a Thin Man', coincidentally also the title of my Autobiography.
Suggesting never fails to do a fantastic job with balancing the rallentando and the crescendoing nuances that convey the emotional aspects of this song. Paired with Oakley's ardent conveyance of the message, this is always a standout.
We were back to tuning again afterwards and more noodling while waiting...I think I heard a Stairway riff but I'll have to listen closer to make sure.
The music came back with my highlight of the first set, 'West LA Fadeaway' dropped next. Seemingly a band favorite as of late, this time it was more true to the original electric versions, steering away from the slower bluesy versions popularized recently. Steve was active on the piano early on in what turned into a long jam filled with fun effects changes and tempo variations ultimately taking us back to finish the song.
Back to tuning again which seemed to be a first set theme and this time Ed and Drudge noodled out a quick riff of 'Do You Hear What I Hear' before Dave stopped to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone present.
The popular Ace album song, 'Blackthroated Wind' followed and again the tempo seemed a little faster than usual and not much jamming here.
Of course more tuning and more noodling again between songs. This time I think I heard 'Carol of the Bells' and was starting to enjoy the "in-between set list" just as much
With everything just exactly perfect again the guys jumped into 'Mighty Quinn' which always smokes and with a shorter tuning time ended the set with a heavy organ jamming 'Man Smart, Woman Smarter'
Coming back out for set 2 no time was wasted jumping right into more Ace album with 'Playing in the Band' and once again the set started with an instrumental heavy tune that seemed to pull energy from the walls.
Following with 'Cold Rain and Snow' , the whole band looked refreshed and eager as the crowd joined in next singing the chorus. Intense guitar and piano solos in both jams really ignited the 2nd set and fed directly into 'Wang Dang Doodle'.
The night went from good to great here. WDD transitioned nicely into 'Lady with a Fan' but at the building point into Terrapin Station the boys seamlessly turned left into 'St Stephen' with a transition that blew my mind. This band never ceases to amaze me and again my mouth was left gaping.
A weird cosmic lady fingers ending to Stephen led into the Drums and Space spot that I assumed would reemerge as the final half of Terrapin. It did not. Instead, I was shocked at the upbeat JGB cover 'Ain't no Bread in the Breadbox'.
The energy was still amazingly high as the band transitioned again into a traditional set closing 'Going Down the Road Feeling Bad' that featured an amazing guitar and organ solo before culminating in a 'We Bid you Goodnight' instrumental.
Coming back to answer the demand for one more, Suggesting Rhythm encored with 'Dear Mr Fantasy' saving Steve's usual 2nd set song at the end. Also, Dave added a verse of 'O Sweet Nothing' at the end prior to slipping into fiery 'Hey Jude' reprise
There's no question or thinking about it, the Lady with a Fan into St Stephen is the highlight of the show. Stranger and Playing jams were awesome as well but completely overshadowed in my opinion. I love transitions and Terrapin and St Stephen most of all, it definitely worth the listen!
December 3rd Capital Ale…
Friday, Dec 3, was the second half of a two night run at Capital Ale House for Suggesting Rhythm. Fans were packed deep and still arriving at 815 when the band took the stage and started tuning.
The pre-show picking turned into 'Catfish John'. The JGB tube is a fantastic addition in the SR lineup and hopefully becomes a new staple.
Without much break at the end the guys jumped right into an amazing 'Alabama Getaway'. The crowd was delighted with the selection and the band really dug into the jams.
We had a little tuning break before diving into 'Here Comes Sunshine' which always makes me think of the Beatles 'Here comes the Sun' when I hear this song. It's also one of the few songs that I always know the album it's on.
Still high on the crowd's energy, the guys really were really milking the jam spots. Contrasting the spacey, cosmic style jamming in night one, night two was much more electric and dancey and the patrons were devouring all the band could give.
Dave stopped to compare the Thurs and Fri crowd before donning his preacher hat to spin 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'. A song first appearing as 'The Pump Song' in a Mickey Hart album, it originated when Hart recorded pump sounds on his farm. He added some drums to the recording and gave it to Bobby for music. Of course, Hunter added some spiritual and possibly satirically motivated lyrics to come up with the recording we know from the Ace album.
Switching over to a more bluesy section of the setlist the band spun their rendition of Blues Boy King's 'The Thrill is Gone'. A beautiful soulful delivery and raunchy organ tones in the jam, this number really hit it's mark. The six band members were all in sync and cruising effortlessly. 'Tangled Up in Blue' followed and seemed a little quicker that Suggesting's normal versions.
Sticking with covered covers, Jimmy Cliff's 'The Harder they come' popularized by JGB came next and the boys were not letting up the intensity.
Oakley took a second here to switch to his new guitar for the set closer and got it wet with a fast 'Easy Wind' that sounded more metallic than bluesy in my opinion. Slightly different than the usual way Suggesting Rhythm plays it and gave the drums and bass a chance to stand out some. That theme seemed to echo the whole night and was kinda neat.
Coming back from break we were treated to my new favorite song 'Expressway Jam'. A jazzed up super peppy instrumental version of the Soul Survivors song 'Expressway to your Heart'. Debuting at Halloween in the same 2nd set opening slot, this number is beyond hot and worth the price of admission alone.
A customary round of band member introductions came here before they jumped into 'I Need a Miracle'.
Like night 1, night 2 had way less tuning and much more jamming in the back half. A blazing Miracle jam blended smoothly into 'Hog for you Baby' a 1959 song by The Coasters. While not technically a transition, there was zero break from Hog to an up tempo 'Dancing in the Streets'. The jam here was definitely in the highlight list for a lot of people Friday night and it fed into the Drums and Space spot.
A lot of anticipation was answered as Space dissolved into the remainder 'Terrapin Station' from night one. Not a usual move for SR but I like it. It draws the nights together and slightly rewards the dual attendees in my opinion.
There was a slight tuning pause again and then the 1977 Bobby ballad 'Estimated Prophet'. The band's light was still bright and Dave hitting the screams at the end kept patrons cheering for the last song of the set 'Loose Lucy'. The whole place was jumping and dancing. It was so contagious that the band was bobbing and dancing on stage through to the final notes.
Coming back to answer the relentless cheers, the band gave us all their remaining juice for a smoking hot 'Deal' to bring the house down and 2 night run to a close.
Without question my highlight is the 'Expressway Jam' but I'm also partial to 'Catfish John' and for some reason the faster more metallic version of Suggesting Rhythm this evening really enthralled me.
