Recorded: 1993
Tracks: Intro; When the Time Comes; Clear as the Wind; About You; Once Upon; Cringe; Try So Hard; El Du Alami
Best track: Cringe
Track to skip: none
This is obviously a live show by Flat Mass and it was given to me by the bassist, Chris, so it’s not something that’s “out there”. As with everything else, I have it…so I’ll review it. This show was recorded just before their first CD came out and probably 6 months before I first saw them live. This was an audience recording and while the sound isn’t “perfect”, it does sound really good. The drums and bass sound especially good here. The band (Jeff Curnutt – Drums, Chris Greenwell – Bass, Jason Weisenburg – Guitar/Vocals) were joined by their friend, Jon Strausburg on Alto Sax. Strausburg also plays on the
Naked and So album so his excellent playing is familiar to anyone who has that CD.
The show is just over 45 minutes and they managed to cram a lot in. There are some fantastic improvisations and jams here. I love the extended version of El Du Alami on this show. After the song proper the four of them go off into a very cool spacey area. The show intro is a great lead-in for everything and you can hear the guys feeling each other out and getting comfortable in the space. It’s a great way to set up When the Time Comes, an excellent version of this song. I think Cringe is my favorite of this set, it’s very powerful and Jeff Curnutt sounds fantastic on it. Honestly, he’s just ferocious throughout this whole show. Great version of Clear as the Wind on here and I love that transition from About You>Once Upon as well.
I listen to Flat Mass so much that sometimes it’s easy to forget just how amazing of a live band they were. I almost take it for granted sometimes. They really were one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen, and certainly the best “indie” band I’ve seen live. What they could do with three people (four in the case of this show) was really impressive and they sound like a much bigger band than just three members. Great show and the band were really focused. I love the addition of Strausburg’s Alto Sax.
Rating: 93
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