FTW, 3.30.2024

The return to home turf of Fort Worth's progfather Bill Pohl from his current home in Colorado Springs always brings out the Panther City's freaks 'n' geeks who've dug highly technical rock music going back to the '80s, when Bill had his first bands, through the late '90s-mid-Aughts heyday of The Underground Railroad (think Genesis-era Gabriel with Holdsworthian guitar), to his latter-day Holdsworth nights and improv excursions. So many people, a family of friends, as someone once sang, and they were all at the Grackle Art Gallery last night to welcome Bill back and, more to the point, hear him extemporize some instant music with Warr guitarist Mark Cook (Herd of Instinct) -- a veritable one-man King Crimson -- and master percussionist Eddie Dunlap (RageOut Arkestra, Master Cylinder). 

"Starting and ending are the tough parts," Cook confided during the break between sets. "When we get to the middle part, we're okay." The evening started out with a lengthy exploration in free time before Dunlap hit a bashing 4/4 and the trio proceeded to rock out. Cook has a four limb dexterity rarely seen in players of stringed instruments, as he taps unison or contrapuntal lines on the bass and guitar strings of his aircraft carrier-like instrument, using his extensive pedalboard to color the sound. He plays solo lines in the higher registers that rival Pohl's for fluidity. 

I could spend an entire set just watching Bill's right hand; his sweep-picking facility is a marvel. (When I see something I can't comprehend but I know is real, I call it magic.) On this occasion, he dispensed with pedals, using a Roland Cube as a preamp for his Marshall, turning up the gain when he wanted to dig in and rip. His nut-to-bridge arpeggios have always been a wonder; last night, I was particularly impressed by his left-hand vibrato, on entire chords as well as single notes, and his rhythm playing, locking it in the pocket with Cook's massive slabs of bass to support Dunlap's wildest excursions. The second set belonged to Eddie. From the first downbeat he played like a man possessed, ending the last piece in a kind of trance state. A transporting a highly satisfying experience. Eddie made a joke about having merch available; the absence of documentation makes ephemeral evenings like last night's all the more precious.

Ended the evening conversing with Bill's Underground Railroad/Thinking Plague bandmate and WRR Classical 101.1 assistant program director Kurt Rongey about the paucity of pianos for touring acts in the Metromess. Rongey, who used to sell pianos for Steinway, said that most of the concert-quality instruments in the area are owned by concert halls or universities and not available for lease. It was a particular concern for me because for want of such an instrument, DFW listeners missed out on Myra Melford's Fire and Water Quintet on their recent swing through Texas. Rongey had recently visited James Talambas's fledgling Dallas venue New Media Contemporary to see Ellen Fullman's Long String instrument. I encouraged him to attend next week's performance of Talambas with Denton-based composer-improviser Kory Reeder. Rongey opined that perhaps the closing of so many rock rooms in the area has opened the door to more adventurous listening. We live in hope.