Words by: Sam Martin

Steve Kimock Crazy Engine & Big Light :: 12.18.09 :: The Fillmore :: San Francisco, CA

Steve Kimock Crazy Engine :: 12.18 :: San Francisco by Weiand

Steve Kimock has been blazing a trail with his guitar for over three decades. Playing in a number of bands and influenced largely by the old school Bay Area music scene, he has often been overshadowed by bigger names but his talent and dedicated fan-base is impossible to ignore. His latest project, Crazy Engine, has been touring across the country and landed at The Fillmore for a special “Fan Request” show. This concert was hyped for months in advance, with a web page set up for fans to request the songs that would be played. Kimock had done this before in S.F. in May of 2005. To the fans, it was a way to be even more involved, and it really turned into a greatest hits show.

Big Light opened the evening and played a well delivered, ear-catching set. As a massively creative band from San Francisco, they have been touring California from L.A. to Santa Cruz and this show was a homecoming of sorts. Their music lives on the borders of indie, jam and pop and their live show is one that needs to be seen to fully appreciate. Lead singer and guitarist Fred Torphy has a raspy, passive voice that supplemented the ambient, woven jams the band produced. His aggressive, yet sporadic guitar work owned the stage and often drove the band when lead guitarist Jeremy Korpas wasn’t tackling notes with nimble dexterity. Playing for a short 45-minutes, the vocals of bassist Steve Adams contrasted with Torphy and created a balanced yin and yang harmony. As a band they performed as one unit, with lo-fi songs propelled by Bradly Bifulco‘s raw drumming. They are one of the few bands to rise up out of the packed San Francisco scene in recent years, and are in the process of recording their full-length debut. They are scheduled to open for The Mother Hips, a perfect combo, in January/February 2010.

Big Light :: 12.18 :: San Francisco by Blakesberg

Steve Kimock and Crazy Engine wasted no time coming to the stage, with a set up as low key as Kimock himself. The Fillmore being a home venue of sorts for Kimock, the atmosphere was very laid back and intimate. With a smile, adjusting his mic, Kimock mentioned that they wouldn’t be playing any new songs tonight since it was all-request, and the crowd erupted into applause. It was a packed stage with percussionist Sikiru Adepoju playing the talking drum, Hadi Al-Sadoon on trumpet, Kimock on guitar, Bobby Vega on bass, John Morgan Kimock on drums, Melvin Seals on organ and keys, and bassist Trevor Exter playing the cello. There was a lot of talent onstage, not to mention the amazing Norton Wisdom creating live art as the band played. Wisdom worked on some form of Plexiglas so he could paint as the band played and then erase, mold and migrate pictures as the music flowed. It was a direct visual personification of the music itself.

The band opened with “Kissin’ The Boo Boo,” performed with a calypso influence as Kimock used a minimalist approach. The song jammed on for a good 15 minutes, with excellent interplay between Al-Sadoon and Vega as Melvin Seals laid back and let the jam build into a full stage explosion.

The show continued on in this fashion, with percussionist Adepoju leaving the stage for parts of the first set and Al-Sadoon really showcasing his talent on the trumpet, especially during The Meters‘ “Cissy Strut,” with its heavy funk overtones. Seals built a beautifully layered foundation for Kimock to noodle around on. And noodle he did. In fact the entire first set, though heavy on group jamming, featured Kimock showing off his ability to pluck intricate, beautifully played leads. “Why Can’t We All Samba” was a nice treat and well received by the crowd, with Kimock opting to play his Strat instead of his steel guitar as he dispersed layers of intricate guitar work on top of the multi-tiered rhythm section being pounded out by John Morgan and Vega. “Long Form Part 4″ was a funk-jazz number with Seals taking the spotlight, creating eye-squeezing, ear-pleasing melodies out of his organ. The first set was rounded off with foot stompin’ “Hillbillies on PCP,” with Vega slapping out a super intense, chest-rumbling bass riff. John Morgan got to showcase his quick hands on the kit as the entire band sat down for a well-received drum solo that went back and forth between both John and Adepoju.

Steve Kimock Crazy Engine :: 12.18 :: San Francisco by Martin

Compared to the first set, the second was filled with space. Starting with “It’s Up To You,” Kimock took control and jammed heavy, getting the crowd moving and excited for things to come. Segueing into “Life of the Party,” Crazy Engine went into an ambient, almost Arabian version with Exter picking up his bow and strumming out slow, long, vibrant notes, laying down a graceful, trance inducing sound. Meanwhile, from the side of the stage, two beautifully dressed and fully made up belly dancers slowly floated in front of the musicians, moving as if in slow motion and completely in rhythm with the music; it was as if time was standing still. The entire scene was a sight to behold with this amazing artist painting beautiful pieces of abstract, surrealist art, seven super talented musicians playing this slow, ambient piece of jammed out Arabian music, and two radiant belly dancers, not taking over the stage but rather just gracing it briefly with their presence. It could not have been choreographed any better.

“Mother’s Song” was the most beautiful offering of the night, and that says a lot since this show turned out to be pitch perfect. “Mother’s” was slow and Kimock played with an emotion and attention that could be seen across his face. He was in his groove now, heavy on the reverb and echo effects, and the sound bounced around The Fillmore. He built the jam slowly until climaxing with a face-melting crescendo, and then slowing things down, it would cycle round again, creating a very engaging yet spacey vibe. At this point people were moving slowly, swaying back and forth, lost in the jam that lasted for a good 15 to 20 minutes. As the night passed 1 a.m., they performed crowd favorite “Ice Cream” and Kimock really played his part well. He comes across so introverted but onstage he is all business, flashing smiles and showing obvious gratitude to his old musical friends Vega, Al-Sadoon and Adepoju.

The show ended with “Stella Blue,” with Kimock playing his lap guitar. Kimock can put you under his spell with his methodical delivery and his use of negative space, and “Stella” was a high point of the night, with Crazy Engine’s delicate treatment of the song proving soothing and hypnotic.

Just as Crazy Engine treated the fans with respect and admiration by asking for suggestions on what to play, the same beamed from the crowd. Successful without a doubt, fun-filled and engaging, the “Fan Request Show” was truly an early Christmas gift.

Steve Kimock Crazy Engine :: 12.18.09 :: The Fillmore :: San Francisco, CA

Set I: Kissin’ The Boo Boo, Summer Jam, Cissy Strut > Why Can’t We All Samba, LPF4, Hillbillies on PCP

Set II: It’s Up To You > Life Of The Party, Mother’s Song, Ice Cream, Stella Blue

JamBase | Lightly Crazed
Go See Live Music!