STS9 at Best Buy Theater – New York City 10/17/2014

With the departure of founding member and bassist Dave Murphy in January of this year, leaving many fans in disbelief and wondering about the band’s musical direction and future, STS9 announced that long-time friend Alana Rocklin would be taking over duties on the bass. For those that had heard of Rocklin and seen her sit-in with the band during the 2013 New Year’s run in Atlanta, it was obvious that Rocklin was capable of playing. However, over the long haul, how would the band and new bassist gel together? We have heard nothing but good things over the course of the last several months, including a resurrection of older songs in the band’s catalog. With the group playing New York City for the first time since 2013 this past Friday night, it was a chance for many in the crowd to judge all the hearsay for themselves.

Opening the evening with ‘Axed’ versions of “Native End > ReEmergence” from 2005’s Artifact, the NYC crowd bore witness to the proficiency of Rocklin on upright bass, clearly a student of music. Having played and/or toured with everyone from Jim James, Rick Ross, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, John Oates, Andre 3000, Zigaboo Modeliste and….do I really need to keep going? Bottom line: Rocklin is the real deal, she can flat out play. And the synergy between both her and fellow bandmates Zach Velmer, Hunter Brown, David Phipps, and Jeffree Lerner is palpable.

The band officially concluded the opening ‘Axed’ section by delivering “Vapors” which saw Velmer deliver his superhuman breakbeat skills on drums. Things got super funky during “Only Light Remains,” along with lyrics which seemed more than appropriate given the situation, as the band and New York crowd delved deeper into this somewhat new experience, “Of all the roads we take, there was no mistake, this is where we had to be….Only Light Remains, never be the same, never be this lost again.” The first set continued with “Equinox,” a “Golden Gate” which featured a bass and piano firestorm from Rocklin and Phipps, and “4 Year Puma” into a set-closing “Totem” which elevated the energy of the room to new heights.

After a proper set break, “Oil & Water” provided a solid groove to get the crowd back in action for what would turn out to be a monster of a second set. Early on, it was clear that the first set was just a taste of what we were in for. “Walk to the Light” showcases STS9’s ability to incorporate breakbeat, trance, and house, with a tough hip-hop beat (as was evidenced by Velmer’s uncanny ability behind the kit). The group is able to find a deep pocket groove, let it build, and drop into a state of ethereal beauty, letting Phipps take us away on a dreamscape built on the notes of his exquisite piano playing.

“Blu Mood” gave us those Hunter Brown guitar tones that have become beyond recognizable, and When The Dust Settles “Scheme Reprise” went from some pretty keys from Phipps in the middle section to some filthy beats that made the Best Buy crowd erupt into an all-out dance party. “Kamuy” saw both Velmer and Lerner come out from their respective kits to do some cajon (wood box drum) solos, to the surprise of the crowd. Personally, I had never seen the band do this before, and it was definitely interesting to watch the two play off one another. Rocklin provided a bass solo as the the band made their way back to their respective stations to finish out “Kamuy.” “When The Dust Settles” was straight dirty, in all its glitched-out glory. While STS9 is most certainly a band that is defined by its live electronic capabilities, they can play the funk with an uncanny ease. Phipps brought out his inner Bernie Worrell for this one, and the rest of the group followed suit. The vocal samples that STS9 employs are rather poignant and suits their music perfectly; “World Go ‘Round” appropriately ended the set, making all in attendance feel as if we quite literally had made the world go ’round for the last 2+ hours with the energy that we had all expended.

With the crowd imploring the band to come back out, STS9 delivered an encore that saw them cover David Axelrod‘s “The Human Abstract,” which the group recently debuted for the first time at Red Rocks, into the first “Potamus” since 6/21/2003. The fact that STS9 has been reviving older material from their repertoire since Rocklin joined cannot be seen as anything else but a great thing, and something for fans to be excited about as the comfort level of the reinvigorated group grows. “Potamus” dropped into a show-closing “Gobnugget,” for which fans let out a collective and blissful yell.

Having been a fan of STS9 since the very early 2000’s, it was clear to see a progression in their style (whether you were happy with that progression or not); a band constantly evolving. They have tested and explored new boundaries throughout their history, taken chances, stumbled along the way, but have succeeded more often than not in defining themselves as a collective coming together as one whole. Their live show is direct evidence of that, a group acting as one cohesive unit that doesn’t rely on extended solos from any one member to carry the music; this is a true collective, and one that is able to pull the very best out of each member through the ability to create music that is beautiful, inspirational, evocative, and sexy. With the addition of Rocklin, STS9 has delved back into their fairly extensive catalog, reinventing old songs, creating new ones, and getting back to the more symbiotic relationship that was very clear to both see and feel during the early years of the group.

That isn’t to say that the last few years haven’t been good, perhaps just different, and that isn’t always a bad thing. As people grow, sometimes life and interests take you in different directions, and change is both necessary and inevitable. Having said that, this new chapter of STS9, at first glance, appears to be a positive one, something that will inspire the current members of the group to seek new musical boundaries, while tastefully revisiting their past. Only time will tell….but so far, so good.

– Chris Meyer

[All photos taken by Danielle Vaughan, courtesy of ArcadiaMedia.com]

 

Friday, October 17, 2014, STS9, Best Buy Theatre, New York, NY

Set I: Native End (*) > ReEmergence(*), Vapors, Only Light Remains, Equinox, Golden Gate, 4 Year Puma > Totem

Set II: Oil & Water, Walk to The Light, Blu Mood, Scheme Reprise, Kamuy (@), When The Dust Settles, Ramone & Emiglio, World Go Round

Encore: The Human Abstract (*), Potamus (!) > Gobnugget

( * ) = Alana Upright aka AXED
(@) = Jeffree & Zach wood box solos
( ! ) = last time played 6.21.2003

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