There never really is a bad time to listen to a Benevento/Russo Duo show, is there? Especially given the fact that Marco Benevento and Joe Russo haven’t played as “The Duo” very often over the last few years. As the two began to team up with guitarist Scott Metzger and Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz to form Bustle in Your Hedgerow, which then turned into the juggernaut that is Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, with the addition of long-time collaborator and friend Tom Hamilton (Brothers Past/American Babies), Duo performances simply became a thing of lore.
The two did perform a surprise set at 2015’s Mountain Jam, which had old-school fans foaming at the mouth in obvious excitement at this extremely rare occurrence. More recently, The Duo returned for a rare acoustic set at Newport Jazz Festival last April, with the band also staging an acoustic livestream in spring 2021. So, we decided to take a look at a show that the group played back on this day, December 2nd, in 2005 at Boston’s The Paradise.
It is an incredible show that features all of the elements that made The Duo a major player in the early 2000s jam scene. The mad scientist skills of Benevento on keys, along with the technical proficiency that is Russo on drums, created an amalgamation of sounds that combined elements of acid jazz, rock, experimental, and last, but not least….jam.
This show features a great “Sunny’s Song” with the help of The Slip‘s Marc Friedman on guitar, a majestic “Soba” from 2006’s Play Pause Stop, a really far-out version of “Three Question Marks” (Best Reason to Buy the Sun, 2005), and a filthy version of Radiohead‘s “Myxomatosis” that features a tasty little nugget of Faith No More‘s “Epic” in the middle section. This is definitely a show worth a listen, so stream the full audio below:
Benevento/Russo Duo – The Paradise – Boston, MA – 12/2/2005 – Full Audio
[Audio: B.H. Toque]