Electron, the jam supergroup formed by Marc Brownstein of The Disco Biscuits back in 2000, played their first shows in nearly four years this past week. With shows at Soundstage in Baltimore, SOB’s in NYC, and The Note in West Chester, PA, rumors swirled around (which started right from the mouth of Brownstein himself) that Electron would be ending the run with a full performance of the Chemical Warfare Brigade rock opera which he wrote in 2000 during his “hiatus” from the Disco Biscuits at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT.
With anticipation running high, three performances under their belt, and Mike Greenfield of Lotus (who replaced original member Sir Joe Russo) living up to expectations, Saturday night at Toad’s Place proved to be the right choice. The venue was abuzz with everyone in attendance asking each other if they thought a CWB was going to happen, as opener Business Casual Disco got the room warmed up.
Taking the stage around 10:45, Electron went right into “Plan B” and everyone knew that this was the night. The fact that Tom Hamilton (Brother’s Past) knows these songs in and out from playing with Brownstein and Aron Magner over the years with Electron and during his tenure with the Mega-Biscuits, adds to the aura of why this is so special to fans – that, and the fact that he completely shreds on guitar.
Overall, CWB was played really well and the crowd responded in fine fashion. As you looked around, there was nothing but smiling faces singing along to the music. The “Little Lai>Ladies>Floodlights” was a particularly well played segment that rocked Toad’s Place, as Brownstein, Magner, Hamilton and Greenfield were locked in and simply bringing it. A crowd-favorite “Three Wishes” segued into “Confrontation” to end the set and put the finishing touches on this story about money, deceit, lust, and murder; the first full Chemical Warfare Brigade since the Biscuits played it on June 3rd, 2009 at Lupo’s in Providence, RI.
After a break to cool down a bit from the frenzy that was the first set, Electron came back out to put the icing on the cake. “Triumph” started the set off, and during the jam you could hear the segue into “Home Again”, which just feels right when this group plays it. During the set, you could see the non-verbal communication that is so important between musicians in Greenfield and Brownstein, as the latter would give the former the cues of any changes.
As the second set came to a close with “The Grass is Green>Kamaole Sands” it was clear to see that we were all “moving to the beat, that’s coming from the band, basking in the heat of Kamaole’s land” as Electron brought some serious heat to this four-night, quickly put-together run. They capped the night off with Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage/Eclipse” and we walked, or should I say, floated out onto the streets of New Haven.
It’s always awesome to say that you were there “that night”, and Saturday night was definitely one of those nights that every single body that was at Toad’s Place can put down in there “I Was There” book. It was a great show, a four-night run that is getting a good response across the board, and really begs the question as to why this lineup doesn’t sit in the studio for a couple of weeks and write some new material and put some more shows together.
The argument can be said that it sounds “too much like the Biscuits”, but while it is in the same vein, The Chemical Warfare Brigade AND Electron were both written and created outside the Biscuits, and Electron definitely has its own sound. Brownstein and Magner are at the core, and Tom Hamilton is really one of the most under-rated songwriters and guitarists in the scene today. With Greenfield on drums, these guys could put together a fantastic album. There is always hope, right?
-Chris Meyer
Set 1:
Plan B
CWB
Little Lai
And The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night
Floodlights
Little Lai
Shelby Rose
CWB
Plan B
Three Wishes
Confrontation
Set 2:
Triumph
Home Again
Triumph
Grass Is Green
Kamaole Sands
Encore:
Brain Damage/Eclipse
Check out decent versions of both sets from The Note on Friday night:
Set 1 The Note:
Set 2 The Note:
Encore The Note:
(Thanks to JamBase and LunarApe for the full set videos)
