Deaf Scene, People's Blues of Richmond and TAUK 2 Night Run Review

Deaf Scene, People’s Blues of Richmond, and TAUK

March 28 at The Circuit in Essex, MD
March 29 at Gypsy Sally’s in Washington DC

written by Elise Olmstead

Photos of Friday by Kindones Photography
Photos of Saturday by Germination Photography

The weekend of March 28 and 29 was an exciting romp through hometown stomping grounds for Appalachian Jamwich family old and new. When I heard about Family is Forever’s show at The Circuit on Friday with People’s Blues of Richmond, Deaf Scene, and Tauk, I had to pinch myself to check if I was dreaming. The lineup of these three bands promised to be a musical experience as well as a fun night with friends. How could it get any better? Well, since you asked, you could add a second night with the same lineup and add Ron Holloway to the mix, and put them all on stage at Gypsy Sally’s. We couldn’t make this shit up! The two night tour was certainly epic and earned the nickname “Deaf People Tauk.” If that isn’t an indicator of how the meshing of musical personalities made magic, then I guess you just had to be there to hear the show.

People’s Blues of Richmond has been friends of ours almost as long as we’ve had the magazine, and their band has certainly climbed some heights within that time and even played SXSW a couple of weeks ago. Friday night was new drummer, Nekoro William’s birthday and the party mood was contagious. Deaf Scene has become friends of ours through the ever-jamming Baltimore family, and much of this family was out raging that night at The Circuit. Tauk has recently become new favorites of ours and we interviewed them for our January 2014 issue. Whenever we hear their name on the bill we come running, and the word of mouth about their music has been catching on like wildfire in our area. Many people attending at The Circuit told me that they hadn’t seen Tauk before, but were excited to see the band that everyone has said is “SO GOOD.”

The Circuit is a venue fairly new to the jam band scene but has been bringing in great artists like UV Hippo, Broccoli Samurai, Freedom Enterprise, and more, as well as now hosting “Open Jam” nights on Tuesdays. The venue is small but cozy, with tables and couches to lounge at when your dancing feet get tired. Rob, the manager, greeted us as friends and the bartenders were attentive and the drinks were well priced. It was a great first visit and certainly won’t be our last.

People’s Blues of Richmond was already halfway into their blistering blues-rock set when we walked in, and we had to get closer to the projected visuals and rock antics. After some sweaty hugs and birthday wishes, we were ready for Deaf Scene to rock the house. Their metal inspired guitar shreds add some head-banging spice to their jams, and everyone was all warmed up and wiggly by the time Tauk hit the stage. My biggest complaint with some jam bands is when they get too “noodley” and I end up sneaking outside for fresh air. With Tauk, there is no such dull moment and even when they jam, they keep it tight and danceable, Matt’s precise guitar playing and Isaac’s drum beats keeping you intrigued throughout the set. People were crowded around and getting wild, swinging glow poi and breaking out their weirdest moves. We didn’t want to part with our good friends but knew we would be seeing them the next night at Gypsy Sally’s, so while the bands partied together until dawn, we engorged on a nightcap of Sheetz food and rested up for round 2.

The next night we made our way to DC to the hottest new venue for music in the area. Gypsy Sally’s brings out bands that range from folk to bluegrass to jam, and the house gets packed with music lovers of all kinds. You can sit at tables that are towards the back on a platform, or you can boogey on the floor close to the stage. By the end of the night the place was so crowded with crazed fans that it was hard to find a comfortable place to stand, but everyone was spreading good vibes and making new friends. The bands had spent fun time together the night before and had already become family, sending some amazing vibrations throughout each other and feeding off of the musical energy the whole night. Everyone who was in attendance was lucky enough to witness the magic that came from these new friendships.

Deaf Scene started us out Saturday night and got everyone excited as bass player Eric Courtney began to jump and stomp around the stage. They played a new song with rock breakdowns and killer fret-playing that was one of the firsts they had written with their new drummer Brett, and if this rockin’ tune is a clue for what’s to come for the band, I suggest you keep a close eye on their future material.

People’s Blues of Richmond came on next as the crowd started to fill in and the liquor began to pour. I was enjoying meeting new people and hugging old friends while Taco greeted Ron Holloway and introduced him to the boys of Tauk in the green room. PBR played one of my old favorites “Richmond City Hangover Blues,” as well as a Modest Mouse cover which matches their style perfectly. My favorite part of their set, though, was when Neko played a drum solo and blew everyone away. I looked around the room to see wide-eyed patrons who were weak in the knees from the performance.

Tauk’s set starts with “Carpentino’s Rebirth,” a melodic song from their album Homunculus that sets the tone for the night. Matt’s guitar harmonizes seamlessly with AC’s keyboards and when things start getting ambient, Charles’ bass and Isaac’s drums bring you back down to Earth. After some other Homunculus tunes, Ron Holloway joins the stage for a triumphant rendition of “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” by Tomoyasu Hotei, otherwise known as the “Kill Bill Theme Song.” We knew that Ron’s saxophone would be a great addition to Tauk’s music, but we were not prepared for it to pack such a punch! People were checking their faces to make sure they hadn’t been blown off after that one.

During set break I was brimming with such excitement that I probably screamed “Wow, oh my god, thank you!” at each band member multiple times. Lucky for us, the night wasn’t over and they continued into a second, shorter set. Ron joined them at the jump for one more song, this time accompanying a Tauk original, the heavy-hitting dance odyssey that is “The Chemist.” We hung back while the crowd raged and the set ended with Tauk’s “boogie woogie” take on “The Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin.

I can definitely say some new dedicated fans were made that night and everyone filtered out the door with a smile on their face. The vibe of the whole weekend was so beautiful and only got stronger as it progressed. The energy was contagious and I feel like every person I spent those two nights with are now part of my family. I hope to see these three bands come together for more shows in the future, but you can count on seeing them at The Mad Tea Party Jam and connecting with their music and their overwhelmingly positive personalities. What could have been a normal weekend was made magical by the relationships we make and the love we take.

Thank you to The Circuit, Gypsy Sally’s, Family is Forever, Deaf Scene, People’s Blues of Richmond, Tauk, Ron Holloway, and all of the ticket buyers and fans who continue to make it possible. We will see you all again in at the Mad Tea Party June 19-22.

Tauk’s setlist for Saturday

Set 1:

Carpentino’s Rebirth

New Song (Untitled)

Afro Tonic

I Might Be Wrong (Radiohead Cover)

Dirty Mouth

Kill Bill Theme (w/ Ron Holloway)

Dead Signal

Tumbler

New Song (Untitled)

Sweet Revenge