Brand X

September 20, 2017
The Birchmere
Alexandria, VA
USA

"Reunion Tour"

Lostbrook 2.0 Volume 210

Source: Church Audio CAFS>SPSB-12>Sony M10(24/48)
Location: 20' from stage, dead center

Transfer: Sony M10>Micro SDHC>PC>Sound Forge 10>WAV 16/44.1>
Trader's Little Helper>FLAC(level 8)

Taper/Transfer: Lostbrook
Covers/Review: ethiessen1

Disc 1:

01 Crowd (0:32)
02 Improv (5:49) >
03 Nightmare Patrol (8:27)
04 Born Ugly (10:03)
05 Cambodia (7:40)
06 Disco Suicide (7:09)
07 Noddy Goes To Sweden (5:09)

Disc 2:

08 Earth Dance (6:56)
09 Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All* > Band Intros (5:26)
10 The Poke (5:09)
11 Malaga Virgen (8:35) >
12 Euthanasia Waltz (4:31)
13 Nuclear Burn (9:20)

Encore:

14 And So To F (8:50)

* Piano Solo

John Goodsall - guitar
Percy Jones - bass
Chris Clark - keyboards
Scott Weinberger - percussion
Kenny Grohowski - drums

Lostbrook notes:

I wasn't feeling well before the show, partly due to being dehydrated while waiting on line for over three hours on this unseasonably hot day. When the doors finally opened, I ended up drinking a lot of fluids - eventually this resulted in an emergency bathroom break. I held out as long as humanly possible, hoping to time it with the encore break. I reached my breaking point when Malaga Virgen segued directly into Euthanasia Waltz. If I had known there were only 14 minutes left in the show, there's a chance I could have toughed it out, but without that info, I decided to make a run for it during the applause after Euthanasia Waltz. I unplugged my mics from the recorder and left the Sony M10 on the table, reasoning that I would at least have the internal mics recording during my absence. I turned the levels down on the recorder before I left, but unfortunately - to my surprise when I got home - I ended up with some clipping and distortion for 12 seconds of applause during Euthanasia Waltz and the first 2:08 of Nuclear Burn.

ethiessen1's review:

Like a class reunion, it was one of those I wonder what so and so from back in the day is doing
evenings, and a very promising one at that.

In this case, bassist Mark Egan from the 1st incarnation of the Pat Metheny Group would be part
of the opening act, The Jane Getter Premonition, along with the stellar talents of Adam Holzman
and Alex Skolnick. But the creme de la creme was the 2nd reunion of Brand X - featuring
guitarist John Goodsall and bassist Percy Jones. The band's 3rd drummer, Phil Collins, who was
moonlighting from his day job in Genesis, brought many fans' initial interest in 1976, playing
with them off and on until 1979, as his schedule would allow. The repertoire was a unique
balance of progressive rock and jazz, never fully crossing over into either genre, with memorable,
yet quirky, melodies and witty song titles such as Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've
Broken Yours Off Already) and Maybe I'll Lend You Mine after All.

The band's name derived from Island Records A&R man Danny Wilding listing their recording
sessions as "Brand X" on the studio calendar. Thirteen musicians comprised the band in its first
go round, ending in 1980. A 2nd stint, led by Goodsall and Jones, lasted from 1992-99. The
current line-up, John Goodsall - guitar, Percy Jones - bass, Chris Clark - keyboards, Scott
Weinberger - percussion, and Kenny Grohowski - drums, came together last year and released a
live album recorded January 6, 2017 at the Sellersville Theater. Eight of the 12 tracks from it on
were played on this night.

Atmospheric jungle sounds opened the set, with first Jones' bass improvisations and then Clark
and Goodsall joining in on and sounding very much like early Weather Report. Born Ugly resembled
an intergalactic disco tune, with Jones' flanged bass vibrating both our seats and our bones.
Cambodia brought thoughts of Mahavishnu as the twin drummers evoked Billy Cobham, overlaid by
Goodsall's trademark fuzz toned guitar runs. Disco Suicide, one of 3 songs played from the
landmark Moroccan Roll album, continued the interstellar dance groove, the drums and bass
literally shaking parts of the room.

As the evening progressed, the mostly familiar songs played invoked aural elements of Chick Corea's
keyboard style, some similarities to ensemble arrangements ala Hatfield & The North, the rhythm
section sounded at times like Santana's fueled by Red Bull, and hinted of several different versions of
Weather Report, all the while ultimately sounding like nobody other than Brand X. It was a masterful
performance.

Percy Jones and John Goodsall are masters of their instruments, and the quality of the compositions
as played provide a perfect setting to showcase their talents. Realizing that Father Time always wins
in the end, here's hoping that this classy reunion continues to tour and perhaps even generate some
new material.

Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show: