The Listening Station: The Slip
The Listening Station
Here is the first post of what will become a regular feature on DGB. ‘The Listening Station’ Will bring you into my musical world outside of Phish once a week in an attempt to hip you on to some new awesome music. I can’t wait to get started with one of my favorite bands, so I won’t ramble anymore. If you have any suggestions for bands you’d like to see featured, send me an e-mail at dogoneblog@gmail.com and hopefully I’ll get around to it.
The Slip (theslip.com)
Sometimes a band comes your way, and upon first hearing them you feel like you have already been a fan for years. Very few bands have the ability to draw one in the way Phish or the Dead does, spawning a willingness to travel to great lengths to visit the musical pastures these bands create. Bands come and go from our listening patterns, and we enjoy their music while it’s there, and often, it doesn’t have a long-lasting effect. However, I had a lasting musical revelation about two years ago when I realized that there was yet another band out there that could bring me to such pastures – The Slip.
Brad Barr (theslip.com)
If you haven’t heard their music, you may have heard their name as they were one of the acts that played at Phish’s Camp Oswego in ’99. They were also offered the rare opportunity to record their album Angels Come on Time at The Barn in 2002. Countless artists and writers have recognized the immense talent of these musicians – they were featured on Jambands.com’s “New Groove of the Month” over 10 years ago – but it seems the band members prefer to remain off the main thoroughfare.
The Slip is a trio made up by the two Barr brothers, Brad (guitar) and Andrew (drums), along with bassist Marc Freidman. After meeting at the Berklee School of Music, and going through various personnel adjustments, the band settled on the current lineup and began to record their debut album From The Gecko.
What makes this band so appealing, at least for me, is their ability to traverse the various musical genres with a genuine authenticity. Like Miles Davis, The Slip will stumble across something great, and just as they see it reach its potential, they abandon it and move on to something new. It’s a constantly evolving process that has seen the band visit free-form jazz, jamband psychedelia, indie rock and even stripped down acoustic folk.
The Slip @ The Strand, Providence, RI (theslip.com)
Like Phish and the Dead, you have to seek out this music and really be willing to search hard in order to discover the greatness that it beholds. I was lucky enough to have a friend who is deeply into The Slip and all of its various side projects – Lucas from Back In 15 Minutes and Listen.in – who was kind enough to help me on my journey to discover more of their music. I hope to be able to do the same for some of you, as I am of the belief that this is music that everyone should be aware of (even if the band doesn’t feel the same way). So for today, I’ve put together a playlist from various Slip shows to help introduce readers to this great music. There is also a Slip show from 2007 available for download below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Playlist: 1. Get Me With Fuji 2. Soft Machine 3. Else 4. The Woods 5. Abide With Me 6. More Intense Surveilence > Lots of Socks > 7. Even Rats 8. Call It What You Like 9. Children of December 10. If One of Us Should Fall 11.Sorry > 12. Kicked it in the Sun > 13. Sorry
DOWNLOAD: The Slip 2007.6.27 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
I love the Slip, and your writing, but it seems remiss not to mention the seemingly major style transformation they went through with Eisenhower. Their music before was very much in the jazz/jam camp, and recently seem to have made a conscious effort to turn towards the indie-rock style. Let’s face it – Yellow Medicine or So Dope would never make it into Guitar Hero. I like both Slips, but they really seem like two different bands. The earlier Slip is definitely more engaging technically and instrumentally, the later one has a more cohesive and songwriting-focused sound. I’d be curious if you can dig up any information on how or why they took this stylistic turn. I look forward to other posts in this new series!
November 24, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for the comment and kind words!
As for the stylistic transformation – there is no doubt this band has gone from one band to another in the past 10 years. I tried to touch on that without getting to specific. I thought the Miles reference hinted at how dynamic this band is in terms of style. I mean, listen to Birth of the Cool and then listen to Jack Johnson. They move forward without looking back, constantly redefining themselves. That’s why I love ‘em!
You can be sure there will be more Slip analysis as readers become familiar with their music.
November 24, 2010 at 12:58 pm
True. I guess given that the whole indie-rock thing is what they’re currently doing, I tend to think of that style as what they’ve become, rather than a stop along their ever-evolving stylistic voyage. Giving them another listen with the tracks you’ve picked out I both remember with nostalgia my college days in New England catching Slip shows all over the place, even on campus, and also about how I always wished Brad was a better singer. Sometimes his singing is just rough.
November 24, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I like the “The Listening Station” Pic, just finished listening to the whole of Eisenhower, great stuff.
November 24, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Just want to chime in here. If you caught The Slip on their 2009 summer tour or if you made it to like one of 4 shows this year, it seems they have already moved off the ‘indie rock’ thing after focusing on that for about 3 years-ish. New songs like ‘Motherwolf’, ‘That Love Ain’t Enough’, ‘Take The Bus’, ‘England’ touch on blues, alt-rock, and folk. While they still played Eisenhower stuff, they also hearkened back to older gems like ‘Wolof’, ‘Dear Melina’, the re-worked ‘Weight of Solomon’.
I feel like Brad has been in a constant search to find his voice. With The Barr Brothers he settles down into a comfortable folk vocal range that doesn’t require him to leave his comfort zone too much which is perfect for him. Basically, as long as Brad isn’t on a long tour, his voice is fine, which is probably why they’ve done seldom few shows and why The Barr Brothers show-strings have all been a couple dates here and there. I’m sure he’ll sound great on the new Davis album too which they just finished recording.
Bottom line is all Slip related projects have been well-received critically so get out there, see a show (buy and album) and support these guys!
November 24, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Oh by the way I should have mentioned. During their show at the Paradise summer 2009 Brad said something along the lines of “we meant to get together to rehearse some old songs and ended up writing new ones instead”. That sums up The Slip right there, they are always, always, always moving forward and rarely dwelling on the past.
November 24, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I bought Livelectric finally today at your request and I’m very impressed. Happy Snails is a favorite right out of the box. Way cool textures and communication. Sounds like more than three dudes.
Thanks for your thoughtful recommendation and always well spoken words!
And Happy (American) Thanksgiving!
Drew
November 24, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Awesome Drew! Glad I could turn you onto these great musicians. I am forever in debt to Lucas for helping me discover their music. Turn your attention next to ‘From the Gecko,’ their debut album. It’s modern jazz at its finest.
November 24, 2010 at 6:33 pm
I first saw The Slip in 1998 (they were barely old enough to be in the place) at the, now defunct, Mick’s Lounge (later Tongue and Groove also defunct) in San Francisco. This was pre-vocals…amazing show…have been a fan ever since.
November 24, 2010 at 4:50 pm
I agree with TDN – it was like seeing two different bands. I was seriously into the Slip when I was in college in the late 90s in Boston and they were playing tiny clubs. A few years later (2004 or 05) I saw them at the Paradise for Halloween, and they were so different from their From the Gecko sound that we actually walked out of the show before it was over. I don’t know if it was really that bad, I think it was just not at all what we were hoping to hear. “Weight of Solomon” remains one of my favorite songs by any jamband, ever.
Even Rats was my favorite song on Guitar Hero, though
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December 16, 2010 at 4:00 am