I return from the Ether!

I was in Brooklyn on Friday, hotbed for Modern American Hipster Culture. You know what? Call them what you will, that place felt like, and was for a few years, home for me. But that's not the purpose of this entry.

One of the many people I was hanging out with in Brooklyn was my friend Fernando, a punk rock fellow I've known since 2003 when we were hanging out at the Town Grind in Denville. We were at a delightful watering hole known as the Double Windsor, drinking the greatest beer I've ever tasted in my life.

So he asks me about my favorite beer, and I told him, well, this one, right now, that we're both drinking. And he says, would you consider this the Husker Du of beers? I was a bit taken aback, I'd never compared beer to music before, let alone, how do I compare a beer I like to one of my favorite bands of all time?

The question of what beer I would compare to Husker Du was never answered, BUT I found a far more appropriate comparison for the beer we were drinking. The beer we were drinking, I suppose I should share, is the 2011 edition of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. It's a beer that is so heavy, so flavorful, and so strong that it takes a long time to drink. It's that intense. I struggled to find the words, because he was asking me to compare two things that, while related in very tangential ways, really don't have much to do with each other. After all, you experience them using different senses. One is strictly audible, the other experienced 80% through taste, 15% through smell, and 5% through sight. But I was able to figure it out.

I wound up finding one single, solitary song to compare this beer to, and it's a song that I would consider timeless but not at ALL for the impatient, superficial or faint of heart. That song is "Mountain Jam" by the Allman Brothers. It sounds a bit insane, but trust me, the comparison holds water, in my opinion.

The first thing that I have to say is that neither this beer nor the song is for everyone. In fact, a select few would seek either out. The Allmans have experienced great success throughout their career, mainly for being a band that has moved forward while still keeping the essentials of their sound intact. The most salient aspect of the band is their thirst for improvisational euphoria, and "Mountain Jam" is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of this spirit. I'm moving away from the beer here, but beer snobbery is not the point of this. Rather, it was the comparison I drew (which, I swear, I'm getting to).

Anyway, the thing about the greatness of the song in question partially lay in the fact that it is a song for true fans only, true music fans, and those who truly appreciate the band's mission statement. The song is a bit of a deep cut, if considered a classic. It's a staple of their live show, with good reason. There is SO MUCH going on in that song. The melody is instantly recognizable. And it truly exhibits the depth of their talents, as individuals and as one unified band. It takes a certain type of person to be able to sit through the whole song. It's 33 minutes long. Thankfully it's broken into sections and solos, but I believe that it holds up as a great single opus. To me it represents a near perfection of musicianship. A command of song-craft, an ability to tweak someone else's musical ideas to your own will, and an adventurous and experimental spirit all coincide to create something truly great. While neither guitar player who appeared on the original live take remains in the band, the fact that they established such a remarkable musical presence is all that is needed to be considered when admiring the merits of this song, both on the "Eat A Peach" take and also in their current incarnation. The spirit of improvisation, the necessity of being a skilled and tasteful musician, and that adventurous spirit.

The song is an EVENT. Anyone with 33 minutes of spare time should try to listen to it, but not everyone who does will be able to get through the whole thing. The best version, by far, is the Filmore East outtake from Eat a Peach. Like the rest of the Filmore East performances, the sweat dripping from the players' faces is nearly audible, and very much visible in the mind's eye. The work that they would put into their performances is legendary, and still very much a part of them as a touring entity.

While it is an event, it is only an event to be enjoyed on a very limited basis. There are only so many times that one can listen to this musical powerhouse. There is so much going on, and there is so much history behind the song, and by no means is it an easily digestible pop song.

I wish to the gods that I could remember all of what I had told Fernando about this song, and express that all here, but suffice it to say, I would have to put this song on my all time favorites list because of its musical depth, it's requirements of patience and focus, and the sheer power of the band as a musical force. I can't listen to it every day, and one should not. However, repeated listens will always reward the listener with new and different sonic layers.

This entry was not as focused and well thought out. The main point is this: I love writing about music, and at Fernando's behest, I did the best I could to write about this based on his urging that I move forward with writing about music. After listening to me rant, he expressed his sincerest admiration for how I said what I did about the song (and the beer), and basically threatened me with disembowelment if I did not continue. So here you go. This is my return to music blogging. It has nothing to do with journalism, or criticism, or anything like that, but it is me expressing, in my possibly psychotic way, how music makes me feel, and how it impacts my life, and how it is nearly ALWAYS the first thing that I think of. I promise, something more coherent will come about in the future. So, thanks, Fid, for giving me a solid kick in the ass to do this thing that apparently some people know how to appreciate.