Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Aristocrats at the Saxon Pub

Courtesy of one of the my fellow TOAPP campers, I became aware of a three piece, power fusion trio, the Aristocrats.

The band has the following lineup:

You may or may not recognize that two of the musicians, Marco and Guthrie, were members of Steven Wilson's band for the Raven that Refused to Sing tour. Marco was also in Steven's band to support Grace for Drowning, and has played with Adrian Belew, UKZ, along with many others.

I had never heard or seen Bryan Beller, but was aware that he and Marco had been touring in support of Joe Satriani. Clearly, he is no slouch, either.

Since the band came highly recommended, and I had already seen two of the trio members perform live, it was a no-brainer to buy their CD. I ordered the CD on-line, and was also able to digitally download the music immediately. I liked what I heard, they displayed a frightening level of virtuosity.

It was couple days later when I discovered that they would be playing a show in Austin, and at the Saxon Pub, no less. Even though the show was at 11PM on a Sunday, how could I pass up the show for $15?? The Aristocrats

Their set started about 10:55PM, after Bryan thoughtfully told the audience that he wanted to make sure that everyone had gotten into the club. They then began a 2 hour set that rocked the house. Fortunately, they introduced every song, and usually had an accompanying story for each composition. I was able to jot down this setlist, as a result.

The playing was incredible and terrifying. There were a lot of musicians in the audience, and I am certain that one or two probably went home and burned their instruments, after watching this band. Marco and Guthrie are indescribably good

I was really blown away, however, by Bryan Beller. I had a great vantage point to watch Bryan up close, and decided that he is right up there with Jeff Berlin. He has amazing alternating finger technique on the bass.

The set ended shortly after 1AM, and I have feeling that this band will be back soon. Final Bow

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