Tunnels @ Eyedrum Atlanta GA 9/30/2006

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Tunnels with Percy Jones this past Saturday at Atlanta's Eyedrum, a great little venue that's both performance space and art gallery.

Outpost 9, did a great openign set of ambient/electronica/world-beat stuff with very unique twists.

When I heard that Percy and the crew were coming, I was thinking at first, "OK, I'd love to see Percy play but I wasn;t exactly thrilled with what I saw at NEARFest that one time(where John Goodsall's painfully out-of-tune and out-of-context guest appearance didn't help). Well, all doubts were cast aaside as the vastly improved Tunnels took the stage. No guest appearances or anything, just one good, solid and energetic set.

They've been doing a 2 week mini-tour of the eastern US in support of their newest CD, "Natural Selection". See Percy's website for remaining tour dates www.percyjones.net

This time it was the core 3-piece, Percy, Marc Wagnon (midi-vibes) and a brand new drummer who'd only been with them about a week (their drummer bailed on them just before they were to hit the road, a quick ad on Craig's List enabled them to find a very capable replacement in short order).

They played the entire CD in sequence. I was floored by how well all 3 listened to each other, Marc Wagnon's masterful and creative use of synth textures and samples with the midi-vibes and of course, our man Percy as brilliant as ever.

The music itself was spellbinding, the grooves relentless and for me, VERY inspiring, whether it was the ominous "Devil's Staircase" or an edgy jazz ballad or anywhere in between, Tunnels kept my attention the whole time..

Best yet, Tunnels are 3 of the most approachable and friendly folks you'll encounter. Marc Wagnon may look real serious ionstage but he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. The new drummer (must be in his early 20's at most) was just so energetic and very happy to be doing the tour. Percy himself was very cool, soft-spoken and still has his Welsh accent. To thank him for making the trip through ATL and for his inspiring playing, I gave him a copy of one of my CD's which he said he'd play in the van the next day. They all signed me newly purchased Tunnels CD . All in all, a great night and a great lesson in how to play fretless. If you get the chance, definitely see them, especially as a 3-piece.

Hard to believe they were able to fit themselves AND their gear in a mini-van!