This almost slipped through the cracks

Cal Prog is hosting Cal Prog night tonight in Fullerton California With Eric Norelander and Friends and Nima & Merge.  The show is free although it is a dinner club. Details are on Cal Progs website.  Any So Cal lurkers out there get yer butts to the show.    The more people that show the more favorable Steamers will be to making this a regular event.  

Hey it's free and us progulites have nothing to do right? 

http://www.calprog.com

OK Saw this show last night and I was impressed by a couple of things. Nima and Merge are fantastic.  First time I got the see the Chapman Stick in use and I was blown away.  They played about one hour.  They were a trio Stick, Sax and drums.  Nima Rezai played the stick with an amazing virtuosity.  Dan Heflin of alto and tenor sax was great.  Drummer Brad Ranola was perfect for this size club adding great fills and tempo changes without being overpowering. Three of the 5 song set were jazz fusion pieces and the other two adding more Indian and Prog structure and melodies to them.  If you get a chance buy their CD's or see them live.

I only caught about an hour of Eric Norelander's set an though I can tell he is very talented keyboard player I don't like the popping up and down of different people all through his set that constitute his “Friends”. Passing through were  a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, two different singers, and a cello player at different times through out the set.   Some songs were very good but for all the equipment he touts around with him I guess I expected more.  Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad just not as cohesive as a band that played together would be.   (I probably shouldn’t protest too much since there was no cover or ticket price.)

As for Steamers it is a little Jazz club that seats about a hundred.  It is more long than wide which considering the smallness of the stage it was hard to see from different angles.  Eric Norelanders Keyboard set up dominated the right end of the stage which is where the majority of seat faced which made it hard to see Nima and Merge who stood on the other side of it.  But I suppose what was really impressive was 75 people or so there on Wednesday Night.  I hope that we can have more of these.

danbo wrote: When I saw Erik Norlander last year, I was impressed with his instrumental stuff. Once Alro Guthrie came on stage the creativity disappeared. Was the cellist a short hispanic guy, Mike Alvarez, kinda chubby?  I thought he was great, the interplay between Erik and Mike was pretty cool. Very "off the cuff."

The very one (cello player) and I agree with you, Danbo.  The instrumental stuff was much better. I liked the interaction between the two also.

 His wife, Lana Lane has a good voice but I could done without Kashmir