BIG Something and Tauk
The Hamilton, DC
August 2, 2014
by Andrew Brown
Imagine, if you will, walking through a setting of monolithic concrete buildings strewn with bright lights as you travel into the heart of NW Washington D.C. Located on 14th Street, The Hamilton is a mixed locale that incorporates the luxury of fine dinning above and a basement concert venue below. As I followed bellow, the bright lights illuminating the twisting staircase towards the stage came upon a doorman finely dressed in a pressed black suit. Inside, the concert hall is comprised of a myriad of dimly lit seating with a small, cleared out area in front them that focus on the main stage at the head of the room. I was extremely excited to see both BIG Something and Tauk perform as it was their last performance together after a four week run. The night to come would be a perfect fusion between heavy funk jam and class, where hat pins and ties could be united in perfect union.
North Caronlina’s BIG Something was the first to grace the stage. A fusion of hard rock and funk, BIG Something lit the match on the night. Their set was full of surprises that I had not seen them perform live before. “Waves”, “UFOs Are Real” and “Love Generator” are songs that are newer to their setlist docket. With their BIG What?!? Festival and these new songs, which they perform extremely well live, BIG Something constantly demonstrates that they are a band on the rise that is uncomfortable with status quo mediocrity. Tauk’s lead guitarist Matt Jalbert accompanied the band for my favorite section of their set, which was split between the last two songs they performed; a cover of “Baba O’Riley” by British Prog Rock band The Who and one of BIG Something’s staples “Amanda Lynn”. As the band finished their set with “Amanda Lynn”, they had the crowd singing their lyrics in a fervent uproar.
BIG Something. The Hamilton. 8.2.14:
1999 (Prince)
The Undertow
A Simple Vision
Saturday Night Zombie >
Frankenstein (Edgar Winter) >
Pinky’s Ride
Pinky’s Woman
Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel)
Waves
UFOs are Real*
Love Generator*
Baba O’riley* (The Who)
Amanda Lynn*
Notes:
*w. Matt Jalbert (Tauk) on lead guitar
Tauk is a four piece band out of New York State that balance the intricacies of hard driven, rhythmically smooth Prog Rock infused with straight soul breaking Funk and stylistically unlike any jamband I have previously seen. As they came to the stage, I was impressed with how well the two bands played off of each other. Tauk is comprised of Matt Jalbert (guitar), Charlie Dolan (bass), Alric “A.C” Carter (keyboard-organ), and Isaac Teel (drums). Their set was comprised of a mixture between their newly released album “Collisions”, their previously released album “Homunculus”, and covers from the Kill Bill Soundtrack, Radiohead, and the Beatles. My favorite moment of their set was “Collateral”. Before I got into the jam scene, I was seriously into Hard Alternative Prog Rock and the orchestral, hard driven melodies in “Collateral” bring a sense of nostalgia for me. Not to mention you can see how much passion drummer Isaac Neal puts into each heavy handed rhythm. I also thoroughly enjoyed their Radiohead and Beatles covers. They played both songs, especially “I Want You (She’s So Heavy), perfectly.
Tauk. The Hamilton. 8.2.14:
The Chemist
Mokumba
Sweet Revenge
Afro-Tonic
Tumbler
In the Basement of the Allamo
When In Doubt
Battle Without Honor or Humanity (Tomoyasu Hotei: Kill Bill)
Dead Signal
I Might Be Wrong (Radiohead)
Dusty Jacket
Collateral
E:
Friction
Mindshift
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (The Beatles)
If either of these bands are playing even remotely close to you, than it is highly highly recommended that you check them out. Both put on shows full of energy that will leave a tingling sensation in your veins.
For more on each of these bands:
http://www.bigsomething.net/
Photo Credit: Josh Brick
