Electrorespect 5 - Nietzsche's

             Electrorespect 5, the annual tribute to the late, and truly great, musician and artist Mark Freeland, held at Nietzsche’s May 5, was another resounding success musically and spiritually.

            The event continues to be coordinated and orchestrated by Carla Levorchick, Mark’s longtime partner, friend, advocate and protector, and as usual, she put in countless hours and effort into another gathering of the tribe.

            The evening opened with Ed Koban and Matt Knott performing “The Feather Meets the Dot,” with Koban playing Native American flute and Knott percussion and dulcimer. It was a lovely, peaceful piece and reflected Freeland’s friendship with Koban and interest and respect of Native American music and culture.

            Kinfolk, a keyboard and percussion duet, performed next, and showed good intentions and occasional talent. On the front stage, Pillow Queen was hurt by some caterwauling vocal problems, causing me to write “ouch” in my notes as the band punished Electroman’s “True Love,” or at least the lines from the chorus, “True love/that’s what I’m living for,” over and over and OVER. Whether it was an interpretation gone way wrong, performance art or an endurance test, it was awful in a way that Freeland may have given a thumbs-up to; me, not so much. Pillow Talk also played a song that sounded way too much like “Lady” by Styx. (For those of you offended by criticism of bands at a tribute, please feel free to make use of the comment function below).

            Cowboys of Scotland, a band led by longtime Freeland friend, compatriot and sometime collaborator Bud Redding (keyboards and vocals) and Steve Myers (guitar, bass, vocals and paint brush), delivered an energetic, emotional set blending tribute to Freeland. Redding composed and the band has performed a rock opera based on the life of Freeland, “Original: The Mark Freeland Story,” from which they played a song, as well as performed “Funk Monster Rap,” a song Redding performed in one of his early bands, Funk Monsters and Woman. Redding has credited Freeland with teaching him how to rap (Freeland was a very early rap fan and enthusiast). Myers created a rather good painting based on some Freeland artwork, The band also played two Freeland songs, “Cowboys of Scotland,” the obvious influence of the band’s name, and the classic, fun and forceful “Go Go Go,” with some muscle from guitarist Robert Raithel and drummer Doug Jones. Redding and Cowboys of Scotland have worked hard to helping keep Freeland’s music alive.

            David Kane, an early member of Electroman who wrote and devised some of the band’s greatest songs with Freeland, performed next, with Darren Cage, who played in later versions of Electroman for years (as well as with Kane in later Nullstadt) on guitar and backing vocals and some percussion tracks. They were joined by a couple of vocalists, including the poorly disguised Donald Kinsman, Kane’s partner and co-creator of Nullstatdt, and Biff Titsle (Anal Pudding). The band performed several David Bowie songs, dating back to when Kane and Freeland performed in Erectronics and loved to cover Bowie; this night, the band played such Bowie classics as “Fashion” and “Station to Station.” But the absolute best part of this set, and one of the best parts of the entire night, was when the band started the long, wonderful introduction to “Girl Power,” co-written by Kane and Freeland, and one of the best songs any Buffalo band has ever recorded (it appears on Electroman’s “Come” album). While the song has been covered before, and well at times, something that has always been missing from those versions is the punchy, almost high-pitched hammer-like keyboard chords Kane pumps in the late part of the intro just before Freeland unleashes a wild solo, As that part of the song neared, it actually seemed like the audience tensed in anticipation of hearing if Kane could/would do it; my wife, photographer Val Dunne, who shot Freeland for years, grabbed my arm and yelled into my ear, “I think he’s gonna do it.” It came to that part…and bam, Kane hit the keyboard part as no one else has done, and the audience basically looked at itself and cheered. The whole of “Girl Power” sounded wonderful and was the best way for Kane to end his set.

            The next set was offered up by Nick Garden and the Hall of Fame Band, either with tongue piercing cheek or a textbook example of a violation of truth in advertising laws. The vocals were painful at times, including on “You Make Me Want to Love You,” and the attempt to cover the Fems’ “Go to a Party” featured keyboards way more prominent than the guitar, a major mistake, as would be covering this song when you consider who followed this band.

            Ending the show, appropriately enough, were the Fems Fatale, the three members of the Fems still living in Buffalo, namely John Walters on guitar and vocals, Kent Weber on bass and vocals and Lou Mang on drums. Smartly, the band basically plugged in, turned the volume up and kicked some ass. The Fems Fatale particularly nailed a fantastic version of “Violation,” and ended with a breathtaking version of Electroman’s “The Day You Came into My Life.”

            Some people complained on my other blog about the need for shows honoring the music, art and person that was/is Mark Freeland, and others just went straight to the personal attack. As long as musicians, friends and fans fondly remember Mark, there will be Electrorespect shows.