I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: August 2, 2024] Stick Men 

I have been trying to see Stick Men since just before the pandemic.  They play around here relatively frequently but the timing or location (not to mention the pandemic) has prevented me from seeing them.

But, luckily, they came back to Ardmore and I was able to get up close to the stage to see Tony Levin (the main reason I wanted to go) play the Chapman Stick up close.  I have seen him play with King Crimson but have never been THIS close.

I didn’t know much about Markus Reuter, who also plays a kind of Stick–his own U8 Touch guitar.  But wow, he was amazing.  And he made playing these crazy complicated song so easy.

And I can’t forget Pat Mastoletto, who I’ve seen several times playing drums with King Crimson.  He’s amazing to watch, but I laughed to myself at what an amazing show this was if he was the least interesting thing on stage.

I knew that they had released several albums as as Stick Men, but they opened with a King Crimson song and it was incredible to witness.   It was also fun because the song “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two” which is very precise and exacting, felt a little looser in this format.  Not sloppy at all, because they are precision players, but as if they were just having fun with it instead f needing to meeting (dare I say it, Robert Fripp’s exacting standards).

Then they played some original pieces.  “Ringtone” Tony described as sounding like a ringtone in the beginning–but then it meanders all over the place.  It’s a slower pace but with a cool progression.  This was when I realized I didn’t know if sounds were looping,

“Hide the Trees” is a but more frenetic.  As is “Tentacles.”  Markus told an amusing story about how the song (and album) title came to be.  The song asks “how many strings?”  Well, Markus has 8 and Tony has 12, so an average is 10–tentacles.

Then came an even heavier, more insane song called “Horatio.”  I guess that 2013 album was all about the heaviness.

Pat mentioned that even he has a hard time knowing who is playing what parts (and he’s in the band).  But he knew that Markus played the bass parts in “Cusp” while Tony played all of the leads.

They followed this with a solo Robert Fripp song  that I didn’t know but I smiled recognizing it as quintessentially Frippian.

Pat told us that “Mantra: was for those of us who like to clap along as the song starts 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2 and then repeats backwards.

Then it was back to a stunning cover of King Crimson’s Red.   Tony then told us that the next song they composed over zoom, sending each other files.  They also didn’t realize they were all playing in different keys and time signatures.

This segued into a quiet, mostly improvised piece with Pat playing a lot of effects and things and the other guys soloing and just jamming. It was interesting, but was a little long and slow.

They followed it up with the only song with lyrics, “Prog Noir.”  Tony sang a song about touring as Stick Men.  It was the most “song like” song, with an actual song structure.

They ended with one of my favorite Newer King Crimson songs, “Level Five”–heavy and insanely fast.  So much fun to watch.

The guys ended the set there but then “decided” to do one more.  They ended with a chill King Crimson song, “The Sheltering Sky,” a song from Discipline, which the Crimson spin off Beat (featuring Tony Levin) will be playing later this year.  I’m pretty excited about that!

It was great to finally see this trio and I’d absolutely see then again.

1. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two [King Crimson song]
2. Ringtone Ψ
3. Hide the Trees ⇓
4. Tentacles Ψ
5. Horatio ⇓
6. Cusp ⇓
7. Breathless [Robert Fripp song]
8. Mantra ♣
9. Red [King Crimson song]
10. Danger in the Workplace Ψ
11. Swimming in T Ø
12. Prog Noir ♣
13. Level Five [King Crimson song]
    encore
14. The Sheltering Sky [King Crimson song]

⇓ Deep (2013)
♣ Prog Noir (2016)
Ø Owari (2020)
Ψ Tentacles (2022)