| electric martini - night 1 (Dolce Vita ~ Thursday, 24 April 2008) The air was thick with nervous energy. People were buzzing about like insects, anxious & full of expectation. Everyone had just made it over the hump, but there was still Friday to contend with. However, Thursday night belonged to the MLC 3. Josh Phelps got the sound & recording gear straight. Chaunte Gaskins helped him keep it that way. Katrina Barnes cued up the video. ML called for a sound check in A. Steve came with a creeping bass groove. Leon dropped an airtight, in the pocket beat. ML played a jazzed-out piano chord exchange. Andrea sang the introductions. The place was grooving; sound check was complete. The band brought some long form grooves that got the night locked. In fact, ML has been getting amazing feedback from the show - even by those who were not there, but were privy to a private post listening party. The intentional jazz vibe of the evening was only highlighted by the extended improvisations that were born from this evening. Even the band’s cover of “Chivas” by Kelly Clarkson, was given new life with a jazz sensibility. Andrea’s voice & attitude was superb as she sang, “I know it’s hard not to look/’Cause I’m amazing!” And she was! She brought the love on this song & the crowd enjoyed every bit of it. But, soon, the groove got even deeper. Just as deep was the special addition of the evening: painter Winphal Johnson. He & his wife/assistant were posted up in the back, directly in front of ML, putting in work. As he listened to the music, he digested it. What he digested, he painted. What he painted was amazing & will serve as the cover for the electric martini EP. At the end of the evening, ML asked Win to show us what he had done. As he revealed the painting, the audience erupted in applause. Soon, you will all get to see why. For the second set, caution was all but thrown to the wind as ML made the game-time decision to veer from the set list. It was just one of those things that occurs when you feel the energy of the evening shifting. Every band leader knows exactly what this means. Recall stories of James Brown calling for solos from musicians where none were ever rehearsed. Stories of Prince going out on stage & changing the structure of songs as the band played them. Yeah, it was like that. ML led the band through a much mellower version of their tune “This is Jazz.” Then, without warning, ML ripped into a brand-spanking new song called “verve”. His left hand working the rolling jazz bass-line on keyboard number two while his right hand chorded piano love, ML signaled the beginning to a long form jam that set the crowd on fire. Leon’s drum’s came to life under his expert guidance, sounding like a cross between Max Roach’s attack & Art Blakey’s sense of timing. Steve came in with an elastic soulo, stretching the boundaries of the typical role the bass. Think Weather Report & you’re getting close. ML then stated, quite nonchalantly, “Somebody said Scott Strange was in the house.” On cue, tenor saxophonist Scott Strange, who had never played with the band & had only met ML 15 minutes earlier, came up & brought the groove superbly. Then, without warning, ML called Omar Holmes, one of the bartenders Dolce Vita, who happened to be off that evening, to come pick up the guitar. When he did, his blues chording complimented the jam perfectly. Not to be left out, Andrea brought a rather Doobie Brother-ish cowbell exchange that was irresistible. So, when ML called for just the drums, Leon & Andrea locked into a tight & utterly groovable rhythm that had heads bobbing off the hinges. Throughout the soulo exchanges between Strange, Holmes, Suber, Daniel, & Caldwell prompted someone in attendance to comment: “It was like having John Coltrane, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Marcus Miller, Art Blakey, & Thelonious Monk all on stage together. AMAZING!” ML enjoyed Strange & Holmes so much that he invited them to stay for the remainder of the set. He even had them battle on the band’s rendition of the Bill Withers classic “Who is He and What is He to You?” With the closing number, the Suber-Daniel-Caldwell original “Soul Excursion", the band came back from the cosmos to planet home once again. This is what it’s all about - the groove. It was an amazing evening, but there is more to come. There is 1 more recording to go before ML will have the electric martini recording to his satisfaction, so be there whenever it goes down. Details as they come... Thanks to all who came out to share the evening with us. Thanks to Dolce Vita for hosting this event. And big love to Nina Moon who came out & took pictures only to lose her camera later that evening. Hopefully it will turn up sooner or later. Thanks to Josh Phelps & Chaunte Gaskins for their sound control. Thanks to the amazing Winphal Johnson for his amazing gift. Thanks to the two doctors: Dr. Scott Strange & Dr. Omar Holmes (both with "a phD in advanced body moving"). Thanks also to Ms. Katrina Barnes for her video & other support - you feel me. And, last but not least, thank you to the MLC3! 11 September 2008 Thanks to all who braved the threat(?!) of inclement weather to come out & dig on the MLC3 & Actual Proof. We had a great time & were so excited to be gigging with Eric M & the boys. For a fact, Actual Proof is an amazing band that we look forward to both seeing & sharing the stage with again in the future. It was great to meet Joseph Brennan & perhaps he & ML will collaborate on some things - musical & visual - in the future; who knows? Also, it was so pleasing to see Bebe from Onpointt Online Magazine in the house. Her new E-Zine launches soon, so stay tuned to the 3rd Power Report for details. Due to extenuating circumstances, DJ JP was not able to do sound, so ML did it the old fashioned way, like he used to back in the day: he did it himself! :) Please keep Josh in mind, though, as he recently fell victim to thieves who stole much equipment from him & our fellow musicians, Soulganic. 3rd Power Report: What’s shaking, fellow traveler’s? Well, if you were anywhere around the MLC3 this past weekend, it was your hips, right? We truly had a blast at both shows this weekend, ya’ll! Friday night, we brought our peculiar brand of soul & funk, along with Asheville super group Stephaniesid, to The Neighborhood Theater (Charlotte, NC’ NoDa Arts District) as part of their FREE Summer Concert Series. We played to a packed house of multi-ethnic funksters ranging in age from 70 all the way down to 14 months old!! Plus, my oldest son, Elgin Ryan (age 5) really got the party started by getting up on the first song & dancing the entire set whilst my youngest son, Sean Allen (age 14 months) bobbed & weaved from his chair, all the while watching daddy’s every musical move. These two, along with mi bella esposa, of course, are my muses. As an added surprise, we had special guest, my former band mate, & very good friend Ryan McKeithan (from Charlotte soul quartet Soulganic) sitting in with us on the first two cuts. In fact, anticipating the absence of Subezilla (bass player, Steve Suber) Ryan was kind (& talented) enough to step in & learn the bass lines for the entire set in just 3 hours!! When Steve pulled through at the last minute, it just didn’t seem right to let all that hard work go to waste, so we had him come lace the first two grooves of the evening with some of his lush guitar playing. So, um, Ryan, when are we gonna revisit some of those after rehearsal jams we came up with a few years ago? From the stage, we could even see people dancing in the streets, or at least on the sidewalk just outside the door. At any rate, the evening was electric & the MLC3 loved grooving on the Other Stage at the Theater. After we finished our set, the hungry crowd was greeted with the euphoric sounds of Stephaniesid. These cats really gave energy to the audience & it was so great to be a part of such an amazing evening. So, Stephanie, when are we gonna do it again? Zack, can the MLC3 come out to play again? Saturday night, the MLC3 was in Matthews, NC at the AMF Carolina Lanes to play the Soul Bowl. We had a great time with Jonathan & all of the beautiful people who came out to bowl, eat, play cards, & genuinely party. We hope to do it again real soon! Thanks to Portia for getting the first act on video. I can’t wait to check it out. Anybody notice a very attentive Canadian checking the band very closely at every show? Rumor has it she is comping keyboard lines… Got Pics? If you have any pictures or video from any of our shows & would like to share them with the world, please send them to us at ml@mlcaldwell.com Now Available!!! The Well (Part 1):"days in the fire" the EP by ML Caldwell Buy it NOW! August Double-header 2008 Okay, first of all, the MLC3 had a blast at both shows this weekend! Each show had it's own energy; each show was special. From ML playing guitar with his teeth & piano with his feet to Leon breaking it down proper; from Andrea & ML dancing to Suber's bass cheering section. We are so excited to have met so many new friends & to have seen our old one's. Our next two shows will be here in Charlotte & we hope to see you all (& your friends/family/enemies/etc.) at them. (Check the details above & come out to show us love!) 26 May 2008 the MLC3 would like to send MAD LOVE to everyone who came out to jam with us at The Evening Muse Saturday 24 May. It was so great to see old friends & make new ones. We would like to extend gratitude to all who put in work behind the scenes to make this night possible & to make it a great experience: Soulganic for the invite to jam, The Evening Muse for the space to groove, Chaunte, Janny, & Shay for their voices & hands, Scott Strange for your wonderful horn, Josh Phelps for cutting it up & recording/mixing the show. "The band's energy was crazy! My immediate observation was the connectivity of the band with the audience. I'm sure it was evident from the front row how hard I was groovin'. I couldn't help but either sway, sing along or outright dance as ML & the band brought the house down!!! Like the flyer said, they came to "Turn it out"! I have to say that it was the best show I have seen so far and I could tell everyone put 400% effort into it. I see an indefinite amount of potential as this band goes to new levels. As for each individual having their spot to shine, I just thought that was a brilliant idea because I saw, as I'm sure the audience saw, the talent of each band member which caused those who came with me to say: 'It was so worth my money' and 'I would definitely pay to see them again; that show was AWESOME!!' It even got back to some people outside of the group who came with me that night and they told me that I better make sure I tell them when the next show is!!! During "cosmic noise" when ML turned his back to the crowd and really got into it with Leon, these two were killin' it!! When Steve did his thing it made me appreciate the bass guitar even more. Andrea really brought a level of energy I had never seen her bring before and she sounded BEAUTIFUL. Scott Strange on the saxophone brought that jazzy flavor & his 'A' game so I think he's cool. The icing on the cake for me was when Josh came in and did his thing on the turn tables!!! The next day my voice was raw from screaming at the top of my lungs the entire night!" -Chaunte G., music lover & avid concert goer We couldn't have said it better! We love you!, the MLC3 back |