Robert Walter - Road Reports

Some messages from fans who've witnessed a live show with Robert Walter's 20th Congress. Keep an eye on Robert's tour schedule for the latest info on upcoming gigs.

If you'd like to send in your comments, we'd like to hear them. !

" I checked out a great 20th Congress show at the Music Hall. That band has definitely turned the corner, and gone from the boogaloo style to straight up funk. I heard covers from Fatback and Dr John and an amazing encore of "Good Times Bad Times" by Zeppelin. Killer show! "
-DJ Rob Kowal

" Robert Walter and crew ripped the Metro Cafe in DC last night. It was a one set show that did not get started until almost 11pm, which was late for a school night. I was surprised that a decent sized crowd showed up, and happy to meet about 4 or 5 people that had not seen the 20th Congress before, but were attending through recommendations. All were in the groove within about 30 seconds of the first tune, tho :-) These guys are seriously tight, with each band member contributing his fair share to the overall sound. I really dig George Sluppick, and now I'm drooling, waiting on that Mofro disc to arrive in the mail. I remember Dan saying he was particularly happy with the sound he got from the drums on this upcoming disc. I'm still tired and hung over a bit, and therefore subject to a little hyperbole, but that was one of the funkiest, greasiest, down dirty shows I've ever witnessed! "
-Patrick, posted to the Galactic listserv

" RW20th played possibly the most smoking two sets of funk I've ever seen last night. Elgin Park from Greyboy Allstars fame came out for a 2nd set Greyboy jam fest last that literally knocked my socks off. They were kickin it old-school yo!! If you haven't seen RW20th in the last few months, you are in for a surprise. "
-Erik, posted to the Galactic listserv

(Review of the Robert Walter benefit concert in NYC):

" I really am shot and need to sleep, but I'll give y'all a partial lowdown on the madness that just blew the roof off of NYC. I just saw what could probably as one of the single-greatest performances the Wetlands has ever seen. 5 and a half hours of non-stop music, my friends, featuring members of ulu, Fat Mama, Rana, Deep Banana Blackout (Hope is AMAZING -- this coming from an admitted non-DBB fan), Soulive, and of course, GALACTIC (Stanton and Houseman). On top of that, there were also random other musicians who sat in throughout the night.... Robert Walter, Neil Sugarman, or Topaz for example. Oh yeah... then there was also DJ Logic and DJ Stitch and a whole slew of freestyle rappers, including Baba Israel. And many many more (cats from Schleigho, Actual Proof, AWB, and so on). The show was completely off the hook... many jazz-funk standards were covered, and not a single tune lacked some serious jamming. Eric Krasno proved his talent not only on the guitar, but also on the bass and clavinet (ripped it up on both instuments). Stanton sat in for two tunes early on and then never made it back (aside from Stanton and Houseman, Jeff, Robert, Aaron, and Jereb were all in attendance). Houseman... oh that Houseman... he sang us some DAMN FUNKY versions of Standing On Shaky Ground, If You Want Me To Stay(!!!), and I Wish(!!!!!!!!! woo-funking-hoo!!!!!). Did I mention that there wasn't a break the entire evening? =) They would rotate musicians, but there was no setbreak. 5.5 hours straight, and what a show. Thankfully, there were a large contingent of tapers there, so you won't only have to take my word on how off-the-wall this show was. It came out to three 60m DATs.... definitely gonna be 5 or 6 discs for the whole show. I'm still kind of stunned about what went on tonight.... not really sure if it's fact or fiction. More from me tomorrow when my head clears and that buzzing sound stops. G'night, y'all. Good morning too. "
-Adam, posted to the Galactic listserv

(Review of the Robert Walter benefit concert in NYC):

" What's that aching I detect in my calf muscles? Why are my ankles throbbing in pain? Why am I so happy to be sitting down right now?

I attended the Robert Walter's 20th Congress Benefit at the Wetlands Preserve last night, and I am suffering the consequences of a wicked butt-shakin' All-Star jam session.

Unfortunately, I work in the morning, so I had to bail out early at 1:45, but I wouldn't be suprised if this marathon continued until 4:00 or 5:00. Our fearless funk enthusiast, Adam Rosenberg, was determined to make it an all-nighter (He must be very well rested after sleeping through 90% of Berkfest!), and I would imagine that he'll have a full report after he gets fired from work later today.

When I came into the club, the band was smack in the middle of a delicious groove. My roommate and I "prepared" for the evening, and my dancin shoes took off. As my hips were gyrating uncontrollably, I kept thinking, "Damn! Who is playing the drums?" From our vantage point, it was tough to make out anyone besides Topaz, Justin Wallace (ulu), Robert Walter, Fuzz (DBB), and DJ Logic. There were a couple of other cats groovin up there, but I couldn't get a good view of them. Suddenly, I recognized that whack-thwack boom chiggy-chiggy style of playing, and after a little investigation, I realized that our man Stanton was helming the stage left drumkit. And (as expected) he was dominating.

After some friends had informed me that Houseman, Jeff, and Robert were all also in attendance, the radar was up. Some hilarious meatheads kept asking us when Galactic was going on, and I don't know if they ever understood that this wasn't a "Galactic" show. Nevertheless, Justin called up the Houseman, and after a little cajoling, he took the stage with former Baaba Seth and new Deep Bannana Blackout singer/flautist/sax machine Hope Clayburn for a little duet on what I believed was a medley of three Stevie Wonder tunes. It was prety cool, and then the Houseman exited the stage and disappeared into the smokey crowd. (By the way, DBB fans have nothing to fear. Hope's energy and fresh perspective are certain to bring a huge improvement to DBB, a band that I thought was on the verge of getting stale.)

So the jams keep coming, and then suddenly Hope and company made an instantaneous segue from a jam into a soulful take on Sly & The Family Stone's "Stay." Apparently, the Houseman wasn't too far behind me because his ears suddenly perked up, and he darted toward the stage. This was a brother on a mission. He lept up onstage, and he proceeded to breakdown this song in a way that you can't possibly imagine. He and Hope were trading lines, improvising, scatting, the whole nine yards, and this was the most I have ever heard the Houseman get into anything! He just tore this song apart, and the two vocalists kept jamming for a long, long time, pulling riffs out from the deepest darkest recesses of their souls. It was pretty unreal.

We had made a pact to leave by 1:30, but there was no way that we could bolt in the middle of a jam, as Soulive's Eric Krasno was playing some mean and funky bass. Thankfully, the jam ended, and we bolted for the door, afraid that we might hear a note or two of another irresistable, work-defying, hypnotic, evil little jam that would suck us back into the vortex.

It was quite a show, and when we were leaving, I saw that people were still coming in. My conservative estimate was that there was at least 300 of us there last night, so that should go a good distance toward paying-off Robert's credit card bills for his new equipment. A big thanks goes out to the great musicians in New York for pulling-off yet another agonizingly good jam-fest.

P.S. I'm starting to think that Dr. Scholls should be sponsoring these events! "
-Brian, posted to the Galactic listserv

" So we caught Robert Walter's 20th Congress last night here in L.A. and WOW! The place was aboslutely PACKED (and could it have been any hotter in there? For cryin' out loud, I thought I was in NOLA again!) The guys are sounding better than ever, which is crazy considering the circumstances with their gear and all. I've been seeing them since 11/98 and I'm so happy to have been able to witness their evolution - they just get better every time. You can tell they're all really happy to be playing together - it's just written all over their faces. "
-Gina, posted to the Galactic listserv

" I'll add my voice to Huzie's and Gina's -- Robert Walter tore **it up last night! I loved GBA, and I've loved RWTC for some time, but this is a different band. They're taking a lot of chances, and more often than not those chances pay off huge. Chris Stillwell smiled at least three times last night, which must be some kind of record. And the grooves, Jebus.... George has taken to this band like a duck to water, and I'm convinced he's Stanton's long-lost twin brother. And if you doubt my groove-appraisal skills, consider that 500 drenched knuckleheads can't all be wrong. and "
-Chris, posted to the Galactic listserv

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