“It’s Up To Me”
by RandyE on 2/14/23Jefferson Theater - CharlottesvilleThese guys were amazing, and what a great crowd of fans! It was one of my favorite concerts, with everyone in attendance feeling the love. Thank Ya’ll!
Lineup
Venue
In early 1984, well before the explosion of extended instrumental concerts, an improvisational
band named INDECISION emerged out of Charlottesville, Virginia. Drawing from a
wide variety of influences, including The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, The
Band, Steely Dan, and Little Feat, as well as the more complex rhythmic and
harmonic structure of jazz artists like Dave Brubeck and Billy Cobham,
INDECISION forged a unique sound and quickly became a front runner in the
relatively new movement of improvisational music known today as the jam band
scene.
INDECISION grew from a local Charlottesville band to a national touring act
with an avid following from Georgia to Wyoming and Massachusetts to Texas.
Along the way, founding members Aaron Evans (guitar), David Ibbeken (guitar),
Shawn McCrystal (bass), Craig Dougald (drums), and Danny McCrystal (sound
engineer) added Doug Wanamaker (keyboards) and Chris White (acoustic guitar and
vocals). INDECISION has released three studio recordings,
"Indecision", "Ponder Yonder", and "Reservoir,"
and one live recording from the Chameleon Club in Atlanta, GA on May 18, 1996.
Although INDECISION no longer tours full time, the members of INDECISION have
remained active in the music industry with other projects, as well as
continuing to play 12 to 15 shows a year to packed houses of old friends and
new fans. The same intelligent songwriting that has been a signature of the
band has not been left to stagnate. While remaining loyal to its roots and
following, INDECISION continues to keep the music moving forward.
These guys were amazing, and what a great crowd of fans! It was one of my favorite concerts, with everyone in attendance feeling the love. Thank Ya’ll!
The three band bill was very good overall, and I particularly enjoyed the fat 2-hour set from the headliners, Indecision. The first opening band, "Air Circus" or maybe "An Air Circus" was a cool, but young, instrumental trio with some nice tunes. I was hearing MMW influence but also some solid rock and bit of funk, but a nice jazzy turnaround or bridge was never far away. They handled their unfortunate technical difficulties- one of the keyboards died early in the set- with aplomb, and their rapport with the audience was genuine and easy. The second opener to take the stage, People's Blues of Richmond, aka "PBR" was a rousing band, but stylistically was mis-placed in this bill with this line-up of bands. They did bring a lot of energy and a gritty sound and performance to the stage. The rhythm section had a great energetic rocking sound and pulse, like a great rhythm section from the 60's or 70's, with a cool tight-but-loose lock between the bassist and the drummer. They handled the cool tempo/meter changes in their tunes with edge and fire. The lead singer's shirtless Jim Morrison meets George Thorogood performance was good, certainly committed, but fell a bit flat on the only moderately full venue and on the older male fans of thoughtful jam-band music. Still, he's got star power, and I could see PBR absolutely crushing a crowded, sweaty show with a few hundred of their closest friends. Indecision was excellent, playing with precision and thoughtfulness, while still maintaining an open and organic execution. They played with emotion, empathy, space, and conviction. Each member of the 7-piece performed superbly, and each man had moments of shining brilliance. Extra-special commendation goes out to their drummer Craig Dougald who had a superb sound and really laid down the law on his kit. But Indi has always been a real band, where interplay and interaction lead the music to be more than the sum of its parts. With a solid stable of creative and mood-laden originals to choose from and some great covers ("Kid Charlemange" by Steely Dan anyone?) the tunes themselves held sway, and a lot of great favorites old and new were played- from "Little Black Cat" off of their latest release way back to "Take It All In" the bases were mostly covered and just about every tune I really wanted to hear was played. But can a brother get some "Chicken In A Pot" and some "She Ain't No Betty" the next time around? Probably so!