ARK
BAND @ WILD HARE 11/9/01
By Steve Serpiente
CHICAGO
- After sailing into town via the interstate from its home
port in Columbus, OH, the Ark Band dropped anchor on the city's
north side and fished among the feel good Friday night crowd
for new converts with its irrestible bait of conscious originals,
roots staples and uninhibited soca/calypso grooves.
Together
since the late 80's, the band's current lineup is: founding
member and captain of the ship Terry Bobb of St. Lucia on
drums/vocals; Eustace Bobb (also a founding member and Terry's
brother) on bass/vocals; Mike Scott (from the original lineup
as well) of Cincinnati on guitar/vocals; Mike Smith of Columbus
on keyboards/vocals; and Mike "Cello" Iannicello
of Long Island on lead guitar.
The
Ark Band embarked on their 2 1/2 hour excursion before a handful
of fans at 10:30 p.m. As the hour approached 11, the Hare
slowly but surely began to fill as Eustace sang his rootical
lyrics in "Rastafari." Among the other originals
which created a splash were: "Hustler," a heavy,
straight ahead reggae number propelled by Eustace's penetrating
bass lines; "Oh Jah" (an insightful reality tune
written by Scott in which he sings "People living in
the streets / and I don't understand / and how can poverty
exist in such a wealthy land / crime is growing everyday /
and it's a crying shame / but if we look the other way / then
tell me who's to blame / Oh Jah never meant it to be this
way"); the ever relevant "Love Is What We Need"
(also penned and sung by Scott); and the pleading "Please
Wait" (yet another Scott vocal delivery).
Feeding
the hungry reggae massive with the bread of Bob Marley, Ark
baked up a fresh version of "Put It On" (an excellent
selection - definitely not stale from overuse); "Stir
It Up" (which they seamlessly segued into Junior Kelly's
smash hit "Love So Nice"); "Give Thanks &
Praises;" "Three Little Birds;" "Caution"
(another superb choice as this Wailers gem from the 60's is
underappreciated); "Could You Be Loved;" and "No
Woman, No Cry." From the pantry of Peter Tosh, Ark served
up palatable platters of "African" and "Downpressor
Man" *(both from the Bush Doctor's 1977 Equal Rights
album). Of the seven Marley tracks, Scott sang "Caution"
and "Could You Be Loved," and Eustace did "No
Woman, No Cry." Terry handled vocals on the other four
Marley tunes with soundalike precision and One Love vibes,
while Eustace tackled the Tosh songs, transitioning from the
baritone of "Africans" to the tenor of "Downpressor
Man" with extraordinary ease.
Since
neither man nor woman can live on bread alone, the Ark peppered
the show with a few spicy soca/calypso tunes. Ark cranked
up the heat on "Rosie" (a track which forces the
feet to dance and the favorite song of this writer's 4-year-old
daughter for that reason). The rude "Kitty Cat,"
with its chorus of "Attack it from the front / Attack
it from the back," definitely turned up thermostat in
the dancehall a few degress.
Other
noteworthy cuts were the traditional spiritual "Across
the Bridge" (which Eustace's mother sang to him as he
was a child growing up in St. Lucia); the Mighty Diamonds'
"Pass the Kouchie" (over the Sound Dimension's classic
Studio One "Full Up" riddim originated in 1968);
a nifty cover of the Police's "De Do Do Do Do, De Da
Da Da Da;" and a blazing rendition of Burning Spear's
"Greetings."
Nearly
every song showcased the talents of Cello on gits. At times,
Cello is to the Ark Band what Al Anderson was to Bob Marley's
Wailers in the late 70's and what Don Kinsey was to Peter
Tosh's Word Sound & Power band in the early/mid 80's,
providing spectacular but short solos in the midst of drum
& bass dominated roots reggae. But, thankfully, Ark allows
Cello greater freedom than traditionally afforded reggae lead
guitarists, and he'll often drift into deeper waters and stir
up currents of Carlos Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughn. His chops
were particularly wicked on "Oh Jah," "Greetings"
and "Downpressor Man." A humble man with an understated
approach to his work, Cello's contributions to the Ark cannot
be overstated.
Former
Melody Maker Ruphael W. Mariam, who played drums on Ziggy
Marley's Conscious Party (1988) and One Bright Day (1989)
albums (alongside bassist Zeleke Gessesse who is now a partner
in the Wild Hare), was coaxed onstage to relieve Terry of
drumming duties for two tracks late in the evening. (Ruphael
now performs as keyboardist with Chicago based Gizzae.)
While
the group has released some fine studio material (Na Give
Up from 1995 and 1999's Love Is What We Need), the Ark Band
seems especially invigorated during live performances. As
Terry noted backstage during the break, "I feel the spirit
out there tonight. The spirit is all around." Since fans
can't see the band every night (although the group will return
to the Wild Hare on 12/21/01), Ark should seriously consider
releasing a live CD to capture that spirit.
Learn
more about the Ark Band at www.thearkband.com
