Matt Lapham & Friends, Paddington Ambush, Absinthe Trio | The Peacock Room 09.01.13

I have finally figured out what the problem is.  There is WAAAAY too much great music out there.  OK, it’s only a problem because I cannot get to it all.  But this weekend, I made three more great discoveries (for me).

Sunday, I was in Orlando for Sara Lapham’s birthday bash.  My opinions about Matt Lapham’s prowess on bass are well documented, and I knew it would be a great evening.  After a great set with Matt, Derek Engstrom on acoustic guitar and (I don’t remember now), Paddington Ambush hit the stage.  Any project Clay Watson is involved with works for me, but these guys are truly special.  The website says reggae / ska / world, but that definition is much too narrow.  They killed it for an hour.

And then came the last set of the night from Matt Lapham and his Absinthe Trio bandmate Bobby Koelble on guitar, with Engstrom now on drums and Ito Colon on percussion.  Matt had been telling me for years I needed to see Absinthe, but it just had not happened.  I had seen Koelble once (or so I thought), but it was a Bear Creek Shak Nasti show with Roosevelt and madness, and I really didn’t “hear” him.  WOW.  WOW.  WOW.  And then I backtracked, realizing I had seen him before, several years ago, blowing us out at Jambando with Junkie Rush.  The set this night was jazz, jazz, acid jazz, and it was so fine.  But Bobby can bring the metal and the funk and the… everything.

My job is seriously impeding my ability to hear more music!