Live @ The Cutting Room NYC
The first time I had seen JD perform was at an open mic in Hoboken. Here was this very unassuming chap—shy and quiet—who calmly set himself up and when he began to play, he quite assuredly knocked out the walls.
I was taken by the altered tunings on his 12-string guitar, the precision finger picking and the overall ethereal quality that flowed through. Out of his mouth cascaded an unexpected voice.
It was a sound that was both stunningly powerful and anthemic in its movement. One could feel that the spirit of Jeff Buckley was alive in JD’s voice. This mixed with his Jimmy Page meets Michael Hedges guitar style made for a most unique experience.
Tonight at the Cutting Room it became apparent that JD had recently been studying in the school of Robert Johnson’s raw blueness. This was also the first time I had seen him with a band. Dave Phelps on guitar, lap steel and bottle cap. Not just any bottle cap. One from a Snapple Iced Tea which added an eastern, mystical characteristic to his tone. Skip Ward on bass and Tom Curiano on drums kept it all neat.
At one point, between songs the band ventured into riffs from the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Announcing that this was the epitome of geekness, I commented that to me this was the very essence of coolness. JD was playing 12-string Taylor and 12-string National Steel which was a brilliantly crisp creature I hadn’t ever seen nor heard before.
We were there celebrating the release of two masterfully recorded works that truly showcase the depth and breadth of JD’s sound. “Bathe In The Light” features much of his own interesting footsteps through the Mississippi mud and emotions of a time gone by. “Blood Red Moon” has more of the refined and delicate intensity of the man I had met several years ago.
After the show I stayed in the front room under the massive portrait of club owner/actor Chris Noth. I was mesmerized by the lovely young blonde waitress who somehow got me to keep ordering drinks. Go figure. Later on I ended up at another bar whose name escapes me. It was there that I got to know JD’s girlfriend Laurie who’s a Civil Rights lawyer and their friend Steve who handles a lot of the business and promotion of JD’s music.
I would eventually blame the whiskey for my inability to remember the name of the place. I felt better when I asked JD and he replied, “It was on 9th Ave and I think it was an Irish pub. I honestly don’t remember the rest; ‘cept I do remember you and Laurie bonding over Pink Floyd.”
Yes it’s true we have in common an utter fascination with the history of Pink Floyd and the life of Syd Barrett in particular. We also played conversational hopscotch leaping from Civil Rights to music to movies to traveling to dirty jokes and beyond.
JD continued, “You should have heard her disappointment when we couldn’t fit you in the Chevy to DC: ‘Where’s Stephen? I want Stephen along! Can we strap him on top of the car?!'”
I was hoping to join them on a weekend jaunt to DC but it was a case of too much stuff, too little car. Hopefully I’ll be able to take that trip with them in the future. Until then there are the CDs and the shows in NY.
See Also:
JD Duvall (website)
JD Duvall (myspace)
The Cutting Room
