If you live in Chicago and go to lots of shows, chances are you know or have at least seen Tyler Smith. This is a professional rager if I’ve ever known one. And luckily for me, he has also become a great friend over the years. I say luckily not only because he is a rad dude, but also because it brought me to The Store on December 14th to celebrate his birthday with a private concert. He invited me and I thought, “Hell, why not? I’ll come take some pictures, get hosed, and whatever happens is gravy.” To be perfectly honest, my expectations of the night weren’t all that high. What a fool I was. This show ended up being a really, really special night, with some seriously phenomenal improvisation and plenty of rage to go around. I wasn’t even planning on writing about it, yet here I am because every second of music on this night was fantastic and left me feeling inspired. It was one of those small shows where I wish I could take home a soundboard recording, but cherished the fact that I got to experience something unique that I will never see or hear again.
I don’t know how he does it, but Tyler has seen Umphrey’s McGee over 200 times. This has led him to knowing the band pretty well on a personal level. Or at least well enough to be able to talk Brendan Bayliss into performing a solo acoustic set to open up the night. I had no idea what to expect, but Tyler wrote a ridiculous setlist that covered every angle that Bayliss could possibly hit by himself. A sick “Puppet String,” a gorgeous cover of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover,” quick versions of “2×2″ and “Nothing Too Fancy,” an out-of-nowhere cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” a brand new song called “Gravity’s Real,” and a cherry on top of the whole thing with a potent “August” segued right into “Cut The Cable.” cotDAMN! This night was off to a seriously awesome start.
More honesty: after this point, I started to get deep into party mode and the details got very fuzzy. I managed to take ZERO notes, which is never a good thing for trying to document a concert. Luckily Jeff Rainey (guitarist for Brothers Rage) is one hell of a guy and sent me over the setlist to cover my drunk ass.
Set 1:
Ares’ Circle pt. 2 > improv > Ares’ Circle pt. 2, Cousin Sven > Cities [Talking Heads]> Cousin Sven, F.M. [Steely Dan], A Go Go [Scofield]***, I Want You (She’s So Heavy) [The Beatles]*** > Power of Soul [Jimi Hendrix]***, Incidental Buttscratcher > improv > Incidental Buttscratcher > Tune of the Tyrant > Incidental Buttscratcher > Bennie & The Jets [Elton John]^
Set 2:
Robots Are Particular > improv# > Unchained [Van Halen]# > improv#, Bamboozled By Love [Frank Zappa]#, Bloody Well Right [Supertramp]# > improv# > Robots Are Particular#
** w/ Brendan Bayliss on guitar
*** w/ Brendan Bayliss on guitar & vocals
^ w/ Barry Brown on vocals
# w/ Marcus Rezak on guitar
As you can see, each set was a sprawling, nearly non-stop flow of raging jams with the center of each featuring a bonus guitarist. Bayliss came in the first set and added his one-of-a-kind blend of tapping & various weird guitar noises, along with his blues-based natural style, for a funky & bluesy vibe. In the second set, Marcus Rezak stepped up to get all sorts of shreddy and set the room on fire with a more metal energy. The amazing thing was that Jeff Rainey seemed perfectly at home in both scenarios — he is such a great guitarist that he can play any style, with anyone, and make it seem like they’ve practiced for weeks. It cannot be understated how fantastic the improv sections were throughout this set. Sure, the guest guitarists stepped in and kicked everything up a notch, but Brothers Rage is a vastly underrated band who had me raging like a fool the entire time. These guys are on the metal edge of jam-rock, and although they can take it funky or jazzy or bluesy, they are at their peak when they are heavy & aggressive.
Massive props to Tyler Smith for throwing a concert that far exceeded my expectations and to the musicians who came out to help a friend celebrate in high style. I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this night. Let’s do it again soon!
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FULL PHOTO SET!