Look Johnny, They Got That Dog In 'Em
The Vortex at CAA Park is unlike any music venue I’ve visited before. Tucked in a corner between an old stone church and Catonsville’s main street, the venue is simply two bandshells in an open field. When the park opens to ticket holders, it transforms into an open-air jam paradise, as it did for Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 4th.
The lineup included a fine assortment of local players and rising stars in the jam band world. To kick things off, Wharf Rat performed a classic set of Grateful Dead covers that we all know and love. Another local Baltimore band, The Reality Check Experiment, delivered an impressive play-through of the entirety of Ween’s Chocolate & Cheese. Cosmic explorers of the groove-rock space, Seven Tellers, took the crowd with them as they explored all the rhythmic nooks and crannies they could find. At the side-stage, Chicago indie-rockers Runner and Bobby earned many new fans in the crowd as they surfed through their catalog with grace and intensity.
As the sun began to set, the main stage became home to Neighbor, who have begun to taste success over the last few years. And let me tell you - “home” is the correct word. Their music induced nostalgia and memories that tied meaning to songs I’d never heard. More Country than Bluegrass, it felt at points as if we were watching exploratory jams open up during a George Strait show. And believe me, it fit like a glove.
After enjoying a great day of taking in the music, it was time to go to work - I was there exclusively to shoot the headliners, and a band I’d wanted to see live for years, Dogs in a Pile.
As Jimmy, Brian, Joey, Jeremy and Sam took the stage, the mid-sized crowd roared well beyond its size. The Dogs have performed at The Vortex a few times in recent years, and many in the crowd were clearly repeat attendees. Got sent to the “Dog Pound,” so-to-speak.
Someone behind me called out, “Hey, Jimmy! Nice Guitar!” I was glad to be in the photo pit as the band was tuning up, because I got a spectacular view of what that guy was talking about. Jimmy Law emerged with a brand new PRS Hollowbody II Private Stock guitar, purchased just days prior to the show. The black pickup covers and hardware, rich natural wood finish, and sprawling custom fret inlays all blended into one of the best looking instruments I’d ever laid eyes on. And trust me, it sounded just as good as it looked.
As the band began to play their opener, Didn’t You Know?, I was locked in on my photographic mission. I always try to let the musicians’ personalities and their crews’ stage designs do the talking. My editing process typically includes minor adjustments to balance the lighting and enhance the overall “quality” of the image, and I always avoid changing anything about how the subjects look or how the light works with their movement. With Dogs in a Pile, I can tell you that this was some of the most fun I’ve had photographing a concert. Their sound and lighting design? Spectacular. Their showmanship and stage presence? Exemplary. They made that bandshell feel like we were in the crowd at the Hollywood Bowl.
The show was being recorded for an eventual video release on Nugs.net, but you wouldn’t know it if you were in the crowd. They used four round cameras on tall stands, two directly at the sides of the stage and two back near the soundbooth. It was discrete. So discrete, in fact, that I may or may not have been a little too present at times while the band was tuning between songs. After the first three songs, I was out of the pit anyway, so no harm, no foul.
When I returned to the crowd, I realized it was split down the middle into two equal groups: Half were dancing, spinning, and smiling, and the other half were as locked in as I was while shooting the previous songs. Clearly enjoying the music, but intently focused on where each musician was taking the music.
This band carried the music so far from its starting point. I know, that’s pretty cliche for an article about jam-centric music. But if you watch the recording of Nicolette>Writing on the Wall, followed by Look Johnny (a personal favorite of mine), you’ll be blown away at how they step in and out of entire genres of music, blending each player’s unique musical background, and add in the secret ingredient: trust in where each other wants to go, and the technical capability to bring it right back to its starting point.
Then, we were treated to a surprise. Rob Compa, guitarist for Neighbor, stepped up to the plate to sit in on Stevie Wonder’s Boogie On Reggae Woman. This was the first time they’d ever played together, but you wouldn’t know it had they not said it. The chemistry was instant and infectious. While they worked their way through the song, having a visibly joyous time on that cool Saturday night, the 50/50 crowd split I’d mentioned previously became 100% boogie. With a third guitarist in the mix, it became too much for the locked-in bunch to keep track of. So, they let the music take them.
That last line is a pretty good summary of the experience of the show.
