Degrees of separation

It's said that you are only 6 degrees of separation from anyone.  Maybe.   An old friend had shared a lift with George W Bush in the White House; 1 degree of separation: check.  I played a gig once at Rupert Murdoch's house out of Canberra and RM himself came up to the band, and in the break we spoke to several NY media executives, then Bob Hawke arrived in a helicopter; 1 degree of separation: check.  Micah Heathwood sat in with us at Molly and he was the support act for Kamasi Washington; 1 degree of separation: Check.  We were at that concert.  Micah opened and said it was their first concert in Sydney: at Carriageworks supporting Kamasi Washington.  What a nice place to start!  From the top the sound was dreadful.  Most obvious was a  huge stomach thumping kick that lasted beyond the first minutes.  Had they done a sound check before the gig?  Just 3 players and one singing.  But I could appreciate some oddly structured but well-maintained drum grooves over changing and unusual counts.  With soft and relatively indistinct guitar strums and notes, rich with delay and more, creating colour over the drums.  And keys that laid bass lines that again thumped the stomach or perhaps chordal work, but not distinct like that literally thumping bass.  Perhaps a solo somewhere but again not too clear.  And Micah with some vocals, indecipherable to my ears with my trade mark-tissue earplugs.  I took one out to listen but still no luck.  That stomach thump receded later but I still didn't catch lyrics.  Lyrics interest me.  To me they define song with intellect beyond emotion.  For lyrics,  I can ask Micah or wait for his upcoming recordings.  But despite sound, I was mightily impressed.  Inspired post-punk perhaps; floating jazz colour; contentious rhythm; even a lyric if I could hear it.  Richard mentioned shoe-gaze but there were also jazz chops and knowledge to inform it.  Hope to hear more and great congrats to Micah and Jamie and Max.

Micah Heathwood (drums, vocals) performed with Jamie Rea (keyboards) and Max Sturm (guitar) in support of Kamasi Washington at Carriageworks.