K I M O C K | Center for the Arts | Review

Article Contributed by Alan Sheckter

Published on March 9, 2016

K I M O C K | Center for the Arts | Review

Combining delicately delivered music hypnotics and subtleties with a full band sound, guitar master <a href=”http://www.kimock.com”>Steve Kimock</a> and his new group of accomplices, dubbed K I M O C K, delivered on March 6 a satisfying two-set performance at the intimate <a href=”http://thecenterforthearts.org”>Center for the Arts</a> in Grass Valley, California. The quartet, which is following up a series of California shows with an early-spring East Coast/Midwest run, included longtime sidekick and funky-bassist Bobby Vega, son John Morgan Kimock on drums, and singer-songwriter/keyboardist/guitarist Leslie Mendelson. The tour coincides with the release of Kimock’s new solo album, “Last Danger of Frost.”
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In addition to the tiered permanent seating, chairs were also set up in the pit for this one, and it was the right choice. While K I M O C K, the band, brought a whole lot of thrilling, soul-stirring material to bear, ambience was a core theme here, rather than a vibe of wild, twirling abandon (which is not to say that some fine swaying and grooving didn’t transpire in the venue’s pockets of open spaces).
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The tone on this rainy Sunday night, both literally and emotionally, were set by Kimock, a gifted, unorthodox player in the contemporary instrumental music scene since the 1970s. Playing at least a half-dozen instruments over the course of the evening, Kimock and the band delivered a performance rife with simultaneous clarity, subtle intricacies, as well as melodic, rapturous, and tonal wonder that exemplified why he is a revered and respected improvisational music-maker.
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Seated comfortably with a standup lamp behind him and a multiplicity of stringed instruments placed all around him, Kimock began the show with an intimate, jovial chat with the audience before delivering some understated lap-slide passages that led into “Surely This Day,” a delicate, slide-heavy piece of music with a Far East flavor that appears on the new record. The first set also included “Come Back My Love,” written by Ali Akbar Khan, a legendary Indian classical musician whose music school was located next door to Kimock’s first Marin County home.
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There were two decidedly different facets to the show, which intertwined nicely into a pleasing, always interesting, performance. First, there were new atmospheric instrumental offerings from, “Last Danger of Frost.” Second was a trio of offerings fronted by the charismatic Mendelson that, while accompanied by Kimock’s ethereal instrumental passages, ventured into, dare I say, folk-pop territory. These selections includes new songs she co-wrote with Kimock – “Careless Love” and the very catchy “Satellite City,” as well as a cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Waiting for a Miracle.” With a voice reminiscent of Shawn Colvin or Norah Jones, Mendelson’s cool, captivating vibe, and smooth delivery won over the crowd while providing a well-balanced counterpoint to some of the evening’s more entrancing content.  
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The show also included interesting pieces of music that included prerecorded voice-overs to which the band reacted instrumentally – the first-set ender contained jovialities from “guest ghost vocalist” Orson Welles, and the second-set opener included words of wisdom from the late Carl Sagan.
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The second set also included more from “Last Danger of Frost” including “Tongue ‘n Groove,” a melodic old Kimock piece that the lively Vega made especially energetic; and the evening’s capstone, the dreamy, triumphant “My Favorite Number” from the new CD. Also, before jumping into “Fingernail Boogie,” Kimock gave a shout-out to classic lap steel player and Kimock influence Freddy Roulette, who recently lost his belongings in a Berkeley house fire.
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Always technically proficient and a friendly figure on-stage, the thumb-picking Vega added plenty of gusto to the mix while Kimock the drummer, who a few years ago was a nice novelty to see performing with his father, showed that he is now an outstanding performer in his own right, with his own unique set of skills.
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The band was quite friendly and relaxed on this night, with Kimock telling a story about his camaraderie with the late Owsley Stanley and their mutual affinity for going barefoot for a stretch of time. Later, the band kidded Vega about his 35-year-old metal-studded bass strap, sending Vega into an irreverent monologue about how he got into the right frame of mind to staple all of those studs.

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