The air is permeated by the sounds of delicious jam bands, filling the valley with soulful guitars, tight hypnotic grooves, and the occasional scream of ecstasy at the top of some festival goer’s lungs. Nighttime arrives with myriad lasers, smoke machines, and possibly the happiest family of festival goers in all of Washington.
While Summer Meltdown has become part of the Darrington community over the last 12 years, and perhaps some have even gotten used to the quality level each year, the Meltdown crew did not settle for the status quo. This year saw one of the best lineups of the festival’s existence, period.
Out of the ashes of one band after another melting faces came Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Their headlining set on Friday night left the audience grasping for a new definition of the Meltdown experience, shattering the mold set by previous years. The intensity Denson’s crew brought to the stage was matched only by the perfection and hypnotic tightness of their performance, and taking into account their track record and years of steady work, it still managed to reach everybody within earshot deeply. This is one of the best rhythm sections in all of show business, and you would almost expect it from a legendary bandleader who’s played with the likes of Blackalicious, Greyboy Allstars, Lenny Kravitz. Previous credentials aside, this is my new favorite group of players.
Drummer John Staten and bassist Tal Wilkenfeld weren’t satisfied just holding down the groove, they set the bar for the rest of the acts to come. Watching the following bands perform, you could visibly see Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe carrying over into their sets, the energy, the quality, the execution.
Denson and Chris Littlefield’s horn arrangements were at the same time satisfyingly melodic and fist pumping in their delivery, and each solo seemed to push the next one to even higher ground. The highlight of the show was an extended solo section only achievable by a group of performers who have one ear on their instrument and one glued to the collective, enabling them to push the energy and dynamics to a colossal climax. Staying true to form, Denson and Co. jumped back on stage for a burning encore leaving White Horse Mountain satiated and buzzed. Karl Denson managed to sum up his group’s performance in one well placed quote.
“I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I got nothing else to do”.
– Trevor Lee Ridge
There are some nice live photos of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Summer Meltdown here.
