Concert Review: Holy Kimoto at White Room, January 8

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Photo by Ben Thacker

Click here to view photos from this event.

Holy Kimoto

With Kyle Hollingsworth, Michael Travis, Jason Hann, and Steve Kimock

White Room, Miami

Friday, January 8, 2010

Better Than: The enticing, aromatic blend of kryppie, kind bud, and sour diesel wafting through the air.  

The Review:

The debut of Holy Kimoto this past Friday night at the White Room was divine indeed. The one-off jam supergroup comprised Jason Hann and Michael Travis of EOTO, Kyle Hollingsworth (their bandmate in the String Cheese Incident), and guitar legend Steve Kimock. Catching this heavyweight collaboration in one of Miami's best underground venues was a rare treat.

Hann's and Travis' work as EOTO has been largely electronic, but Friday's show went back towards their more traditional jam-band roots, with Kimock's acid-drenched guitar strumming bursting forth in a kaleidoscope of chords. Kimock has played in a number of Grateful Dead satellite acts throughout the years, and that band's influence clearly shone through, as if Jerry himself was smiling down with warm approval. 

And Kimock was really the syrup to this stack of silver dollars, conquering a tapestry of genres in a matter of minutes. Dub jams swirled into deep, rhythmic funk, and if you closed your eyes, it sounded as though you'd somehow stumbled into a dark, neon-lit blues club in the middle of New Orleans.  

But just as Kimock simultaneously hypnotized and lulled ears into submission, Jason Hann would steal the fire, igniting the jam session with ferocious, electronic-style drumming. And while breakbeats were welcome, when in Miami, these days we prefer to throw down to a little thing called dubstep. This is where Michael Travis came in, plucking dirty basslines that became the glue to hold the jams together. 

While Travis and Hann brought that EOTO flavor, Hollingsworth added his synth stylings, transforming everything further. A simple spacey acid dub jam transformed into disco; other times, he sent samples echoing throughout the room.

 

After a brief mid-evening break, the foursome kicked off a second set with a rendition of the Beatles' "Come Together." Here Kimock added almost jazzy riffs, and Hollingsworth's keyboard stylings sounded even more passionate. The crowd roared in approval, singing in unison where the vocals were absent. 

 

And thus continued the musical brew. Metal met up with classic rock, acid jazz found its place next to blues. Disco boogie was tricked out with another helping of dubstep. Sounds crashed but never clashed, and watching this quadruple threat write jam history made the group holy indeed. Can I get an amen?