Improv Review ...Because Improv is Art, Dammit

Without the fanfare and pomp of the latest pop/rock band learning their way around the local civic center, 3 Guys Named Joe quietly set up their stage, and, with a nod, burst forth with some music from the long-lost annals of real Rock ‘n’ Roll. In fact, the show was so shrewdly stripped-down (it being an improvised set, they didn’t even have music and lyrics in tow) that I wish some of the current artists and producers who reside on Billboard’s Hot 100 were there to learn that music comes first and foremost from the heart. And it can still be excellent.

To try to describe the sound of 3 Guys Named Joe one would have to use about one-hundred other bands for reference. But, in effort to be succinct, they do have the irreverence of Tenacious D, and the blues improvisation sensibilities of Blues Traveler, with the harmonies of Seals & Croft thrown in. Their greatest strengths lie in an unabashed espousal of the tenets of Rhythm & Blues. Repetition was their friend, hooks came easily, and noise was embraced as welcome sound, not as mistake. One had a sense you were seeing how the early blues artists invented that American form.

Dustin Gardner, Pat Loos and Topher Owen, the 3 guys, had a strong sense of musicianship, even though only one acoustic guitar was used throughout the set, with occasional percussion. Some songs were a cappella. In a song about the annoyance of cellular phones, the rhythm was held by a constant “beep-beep-beep” that provided a strong musical basis, as well as solidly supporting the tone and message of the piece.

The band’s willingness to explore was exemplified by a cover of the audience-suggested “Dancing Queen,” originally by the pop group ABBA. Clearly adopting the melody and overblown disco sense of the original song, Mr. Owen proceeded to imbed extemporaneous lyrics of his own devising that were, perhaps if only for this night, more appropriate than the original.

It would be hard to imagine this group getting a deal from any record company for the same reasons that most television networks shy away from improvisation. Despite the fact that eye contact with each other is very important to creating this type of group music, I would have liked to see them create a stronger relationship with the audience. Still, as a live rock act, 3 Guys Named Joe packs a better punch than most of what’s come out of the major labels’ factories for a long time. As long as they remain independent, I will seek them and their happy melodies out on Napster.

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