Daryl Stuermer – Riverfest – Saturday, August 05, 2006 (5:15pm-7:30pm) by Joshua Turner. Daryl Stuermer is best known for his work with Genesis and the Phil Collins band. He jokes that Another Side of Genesis is the only album he ever made money on. The guy is so talented he deserves to be discovered by the masses and his other albums certainly merit more attention. He recently signed with InsideOut Music. Now that he's with a label that takes pride in their catalog and does what they can to promote the members of its family, his luck may change for the better. If anything, he may gain another clique or enter into a whole new niche. I always believe that where there's talent, the people will follow and in this tale, the Pied Piper is replaced by someone who is equally enchanting on the guitar.
Oddly enough, this outstanding artist is from Milwaukee. Hard to believe someone of this caliber actually lives and operates in the area. Then again, he shares his home with Happy Days.
On this particular day he played the main stage at a city-wide fiesta called Riverfest in Watertown, Wisconsin. Situated between Madison and Milwaukee, the selected city made a lot of sense. It came at a very good price too. Actually, no ticket was needed as the entry fee was nada, though at these gas prices there was some expense. Before we go any further, I'll tell you this was the finest free concert I ever saw. Even when you put it neck-and-neck with the many paid events I've attended, it is right up there. So, don't let the sticker price fool you. This was a world-class musician doing what he does best and he didn't hold back one iota.
While we're on a high note, let's get the bad news out of the way. There's just no suger-coating it whatsoever… this was an incredibly difficult venue to find. Had I not found it, I'd say it was impossible. I'm surprised the band even made it there on time. It was two tricky turns and a long strip from the main highway and there wasn't a single sign showing the way. Not to mention, the body of water looked more like a pond than a river. I knew I was in the vicinity, but couldn't get where I needed to go as there was a plethora of one-way streets, Do Not Enter signs, and detours hindering my progress. I pulled into a Domino's pizza place and asked a girl where I could find the festival. She chuckled to herself when she heard my question. I inquired if someone else had already asked. Her response was that people were soliciting her help all day. I guess they put her outside in order to keep non-customers from coming in from the streets. Nevertheless, the worst part of the experience was outside of Daryl Stuermer's control and the good news what that it was resolved with a simple maneuver called a U-Turn. Using slight of hand on the steering wheel and a little navigational savvy, I quickly corrected this unexpected quandary.*
Once I had the right route to negotiate this obstacle course and unintuitive maze, I quickly made it over to the site. I showed up and sat down at the exact moment he started playing. Seconds earlier I was perturbed by the struggles in this unforeseen odyssey. An instant later, this headliner and his merry men transported me from a confusing suburban forest to an instrumental dreamland. If you can believe it, the next song (Morning Train) was even better than the first (Retrofit). By the fourth (Wherever You Are), he arrived upon an early favorite of mine. By five (Land Of Confusion), he had me lock, stock, and two smoking barrels.
I have to admit, I enjoy vocally-driven music. With Stuermer's shrewd notes and elegant strumming, there was neither room nor need for a voice. Modulating between all kinds of songs and styles, he kept my concentration for exactly an hour. Then he kept us yearning for more when he took a 15 minute break. It was hard to believe the time passed without a blink.
He played many songs off his new album and some older tracks from his band Sweetbottom. A few were refurbished while others were totally rearranged. He shared the fact that several of these renovated tracks would be on his forthcoming album. He took us to the cutting edge and then a song later, turned back the clock. Like a pendulum, it went on this way throughout the entire evening. Regardless of the vintage, it was always full of flavor. Not only can he play, but he's also an excellent composer. The tributes were some of my favorites as well. When he played “Land of Confusion,” you could almost imagine someone singing over the melodies. I wasn't the only one to come to this conclusion as the lady seated next to me made that very same comment (that would be Richard's girlfriend Susan). I even liked the ballads too. He constantly mixed it up, making no two songs alike. It was impossible to tire of his music. It was like he wired my mind with an epidural drip. Even though I wanted to visit the restroom and get some munchies, I didn't relinquish my patch on the grass. There were grumbles when he announced the last song. With this, he threw up an astonishing game-winning jumper. Rather than retire, he subsequently played another crowd-pleaser. While you hate to see somebody try to outdo a perfect ending, I'm glad he stayed for an encore. For this, he chose another tribute, “Turn It On Again,” and it was so good, it was almost supernatural.
Looking back at the concert, “Breaking Point” was easily my favorite song of the evening. This one truly clicked as if it were a Rolex watch and it came toward the end of the first set. He seemed to improve as the time went on and then did it all over again. I also liked “The Archer”, which was another free spirit renewed from his past. This ultimately came in the closing stages of his gig. Honestly, all the songs were great. Each was unique and had its own clever ending to boot. Every lick that these cuts constituted was liberating, charming, and delightful.
As for Stuermer, he is really something special. He's both fast and melodic at the same time, which is extremely rare in that extensive encyclopedia of shredders. He never loses his appeal for speed. One of the coordinators heralded him as one of the top nine guitarists in the world. Stuermer had to laugh when he heard this announcement. It's hard to say if this was a joke, a slam, or a compliment. With so many great guitarists out there, it would have to be the latter. In my opinion, he is a combination of Eric Clapton, Eric Mantel, and Eric Johnson, which are each unquestionably all-stars in their respective leagues. With their genetic material combined, you would create a musical genius and to possess all these skills would put someone an echelon above the crème-de-la-crème. Based off what I witnessed, that's exactly how he should be classified and that's personally where I'd stick him.
His supporting bandmates were very talented too. They provided classical keyboards, a groovy bass, and the jazziest of drums. This was provided by an individual, who goes by the name Kostia, plus an Eric Hervey and a John Calarco. Stuermer just happened to be the glue that “fused” them all together.
As for the crowd, all kinds of people came out of the woodwork to see him. I guess free concerts have been known to produce this kind of effect. Some sat up close while others danced. Peopled walked by on the path. Some stayed, some returned, but most were frozen solid. Only the smallest minority of spectators waddled past. It was a festival with beer, corn, and brats, but Stuermer was the main sustenance. He cured a widespread pandemic of tedium to a congregation of appreciative sycophants.
A horde of hippies gathered around to boogie. They drew the attention of an older man. In turn, he joined in with an impressively complicated break-dance. When Stuermer thanked the crowd and it was time to go, this man picked up a cane and then proceeded to hobble on his way. To clarify, he was disabled, yet he someone found the inspiration to shake a tail feather. As funny as it sounds, I'm not making this up. It appears Daryl Stuermer's band will do that to you.
9.25/10
For those interested, here's the program he followed that night:
2/60 Minute Sets
bpm song estimated time
110 Retrofit 5:30(05:30)
158 Morning Train 7:30(13:00)
106 Urban Island 6:30(19:30)
110 Wherever You Are 4:30(24:00)
116 Land Of Confusion 8:00(32:00)
120 Dream in Blue* 6:00(38:00)
146 Breaking Point* 4:30(42:30)
172 Greenlight* 4:00(46:30)
115 Striker* 5:00(05:00)
106 Masala Mantra* 4:30(09:30)
098 Vagabond Street 6:00(15:30)
164 Heavy Heart 5:00(20:30)
130 Meltdown 4:30 (25:00)
125 Sharkskin Suit 7:30 (32:30)
146 The Archer 4:30 (37:00)
122 Omnibus (w/drum solo) 6:30(43:00)
178 American Fields 4:30(47:30)
Encore: Turn it On Again (3:48)
Getting to meet my partner Josh Turner and hearing all the new material from The Daryl Stuermer Band for the very first time made this one very special day for me. This was a tremendous showcase of playing and I can't wait to get my hands on this new recording. Thanks Daryl, Kostia, Eric and John for all the great music.