"The mix between spoken words and drums was disturbing at first, especially since we sometimes miss a few lines because of all the noise, but we quickly got used to it. The whole show was a kind of conversation between the two performer...
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 1997 Country: Canada Packaging: Jewel Tray Recorded live at the 14th Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville on May 19, 1997, by Wharton Tiers.
"The mix between spoken words and drums was disturbing at first, especially since we sometimes miss a few lines because of all the noise, but we quickly got used to it. The whole show was a kind of conversation between the two performers. But as Ranaldo wandered on the stage, supervising the "duel" and playing a couple of soft notes on his guitar, we realized the two musicians didn't have to speak to understand each other. The improvisation session went smoothly and it was incredibly easy to be attracted in the private world of the two men. That's probably why the whole crowd was so quiet. When the first piece of the show ended, the audience waited until the very last note was played before reacting. Hooker and Ranaldo were later joined by Jim O'Rourke on keyboards (from Gastr Del Sol, who were performing later that day) and Gianni Gebbia, a saxophone player from Italy. This was really when the show reached its paroxysm. During a couple of minutes, I was really unsure about theorigins of the sounds. The two newcomers really helped Ranaldo to counter Hooker's agressive drum sounds and the overall balance that resulted was simply delightful. Both Ranaldo and Hooker came back for a short encore to what was already a very complete show. They finally left the stage with a simple wave to the fans. Simple, but how effective."- Christian Hinse, Junkyard Language