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Boston Sunday Globe
November 22, 1998
City Weekly
ON THE RISE
Band's members, music in state of flux
Bassist Mike Rivard is a pro. He's worked with a long list of top names like Paula Cole, the Story, and Mark Sandman (of Morphine), to name a few. When it came time to start his own band, though, he faced a frustrating problem: How could he ever include all the people he enjoyed playing with? So instead, he formed a club.
"I call it Club d'Elf," says Rivard. "It's really a band masquerading as a recurring night at a club. We provide an interesting musical bed, and I bring in other musicians so it is a different thing each time. This way I don't get bored."
Club d'Elf runs loosely two Thursdays a month at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. The core band comprises Rivard on bass, Jerry Leake on tablas and percussion, Jere Faison on sampler, and Erik Kerr on drums. The group lays down a hypnotic groove, often incorporating elements of hip-hop, funk, electronica, and free jazz as well as Moroccan and West African trance traditions.
In the last year, eclectic players like Roger Miller (Binary System, ex-Mission of Burma), John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), saxophonist Dana Colley (of Morphine), Brahim Fribgane (playing doumbek, an hourglass-shaped drum, and oud, which resembles a lute, from Hassan Hakmoun's New York-based Moroccan ensemble) and others have added their sounds as guest artists.
"The idea is to develop a pool of musicians," says Rivard. "You just have to play once, and from then on you are a member."
While the sound of Club d'Elf is certainly esoteric and unusual, Rivard doesn't feel the music is that far out of the mainstream.
"People's ears are opening up to new sounds," he says. "And there is something to be said for having this kind of groove, trance, and electronica done live. Groups like the Chemical Brothers, when they play live, are just a couple guys up there with samplers. We give people something to look at."
There is also a fairly unusual experimental approach to the use of non-Western sounds, mixing elements as seemingly disparate as Gnawan mystical sufi from Morocco with Indian classical music.
"It's all about finding the parallels, the common trance elements in music from different parts of the world," says Rivard. While mostly instrumental, depending on the guest artist, Club d'Elf has also worked with singers, such as Paul Stiller, formerly of the a cappella group Vox One, who likes to experiment with heavily ambient electronic effects added to his voice, and Sandman, whose low key style of singing is distinctive in any context.
-David Wildman
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Northeast Performer
September 1998
Club D'elf, 1st set
Lizard Lounge
Cambridge, MA July 30th, 1998
The "All Star Game" Effect - First observed in certain high-energy fusion groups of the '70s, this phenomenon typically occurs when a collection of highly talented individual musicians play together in an open ended format. Its results resemble that of a basketball all star contest, where the individual members display brilliant moments but lack the togetherness that makes the performance special.
This is the danger of a night like this. It sounded like a dream. Boston based bass guru Mike Rivard assembles some of the area's master musicians - whirlwind Jerry Leake on tablas and percussion, eclectic electric violinist Mat Maneri, groove meister Erik Kerr, effect aficionado Paul Stewart - along with New York's finest, John Medeski and DJ Logic, and immerses them in a trancy cesspool. All of this smolders at the Boston area's most happening venue. The night promised a musical depth and virtuosity that Boston clubs rarely see - and a potential all-star Game.
The winds that carry the names Medeski and Logic travel fast. An hour before the performance's start, a line of 70 people already stretched back down the sidewalk. The dim swankiness of the Lizard Lounge pulsed with a hundred or so people, all jockeying for tables and optimal viewpoints. The stage area was impressive - tablas, shakers, keyboards, effects, upright bass, drumset, turntables, samplers. Anticipation -- and heat - hung heavily in the air.Rivard led his troops to their instruments and quickly addressed the All Star Game issue. First a looped bassline, played with mallets. Then a sample appeared, joined by other atmospheric elements from Medeski, Leake, Logic, Maneri, Hall and Stewart. And there it was - a trancy cesspool, nothing extraneous or outstanding, proficiency showing itself off musically instead of technically. Kerr steps in with appropriate funkiness. The sporadic fill whipped past and landed smack on beat one, no over the barline craziness that would detract stylistically.
Medeski proved his draw, sliding strange chords into the wash. He would drop an obtuse chord voicing and change the character of the song. Early in the night, when the playing was uneasy and everyone was still feeling each other out, a Medeski solo raked the air and put enough energy behind the band to solidity the performance. Add DJ Logic to the mix, who would spin the perfect thing at the perfect time at the perfect volume. Again, whereas either player could have decided to dominate the evening, they added themselves tastefully into the music.
There was a definite progression in the playing as the night rolled along. The beginning saw Kerr settling into the looped samples, Rivard adjusting to his "conducting persona," Maneri (who blistered several solos throughout the set) tiptoeing into the fray. By the midnight hour, they'd swung, stomped and thoroughly rocked.
-jonathan babu
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Boston Magazine - August 1998
Best Of Boston
Band, Cutting Edge - Club d'Elf
The sound of the future is here. The band's deeply hypnotic trance-grooves combine jazz, world, and electronica. Bass wizard Mike Rivard, percussionist Jerry Leake, sampler Jere Faison and driving drummers J. Hilt and Erik Kerr preside over the jams, or "ceremonies." The group preforms as a hodgepodge ensemble that changes from show to show; past guests have included John Medeski, Mark Sandman, and members of the Either/Orchestra. They usually perform at the Lizard Lounge. Jazz Scene Lizard Lounge - As the new host to The Fringe's (Best Jazz Band) Monday night jams ----- and occasionally to the delights from the free-form experimantal acid-jazz group Club d'Elf (Best Cutting Edge Band) ---- this lounge has the coolest in-the-round setting. Owing partly to a respectable selection of booze and excellent vibes, the unassuming Lizard Lounge has slithered to the top.
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The Boston Phoenix
July 24, 1998
Arts Section
JAZZ... The dub-wise jazz jamming experiments of Mike Rivard (aka Micro Vard) and his Club d'Elf night at the Lizard Lounge continue when the bassist invites special-guest keyboardist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin and Wood) and DJ Logic into the mix. Logic is featured on the upcoming MM&W Blue Note debut; Medeski has a manic energy and imagination that he can more or less taylor to any situation - at least, he's never dull, and at most, he's godlike. That's at the Lizard Lounge in the Common Ground restaurant, 1667 Mass Ave in Cambridge.
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Soundboard Magazine
issue #5 May/June 1998
Sunday, March 24, 1998
Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA
(By George Drake)
You knew it was a special evening as you walked down the stairs, and entered the main basement-cum-living room area of the Lizard Lounge, a club tucked away underneath the Cambridge Common restaurant in Cambridge Mass. Around for less than two years, the space has already become a landmark on the surging groove scene here.
Club d'Elf, a loose collection of local dub, trance and groove musicians, including members of Morphine, and the Hypnosonics, was the featured act. Tonight the ensemble featureda special guest: John Medeski of Medeski Martin and Wood fame.
The instruments, mic stands and chairs were arranged in a small circle, with a stand-up and electric bass in the center. More effects pedals than you might see in the average music store dotted the faux Oriental rug which added to the homey ambience. Indeed, the intimate surroundings were such that simply crossing your legs might mean knocking over an instrument. One by one the musicians took the "stage" and when what first appeared to be a warm up/soundcheck/noodling session quickly became the first "groove" of the night, the informality of it all quickly became apparent. First two, then five, then eight musicians joined the fray…Bassist/ringleader Mike Rivard slapped, plucked, bowed and even played his upright like a xylophone, all the while nodding cues for people to solo. Guitarist Duke Levine and DJ Logic added fills, samples or riffs as they saw fit, with Rivard controlling the tempo. The group caught fire on "Hip Hop Tabla," with Medeski's swirling, anxious organ and Rivard's expert yet undermiced bass leading the way. With formal song structure set aside, the 'automatic pilot' that guides top musicians took over. Actually, you can thank the Berklee School of Music for that, in part, as a number of the players were current or former students. The set ended with the first vocal stint of the night as two female singers added dreamy vocals to a song about "boys and their toys," while a short setbreak was highlighted by an informal birthday party (complete with cake) for one of the players.
Set two began with a slightly different look, as Jay Hilt took over drumming duties from Eric Kerr for the opening number. Hilt's frantic, thumb-heavy style added simply another layer to the mosaic, but Kerr's steady jazz-infected backbeat was more better suited to the overall sound. Tom Halter on flugelhorn and trumpet brought an air of stateliness to the proceedings, though we would have like to have seen the dual horn section add more to the mix. DJ Logic's well-timed samples of everything from famous statesmen to musicians to movies added poignant, even comical highlights to the proceedings. While his inclusion may have seemed out-of-place at first, he quickly proved his [sic] skills in the turntable were equal to those of any of his traditional musician counterparts.
The midnight hour passed and musicians came and left the circle. Electric violins, synthesizers, more horns, percussion, you name it; it all got thrown into the mix, over a dozen cooks mixing the pot at times. By now people lined the stairs, ducking their heads to get a better view of this ensemble, with the low ceilings and subterranean feel adding to the '60s coffeehouse vibe. We left feeling almost honored to be a part of such an incredible evening of deftly-played, intellectually-challenging music. And while Club d'Elf clearly benefited from having a heavyweight like John Medeski on board, without him the communal spirit of the ensemble still works, serving as its own tribute to how music ought to be played. For groove lovers, Club d'Elf is not to be missed.
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The Boston Phoenix
Thursday February 20, 1998
Arts Section
state of the art
Sandman Clubs Elf
"Music can serve as a springboard for alternate consciousness if you play long enough and get into a trance spot," explains bassist Mike Rivard. "And if it works for the audience, too --hey, even better."
Towards those ends, Rivard has organized Club d'Elf, which premiered earlier this month at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge and returns next Thursday. Rivard assembled a hodge-podge of local talent - including guitarist Duke Levine, members of the Either/Orchestra, two-thirds of Morphine, and himself - to create what he describes as a "live remix of rehearsed grooves. The concept is not totally an open-ended jam but specific grooves and rhythms. I cue certain things and let the players put their own particular spin in there." On its maiden voyage a couple weeks ago, Club d'Elf (pronounced "clubbed elf" the name comes from the trance-induced writings of Terence McKenna and the concept of Extra Low Frequencies, or ELF) sounded like atmospheric electronica with live instruments.
This is the latest in a series of specialized theme nights that have helped the Lizard Lounge go from just another basement to one of the most promising rooms in town. "It's a really cool place because you can sit right on top of bands and experience them," says Lizard Lounge booker Billy Beard. "There's a wonderful connection between audience and band." Thanks to that vibe and to Beard's willingness to book "acts that are a little left of center," the Lizard Lounge has become a local hotspot less than two years after opening. Last year DJ Brother Cleve (see "Cellars by Starlight," on page 18) helped prove the viability of the room by turning an off night into a lounge-music haven, though the increased number of live acts has led Cleve to put his "Saturnalia" night there on hold.
"I think the lounge thing is cool and works in that space, but that's not the only thing that works," says Beard. True: Club d'Elf had hardly any Rat Pack flavor. Neither did the country-swing outfit the Spurs, who played the following night. Or the Jeff Robinson Trip's poetry and jazz jam on Sundays. Ditto for the lesbian-leaning Box series on Tuesday and venerable avant-garde jazzers the Fringe on Mondays. In fact, it's the Lizard Lounge's remarkable diversity that's creating audiences.
Another occasional theme night is 'Drummers Sing," where local rock pounders get out from behind the kit and showcase their golden throats. Past shows have featured Mike Peal of Groovasaurus doing Metallica and Billy Conway (the one Morphine guy absent from Club d'Elf) performing a song by his girlfriend, Laurie Sargent. Beard hopes to bring back the night in March.
And now there's Club d'Elf. For its return next Thursday, Mat Maneri, Eric Hipp, and others will be joining the band. Rivard plans to invite John Medeski and New York DJs to future performances. There's no date set past next Thursday, but Beard says future shows are likely. "That whole dub approach works well for a band that big, and I love the spontaneity of it. I'd like to see it continue." The next Club d'Elf will take place next Thursday, February 26, at the Lizard Lounge, below Cambridge Common Restaurant, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. Tickets are $5; call 547-0759.
-Dan Tobin
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The Boston Globe
Living/Arts Section (Feb 7,1998)
Mike Rivard stages a jam at Lizard Lounge
(By Paul Robicheau)
CAMBRIDGE - Local bassist Mike Rivard envisioned Club d'Elf, an event staged at the Lizard Lounge Thursday, as a "live remix session" for rehearsed grooves - in the experimental style of Bill Laswell's avant-world label Axiom or New York's loft scene.
It was also a cool exuse for a jam with with such other musical scenesters as guitarist Duke Levine and members of Morphine and Either/Orchestra with whom Rivard plays in the Hypnosonics.
Rivard, whose resume also includes Paula Cole and Jonatha Brooke, didn't call it a jam. He just wanted improvised iceing for grooves he arranged with Hypnosonics drummer J. Hilt, Natraj percussionist Jerry Leake, and keyboardist Jere Faison.
"It's the attack of the rhythm section," said Rivard, who called the progam Club d'Elf for two reasons. ELF means "Extreme Low Frequency" ie; bass. And he enjoys neopsychedelic author Terence McKenna, who "speaks of contact with hyperdimesional elflike entities," said Rivard, adding of the music, "We're not talking just happy, mischievuos elves. We're clubbing some of those elves. It's definetely a dark, ominous thing."
Well, that was before the music began. In reality, Club d'Elf was, well, like a jam session - albeit a well-grounded one. The dimly lit room had the right ambience, though not a sound system with the bottom end for dark, heavy bass, (Rivard also favored acoustic bass, lending an acid-jazz slant).
Most of the night's 15 minute range pieces started with Rivard laying down a bass part to Hilt's disciplined beat, Leake's counterrhthyms on clay pot, shakers, or tabla (best heard during breaks, being before drowned out by emerging instruments) and Faison's sporadic toppings. Those included vocal samples such as "The ceremony is about to begin."
Then Levine sat down (breaking the firat set's tenative start with brittle, hanging notes ala Ry Cooder), before the arrival of horns and Mark Sandman, who acted as human sampler, emitting droll lines like, "Men, they're all the same."
Seperately and together, Tom Halter (flugelhorn), Russ Gershon (soprano and tenor sax), and Dana Colley (baritone sax), added tonal and melodic contrast. And they thrived in a second set tilted toward jazz. Halter and Gershon parlayed the droning start of bonafide tune "Mr. Joybox" into whalelike whines, while Colley probed a Miles Davis-style groove with Rivard. When Either/Orchestra alumnus John Dirac spelled Levine on guitar, Rivard pushed the tempo with a walking bass line.
In addition to bass, Rivard directed musicians with hand signals - though Hilt broke form with some imprompu flailing near the end. But long before that, Club d'Elf had become a jam session - better suited to a foot-tapping trance, but not that unlike a Hypnosonics show. Who said elves can't have fun?
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