Last night I saw Mal Webb at the Folk Centre and he was absolutely fantastic. Ed came over raving about Mal Webb the other night and we all looked at him funny. Now I know why he raved! He was amazing! Mal Webb uses his whole body as an instrument and he thinks about music in a very mathematical way. Take for instance Pi. He manages to intrigue mathematicians and musicologists alike. Then in Triangle he goes nuts singing harmonics and forming an upside down triangle with them. Then he plays with linguistics a bit with Dipthong. He also got the audience singing and dancing (my best partner was a 4 year old) along to things, some entirely improvised as he went. An amazing bass and didge player (called Andrew) dropped in later in the evening with a 6 string bass. Mal was so impressed that he taught Andrew how to play a few of his songs - like Tim Tam Slam (listen to the mp3). And to top off the night I finally got to hear that bloody Waterbear song (IV'ers should know the one - I missed that revue act. It all makes sense now)(another mp3). then I rode home with Bike (listen) stuck in my head. He is unbelievable. What's also fantastic is that he is a REAL entertainer and he teaches you how to do the crazy stuff he does. I now have a vague idea how to make a good beatbox sound (say "Baboons and pigs are beyond petite patterns" and then take out the vowels. Then make the constonants louder. Freaky but true. That one has a really good rythym). I have also had some good demonstrations of where to put microphones (Cindy Lauper's mole) and why.

"If you want to do everything in life, don't start off by making a "to do" list"- Mal Webb (I'm trying to get my way into a few quotation books).

"You're a freak" said Ani DiFranco of Mal (really!)

"He's like Bobby McFerrin, Aphex Twin and Cole Porter playing scrabble" - B.Freely
-High praise (in my book) from a Tassie pub

Posted at 10:28 PM #

Comments:

Oh you lucky bugger ! I heard Mal Webb on JJJ one morning, and have been DYING to see him ever since ! It sounds completely awesome. Wow. Cool.

jasonbstanding

# posted by  Anonymous : 5:18 PM

 

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Mal Webb Rocks!

Last night I saw Mal Webb at the Folk Centre and he was absolutely fantastic. Ed came over raving about Mal Webb the other night and we all looked at him funny. Now I know why he raved! He was amazing! Mal Webb uses his whole body as an instrument and he thinks about music in a very mathematical way. Take for instance Pi. He manages to intrigue mathematicians and musicologists alike. Then in Triangle he goes nuts singing harmonics and forming an upside down triangle with them. Then he plays with linguistics a bit with Dipthong. He also got the audience singing and dancing (my best partner was a 4 year old) along to things, some entirely improvised as he went. An amazing bass and didge player (called Andrew) dropped in later in the evening with a 6 string bass. Mal was so impressed that he taught Andrew how to play a few of his songs - like Tim Tam Slam (listen to the mp3). And to top off the night I finally got to hear that bloody Waterbear song (IV'ers should know the one - I missed that revue act. It all makes sense now)(another mp3). then I rode home with Bike (listen) stuck in my head. He is unbelievable. What's also fantastic is that he is a REAL entertainer and he teaches you how to do the crazy stuff he does. I now have a vague idea how to make a good beatbox sound (say "Baboons and pigs are beyond petite patterns" and then take out the vowels. Then make the constonants louder. Freaky but true. That one has a really good rythym). I have also had some good demonstrations of where to put microphones (Cindy Lauper's mole) and why.

"If you want to do everything in life, don't start off by making a "to do" list"- Mal Webb (I'm trying to get my way into a few quotation books).

"You're a freak" said Ani DiFranco of Mal (really!)

"He's like Bobby McFerrin, Aphex Twin and Cole Porter playing scrabble" - B.Freely
-High praise (in my book) from a Tassie pub