The Triumphant Return of Garaj Mahal

Love Garaj Mahal so stoked to see they're re-booting!

This promises to be a great festival in a beautifully remote location.

No alcohol sales onsite, but byob if 19+  (no glass).

I've seen Garaj more times than I can count, but it's been a long time since the core4 played together.

Grate band, I'd see them if they toured, never w/SCI tho . . .

good kung fu

Nice to see Eric Levy taking a little break from Night Ranger.

Bring this down to California, Will ya?

 "EMF reserves the right to search anyone, anytime, anywhere on festival grounds."

I ran into Kai on Christimas Eve in SF at the Church of John Coltrane (which incidentally rocks pretty hard - my first taste of anything remotely religious in years other than the occasional Bar Mitzvah....)

Kai tipped me about this reunion but suggested it would be in BC.

He also suggested I had a free pass if I desired it....

The name Garaj Mahal was the one I submitted in a band naming contest at SF's Connecticut Yankee probably around 2001.

 >>"EMF reserves the right to search anyone, anytime, anywhere on festival grounds."

Standard terms & conditions contract clause.

Wouldn't be too worried about it...BC chill zone...

Is everyone going to be allowed back into the USA after this gig?

Better question - can we stay in Canada?

Anyone who's female, beautiful, and rich can stay with me

Kimock w/ Vega & Chimenti added - including late night Sunday all-star jam.

Early Bird tix almost sold out, apparently.

Interesting, I was under the impression there was bad blood in Kamp Kimmok for Hertz. Probably just a rumor if they're sharing the bill.

Do tell. I just saw SKB down here in Oahu for two nights in a row. They smoked, ESP. With Chimenti in the mix. He played 5B4 funk, which is a Hertz tune.. However didn't​ respond to my below of "Hertz so good" afterwards...

Mahal is one of the most underrated bands of the last 20 years. I emptied my savings account to have them okay our wedding in 2002. Great decision!

Play my wedding. I assume it was okay with them.

Probably just west coast key club groovycat stuff. Likely BS. Your wedding sounds awesome!

There were weird rumors about Ray White too. One was he was a druggie blah blah but he was the only member of KVHW who spent the entire set break talking shop with my guitar playing friend who has muscular dystrophy. The rest were outside puffing bowls or whatever. It seemed like there were lots of tales being spun in that tight fan group, some wooks told me Kimock learned how to play guitar from Garcia (which is of course patently false)...yadda yadda lol.

ray is a sweetheart, steve has always been a bit ... bitchy :) and yet im floored that he is playing with alan, it seems like a good time for forgiveness. {{{ reddy }}} ten years ago alan refused to play the kvhw reunion shows in denver, so molo stepped in. great mystery train in the second night.

kvmw — march 16, 2007
kvmw — march 17, 2007

According to the schedule, Hertz & Garaj are playing Thurs - Sat, and Kimock Sunday only. So they don't have to worry about seeing each other - if that's the case.

Sounds like lava heard the same rumor I did. 

Lava tell me more. Hertz is a really mellow guy, I spent some solid hours with him in 2001-2004. Does not seem like a grudge holder.. and yeah Dise my wedding was awesome!

<There were weird rumors about Ray White too>

Not too weird or mysterious if you ever ran into him during this period -- easy to do as he was so gregarious -- another eccentric extremely talented musician who was so spun on drugs and drinking that he couldn't separate work from partying.

It's kinda hard to hold any band together when you are not sure if someone will show up. ("Car Trouble" became so common I think Ray called his next band that.)  And when the poetic stage banter lyrics-on-the fly turn into round-the clock-pycho-babble.....

One highlight of the "where's Ray?" period was when Jimmy Herring stepped in to sub for White ant the Pheonix (Petaluma). Jazz is Dead was opening and KWH needed another guitar player.

Thankfully, the band was well-documented:

​KVHW, 1.24.98,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4UHGmCHUhE

KVHW - 4.5.98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJcrXM45gMk

K V H W - 09.18.98 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5bPjNtpBSM

K V H W - 12.31.98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qWQl3kktq4

Terry Haggerty from Sons of Champlin sat in a few times as well.

KVHW Live at Phoenix Theater on 1999-04-30 with Jimmy Herring:

https://archive.org/details/kvhw1999-04-30.shnf

From Sandy Alexander (great taper/ great human RIP)

(Sorry for typos in previous posting)

hey doctor, it wouldn't surprise me if alan wasn't the butthurt melodramatic one  ~ dise can probably dish some uber innie goodness here.

ray gives us a good express yourself in that first night of kvmw.

Does this really qualify as a "triumphant" return?

As great as this band was, for just four guys it had a a drama-enriched beginning, middle, and ending. 

KVHW Live at Maritime Hall on 1999-12-17: Ray White doesn't show up and is kicked out of band. Chip Roland sits in: 

https://archive.org/details/kvhw99-12-17

The next week, it morphed into: Alan Hertz' Marijuana Jazz Band:
Steve Kimock-guitar 
Bobby Vega-bass 
Alan Hertz-drums 
Terry Haggerty-guitar 
Chip Roland-organ 
Kendrick Freeman-percussion

Ike Willis even joined for a show or so...

https://archive.org/details/mjb1999-12-24.shnf

https://archive.org/details/mjb1999-12-26-ams.shnf

Some MJB video:

https://www.reddit.com/r/listentoconcerts/comments/2rsykj/alan_hertzs_ma...

Nah, never heard anything bad about Hertz other than he was more successful with the ladies than lil K, including the ones the toaster was hot for and eventually it turned into band drama. He's a super nice guy. 

RW broke his wrist early into the KVHW game and was a no-show at a gig but I just assumed Kimock was not that fun to work with and he was trying to get the boot. TH imo wasn't a great replacement for RW and Ike Willis "ran as fast as he could shooting behind him as he goes" after just a gig or two. That's an actual quote, one he recycled. 

lol lava Block told me more than I ever wanted to know about innie stuff. A lot of it is pretty hard to believe is true. Yikes!

< he was trying to get the boot.>

ummm..probably not...without the paycheck Ray couldn't afford treats... and he sure seemed to enjoy the spotlight and fan adulation... however, the desire/need? for treats sadly won out over reliability. The "broken" wrist came later, nearer the end..(and.that cast could have even been fake, the way excuses were flowing).

Rather than Sonoma County girl trouble -- the KVHW downfall dynamics were more centered around the usual rock and roll diseases: ego and money and perceived "double-crossing." The serious promotion cash to take it to the next level never showed up either..success was always right around the corner. Everyone involved was frustrated about something or another.

And at the time, Zero was dissolving, with Kimock and Vega moving into a new direction. That was a lot of background drama, cause that band had been together 15 years at that point and suffered even more from success-was-alway-right-around- the-corner syndrome. Plus on top of that, Kimock himself was moving in other directions, working with Phil. Hertz was the wunderkind from town with his own musical trajectory, not a contemporary of Kimock and Vega. And Ray not showing up to gigs (with no notice) certainly didn't help things  A great period of professional instability, with the tensions resulting in some great playing.

Fun Fact -- Derek Trucks played the last show billed as "KVHW"

That's an interesting spin on RW, but I'll leave it. As for Hertz, I didn't mention Sonoma County women...LOL

Slight Tangent:

Last time I saw Alan Hertz he was playing in a Trio with the incredible and very unsung Michael Landau on stratocaster with Travis Carlton (son of Larry Carlton) on bass.
I capped some vids of the show at Peri's (a tiny club in Fairfax, CA) and there couldn't have been more than 40 people in the house.

I've gotten kudo's by email from people all over the planet about these vids who are devotees of Landau.
I subsequently have capped Landaus' local gigs at Sweetwater in Mill Valley and Biscuits and Blues and posted them all to Youtube.

Here's Alan with Michael and Travis back in '14:
(This shit is killer and well worth spinning - presuming you enjoy music from Kimock, Garaj Mahal and similar acts):
______________________________________________________

Michael Landau with Alan Hertz & Travis Carlton 
At Peri's in Fairfax, CA 09/14/13

I'm Buzzed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TMerV7XWMU

Up from the Skies (Jimi Hendrix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb5Qn5g1L6U

Who Know's Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydGx4TUEoi8

Worried Life Blues (w Tommy Odetto)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXH9VRQAxB0

Peaceful Ride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7FCUcF5JyI

Well it's not really a spin... I'm not adding to a kernel of truth to promote an agenda, if that's what spin is. What entertaining tales are you holding out?  Crack orgies in the PowerHouse's secret back office? Do tell.

I'm just relating personal recollections (slightly cloudy with the passing of time). No gossip. No one was a cubscout but Ray was obviously an over indulger at some points. Sebastopol was certainly full of hippy chicks who wanted to bang the local rock and roll royalty .. (and did). There was as least as much drama going on with them amongst themselves, as with their conquests. 

[It certainly wasn't the intrigue and debauchery on the level with the Rolling Stones 1969 tour (ever see this with Hendrix and Stones? I just ran across it)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuRSe08Qt-U ]

But KVHW had more issues than just pussy and drugs.

After a while, the tightknit camaraderie of four equals fractured as the venues got bigger, paydays increased, and promoters/backers promised the stars but delivered less. "Who's in charge? Money? Bookings? Merchandise? Me. No, me. No, me. You still owe me... No I don't....and where the fuck is Ray? "Typical stuff. My "spin" would be competing egos.

Shame --- damn good band.

Awesome youtubes. Thanks Trebs!

Alan, I never saw White act even remotely high, so your tales are probably more interesting wrt that. I was never a fan of the Sebastopol scene, it was a bit too far away to be sucked in, so I'll take your word for it.  What sent Ike Willis running as fast as he can shooting behind him as he goes? I doubt it was HIS ego..

I promised Block I'd put the SK stories he told me in the vault, tough luck there, sport :)

Enjoy 'em Dise....

Lovely day for this music :) Any word on whether Garaj Mahal will be doing and California gigs soon?

Element website now says stage schedule TBA.

Maybe a Hertz-Kimock reunion is indeed in the works.

For some excellent Garaj Mahal, check out 2001 and 2002 High Sierra Music Festivals. Fareed played with everyone those years... I think he was musician at large. Fareed fest for sure.

Here's a vid from around that time from Moe's Alley... July 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5STuQgxUN8

Here's HSMF 2003 Fareed Haque Group: This is really good, too....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvBv2NM3Ad0

FHG was money when Levy was in the band. Fareed and Eric were terrific together.

The schedule has been announced for Element Fest: http://www.elementfestival.info/festival-schedule/ 

It's really an interesting schedule in terms of timing. Love that there's time to sleep in before music begins the next day! 

We might do this if we don't have big deadlines at work, especially now that Kimock and Friends are in the mix. 

A statement  from Eric Levy (Keyboards Garaj Mahal):

"I  regret to inform you that I won’t be making it to Element this year. Since Garaj Mahal broke up in 2011, I’ve been playing keyboards for Night Ranger. They’ve just booked shows on the same weekend as Element, and I’m committed to continuing to play with my current band.

That said, I still believe 100% that this summer is the right time for a Garaj Mahal reunion, and Element Music Festival is the perfect place to be hosting it.

It’s been 7 years since Garaj’s last show (which was also in BC). String Cheese Incident is headlining - they really helped put us on the map when we were 1st starting out; Michael Kang even made a guest appearance on our 1st studio album. And Steve Kimock - I don’t think there ever would’ve been a Garaj Mahal if not for Steve. What he & Alan Hertz created with KVHW are footsteps in which we would later follow.

I’m also excited for you all to hear Osam Ezzeldin play keyboards in my stead. He’s a force of nature, and I look forward to hearing myself how he interprets the music of Garaj. Also stoked for Osam to experience Element, from the epic natural beauty of its location to the wonderful souls of the people of BC, Canada.

Sincerely wishing I could be there, and hopeful that someday soon I can again be onstage with Garaj Mahal."

- Eric Levy

Statement From Garaj Mahal:

"Garaj Mahal officially welcomes Osam Ezzeldin to the keyboards, joining us on stage for Element Festival 2017.

The Story - When Element initially negotiated the unlikely reunion of Garaj Mahal, there was a known possibility that Eric's steady bread-and-butter gig Night Ranger could claim the same weekend, thus rendering Eric unavailable. We only had a choice between declining the reunion or coming up with an elegant solution. This was not without complications. 

Inviting Osam Ezzeldin gave us the possibility to come out of hiatus while keeping Eric on board for future gigs. Night Ranger's policy generally allows Eric Levy to free up his schedule 4 weeks ahead of time. Since concerts book much further in advance that's a deal breaker. We were truly in a pickle. Garaj Mahal would not be able to contract shows ever unless there was a worthy player in the wings ready to go. So we began to make provisions."

Read the full statement on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elementfestival/posts/1324809110899680

Great music links on this thread, thanks to all who posted.

"Artists at Large" means they will be sitting in with whomevever, whenever.

Oteil is slated for Saturday & Sunday. Jam with Kimock(s) & Chimenti inevitable and highly anticipated.

Have the trip planned...just waiting for clearance from work. Haven't bought tickets yet, though.