When Legends Gather. Inside the Minds of Master Musicians.
The enormity of experimental sound and mastery of music production shoved into a tiny Albuquerque brewery.
DAT YAK is an edgy, more electronically experimental side of The Dee Brown Situation and still his vocals flow like water through the valley of immaculate serenity.
Admiring musicians both on and off stage is a near impossibility in this venture. In my cosmos, it’s not so much my lack of desire but sadly, lack of ability; I simply don’t have the capacity.
As I continue the exciting transition from corporate, societal slave to loving, accepting consumer and writer of music through a state gratitude, I am unapologetically losing my mind’s working memory to strengthen and bolster my intrinsic memories; my intuition. My capacity to remember super important stuff to most humans, like names and titles, has yielded to the super human power of being profoundly, and intoxicatingly present with music while listening to it.
Both of those iterations of my evolution have admired Dee Brown’s music since my New Mexico arrival, sometime way back, performing solo at Hollow Spirits, an old hangout of mine. Later, for me to have plummeted into the torrent of musical sounds, and to have lived to write about it, is to begin with Dee. I still remember admiring his sound and voice that day with his keyboard, long before I began writing, and shortly before I eventually stopped running.
While journalistically drowning in an ocean of state-wide musical talent, two names kept popping up in my notes, over and over again, from other accomplished musicians, producers, and esteemed, high desert recording studio experts. Usually, without prompting, musicians that caught my ear would often tell me to listen to Dee Brown and Artha Meadors, either together or with other performing acts. I got a glimpse back in May for their birthday bash and I was hooked.
As I fumbled my rookie ass through music writing, and addiction recovery, and trauma healing, I wouldn’t see them again until October, performing as DAT YAK covering The Roots for Night of The Living Cover Bands, when they caused a riot in the packed Launchpad and a sonic beatdown inside my obliterated audio receptors. It was a side of Dee and Artha I had not experienced and they were both nostalgic and futuristic, throwing instruments, and their mastery of entertainment, over the crowd of zombified mouth breathers.
I was one such mouth breather that night. Jaw on the floor the whole time. Grey matter oozing out of my ears.
DAT YAK climbed on top of the nuclear reactor, with Paul Palmer on drums, and took a sledge hammer of madness to the circuitry of human comprehension. Nothing made sense and they kept pounding and pounding, relentless musical insanity into the minds and souls of scores there to witness it all. Palmer added the groove and alluring vocals, while keeping pulse with living legends, making it all look effortless, like the violent thrust from a rudder beneath the surface of calm, humbled speed boat.
Check out the quick video I somehow captured at Launchpad then checkout Artha’s more intimate look at his creative process on his Instagram post below. It’s a fascinating and rare look into the magic of what we all experienced that night.
Caught them again for a more intimate show at Thirsty Eye Brewing, as captured in this piece. Dee Brown, Paul Palmer, and Artha Meadors often jam and interchange with other greats around the state, but this iteration was warmly curated for the more relaxed crowd at Thirsty Eye, back on a cold November evening with Claudio Toloussee on electric guitar and a brief vocal performance by Lowell Burton.
DAT YAK has been around a few years, and they somehow keep it going with other demanding music productions around the nation, consistent and silent community involvement, teaching, and the always present and delicate personal demands. They can produce a vibe session anywhere in Albuquerque, tailoring the frequency and magnitude to the venue and space. It’s a true work of living, human art, and every iteration of their performances ascend all those present to witness. Their sound can be accurately reported as electronically vibey on the booming side, with hip, intuitive bursts of sampling madness, old skool bass drives, smooth and uplifting vocals, and rhythms from masters of soulful movement and seduction.
Put them on your calendar, radar, or notepad and support your own spiritual health by attending any number of music events around the region, anywhere Dee, Artha, and Paul, plus the vibrant array of musical collaborators who jam with them, post up to perform.
You provide the space and the occasion, they will provide The Situation.
Stringer