Late night alarm clock
Benevento-Russo Duo's uplifting dark jams
By 2 a.m. at 2007's Re:Generation festival in Asheville, N.C., we could barely stand.
After a full day of dancing and hiking, I collapsed into my tent, moments from blissful sleep.
Then, across the lake, Marco Benevento began playing an organ. Joe Russo delicately incorporated a jazzy beat before the two laid into a full onslaught of skillful pounding on their musical instruments. My eyes opened wide.
The Benevento-Russo Duo's latest release, 'Play Pause Stop,' is available through the band's web site at beneventorussoduo.com.
This was not to be missed. Exhausted beyond the ability to speak, I dragged myself to the hillside stage and watched them until nearly sunrise.
The Benevento-Russo Duo make a lot of noise for two guys.
After a few albums and years of playing as a pair, Phish bassist Mike Gordon joined them on tour in 2005.
Since then, the friends from New York haven't slowed, collaborating constantly with other acts and, occasionally, joining as their core Duo for strings of shows.
Tonight's Pour House gig marks the Duo's return to town after a pair of Halloween shows at the Music Farm in 2005 and 2006.
It's a rare Southern appearance for the band, whose last album
together is 2006's "Play Pause Stop."
Lately, the group's "side projects" have pushed them into near-superstar status. Russo plays half the rhythmic force behind Further, the latest agglomeration of the Grateful Dead, which is led by Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.
Benevento released a solo album, "Me Not Me," earlier this year, and has toured extensively with his Marco Benevento trio, a group that includes acclaimed bassist Reed Mathis. He's also a core member of Garage A Trios that features Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and saxophonist Skerik.
And in April, Benevento's instrumental cover of My Morning Jacket's "Golden" was awarded "Song of the Day" status on NPR.
With their hands deep into so many talented pools, it's a rare treat to see the Duo swing through town at an intimate spot like The Pour House. For the jazz aficionados, Benevento's Berklee-trained hands and Russo's endless layers of internal syncopation will leave jaws agape. The music between these two friends always soars into exciting atmospheric territory.
It's beautifully intense. Don't count on sleeping through it.
If you go
Who: The Benevento-Russo Duo with Sean Bones.
When: Tonight 9 p.m.
Where: The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway.
Cost: $12 at www.etix.com and all Cat's Music and Monster Music locations.
Hear The Music: beneventorussoduo.com.
Info: 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com.
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