REVIEW: Paul Gilbert & Greg Koch: No Notes Left Unturned
05/06 @ Putnam Place, Saratoga
Photos by @put.over.photo
“While Gilbert is an incredible shredder, his versatility was also on full display…”
The Capital Region has been fortunate enough to attract world class guitar players on their tours lately, the latest being Paul Gilbert who just played the underrated Putnam Place in Saratoga this week, for a Fast Tony Productions show. If that wasn’t enough, he was joined by Greg Koch, who both opened the show and even joined forces with Gilbert on stage. By the end of the night, there were no notes left unturned and no fans left unsatisfied.
Kicking off the night was Koch and his band, who would be the headliner in many other settings. While you might have heard of a Telecaster, the first model made by Leo Fender, and seen guitarists use it as their axe of choice, there are levels to it. There are guitarists who play a Telecaster and then there are Telecaster players. From double stops, ghost notes, fast runs, and insane bends at the nut, Koch demonstrated a mastery across the entire instrument. Appropriately called the Koch Marshall Trio, he was joined by Toby Lee Marshall on the B3 organ, and his son, Dylan Koch, on drums.
“It’s surreal; sometimes there are things that happen rhythmically that we do together where I just look back at him and think, ‘ok, yeah…” he tells me with a grin.
While (Greg) Koch showed off his voice in the beginning of the set, the setlist was mostly instrumental and heavy on the covers. Some highlights were their rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” The James Gang’s “Funk #49,” and Koch’s original, “Tonus Diabolicus.” The latter has this driving 2/4 rockabilly feel that goes into double time and was a really fun tune to listen to and it seemed like the band enjoyed playing it just as much. As it would turn out, the setlist is fluid from night to night.
“We’ll do the Zeppelin tune every night, but otherwise nothing is sacrosanct. I like to keep the boys on their toes, it just makes for a more interesting set for us and the audience,” Koch tells me.
Then it was time for Gilbert and his band to take the stage. Coming out to a raucous applause, the energy in the room was palpable. In an immediate contrast to the more laidback style of Koch Marshall Trio, Paul Gilbert came out swinging with a fiery medley of songs, including a tongue in cheek moment where they played some of the ballad, “To Be With You,” a nod to Gilbert’s time with the band Mr. Big. While Gilbert is an incredible shredder, his versatility was also on full display, from slide guitar on his cover of “Don’t Talk to Strangers” by Dio, to flamenco style playing during a solo acoustic break that also saw him perform his former band Racer X’s “Technical Difficulties.”
He was also touring on a new album called WROC, which is based around George Washington’s “Rules of Civility.” For each tune played off of the album, he would wear his colonial times-inspired hat, if for nothing else than to benefit the audience so that they know where the song comes from. These songs were very different from everything else that the band played, just adding to Gilbert’s willingness to push his own boundaries and comfort zone. The highlight of the night however was when Koch was invited to the stage for a three-guitar shred fest.
Gilbert, Koch, and Gilbert’s bandmate, Doug Rappoport ripped through ZZ Top’s “Thunderbird” which has been a mainstay of the tour so far. All three guitarist’s styles couldn’t be more different, which made it work so well. It didn’t get monotonous; it was actually interesting to hear each player’s take on the tunes. Then Gilbert announced that his record label dropped a surprise single and an announcement of the re-release of his infamous Hendrix concert and that they would be playing that tune, instead of what they had been doing. We were all treated to a fantastic rendition of “Hey, Joe” by Jimi Hendrix, with Gilbert on lead vocals.
Overall, those in attendance at Putnam Place were treated to a true rock spectacle and guitar clinic that was more than welcomed on a chilly, May night.
For more shows at Putnam Place, visit their website here.
