[NEohioPAL] Review of the Alex Skolnick Trio in Cleveland 3/21

[Al Diamond Phillips]

	Last Night I went to see the Alex Skolnick Trio in
Cleveland, OH. I can sum up the show in one word,
Amazing.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I decided
to take my entire family to see the famous guitarist
from Testament and Tran Siberian Orchestra.  I didn’t
know much about the restaurant Wilbert’s Food and
Music.  I only knew that Alex had a Jazz Trio and was
coming to town. 

	When I called to buy tickets , I found out I didn’t
need tickets,  only a reservation and  a cover charge
at the door. I asked the person on the phone to put my
party at a table right in front of the stage,  and
that is exactly what they did. There wasn’t a better
seat in the house. We got there a little early because
of the weather forcast, as well as the traffic from
the Cavaliers game. This was nice because it gave us
time to order our dinner, and eat before the show. It
also gave us the chance to see Alex during sound
check, and just hanging out. 

	I introduced myself, and asked if he remembered me
interrupting his breakfast New Years morning. We
stayed at the same hotel as TSO when they played
Cleveland. Alex did remember, and took a few minutes
to chat. He was incredibly approachable. He took time
to talk to everyone that  wanted a minute of his time.
He even had a few minutes to talk to my 12 yr old son 
while we searched for a sharpie, so he could sign a CD
for him. Zack ( my son)  is learning to play guitar,
and this was a good experience for him to see that
there is more to the guitar than Slipknot. 

	We ate dinner and  the food was pretty good. It was
traditional American bar food. Burgers and fries. We
had fish and salads and fries, since it was good
Friday. When we were finished  the band got up on
stage and started to play. That is where the magic
really happened. I have never been a huge fan of Jazz.
I always thought of it as music for old people. I was
wrong, at least about Alex’s version of Jazz.  When
you are used to watching guitarist for bands, playing
solos, you quickly notice that most wil stay in a
comfort zone playing certain scales in every solo.
With Alex this was not the case.  Maybe its just the
nature of Jazz, but he was all over the neck. Very
rarely would you see him play anything that was
similar to anything he had played before. Add the
enthusiasm he showed while playing a type of music you
could tell he truly loved, and you have just a great
experience.

The band played some original compositions, as well as
Jazz versions of classic songs by the Scorpions, Kiss,
and Rush just to name a few. It was actually fun
listening for the familiar part of a song that would
clue you in on what they were playing. They played for
almost two hours, and it just seemed to go by too
fast.  When they finished , and started to walk off
stage, fans started cheering for War Pigs. So the band
hopped back up and gave them what they wanted.  This
started off as another  jazz version of a classic
tune, but  half way through changed, and we got a
glimpse of the music that made Alex a famous
guitarist. He threw in a little distortion and
screaming guitar, and even the older folks in the
audience seemed to be impressed by the sound..  Alex
has put together a group that is truly entertaining to
watch. Matt Zebroski on Drums and Nathan Peck on Bass
are truly gifted musicians, and the groups continuity
seemed unflawed. After the show they were all
available to mingle with the crowd, sign autographs,
and just talk. No big Rockstar attitudes, just some
guys having a good time.  I cant wait for the next
show!

To learn more about Alex and his music check out his
website www.alexskolnick.com

To learn more about how I interrupted his breakfast on
 New Years morning check out my website
http://www.aldiamondphillips.com/AlexSkolnick.html