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Garage A Trois (GAT) is an outstanding jazz-fusion act that has moved steadily into rock over the years. A side-project of Galactic drummer, Stanton Moore, GAT is an odd super group of virtuoso misfits, including vibraphonist Mike D of The Dead Kenny G's; saxophonist Skerik, also of Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade; and organist Marco Benevento of the Benevento Russo Duo. This week, before their show Thursday at North Star Bar, I had a phone chat with the band's sax-master, Skerik.
CP: How did you meet Stanton Moore?
Skerik: I was introduced to Stanton by a producer in San Francisco fifteen years ago and we hit it off. We’ve been playing together ever since. I’m actually down in New Orleans right now, walking over to his house. We're getting ready for the New Orleans Jazz Fest.
CP: How are you guys liking the personnel change from Charlie Hunter to Marco Benevento?
Skerik: Marco and Charlie are very different. They have different personalities and very different musical ideas. It gets down to composition; different people have different styles of writing. Both are great. We’re just having a lot of fun with Marco. Like Charlie, he has a lot of great songwriting ideas and playing ability — live and in the studio.
CP: I find your live show to be more upbeat and high energy than the albums ...
Skerik: In the studio you’re trying to capture an idea or a concept in a song, so it’s very similar to live performance. You’re trying to perform the prearranged composition a certain way, and the structure may allow for improvisation. If you’re trying to make something happen live, there’s all these people in the room and you’re trying to communicate to them. You don’t wanna play at people, you wanna play with people. In the studio we serve the composition more but at live gigs, we serve the audience. For instance, we don’t use setlists, we just [yell] tunes out. We have enough material now to do two sets of music, so we can ebb and flow as we need. It’s an old saying: You have to "play the room." It's good advice.
CP: Who inspired you to master the sax growing up?
Skerik: My dad was a real inspiration. He really wanted me to play music and really pushed me. It was really fun practicing at home for my parents; they were very supportive of that. He would take me to jazz concerts and jazz festivals all the time in Seattle. I basically saw every touring big band in the '70s and '80s, and small groups, too. Luckily, I had a neighborhood friend growing up who had every Jimi Hendrix cassette and every Zeppelin and Doors and all that stuff. I was pretty lucky. I also played a lot of symphonic music in junior high and high school. It’s nice to have all those differently influences growing up.
CP: What was it like playing in Colonel Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade?
Skerik: Les is a good friend of ours. My other band, the Dead Kenny G's, opened for Primus on the tour last summer and on New Year's Eve. I would sit in with Primus while they’re playing. We’re gonna go on tour with them this summer in late June in the Southeast.
CP: How long have you been playing with the G's?
Skerik: The Dead Kenny G’s (pictured right) have been playing together for 15 years as Critters Buggin with Matt Chamberlain. Matt’s a big studio session guy, he’s played on Fiona Apple and Tori Amos records. We were three quarters of Critters Buggin for years, and Matt got busy playing with all these people but we still wanted to play, so we started the Dead Kenny G’s. We've done that for the past few years, and have a second record coming out. It’s called Operation Long Leash.
CP: You guys are known for some inspired song titles. Got any faves on the new album?
Skerik: One of [vibraphonist] Mike Dillon’s compositions is called "Resentment Incubator." That’s what we call the tour van.
CP: Do you guys do any covers?
Skerik: On our new record, we play "Assault on Precinct 13," which is the theme from the John Carpenter movie, (John Carpenter wrote the music as well). We do a few Zeppelin tunes live, [like] "Immigrant Song" and "No Quarter." The way Zep writes their vocal lines really works well with an instrumental format.
CP: Can I ask where the name "Skerik" comes from?
Skerik: It’s a very unprofessional nickname. You know how people bestow nicknames on you and it just sort of sticks? My mom hates it. She's like, "We named you Erik for a reason!"
CP: If you could load up Rosetta Stone to properly teach you any instrument, which would it be?
Skerik: Probably saxophone.
Thu., May 19, 8 p.m., $15, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488, northstarbar.com.
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