Doot!

Without a doubt being part of a rhythm section in a Captain Beefheart cover band would be simply awesome training for taking on all manner of complicated musical arrangements. For a Beefheart tribute to arise out of the New Haven music scene -- previously best known for doo wop -- is in itself a revelation. Neither time nor time-keeping stands still, however, not even in New Haven, so in 2005 bassist Pete Brunelli and drummer Stephen Chillemi left the Doctor Dark band to form their own unit, a duo drums-and-bass outfit called Doot. Both these performers have been around the block: by the standards of MTV and especially drums and bass, they might be considered as folks who have "aged out." Interestingly enough, drums and bass is one of very few styles in which the instrumentation itself defines the perimeters. Doot makes obvious and effective use of such aesthetic guidelines but at the same time utilizes age and experience to bring in many influences from the progressive rock era. One of the duo's standard approaches is to allow Brunelli to create a sequenced, repeating bassline from a riff, to which the drummer adds his own part while the bassist takes on a solo role over the top, mimicking the sound of the electric guitar as well as dealing with the norms of the bass as a soloing instrument. Brunelli manufactures electronic gear such as guitar cables for his "regular" job and presumably brings pristine technical sound into the group's electronic arsenal. Chillemi's day job as a counselor for ex-convicts is certainly helpful for dealing with music business sleaze yet to be imprisoned -- not that there would be any such folk interested in as experimental a project as Doot. The duo released its first CD in late 2005 and performed at the Zappanale festival in East Germany in the summer of 2006. ~ Eugene Chadbourne