February 3, 2006
Lupo’s, Providence, RI

There’s something Phishy going on with The Machine. Perhaps it’s the addition of new keyboardist Scott Chasolen, who joined the group after the departure of long-time band mate Neil Alexander. Chasolen, who is a veteran of the jam scene and former member of Ulu, threw his style into the mix during Saturday night’s show and the band’s jams took on a whole new vibe with a definite hint of some Phish-like stylings.

The Machine took the stage following local jam act The Attic and started the set with some ‘70s-era Floyd that included “Breathe > Time > Breathe” from Dark Side of the Moon and continued with and “Pigs on the Wing” and “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” from Animals. But as anyone who has seen The Machine before knows, you can expect more then a Pink Floyd hit parade, and the band then moved on to the quirky Barrett-era “Bike.” The set also included a few songs rarely played in Machine’s repertoire, such as “Seamus” and “High Hopes.” The band encored with “The Trial” (something you can be sure not to hear on any Gilmour or Waters tour) and Chasolen took the vocals as the Judge for this one, and his creepy dramatic delivery topped the show.

Throughout the night it was obvious that The Machine did their homework before adding Chasolen to the band. His style blended perfectly with their sound, which has always taken its liberties with the music of Pink Floyd. And there was no hesitation in taking each song in new directions from the originals. This was most noticeable during the jam on “Young Lust,” which had the crowd bouncing to a very Phish-like groove that had several members of the audience making the comparison.

The departure of Neil Alexander from The Machine definitely marks a new era for the band, which has been playing Floyd since the mid ‘80s. While Alexander will be missed, it was obvious during Saturday night’s performance that Chasolen is welcomed by the fans and can certainly hold his own.

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