Off the Record
Reviewing Makaya McCraven's show at The Get Down
Before heading off on the international leg of their “Off the Record Tour”, Makaya McCraven and company made a pit stop in Portland.
I’ve only got 36 subscribers… but two are in London - so, hey, I’m talking to you, Constantine and Tom, find your way to KoKo in a couple weeks!
Naturally, the day of the show, my oldman-ness reared its ugly head. This time in the form of waking up and promptly throwing out my back. It’s not the first time, it tends to go every 9 months or so and usually it completely locks up and I’m on the floor for days with my legs in a position to release pressure, while my wife slowly gets angrier and more resentful that I haven’t figured out a way address this yet.
The Executive Director that runs my small business called me Sunday saying his wife was down with a thrown out back, and talked about how it dumped a huge amount of stuff unexpectedly on him… and it made me understand better what my wife means. I may be in pain, mostly focused on that, but everything gets dumped on the partner not down for the count.
Although I could spontaneously erupt into regular core workouts at any moment, 20 years of history suggests I’m not about to do that. So, I’ve been working my way back into my wife’s good graces by finally getting a personal trainer to help me do the core work that I don’t/won’t otherwise do… and maybe it’s paying off? This time, my back didn’t totally lock up and while I was in a lot of discomfort, I never really went down to the ground in locked pain.
By evening, after lots of rest and loosening (thanks to the support of my amazing wife, Alice), I was affixing a lidocaine patch to my back, and making my way to the show. the Get Down is a basement GA venue consisting of ..a small area with a dance floor and a raised outer semi-circle containing the Front-of-House (FOH) engineer’s booth, general admission (GA) space, and ADA seating.
After sometime on the dance floor, my back was throbbing. I made my way to the bar for liquid pain relief, where I told the bartender I threw my back out that morning and asked if I needed a special ticket to sit in the ADA section. He said if the seats are open, I was welcome to them. So this ended up being my view most of the concert:
And I started to think about sonic experiences and what it’s like for people with permanent disabilities. On the one hand, being back in that chair with a limited view took me out of what I normally think of as a concert experience, being up moving with people and seeing the band, the artists and what they’re doing with their instruments.
On the other, seeing that fella’s back most of the show and not able to sway and express my self through movement in the same way, I sat back, closed my eyes and let myself be immersed in sound, vibration and thought/feelings/experience.
Observations:
With backing from bassist Junius Paul, trumpeter Marquis Hill, and guitarist Matt Gold, McCraven set the pace driving the band forward in the gear he wanted.
Unlike the Nate Smith concert, a drummer I saw at The Get Down earlier in October, McCraven didn’t work as much in subtlety and support. McCraven’s driving rhythms felt primary in the pieces, with the other musicians often supporting his rhythmic momentum foundation, underscoring his role as the ‘Beat Scientist’ organizing the flow.
Makaya verbally riffed between songs more often and longer than most musicians I see, who may use little to no stage banter. He joked about his new album title, saying things like, “Off the record, this next song is on the record Off the Record.
McCraven drumming style—it’s not flashy soloing but relentless, tight, deep grooves and polyrhythms.
They primarily played songs from Off the Record, sprinkling in what I suspect are older fan favorites but may be Makaya’s favorites.
While guitarist Matt Gold had head turning moments and bassist Junius Paul meshed with McCraven’s drumming- providing a deep low frequency grounding sonic moments, Marquis Hill’s trumpeting stood out. At times muted, at brief times fiery, nothing about his posture or playing style seemed about attention, he was locked in on delivering sound.
Of course, it was McCraven who led the show. Here’s the man making his magic… or rather, the beat scientist at work:
Off the Record: Recommended Listening: Techno Logic, What a Life, News Feed & Venice
Off the Record, McCraven’s just released album is a compilation of 4 interconnected EPs. Rather than suggesting one song from the entire album, I’m pushing my picks from each of the 4 EPs:
💿 PopUp Shop - Venice
💿 Hidden Out! - News Feed
💿 Techno Logic - Technology
💿 The People’s Mixtape - What a Life
However… if you listen to only one, go for the dissonant, throbbing, reflection on modern life that is Technology:
1 Album - Off the Record
The album brings together four EPs (Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop) recorded over several years, primarily using the “sampling the spontaneous” process (recording hours of live improvisation and then chopping/remixing them in the studio). Here’s one way to start to break them down:
Liner Notes
Speaking of Technology… lespecial, a 3 piece prog rock and electronic music band from Connecticut have started an electronic music project under the name LIMINOID and put out a concept album titled Outernet, exploring the space between humans and technology. The opening track Reborn in a New OS (listen on Spotify) caught my ears, encouraging me to, “regain your dopamine, join the Outernet.”
The only song I added to my family’s Summer 2026 mix this week is GRiZ’s Funk You Up (listen on Spotify). About 2:30 it cranks up to another level of funk.
A shout out to my buddy Adam for spontaneously buying me a ticket to see my favorite local trumpeter, Cyrus Nabipoor, in a couple weeks at my favorite jazz local jazz bar, The 1905. Unlike The Get Down, the 1905 is most definitely intimate. Here’s the club’s seating chart:
