Merl Saunders & One Step Beyond
Higher Ground
Winooski, VT
May 13, 1998

Source:  Unknown AUD (likely FOB) > DAT(s)
Transfer:  DAT > Fostex D-15 > Ardour @ 48k
Master:  Wavelab 6.10 (tracking; cleanup; Crystal Resampler 48k > 44.1k) > FLAC


1. Instrumental >
2. Instrumental
3. The Harder They Come
4. Built for Comfort
5. Fire on the Mountain
6. Lonely Avenue
7. Sugaree //

A fun show, good music, great sound.  Says Merl:  "This is my first time in this town."  

There were three extremely brief spots of digi-noise, in each case when Merl was speaking or singing, possibly due to a bad mic connection or an overloaded SBD.  The last two were removed, but the first one, right at the end of track 2, when Merl first picks up the mic, is still audible and sounds like electronic distortion.  It lasts less than a second.  

There's not much information available about One Step Beyond.  "Jam Bands:  North America's Hottest Live Groups" (ECW Press, 1998) says that they were from Toronto, and had previously opened for Merl Saunders.  In 1998, the band consisted of:

Byrden Baird - trumpet
David Goncalves Gouveia - percussion
Sandy Mamane - bass
Andy Scott - guitar
Louis Simao - keyboards
Dean Stone - drums
Bradie West - saxaphone

At some point, the band feaitured Jamie Sheilds, later of the New Deal.  No idea who's playing this gig.

Thanks to Tom Reizes for the DAT.

Enjoy!

--mhg :: 02.21.12