Speedsquare at the New French Bar, Friday, May 12, 2006:
Five out of Five Stars

• Genre(s): Experimental, jazz, ragtime, and whatever genre they feel like.

• Be glad you stayed home if: You don't like music.

• Defining moment: "Blue Rhondo a la Turk" -– The difficult Dave Brubeck staple ended the evening on a jaw-dropping note. Speedsquare demonstrated that, although they are always up for a good time, they can also get instrumentally serious.

For a year, I've tried to witness C Scott (drums, guitar, trumpet, melodica, etc.) and Billy Sheeran (piano, vocals, guitar), the duo behind the mighty Speedsquare. Bad decisions, bad scheduling and bad luck have prevented me from seeing perhaps the most imaginative and talented band working in Asheville.

The wait was worth it. I had Andes-sized expectations going into the show, and the duo easily glided over that peak and onto another apex. C Scott (whose past stints include trumpet for Scrappy Hamilton and DR. Ensemble) could opt for the one-man show gig at any carnie outing. Still behind the kit, C Scott would provide a bass-drum beat while playing the trumpet – or any other instrument of his choice. Sheeran, the mad scientist behind the keys, played with the fervor of a man who might be playing the very last note on the planet Earth. No genre went unconquered that evening, which included a rousing rendition of "Jolene" with a guest Dolly Parton impersonator. The best thing about Speedsquare is their accessibility, as emotion-starved shoegazers could be bumped by emotion-laden hippie twirlers, all keenly observed by slow-sipping jazz-bos.