Out & about – Page 3 – The Boring Old Man

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Guild Theater, Menlo Park, CA

Wednesday night found us back at the Guild Theater for another Dogstar show, our 3rd time seeing them in the last year.

We were excited to get back to the Guild, and it was the first time for the Mrs. to see a show there. The Guild Theater is quickly becoming our favorite Bay Area venue! Great staff, great sound, great vibe…just an outstanding place for live music.

The opening band was a 4-piece outfit by the name of Archer Oh.

First time seeing them (or hearing of them for that matter!) and they knocked it out of the park! Their sound was sort of a mash-up of the Smiths and the Strokes, with a touch of surf and a hint of psychedelia thrown in the mix. Altogether unique. The performance was excellent- fresh, exciting and wholly unexpected. By the time the set was over, we were fans. So much so we stopped by the merch table and bought both their CDs. I will ABSOLUTELY go see them again, given the chance!

Dogstar hit the stage and was immediately beset with equipment troubles from the guitar rig, so they got off to a bit of a rocky start. The tech was able to get things running quickly however and they were off and running, playing essentially their new album in its entirety, with an old tune and a new song thrown in for good measure.

As per usual, most if the attention was focused on the bassist Keanu (who did a great job, to his credit!) but it was guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose that really carried the show. In spite of the initial gear wonkiness, he had an extremely strong performance. His guitar playing has only gotten stronger since the “record release” party back in December. I can only imagine his playing will be off the hook by the end of this tour with another 30 or so shows under his belt.

Aside from his mother, I’m probably Bret’s biggest fan, and it was really exciting to see him coming back to life on stage and doing his thing at such a high level. That is was at a “hometown” show made it all the more special.

Overall the band seems to have settled in and are getting comfortable with each other again after such a long hiatus. I would have LOVED to hear some of the songs from “Our Little Visionary” – a criminally underrated album – but I’m finding I really like the new songs. They show a lot of growth in the songwriting and the overall performance. I’ve got my order in for the new record when it comes out on October 6th, can’t wait to really dig in to it!

Overall it was a fantastic night. Great music, great, fun vibe in the hall, just an exceptional experience all around.

Thanks Archer Oh and Dogstar for an excellent night of music and some inspiration as well! We’ll see you again in December!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Steve Vai at the Golden State Theater, Monterey CA

What can I say about Steve Vai? If you know him, you know. If you don’t know him, words will never, and I do mean never, describe him sufficiently.

There are a lot of great musicians out there, but every now and again one comes along that changes the way music is made, the way an instrument is played…the guys that inspire countless others to pick up an instrument for the first time. Or to completely change the way they play if they’ve already picked up an instrument. Steve Vai is one of those musicians. He does things with a guitar that seem humanly impossible. And he does it with a fluidity that is unmatched in my not so humble opinion. Part Wizard, part alien, I dunno…

For me personally, this was a “bucket list” show. Thankfully the Mrs. was willing to indulge me and accompany me . While she acknowledges his genius and appreciates the skill, this one was strictly for me. That’s how you know you got a great one – when they will not only be open minded about the weird stuff you want to listen to, they’ll even sit through a concert of it!

We’ve been to Monterey a hundred times (it was our daughter’s favorite place as a kid!) but this was the first time at the Golden State Theater, in fact I’d never even heard of it until I saw this show coming up. It was nice enough, though nothing particularly noteworthy. I’d take a show there over San Francisco any day though.

The show opened with an onslaught and I was mesmerized.

I’ll be honest, I’m mostly familiar with his work with Public Image Ltd. and David Lee Roth and have had only 2 of his solo albums, so I couldn’t give you a breakdown of what songs he played, from which albums. Nonetheless, it was phenomenal playing from start to finish. His band, as you might expect was really top notch. His drummer in particular was very impressive and had a great sounding kit. (The crew obviously had a part in that, so hats off to them too!)

They played for a good two hours (!!!), which at that level of complexity is almost unbelievable. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I’d have a hard time believing it! And seeing Mr. Vai play the “Hydra” – the 3-neck monstrosity pictured above – in a live setting? Worth every penny of the tickets AND the hour and a half drive, and then some!!

All in all, it was a spectacular experience and not one I’m soon to forget. And one more of my musical heros I get to cross off the list for seeing while I can. Thankfully I don’t have many left on that list – I’ve been fortunate to have seen most of them. Some I missed have sadly passed too soon (Stevie Ray, Eddy and Joe Strummer to name a few…) so now I’m taking every chance to see the greats before it’s too late and I’m very, very happy I finally got a chance to experience Steve Vai in the real world, I’ve never seen anything like it, and it was beyond exceptional!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip! Oregon Coast

Just got back from a whirlwind trip up to Oregon for some much needed battery recharging. What a delightful trip! I only wish we were able to stay longer, like say 20 years or so…

Getting out of town (SF Bay Area) was a disaster. Traffic was so bad it was unbelievable. And that was BEFORE we hit the hour delay at the Richmond Bridge, where some super-genius motorist tried playing tag with a motorcycle. Yeah, not a great plan. Mechanical carnage but no meat-wagon, so I can only assume the rider was OK, but geez… How you can cause an accident that bad while slowing down to go through the toll booth is beyond me. Some people’s stupidity knows no bounds, I suppose.

The drive up took us a tad over 11 hours (with a couple pit stops) which is way too much driving for a weekend trip, but once we arrived, it somehow all seemed worth it.

Our home-base for the weekend was in Gold Beach – the TuTu’Tun Lodge – which is simply phenomenal. This was our 3rd stay with them, and it most certainly won’t be our last.

We spent a lot of time cruising around, exploring the general area between Brookings and Bandon, and had a really nice relaxing time.

Bandon was a place I’ve wanted to visit for years, but this was the first time we made it that far north. And we LOVED it. Seriously, I’d move there tomorrow if given the chance. Beautiful place, friendly people, just a great, laid back atmosphere.

Another exceptional find was the “Semi-Aquatic Gallery” in Brookings. We found about 30 pieces of art we would have been thrilled to leave with, but whittled it down to two prints – one for home and one for the Mrs.’ Classroom. And a couple postcards and a very cool t-shirt to boot. Gotta support the Arts, people!!

The trip came to an end much too soon, and we were back on the road about 10:45am Sunday. The ride was mellow and easy going for the first 7 hours, but once we hit Santa Rosa there was no question we were back in the muck of the Bay Area. By the time we hit the Richmond Bridge, it was a traffic nightmare once again and I found myself asking the Mrs. “what on earth are we doing coming back here?” It seemed like a horrible mistake. We finally rolled into home about 9:30pm., unpacked and hit the sheets due to an early wake-up for work today.

All in all, it was a great weekend, traffic aside. Very relaxing and somewhat “intoxicating” – I am completely, unabashedly in love with the Oregon Coast. It has literally everything I love – ocean beaches, rivers, dense forests and farmlands. I cannot imagine a better combination!

The trick now is figuring out how to make the place “home” rather than a getaway!

Thank you Oregon and all you fantastic Oregonians we met along the way! We had a blast and can’t wait to get back!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bay Area Gem: Sonia’s Kitchen, San Jose, CA.

Sonia’s Kitchen is one of my favorite places of all time. I’ve been a huge fan ever since my first foray into the place, which was somewhere about late 1987.

Now, I will say in spite of being a regular there for 35ish years, I’ve never, and I mean NEVER had anything besides the cheesesteak sandwich. Why? Because it is THAT good! Seriously. That being said, I cannot attest to anything other than their cheesesteak sandwiches.

Now, I LOVE cheesesteak sandwiches and I have eaten them at many an establishment over the years, but Sonia’s are the one by which all others are measured. And they have yet to be bested. What is amazing is that they have remained consistent, as in exactly the same today as they were in the mid-80’s. That is saying something!

Now, I have my gripes with them too… Primarily the hours of operation: Monday- Friday, 11am – 4pm. Back in the day they were open later, and you could grab a sandwich after work, but as the employees aged (and passed away, sadly), there are only two of them left, and I guess that’s all the business they can handle themselves. The situation being what it is, anytime I have a day off during the week, we make it a point to make the trek. And I never regret it. When I first started going there, I worked maybe a mile from the place. A year or so later, I moved downtown and I only had to go about 6 blocks, an easy bike ride. Now it takes a 15-20 minute drive to get there from home, and it is worth every mile!

Nowadays I really try to relish each visit, knowing each time could be my last. The proprietor is at an age, she could’ve retired 15 years ago easily, and the cook has been there every single time I’ve been there, at the same grill. He’s no spring chicken either, but he still whips up a mean sandwich! They started with 4, now it’s just the two of them and I’ve NEVER seen an “outsider” working the shop, not a single time. She works the counter, he works the kitchen, and that’s it. So, yesterday’s sandwich may have been my last. I certainly hope not, but I know such a thing of beauty cannot last forever.

So if ever find yourself in San Jose, and you’re a fan of cheesesteak sandwiches, you owe it to yourself to stop in at Sonia’s Kitchen. They are on William St., between 9th and 10th streets. As my pops likes to say, “you better get, while the getting is good!”. The best kept secret in San Jose. Don’t let the look of the place fool you, it’s a diamond in the rough!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Duran Duran at SAP Center, San Jose, CA

It has been quite the weekend for music! After a packed day yesterday at the Bottlerock Festival, the Mrs. and I had a night out Sunday with Duran Duran in our sort-of Hometown, San Jose. The concert was at the SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks hockey team. We’ve been to a number of shows there over the years – Rush, the Who, Imagine Dragons, to name a few – so there was nothing new and/or notable about the venue itself. I will say though, despite not being a fan of giant venues, if there is a choice between SAP or the Oakland Arena, I’d pick San Jose, hands down. The fact that it’s less than 15 minutes from our front door doesn’t hurt either!

The opening act of the night was Bastille, however since we were recovering from the day before and moving slow, we didn’t make it in time for their set. I’m not familiar with them other than having heard the name, so I don’t know what I missed…

Next on the bill was Nile Rogers & Chic. All I can say is WOW! The energy was off the charts and the band was on FIRE! It’s not every day you get to see a living legend on stage, and let me tell you even at 70 years old, Nile Rogers was AMAZING. They played (of course) the classic 70’s Chic tunes, but also a bunch of songs Niles had a hand in over the years, made famous by other artists like David Bowie and Daft Punk amongst others. It was one of the best live performances I’ve seen in a long time, truly spectacular.

Nile Rogers, the man, the myth, the legend. Laying it down!

Duran Duran came on stage with much fanfare and launched into a moody number (which I didn’t recognize), and honestly I thought it was a very curious choice to open the show.

The 4 original members: Roger, Simon, John & Nick (L-R)

From there on out though, it was essentially a “greatest hits” set, spanning 4 decades of their work, with a couple new songs and a (seriously ill-fated Rick James) cover thrown in for good measure.

I’d never seen Duran Duran before, so I have nothing to compare this performance to. And I have a mixed history with the band. I first heard their song “Planet Earth” as a middle-schooler back in ’81 on KFJC – one of the greatest college radio stations ever! – and was really taken in by their unique sound. They were New Wave pioneers and when their Rio album came out the following year they took MTV by storm and their popularity grew by leaps and bounds on the strength of that record. I considered myself a fan.

Then it all went to Pop music hell, trying to compete with Madonna and Michael Jackson and I COMPLETELY lost my taste for them.

Fast forward 10 years, and they came back with guitarist Warren Cuccarillo (of Frank Zappa and Missing Persons fame) and knocked it out if the park with the eponymous DURAN DURAN album in ’93 and I was back in the fold.

That is taking the long way around to say I absolutely LOVE some of their songs, and others leave me flat, and their set was a pretty good mix of the two.

Musically, they were pretty solid. Simon LeBon’s voice was very strong and true – clearly he’s taken care of his instrument over the years. Bassist John Taylor (who is criminally under-rated as a bassist IMHO) was rock solid, grooving and fun to watch. Drums and keys – Roger and Nick, respectively – performed admirably, but nothing extraordinary. However, I’ve got to give props to their guitarist- whose name I couldn’t decipher over the PA. He was OUTSTANDING, whoever he is. Andy Taylor, the original guitarist, is a phenomenal player and very unique. Their second guitarist Warren Cuccarillo is a freakin’ wizard. So this guy had HUGE shoes to fill, and he NAILED IT, from start to finish. Really exceptional playing, I wish I knew who it was…

So to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t the best show I’ve even seen. Don’t think it would even make the Top 10 (though to be fair, considering I’ve seen about 1,000 shows in my life, Top 10 is pretty tough to break into!). That being said, I did enjoy the show and I’m glad I got to see them once. I also understand it was only the 2nd show of the new Tour, so they still have some kinks to work out before they really hit their stride I think. If they can fine-tune their set list, and the sound and lighting guys make some (seriously needed) tweaks, it can become a stellar show.

When all is said and done, I’d say I really enjoyed my time with Nile Rogers, Chic and Duran Duran. It was a fun night, good vibes and brought up a touch of nostalgia at the same time. A night well spent!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Bottlerock Festival, Napa CA

If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you may have noticed the vast majority of concert reviews come from nightclubs and theaters, not arenas and coliseum events. I’ll make exceptions occasionally, but big events are really not my thing. However, today was one of those exceptions and we traveled north to Napa for Day 2 of the annual Bottle Rock Festival. The festival is a 3 day affair – if you’re a glutton for punishment and have a LOT of extra dough lying around you can make a long weekend of it and watch an absurd amount of bands play.

Sensory overload is the best way to describe the day. There were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. It was rather overwhelming. That being said, we did see a lot of good musicians ply their trade, and though it was crowded as anything I’ve ever witnessed, the patrons and staff were pretty well behaved. Lines moved quickly, no scuffles broke out (that we witnessed, anyway) and all in all it was a really fun day.

East Forest was the first act we caught. Very electro. Spacey, background music is how I’d describe it. Not exactly suited for a live show, especially outdoors, at noon no less. But hey, it was background music for us while we got ourselves oriented to the venue and figured out where we needed to be and when.

Paris Jackson was not someone we planned to watch, but we happened upon her set while we were getting some food and libations, and I was SHOCKED by how good she was. I expected the daughter of the “King of Pop”, would be nothing but fluff, but to my surprise she and her band were rocking, with Paris herself digging in on guitar as well as vocals. It was a pleasant surprise and I’ll definitely be looking into her discography.

Lupe Fiasco was the next set we saw. He was high energy and had a great vibe. He was funny, and had a lot of audience interaction, and he really poured it out for us, delivering a great set to an enthusiastic croud. It was a groovy good time, for sure. Would recommend his show if you have the opportunity.

Next in the agenda was Dogstar, the whole reason we went to this festival. Yes, Im highly biased. Regular readers may recall that the the guitarist/vocalist of Dogstar, Bret Domrose, is my best friend going back decades. I was the drummer in his first several bands and we cut our teeth together on the Bay Area club circuit back in the 80’s and 90’s before his career took off. This was the first-time Dogstar played to a big audience is a VERY long time, and you could tell they were having a good time with it. The crowd reaction was solid, but a little slow to respond at first. By the mid point of the set they had really picked up steam and finished really strong. It was a great set and I couldn’t be happier for those guys, hitting it again after a decade’s long hiatus.

Cautious Clay was the next artist we checked out. I didn’t know but one song from him prior to today, but he have us an impressive set too. His band was slamming, and he himself busted out the sax and guitar (a LEFTY no less!) which I had no idea he played. He definitely earned my respect with his performance today!

Tove Lo was the last act for us for the day. She was playful and sexy and obviously having a great time. Her band was solid and the performance was strong, but it was also very “programmed”, using backing tracks and loops and whatnot, that kinda takes away from the magic of live music. But I’ll give her props for her set. She’s clearly a professional and the set was flawless, if not electric with the musicians stepping out and adding some spice to the original compositions. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to see her again, but I wouldn’t be purposely late if she was opening for another show I was going to either.

The main headlining acts were Duran Duran and Lizzo, both playing different stages with overlapping times. The four of us were going to split up to see our preferred artists, but in the end we were all kinda wiped out after Tove Lo, and we decided to call it a day and head home.

All in all it was a great day. Expensive as all get out, but still a great day. Beautiful weather, great food and drink, fantastic music from a wide variety of artists. Who could ask for more on a May Saturday?

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Hoodoo Gurus at the Great American Music Hall, SF

Oh man, I have waited sooo long to see these guys!!

I was just a kid when they first hit the American airwaves – Sophomore year of high school if I recall – and never got the chance to see them live before they started getting overlooked and leftout in the world of music.

The Hoodoo Gurus are one of those bands that are hard to define. When they first broke they were certainly lumped into the New Wave category, but their influences are obviously wide ranging. You can hear British Invasion, 70’s Detroit garage rock, surf music, a little twang of Americana/Rockabilly all thrown in the mix, but what comes out the other end is something wholly original and one-of-a-kind.

They announced a tour a couple years back and I was ecstatic! I grabbed tickets the day they went on sale. Then “The Plague” hit… Show postponed. Then show canceled and tickets refunded. Sad days indeed.

But finally, FINALLY the day has arrived and we’re off to one of our previously visited venues, the Great American Music Hall in the sewer on the Bay, San Francisco. (Yes, everything you see in the news about SF is true, sadly.)

We got to the venue a tad bit late and much to our surprise, Hoodoo Gurus was already on stage, doing their thing. NO opening act. D’oh! I was a little bummed out that it appeared that we’d missed a third of their set, but gratefully I was proven wrong. The Gurus poured out a set nearly 2 hours long! It was FANTASTIC!

They played ALL my old favorites, and several gems I’d forgotten about! And a few tunes from their recent album that was just released. It was a great set, top to bottom. And as a special treat, they brought out a couple guys from seminal SF Hippy band, the Flamin’ Groovies for the last couple tunes in the encore.

The band was in fine form, and if you didn’t know of them you’d never guess these guys were in their 60’s or thereabouts. Lots of energy on stage, the playing was great and the vocals were on point, including the harmonies. The Gurus were really on their game last night!

Thanks for a great night fellas! I regret that it took me nearly 4 decades to catch your live show, but it was well worth the wait, and then some!

And thank you Reader, for stopping by!

Concert Review: Spencer Sutherland at The Chapel, San Francisco

The Chapel is a new venue for us. First impressions were less than stellar – our “e-tickets” were coming up as “invalid” when they were scanned, causing some problems that had to be sorted out by the staff. It turned out to be equipment error on their scanner and it all worked out, but that was a rough start. I will say though, the staff was very nice and polite during the entire thing and very apologetic when they realized it was a problem on their end. So, hats off to the Chapel staff for excellent customer service!

The ceiling of the Chapel Lounge. Looked much cooler in person!

Cloe Wilder was the opening act, however we got a late start and the aforementioned ticket issues, so we missed her set completely…

Dylan Conrique was already on stage when we got in the door. We didn’t have any idea of what to expect, as we were unfamiliar with her work, but suffice it to say, there were no surprises. Her “band” consisted of one guy, alternating between guitar and keyboard, and a laptop. Not exactly exciting to watch. It was the musical equivalent of cotton candy… overly sweet, full of hot air and almost completely without substance. I couldn’t help but think this young lady must have grown up on a steady diet of Disney movies and Arianna Grande… To be fair, she’s really, really young so there is a LOT of room for growth. Her voice is actually nice, but her music is bland and a lot of it WAY TOO DULL for a live setting. She has a lot to learn about pacing her set and song selection. I doubt eliciting yawns and eye rolls was what she was striving for, but that was the reaction of this writer…

Spencer Sutherland came out, and honestly I didn’t know what to make of him from the start. Picture this: sleeveless, yellow satin, bell-bottomed jumpsuit with white fringe! I mean, honestly? I couldn’t tell if he was being “ironic” in the hipster sense, or if that is what the cool “new” thing is. Between the outift and his weird “Kung fu moves”, it was a bit like watching someone imitate Harry Styles, channeling Elvis Presley. Frankly it was a little off-putting and just weird for weird’s sake.

Musically, he sounded good BUT he relied HEAVILY on backing tracks, which is kind of a bummer to me. On the one hand, I get it – touring is very expensive and paying all the expenses for an extra few musicians can make the difference in whether you can go one the road or not. On the other hand, when you’re watching a singer engaging with the audience, his mic is NOWHERE NEAR HIS MOUTH, and yet you’re hearing his voice along with 3-part harmonies(and nobody in the backing band is singing!)…well, that’s a WTF moment for me. And a lot of other music lovers I know. ESPECIALLY in a small venue! You can maybe fake it a little better in the Enormo-Dome, but from 15 feet away, you’re not fooling anybody.

His band was solid, but nothing stands out in their performance. Spencer didn’t engage with them at all during the set, and they didn’t do anything to add to the visual aspect of the show whatsoever. It could’ve been a studio session based on the band’s excitement level.

And again, when you rely on backing tracks extensively the band is LOCKED into a precise tempo and length of the song, so there is no room for improvisation, no letting loose, no “life”… which kinda defeats the purpose of a LIVE show, right?

Did they sound good? Yes. Was he entertaining? Yes, fashion sense aside. But was is a great show? Nah. I’ve seen worse. FAR worse. But I wouldn’t be rushing out to see him again. Which is a shame really, as I do like his music.

To be fair, this was his first tour as a headliner, so he’s still gotta find his feet and I suspect he will continue to get better if he keeps it up.

All in all, it was an OK night. Nothing earth shattering, but nothing horrible either. I’d give the whole shebang a B-.

Thanks for stopping by!

LMAO:Chris Porter at Rooster T. Feathers, Sunnyvale, CA

Friday night was a great night of laughs for us! Our daughter was kind enough to pick up tickets for a comedy night at a legendary local comedy club, Rooster T. Feathers, in Sunnyvale.

The featured comic was Chris Porter, one of our favorite current comedians. This was our second time seeing Chris live and we were thrilled to get the opportunity to him him again!

The club itself was great. I’d never been there before, despite the fact that it’s been in our “backyard” since the 1980s. The Mrs. had been there once before – at her Bachelorette Night, 31+ years ago! It’s a small room – we were maybe 10 feet from the stage – but it’s a great place for comedy. Nice room, decent sound, friendly staff, and spotlessly clean bathrooms. I’d be more than happy to go back, and would absolutely recommend the place.

The MC for the night was a young man by the name of Maxx Eddy. He was pretty funny and certainly shows promise as an up-and-comer.

The opening comic was Emily Van Dyke. We’d never heard of her, and while I wouldn’t say she was great, she certainly had her moments and there were more than a few LOLs during her set.

Chris Porter delivered a fantastic set and had us rolling pretty much the entire time. He did all new material, with the exception of one “old joke”, done by request of the peanut gallery.

We had one drunkard in the audience that kept blurting stuff out loud to Chris – not exactly a heckler, but a distracting dingbat nonetheless. Chris took it all in stride and managed to riff off her nonsense, which turned the interruptions into some great laughs. A true pro!

All in all, we had a great night. Chris Porter just keeps getting better and we look forward to seeing him again as soon as the opportunity arises. And we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the upcoming shows at Rooster T’s, it’s a fun place and right up the road. A great change from driving all the way up to San Francisco!

Thanks for a great night Chis, Emily and Maxx!

And thank you for stopping by!

Concert Review: Lettuce at the Fillmore Auditorium, SF.

I’ll say right up front that I only recently learned of the existence of the band Lettuce. The Mrs. actually discovered them first and played a track of theirs while we were in the car about a month ago, and I was knocked out by how great the song was. Fast forward 24 hours and I’ve got a dozen or so songs of theirs on my playlist, in heavy rotation! During the course of my digging into their repertoire, I discovered they’ve been around for over 20 years!! I was shocked to say the least. That a band could be so good and yet – as a dyed-in-the-wool music fiend – I had never even heard OF them, much less their music, was astounding to me. Frankly, I was embarrassed. But, better late than never!

As luck would have it, just a couple weeks after I learned that Lettuce existed, I found out they were playing two nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco, one of our favorite venues. Even luckier, after mentioning it in passing to the Mrs., she picked up a pair of tickets for us as a surprise!

The opening act of the night was a guy by the name of Keifer. We listened to a couple of his tunes before the show and thought, m’eh… We got there a little late and he and his band were already into it on stage. The first thing we hear when we walk in is the drummer breaking into a drum solo… Eye roll… I’ve been playing drums myself for 45+ years, and I pretty much hate drum solos. So we made our way over to the bar to grab a couple drinks before heading back onto the floor.

The band was comprised of keys, bass and drums. All clearly talented, but the music was a little bland. They finished the set however, bringing out the keyboardist and trumpet player from Lettuce to augment the band and that was a STONG finish!

After a short intermission Lettuce hit the stage and BOOM! They were off and running. Now, I’m much too much of a newbie to their discography to know the names of their songs (and I’m terrible with song names anyway, especially in instrumental music!) but wow, they just grabbed the entire room right outta the gate! Heads were bobbin’, everyone was grooving, it was a GREAT vibe!

The band is a 6 piece unit – guitar, bass, drums, keys, saxophone and trumpet. The perfect combo for a funk outfit! And let me tell you, every single one of these guys was ON POINT! They were so locked in as a unit – and this is some pretty complex music – it was really something to see. It is just awesome to witness a group of musicians so in command of their instruments and yet simultaneously just flowing, like it’s second nature to them. It’s just not the same as seeing a symphony or a highly technical jazz or prog-rock act. When skill and soul unite, the outcome is nothing less than spectacular. I was beyond impressed, I was MESMERIZED! The icing on this delicious cake was their bassist. I don’t know his name or anything about him, but he was absolutely, positively stunning. His groove was so deep, and solid as a rock. He was slinky and gritty and funky and just straight up phenomenal. The kind of bass that’ll give you “stank face” it’s so damn groovy! What a delight!! I’ve played with dozens of bass players over the last 30+ years and out of those dozens I’d say 3 of them were spectacular. The bassist from Lettuce was every bit as good, if not better, than those 3. Really special.

Another aspect of the band that really caught my attention was that whenever there was a gap for a particular instrument, one of those players had some sort of percussion instrument in hand, filling up the sound. On the surface you might think how much difference can a tambourine or a shaker make? Well, it makes a BIG difference. All those little extra voices, those nearly imperceptible accent notes really just gave a glistening polish to an already stellar performance.

I can say with full confidence that I am officially a FAN of Lettuce! I have a lot of their material to absorb still, but I seriously dig what I’ve heard so far. It may have been my first show with them, but it certainly won’t be my last!

A big thank you to the bands and the crew that make these shows happen. And an extra big THANK YOU to the Mrs. for the great surprise!

Thanks for stopping by!