Voice of Reason, The Steve Fulton Band, Pause for the Cause and Edmond Dantes @ the VaC (12/22/12)

I decided to check this show out because I wanted to show some support for Boise Rock School, who set the show up and who benefited from all of this night's proceeds.  Of course, it also helped that the bill featured two local acts I'd never seen before (well, I thought I hadn't, anyway) and synth-soul/funk duo Edmond Dantes, whom I've wanted to see again since the Go Listen Boise electronica show back in July.

I saw about twenty people at the VaC when I arrived.  Happily, that number would more than double as the night progressed.

Edmond Dantes opened the show.  Their tunes and hooks sounded every bit as elegant and entrancing as I remembered.  Ryan Peck's tight, fluid bass work and some slinky, intricate recorded beats wrapped around Andrew Stensaas's silken moan and warm synthesizer.  There wasn't much dancing during this set, but there was some good applause.

Up next was Meridian group Pause for the Cause.  This may be a bit of a backhanded compliment, but society must be improving when Meridian's getting their groove on.  Even before they played a cover of "Badfish," I'd remarked that these guys sounded quite a bit like Sublime.  That's not a bad thing--their catchy tunes, sharp arrangements, elastic basslines, fiery guitar solos, rock-steady drumming and interweaving vocals would've sounded just fine on 90's alternative radio.  They sounded just fine in 2012 too.

After Pause for the Cause came the Steve Fulton Band.  As it turned out, I had already seen Fulton back when his old band, House of Hoi Polloi, opened for the B-52's.  I remember thinking that they were so-so, but that could've just been impatience on my part (they weren't the group I wanted to see).  Anyway, I found Fulton's clear tenor, clipped soloing and inspired blend of blues, country and reggae much more than so-so this time around.  It undoubtedly helped that he had some tough, twangy bass, percolating drums and wailing organ (courtesy of old Hoi Polloi compatriot Russ Pfeifer) backing him up.  This set also featured some smooth rapping from local emcee Exit Prose (formerly known as Timbuk II of Kamphire Collective).

Local reggae group Voice of Reason closed out the night.  Perhaps it was the same as when I saw Hoi Polloi open for the B-52's, but this group impressed me much more here than they did when they opened for Toots and the Maytals back in July.  Frontman John Hoonhout's bluesy licks sounded more distinctive, and the Jamaican accent that he adopted while singing was uncanny--it sounded like the genuine article, not some affectation.  His bandmates' high harmonies, sly basslines, lithe drumming and tasteful horn interjections all followed suit.  I grew too tired to stay for the entirety of their second set, but the band and a handful of people were still going strong when I left around 1 AM.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Redrick Sultan, The Bare Bones and Jory Edwards @ the Crux (12/21/12)

There's something rather beautiful, I think, in the fact that so much stuff was happening around Boise on the night when the world was supposed to end (again).  Wicked Wonderland held its Zombie Apocalypse show at Bogie's, Hot Dog Sandwich threw a punk rock party at the Red Room and Liquid featured a couple of acts that seemed interesting.  I opted to see Orriginal Promotions' show at the Crux because it featured Redrick Sultan, a group I'd never encountered before who hailed all the way from Vancouver.

I counted only fourteen people at the Crux when I arrived.  That number would dwindle to eight (including me) and then five when Redrick Sultan played.  Disappointing, especially considering that I'd see at least three times as many people doing karaoke at Neurolux later.  Oh well.

Local musician Jory Edwards opened the night.  His choice of covers tended towards the corny side ("Hallelujah"--again?  "Freebird"--really?), but his steady strumming and clean, cannily restrained tenor put them across respectably.  Also, I had to give the guy credit for showing me that actually, yeah, Dave Matthews and Third Eye Blind did write some good songs (I know--I'll turn in my hipster card after Christmas).  Maybe he could add "Wildflowers" to his repertoire of Tom Petty songs.  Always liked that one.

The Bare Bones played next.  This was their second gig playing with new bassist Ben Zickau, Chris Brock said at one point.  He seems to be fitting in nicely: Zickau's basslines may not have been as supple as Nathan Norton's, but they still sounded plenty fluid and added considerable weight and muscle to the band's groove.  Meanwhile, Aaron Bossart's drumming sounded as furious and dynamic as ever.  Last but definitely not least, Chris Brock seems to be growing into the role of frontman very well indeed: his vocals showed extra strength and assurance, and his sharp soloing matched them.

Redrick Sultan closed out the night.  This was another one of those sets that remind me why I keep writing this blog.  Only eight people were there to see them, but this Vancouver group played as if there were eighty or more.  Their goofy, oddball, audacious mix of jazz, funk, hard rock and reggae made me think of the Minutemen if they'd stretched out beyond the two/three minute mark more often.  Chanking guitar, liquid basslines and syncopated, astonishingly kinetic drumwork supported boyish vocals and tasteful (but not too tasteful) flute and trombone solos (the guitarist got some good licks in too).  Their charming tunes and strong, sprightly groove elicited wild applause from the handful of folks inside the Crux and a considerable amount of rubbernecking from passers-by.  Hopefully, these guys will play Boise again and to a larger audience.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Toots and the Maytals and Voice of Reason @ the Knitting Factory (7/7/12)

This last Saturday night certainly did not lack live music options.  In addition to the Boise Music Festival, Neurolux, the Venue and the Red Room all scheduled promising shows.  However, with all due respect to the bands who played those shows, I had absolutely no trouble picking the one to check out.

For those of you who don't know who Toots and the Maytals are, they're almost synonymous with reggae.  I'm not exaggerating: their 1968 song, "Do the Reggay," helped give the music its name.  They recorded their early stuff with legendary producer Leslie Kong, who also produced records for Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and Bob Marley.  Two of their songs, "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pressure Drop," appeared on the soundtrack to the 1972 film The Harder They Come, which made reggae popular in the United States.  They've had their songs covered by The Clash and The Specials, among many others.  Robert Christgau once called Toots Hibbert "the nearest thing to Otis Redding left on the planet."

In short, this show was a chance to see A LIVING LEGEND.   And the tickets only cost $21 (plus the usual bullshit fees).  I'd have given a kidney to have seen this.

Most likely due to the Boise Music Festival, attendance for this show was ridiculously low.  I can't complain too much, though, considering that it gave me the chance to go down into the pit without feeling like a sardine.  Also, I took heart in the wide age range of the audience.  It made me especially glad to see folks who had brought their kids along.  That's raising 'em right, I thought.

Local reggae group Voice of Reason opened the show and delivered a solid if unspectacular set.  Of course, that was probably the idea: to acclimate the crowd and get them warmed up for the headliner.  The (white, American) frontman played some nice, restrained guitar and didn't sound too ridiculous singing in a Jamaican accent.  The bassist and drummer knew enough to always make their chops serve the groove.  The saxophone, trumpet and trombone players all got off at least one good jazzy solo apiece but didn't get too fancy or obtrusive otherwise.  Their original songs shrewdly borrowed from old-school reggae (one song lifted the intro from Culture's "See Them A Come") and then went off in their own directions.

Not long after Voice of Reason wrapped up, Toots and the Maytals took the stage.  The crowd roared as Toots Hibbert stepped out wearing shades, a black bandanna, a black leather vest, black leather pants and gleaming black dress shoes.  Nearly everyone (yes, even I) moved and sang along as Toots and his seven-person band played a selection of his classic material: "Pomp and Pride," "Time Tough," "Pressure Drop," "Bam Bam," "Funky Kingston" (possibly my favorite performance of the night--tough as hell), "Monkey Man."  Listening to these songs and watching the stage act, it occurred to me how strongly the Maytals were/are influenced by American music--blues, R&B, soul, gospel.  The lead guitarist even gave a Star Time-esque introduction ("Ladies and Gentlmen, please welcome to the stage...") before Toots came out.

Throughout the set, the rubbery bass and the rock-steady drumming served as the platform for the sweet harmonies, the alternately horn-like and Booker T.-esque keyboard parts and the fiery guitar solos.  Toots Hibbert commanded attention just by walking around the stage and letting his singing speak for itself (though he did break out some nifty footwork at the end).  His voice showed a little bit of wear and tear, as voices usually will over the course of a 50-year career in music, but it still retained plenty of grit, guts and soul.

Toots got to show just how well his voice has held up at the encore.  "STICK IT UP MISTER!" he boomed out, and the band launched into what may be my favorite Maytals song, the prison tale "54-46 That's My Number."  I liked how he chose to close out the night with a medley of this tune (which he recorded soon after his 18-month bit for marijuana possession) and a full-throttle gospel/ska rave-up.  "I was oppressed," he seemed to say, "but now I'm free and doing what I love."  I don't know if the other folks in the audience gave much thought to the possible implications of this number; they might've been too busy dancing, raising up their right hands, waving them in the air and giving it to Toots one, two, three, four, ten, eleven times (he did a double take after that last one).

"Everybody makes me feel so good," he said earlier in the show.  The feeling was mutual.

You can find info on Voice of Reason and Toots and the Maytals on Facebook and elsewhere online.