You know you're a lucky little funk baby when you find yourself at the House of Blues on a steamy, sweaty, Saturday the 2nd of June. Time after time, you can count on this icy emporium of music to offer Miller High Lifes that are larger than life, the occasional foot-long corndog, and of course, great tunes from all over. Well, this evening was all that and a bag of chips... make that four, fantastic, local bags of Zapp's Voodoo Barbeque! The crowd was graced with performances by Mississippi Rail Company, Coyotes, Big History, and finally, Royal Teeth who were celebrating their recent signing with Dangerbird Records. This diverse shmorgishborg of local music was like eating a fancy four course meal of original Nola flavor that left each person feeling mighty fine.
Mississippi Rail Company was the first to tantalize the crowd. Like a stiff cocktail before dinner, the raw and rustic sound of this bluesy-folk three-piece primed us all for what we were about to experience. It didn't take long for the simple, yet hypnotic rhythm of the piano and drums to get everyone on their feet to stomp about and sing along. They played many songs from their new album, titled "Coal Black Train", which hooked us all like a rusty nail. To be frank, the old-time feel combined with powerful elements of rock 'n roll was exactly like taking a shot of good whiskey; it certainly went down smooth, but left us all with a warm, hot feeling inside. And, of course, made us dance.
Next on the plate were Coyotes, who were nothing short of a captivating collection of energies on stage. Watching each individual band member perform with such intensity all to collide and create a perfect sound was comparable to the perfect summer salad. Lettuce, cranberries, candied walnuts... it's all delicious, but no ingredient was overpowering the rest. The result? A flawless folk soul with a zesty songwriting spirit, doused with a whole heck of a lot of talent and, of course, contagious energy that fostered wide-eyed fans.
After two rounds, things really picked up and we were ready to keep this ball of fire burning. Big History did just that. In fact, they pretty much sprayed the already lit fun, folk-y fire with some freakin' kerosene. This solid, full sounding band was further accentuated with two lovely leading ladies in the front, one killin' it on a tambourine and keys, the other melting faces with a deep, gorgeous set of pipes. Taken together, Big History's robust and powerful aura was a knock-out, like a good casserole with just as much fresh veggies as there are meaty chunks of funk.
By this time, you'd think the crowd was full and ready to call it quits. Welp, friends, it was quite the opposite. Although we had all been members of the "clean plate club of music", thoroughly enjoying each band to precede, us funk babies were not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Bring on the ice cream sundae of local tunes... Royal Teeth. It was a colorful explosion of beautiful noise, a pure expression of emotion through music. Start with the ice cream, the cold creamy combo of the bass and ultra fun drums; add a little guy on the computer, who, like hot fudge, provided an element of contrast which worked so perfectly in all the right places; the colorful crunchy sprinkles of the two guitars; and finally, the cherry on top known as impeccable harmonies between the two lead singers. Royal Teeth took the audience from complete silence during a quiet duet all the way to the ultimate "woah, oh my god, holy crapola" at the very end with a raging finale. Almost as good as Creole Creamery.
So, as the confetti fell, we took our last bites of the musical buffet.
It was all so delicious. So very, very delectable.
Hungry for more? Here's some linkage. Bon Appetit!
Mississippi Rail Company: http://www.mississippirailcompany.com/
Coyotes: http://coyotes.bandcamp.com/
Big History: http://coyotes.bandcamp.com/
Royal Teeth: http://royalteethmusic.com/
NFB
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