Bill Evans' Soulgrass
2013-09-07
Sweetwater Music Hall
19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley, CA
9:00 PM, Saturday, September 7, 2013
Not sure who the opener was. They were already playing when we arrived, and since the music didn't grab and hold me when I walked in, I walked back out to hang on the patio socializing and saving my knees for the main act!
I headed back inside once the openers finished, figuring that was a good time to grab a beer and hang out at the rail with the rest of the hard cores. I appreciated the chance to hang with folks I hadn't seen in awhile (some visiting from far away!) and to hear impressions of the previous night's gig at Yoshi's. There was an interesting mix of folks in the audience tonight. It seemed to me that the majority were Kimock heads, then an enthusiastic crew of RRE fans and finally a scattering of the regular Mill Valley crowd. Made for nice experience – the crowd offered good energy to the band, but knew when it was time to be quiet and listen.
The band finally came out a bit after 10 PM, taking the stage before a packed house that was ready to bounce. They opened up with a funky instrumental that got everyone hoppin' and left plenty of room for inspired solos from each of the musicians.
From preshow chit-chat, I'd gathered that the majority of the tunes were going to be funk-rock vocals, and I was pleasantly surprised with the second tune – the drummer, Josh, had an excellent, soulful voice, and an approach that reminded me of another singing drummer, Buddy Miles.
Although the Weight was the only tune that I'd heard before, the virtuosic interplay among the performers kept my attention engaged at the highest level. Watching them throw ideas back and forth was really fun, especially when one would manage to surprise the others with a hot lick or two. Truly, this was one of the top ten shows I've attended this year!