Billy Seward Band at Mattison's City Grille

Last night's first set a Mattison's City Grille, in downtown Sarasota, was interesting for how the Billy Seward Band set the stage for later, more energetic sets to come. 

Seward and his bandmates--Burt Engelsman on bass, Steve Camilleri on drums, Richy Kicklighter on guitar, and Brandon Sommers on keyboards--gently rolled out the vocals and instrumental riffs like individual jetstreams in a blue gulf sky, rolling out a canvas of sound that coalesced into white fluffy clouds of recognizable r&b and blues. 

Maybe it was the reprieve of balmy evening weather after days of cold that had me thinking in such metaphors. In any case, there was a pleasant haze of melody and harmony on the podium--energetic enough to attract couples and kids to the brick "dance floor", yet restrained enough to invite appreciative listening by patrons working on their appetizers at tables nearby.

This particular combination of players brings a lot of depth to the band. Each one is a seasoned master at his craft. All of them play regularly in other bands with other signature sounds. 

So it's fascinating to see what happens when they back up Seward, who has his own style of Memphis soul and Chicago blues. It's soulful, but doesn't hit you over the head with howling or shouting. It alternates between telling a tale and pulling back into lead breaks. 

Sommers' easy harmonies and Kicklighter's thoughtful counter-riffs enrich without dominating. Engelsman and Camilleri give solid rhythm and undertones, without overpowering Seward's initiatives.

Here's a listen from another Seward gig:

Premiere of Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival in Downtown Sarasota

UPDATE: Jah Movement reggae band was absolutely smokin' at the Sarasota Seafood Festival. One song after another got people dancing in the street on a cold and windy Saturday morning. Big highlight was the superb supplementary drumming by the 3 year old son of the lead singer. Really a treat. Here's a clip from a previous event, to give you the flavor:




This looks like an interesting and fun event to check out this weekend in downtown Sarasota. Five Points Park is in front of Selby Library at the corner of Pineapple Avenue and First Street. It might be easier to park in Burns Square and then walk north on Pineapple a few blocks to the park. Or use the Whole Foods parking garage upper levels, which you enter on 2nd Street.

The Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association announces the inaugural Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival. The event is in Selby Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota on January 23-24, 2016. Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 11-6, free admission and parking.

The mission is to celebrate the diverse nautical and cultural heritage of Sarasota while celebrating community thru camaraderie, great music and scrumptious foods. The event interweaves the freshest sustainable and indigenous seafood with outstanding live musical performances. Included will be seafood cooking demos, fishing workshops, arts and crafts, educational programs and exhibits.

Seafood lovers will enjoy fin-fish and shellfish prepared onsite by local restaurants and food purveyors. The ‘menu’ includes grouper, stone crabs, jambalaya, crab cakes, low country boil and more! 

Musical genres explore the gamut from Rock N’ Roll, R&B, Blues, Rumba Flamenco to Reggae and Jazz by such talented musicians and groups as Holey Miss Moley, Aland Music, Flat Land, Come Back Alice, R.J. Howson, Jah Movement, Kettle of Fish, Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio and the Sarasota Steel Pan Band. In addition, the event showcases original handmade artwork by a select group of local, regional and national artisans.

Bryan Spainhower and The Combo Vimana at Mattison's City Grille

Congas, bongos, shakers, rattles . . . times two talented high-energy percussionists. Plus one frontman zooming up and down the neck of his guitar, with a little help from a looper to give the overall effect depth. It was a sound combo I haven't heard before, and it stopped me as I passed by Mattison's City Grille in downtown Sarasota tonight. As the character Phoebe once said on "Friends", it was "very testosteroney," sort of like a train barreling down the tracks and you hope the engineer is alert at the switch. . . and he, and they, all were very alive and alert.

Turns out the group was Bryan Spainhower and the Combo Vimana, getting the evening started with a few fast-moving instrumental pieces that channeled Latin Jazz, Rhumba Flamenco, Bossa Nova and Rock 'n Roll.

That's the problem with unique musical approaches: All we can do is compare them to existing genres, but there's not an actual box you can fit them into.

Here's a listen (only one percussionist, Max Kelly, in this video; the combo tonight included two drum setups):

Howlin' Bob with Mark Serio & Friends at Mattison's City Grille

Can't believe I've never heard him sing and play before, but tonight I really enjoyed dancing to the mellow vocals and fluid lead guitar of Howlin' Bob, who joined Mark Serio, Burt Engelsman, and Rob Camilleri at Mattison's City Grille in downtown Sarasota. TIP: They're still playing as I write, so if you can make it downtown right now, it'll surely be worth the effort.

I had to smile at the several layers of "singing" that were happening simultaneously onstage, as Serio's and Bob's lead guitars "talked" back and forth, trading up-the-neck and down-the-neck licks, along with Bob's honey-throated lyrics in periodic dialogue with his own gas-can-body guitar.

The closest analogous voice I can think of is Willie Nelson's, although Bob's is completely without Willie's trademark nasal sound. I most liked Bob's facility with rolling out well-thought-out yet seemingly effortless modulations of vocal tone and guitar intensity.

Here's some video of Howlin' Bob at the weekly blues jam at the Flying Dog Cafe a few years back, to give you a flavor of his vibe. All I can say is he's one smooth cat.



Props, too, of course, to the whole band, all of whom were clearly having a great time improvising together. One great song leads to another, and I never can find the right moment to leave. Just don't want to miss all that excellence. 

Matt Miskie at Sugarloaf Craft Festival, Chantilly VA

It's axiomatic that listening to even a talented performer sing the same five songs for three days straight is enough to drive a craft festival vendor to distraction. This weekend, while exhibiting at the Sugarloaf Craft Festival in Chantilly VA, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ongoing concert presented by Pennsylvania singer/songwriter Matt Miskie kept me energized and actively listening to the wide songbook of folk favorites he offered. It even got me dancing, which made me less wistful for the music-rich life I enjoy -- and dance to -- in Sarasota.

With a melodic voice that seamlessly blends elements of Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and Gordon Lightfoot, Miskie's arrangements of familiar songs from the Sixties and more contemporary numbers had depth, variety and richness of tone and phrasing.

His rhythm guitar playing, inflected with simple intro runs, nicely backed up the vocals. Rhythm alone, without lead breaks, can be boring and repetitive, especially at solo gigs, but Miskie's technique somehow worked to support the overall sound.

Bain Beakley at Marina Jack's in Sarasota FL

Anywhere else, Sunday would be an off-night for live music. But here in Sarasota, Sunday evenings can be magical: At the open-air bar on the ground floor of Marina Jack's restaurant, along the Sarasota bayfront, you can take in the shimmering colors of a Gulf sunset and be treated to the resonant vocals and guitar of local singer-songwriter Bain Beakley.

 
There are plenty of impressive singers and lead guitarists in this town, but the ones that get my attention, that pull me toward them, combine unique vocal qualities with instrumental stylings that create a special world inside each song they play. The other key ingredient is a warm stage presence that picks up the energies in the room and makes audience members feel included and appreciated.

Bain Beakley does all of the above. He generously offers both his artistry and his personality as an entertainer to whatever "room" he plays. His song mix includes familiar covers and some originals. Word on the street is that he's working on a CD. 

But for now, you have to step out and listen to him live. Next Sunday, make a date with yourself and check out Bain at Marina Jack's. You're in for a treat.

Buddy Gibson's Echo River Project at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota

Buddy Gibson's usual powerful versatility was bumped up a notch last Wednesday night at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota where he performed as the Echo River Project with Zach Yoder (guitar and vocals) and Dave Townsend (drums). Virtuoso doesn't even come close to conveying the deep and soulful wall of sound that emanated from that tiny stage.

Memorable numbers included Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", in a percussive, punchy version mellowed-up by Zach Yoder's Hendrix-flavored lead breaks.

On Marley's "So Much Trouble in the World", Gibson and Yoder duked it out with call-and-response guitar-neck wizardry. Here's a taste from a previous Gibson/Yoder gig:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X49pBwp3OE

Echo River Project tributes to Jimmy Buffet's "A Pirate Looks at Forty", Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" and Crosby Stills & Nash's "Helplessly Hoping" gave listeners a sweet and moody break from the higher-octane numbers. Dire Strait's "Calling Elvis"pumped it up with a danceable beat that got this listener out of her seat to work off a delish OPC dinner.

Buddy Gibson's Echo River Project -- with a changing cast of characters -- can be heard every 4rd Wednesday night at the OPC. Well worth the night out.

Andres Colin at The Hub Baja Grill on Siesta Key in Sarasota

My previous post only touched on the vocal, stylistic and instrumental versatility of Andres Colin, who plays regularly for the tourist crowd enjoying dinner at The Hub Baja Grill on Siesta Key. Tonight's performance featured an astounding musical arrangement of Andrea Bocelli's "Partido", courtesy of Colin's complex looper capabilities and orchestral imagination. His vocals were truly operatic, dancing melodically through the emotional eddies of that beautiful composition. One could only be transported from earthly reality into another sphere, and wonder how this multilingual, multi-instrumental, and warmly engaging performer has landed in our midst.


Later in the evening, Colin demonstrated that, contrary to popular opinion, men can multi-task, too. On "Blanco Y Negro," an original composition from his eponymous CD, "Andres Colin: Universal Universe", he simultaneously sang densely packed Spanish lyrics while busily tapping his feet among various buttons and pedals to pull forward and drop out the various instrumental parts he'd entered into the looper at the beginning of the song. 




Lots of local solo performers use loopers these days -- a necessary device to create a sound larger than the restaurants want to pay for. But Colin's fluidity with programming, playing, singing, and audience-antics is prodigious.

You can find Andres Colin's CD online at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/andrescolin2

Better yet, find him playing in person. No matter what your mood when you get there, he'll have you smiling, tapping, and enjoying yourself in the space of a few songs.

Live Music on Siesta Key, in Sarasota

The skies were threatening, but I needed a beach walk, so I headed over to Siesta Key. Walking through the Village on my way to Siesta Beach, I heard the unmistakeable, fast-moving guitar leads of Frankie Lombardi, who was serenading the outdoor tables at Blase Cafe. Deciding against the beach walk, since the wind was picking up and clouds moving in, I sat for awhile listening to Lombardi sing and riff. He extends and gives depth to familiar songs, adding stylistic licks that make them his own. Lucky Siesta Village would have a double-bill of Lombardi tonight, since he was slated to play drums with Kettle of Fish later in the evening at the Beach Club on Ocean Boulevard.

Walking back through the Village, I remembered that singer-songwriter Tommy D (Doerr) has a dinnertime Tuesday evening gig at Blu Que Island Grill on Avenida de Messina. So I stopped by there in time to enjoy a triple-bill of some of my fave original songs from his CDs, including "Funky Time", "Every Day is Friday", and "Bud Light Bob." Tommy D's smooth vocals and interesting guitar rhythms draw me in every time I see him play.

Seeing Lombardi and Doerr had more than made up for my missed beach walk, and I was happily headed towards my car, when I heard yet another familiar voice and guitar. It was Andres Colin, singing a beautiful, complex Spanish tune in his mellifluous, almost-operatic style. Truly, he has the sweetest voice, in whatever language he slides into, and draws from one of the most versatile songbooks around. Colin has a winning performance personality full of smiles and happiness that he transmits generously to the dinner crowd in front of him.

Would love to have listened longer, but the wind picked up, swirling sand and palm fronds, so I counted myself lucky for the treat of seeing three wonderful performers on one visit to Siesta Key, and headed home just as the raindrops fell.

John Howard at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota

Prolific songwriter and Sarasota live music scene performer John Howard was joined by Johnny LaLa on lead guitar and vocals for a night of covers and featured songs from Howard's newly-released CD, "Sunlight", which they debuted last night at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota.

The new CD contains several memorable and danceable numbers, such as "She's Gone" and "Bridges are Burning". "Julianne" and "If I Could Stay Asleep" are sweet, dreamy romantic reveries. "Sunlight (Cindy's Song)" brings Howard's memories of his late sister, Cynthia, into present-focus as he notices all the natural beauty of everyday life that he wishes he could still share with her.

At last night's show, Johnny LaLa's acoustic guitar leads were impressive for their smooth progress up and down the frets. Other players tend to create a more labored, staccato sound as they bend the strings to their purposes, admittedly always more challenging on an acoustic instrument. But LaLa's style was more fluid, enhancing the overall sound of  John Howard's arrangements, rather than punching out to the foreground.

You can find John Howard's new CD, "Sunlight", online at I-Tunes, Amazon, Spotify and other outlets:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sunlight/id920644078