Hammond-meister Bob Toriani has himself into a new project, joining up with Night Train, featuring “Little” Gene Barsalou. Southwick Dave is on second guitar, and a couple o’ young guys for the rhythm section: Ryan Hastings and Corey Vandergrift, on bass and drums. They sound pretty durn good to me. I was a little concerned beforehand; like I’m axin’ Bobby, Mister O’Toriani that is, “This ain’t gonna be another one o’ them Old Man Blues Bands, is it?” He kinda didn’f say yes or no, but he did at least promise (or threaten) that they would be on the “heavier” side.
Hard-Rockin’ Blues-Rock Band… odd comparison here, but imagine if the James Gang had brought in a B-3 & Leslie player (not they would have had the good fortune to find one as good as Mr. T), and then consider the possibilities if their original guitarist (Glenn Schwartz) had stayed in the band when Joe Walsh came in. Schwartz was not so much the lead singer, but he’d have gotten stronger (one hopes) and come out sounding like this Little Gene feller. In either case, it’s mostly the lead guitar we’re all about here; well, that and the arrangements and overall feel of the sound, which is where a skilled organ-player can really contribute. Ain’t no way to fill out the sound in quite the same way- and without taking over.
Gene plays a Stratocaster, alla tonight at any rate. His sound is something like a garage-y Clapton, with maybe a low, snarly twang like a feller by the name of Al Perkins. The other guitarist, Dave, is a guy we’ve seen around this area plenty these last couple of years- at the Southwick Inn with Cold Shot and all them folks, or here and there around the juke-joints of Massachachusetts’ Deep South(wick). His axe is a Gibson SG, so if the James Gang comparison is to be continued, then we might say that Dave supplies the more Walsh-ish tones and textures. A few songs back in the set, they even fooled me into thinking “Funk #49” was gonna come of an intro, but it turned into a really excellent, newer number called “Trouble at Your Door.” Dynamite Johnny, from Boston mostly, and his power trio (most often consisting of Guy Devito and Billy Klock), is about the closest comparison to come to mind at the local level. Which is not to say there’s any same-ness, or that one is much like t’other; more like they’d go well on a bill together, in the right place and at the right time.
So this might not be your average wedding band- their sound is a little more, like, ruff-&-rugged; but it’s all done with a ‘smooth edge,’ so to speak, so that it’s all very danceable. This groove holds ‘way shy of what might be called ‘funk,’ but it just about hints at that kind of polished punch. Everybody here at SkyBox tonight is singing the band’s praises and repeatedly pointing to the dance-ability of pretty much every song. There’s the mix, too: lotta different kinda stuff comin’ outta these five guys, even a few I hadn’t heard before, EVER, that I know of anyway; and every one with their signature sound. Not a whole lotta bands going fof the double-dueling guitar attack these days, either, especially if they also have keys; so what we have here is a highly versatile assemblage of elements and abilities. And all that, working together, without any particular personality (even the band leader’s) coming out overly strong or upsetting the balance.
Jimm O’D ~ The Dusty Turntable
The Dusty Turntable 