Galactic and Southern Avenue pleased many fans at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY. Writer Brian Cornish was there to capture the night.
The unmistakable charisma of Tierinii Jackson supplemented by the guitar and keyboard prowess of Ori Nafataly and Jeremy Powell, with background vocals and a steady beat from Tikyra Jackson, make this a great young band with a bright future.
“With Keep On, Southern Avenue reaches out to a new generation of soulsters while preserving the tradition of Stax and Memphis soul. These songs flow deep down into our hearts and bones, moving us in ways we never expected to be moved (or perhaps we refused to let ourselves be moved), the way that all great soul music continues to move us. Like many great soul songs, too, these songs urge us to see the glimmers of hope in our darkness and to embrace those around us in the arms of love.” – NO DEPRESSION
That message of hope is best exemplified in “Keep On” and the closing number, “Don’t Give Up,” from their eponymous debut album, which induced an audience sing along.
Galactic is a band that is difficult to quantify. They cover soul, funk, jazz, dub, and multiple other genres, always being influenced by what ever they hear in their hometown of New Orleans, or through their relentless world-wide touring. The band has put their money where their heart is, purchasing the legendary nightclub, Tipitina’s.
Galactic and Southern Avenue often relies on a rotating cast of vocalists, with this performance featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph & rapper Charles Stewart, AKA Chali 2na.
Unfortunately, the sound mix was a bit muddled and indistinct, which is definitely not typical of the Westcott Theater. One of the telltale signs of a good show is how many musicians and fans “in the know” show up. To that end, this show was extremely popular.
moe. has played dozens of area shows through the years at moe.down in both nearby Turin, New York and at Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, as well as at Saranac Brewery. But it had been twenty-one years since they had played the iconic, venerable Stanley Theater in Utica, New York. With the majority of the band having roots in the area, this pair of New Year’s Eve shows was a much-anticipated homecoming.
Happy New Year!
Night One, on December 30, saw both a marriage proposal and a mayoral proclamation by Utica’s Robert Palmieri declaring the date as moe. Day in the city, before the show even began. The band set the tone by opening with a scorching version of “Meat,” with percussionist Jim Loughlin displaying his astounding skills with two mallets in each hand on vibraphone. There’s no question that Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier are guitar gods, Rob Derhak is a creative bass player whose frequent onstage grin helps make him so likable, and Vin Amico keeps things chugging like a freight train, playing drums while chomping on gum and blowing enormous bubbles like he’s endorsed by Bazooka. But to this listener, Loughlin makes a distinct difference. He plays stuff that you just don’t hear anywhere else in a band of such renown and longevity.
Jim Loughlin
The band
transitioned through seven additional songs totaling nearly ninety
minutes of music to conclude the first set. Throughout both nights,
the band indeed played several favorite songs, but there was an
enormous dose of rarely, or lesser played, tunes that seemed to
surprise and delight hardcore fans of moe.
Before the second set, Al introduced the ubiquitous Utica legend, Rainbow Young, who had the crowd singing along to what was purported to be “God Bless America,” though the key, melody, and meter may have been more than a bit different. The second set began with a “Downward Facing Dog,” “Brittle End,” “Downward Facing Dog” sandwich before concluding with a string of tunes ending where they began the night, getting back to “Meat.” The bar was set high, as a goal to surpass on Night Two.
Night Two saw moe.
pull out all the stops and cut loose in so many interesting ways. On
New Year’s Eve, as we all headed into 2020, the band and their fans
paid tribute to the Roaring ‘20s in both attire and some of the
musical selections. Moe took the stage in suits, ties, suspenders and
fedoras, reminiscent of when men dressed as such to go to work one
hundred years ago. Many male fans dressed similarly, with dozens of
female fans sporting frilly or sequined flapper dresses, long gloves,
boas, and headpieces. The theater itself was a perfect setting, as
it opened in that decade, and matched the fanciful dress with
elaborate baroque design, including ornate twisted columns, a
mind-boggling enormous chandelier, and gargoyles, lions, and cherubs
adorning the walls and opera seats.
The first set saw Chuck and Al on acoustic guitars, with Al switching out to mandolin for a bit. Jim Loughlin showed his versatility throughout the evening, playing vibraphone, acoustic guitar, congas, and washboard. The three first time played songs included two from 1928, the year the Stanley Theater opened. The set opened with “It,” included a stunning version of “Statesboro Blues,” and ended with Rob Derhak’s “Tambourine.”
Set two saw the band plug in and take things even higher. It included an explosive version of “Don’t Fuck With Flo,” a return to the twenties for a cover of “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” and ended with a nice rendition of the predictable “New Hope for the New Year.”
The third set had everyone on their feet, singing and dancing, with smiles and good wishes from many fans to others as midnight approached. Starting with a fairly new song, “Along for the Ride,” it included a nice execution of “Mack the Knife,” leading into “Silver Sun” just before the New Year’s countdown. At the stroke of midnight, air cannons showered the crowd with a colossal amount of confetti. The band and their significant others toasted and hugged each other, and moe. soon returned to their instruments. 2020 began with a joyous, infectious “Rebubula,” enhanced by a top-notch lighting presentation. This was followed by “Four,” and “Farmer Ben” segueing into a fervent “Timmy Tucker” to end the set. With a time deadline approaching, the band blazed through “Spine of a Dog” as the encore. Two nights of great music, great memories, and proof that moe. have established themselves as a premier touring band, world-class musicians, and individuals proud of their hometown.
Setlist – December 30, 2019
Set 1: Meat > Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Fearless~ > Deep This Time > Who You Calling Scared? > Akimbo > Brent Black
Set 2: Downward Facing Dog > Brittle End > Downward Facing Dog, Skrunk > Lazarus > Down Boy > Bring You Down > Meat
Encore: Letter Home, Wind It Up
~ Pink Floyd cover
Setlist – December 31, 2019
Set 1: It*, Time Again**, Shoot First**, Statesboro Blues*#, Where Does The Time Go?*, Tambourine*
Set 2: Tailspin > Puebla > Don’t Fuck With Flo > Tubing The River Styx > The Pit, East St. Louis Toodle-oo##, Opium, New Hope For The New Year
Set 3: Along For The Ride, Nebraska, Mack The Knife^, Silver Sun%, Rebubula, Four, Farmer Ben > Timmy Tucker
Encore: Spine Of A Dog
* w/ Al & Chuck on acoustic guitar ** w/ Al on mandolin, Chuck on acoustic guitar # FTP – (Blind Willie McTell cover) ## FTP – (Duke Ellington & Bubber Miley cover –) % NYE Countdown ^ FTP – (Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht cover)
