The Rockaz

NIAGARA FALLS — Most bands watch the lead singer for cues into or out of certain sections. Not many watch the singer to ascertain the rhythms, the groove, the feel and the emotional tenor of the tune itself. But then, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings are not your average band. And Saturday’s show, part of the free concert series outside the Hard Rock Cafe, was not your average show.

There should be no debate about this — Jones is the genuine article, the clear heir to the soul greats of the ’60s, and the full embodiment of the promise offered by Motown, Stax and the whole Philly soul deal. (Let’s not forget Buffalo — we’ve had our own funk, soul and R&B scene for decades too.) Saturday, she arrived like some kind of whirling dervish, worked the crowd and her 10-piece band into an absolute frenzy, and made it plain that she could rather easily wipe the floor with pretty much any modern R&B singer without having to try too hard.

The Dap Kings took the stage first, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite introducing background singers Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan first, while the band offered an ostinato on a funk groove that was simply face-melting. Then the star of the show arrived, and from the outset, Jones looked at the crowd in the manner one imagines the bull must look at the bullfighter. She seemed to be fighting for her life. To suggest that she “brought it, big time” doesn’t come close to covering it.

The default position is to refer to what this band does as “old school,” because it forgoes the annoying frippery and talent-substituting fireworks that constitute modern R&B. That’s not necessarily wrong, but it should be noted that what Jones & the Dap Kings are doing—and what they did on Saturday evening — is placing true soul music in the present tense. Whether the band was covering Prince’s “Take Me With You” or affording Jones the opportunity to tear it up over a gorgeous funk-soul workout like “If You Call,” this certainly felt nothing like an oldies soul revue.

None of the musicians appeared to be phoning the gig in. They were sweating, following Jones’ lead as she made like James Brown in high heels, stomping, dancing, gyrating, working her body with the same determination she employed to work her rich, agile voice. By halfway through the show, one wondered if the 55-year-old Jones would run out of gas. Wrong. She was just getting started. And every member of her band — from the three-piece horn section to the incredibly funky female bassist and her compatriots in the drum kit/conga-comprised rhythm section, to the pair of guitarists who cranked out 16th-note rhythms like they were both born to it — watched Jones intensely and incessantly. This whole ensemble was working it, on a level that most of us who weren’t lucky enough to catch James Brown at the Apollo back in the day have never had the pleasure of witnessing.

Is Sharon Jones the hardest-working woman in show business? Yes. Move to the back of the line, all you divas.

One of the coolest things about the Buffalo-area concert scene so far this summer has been the opportunity to catch some of our region’s finest bands on big stages before crowds full of folks unfamiliar with them. Saturday’s show was no exception.

The Rockas delivered a smoking blend of reggae, ska, dub, soul, R&B and hip-hop during a set that seemed to enthrall the assembled. This is an absolutely smoking Buffalo band, one that treads the fine line between jam-based music and some seriously funky stuff.

Dive House Union brought a heavier, blues-rock-based element to the evening’s paradigm, and guitarist Todd Eberwine and drummer Shannon Street stood out as outstanding players.

Concert Review

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

Saturday evening outside the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls.

jmiers@buffnews.com - Buffalo Evening News

NIAGARA FALLS — Most bands watch the lead singer for cues into or out of certain sections. Not many watch the singer to ascertain the rhythms, the groove, the feel and the emotional tenor of the tune itself. But then, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings are not your average band. And Saturday’s show, part of the free concert series outside the Hard Rock Cafe, was not your average show.

There should be no debate about this — Jones is the genuine article, the clear heir to the soul greats of the ’60s, and the full embodiment of the promise offered by Motown, Stax and the whole Philly soul deal. (Let’s not forget Buffalo — we’ve had our own funk, soul and R&B scene for decades too.) Saturday, she arrived like some kind of whirling dervish, worked the crowd and her 10-piece band into an absolute frenzy, and made it plain that she could rather easily wipe the floor with pretty much any modern R&B singer without having to try too hard.

The Dap Kings took the stage first, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite introducing background singers Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan first, while the band offered an ostinato on a funk groove that was simply face-melting. Then the star of the show arrived, and from the outset, Jones looked at the crowd in the manner one imagines the bull must look at the bullfighter. She seemed to be fighting for her life. To suggest that she “brought it, big time” doesn’t come close to covering it.

The default position is to refer to what this band does as “old school,” because it forgoes the annoying frippery and talent-substituting fireworks that constitute modern R&B. That’s not necessarily wrong, but it should be noted that what Jones & the Dap Kings are doing—and what they did on Saturday evening — is placing true soul music in the present tense. Whether the band was covering Prince’s “Take Me With You” or affording Jones the opportunity to tear it up over a gorgeous funk-soul workout like “If You Call,” this certainly felt nothing like an oldies soul revue.

None of the musicians appeared to be phoning the gig in. They were sweating, following Jones’ lead as she made like James Brown in high heels, stomping, dancing, gyrating, working her body with the same determination she employed to work her rich, agile voice. By halfway through the show, one wondered if the 55-year-old Jones would run out of gas. Wrong. She was just getting started. And every member of her band — from the three-piece horn section to the incredibly funky female bassist and her compatriots in the drum kit/conga-comprised rhythm section, to the pair of guitarists who cranked out 16th-note rhythms like they were both born to it — watched Jones intensely and incessantly. This whole ensemble was working it, on a level that most of us who weren’t lucky enough to catch James Brown at the Apollo back in the day have never had the pleasure of witnessing.

Is Sharon Jones the hardest-working woman in show business? Yes. Move to the back of the line, all you divas.

One of the coolest things about the Buffalo-area concert scene so far this summer has been the opportunity to catch some of our region’s finest bands on big stages before crowds full of folks unfamiliar with them. Saturday’s show was no exception.

The Rockas delivered a smoking blend of reggae, ska, dub, soul, R&B and hip-hop during a set that seemed to enthrall the assembled. This is an absolutely smoking Buffalo band, one that treads the fine line between jam-based music and some seriously funky stuff.

Dive House Union brought a heavier, blues-rock-based element to the evening’s paradigm, and guitarist Todd Eberwine and drummer Shannon Street stood out as outstanding players.

Concert Review

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

Saturday evening outside the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls.

jmiers@buffnews.com - Buffalo Evening News

Ska stalwarts The English Beat deliver fresh-sounding set in Falls

Updated: August 21, 2010, 7:11 AM

Graced with glorious weather for a second straight Saturday, the Hard Rock Cafe Niagara Falls “Hard Rock at the Falls” free summer concert series continued last night with a four-band lineup headlined by second wave ska stalwarts The English Beat.

Set just a short walk from the Falls in the brick road on the first block of Old Falls Street, the booming system summons countless curious pedestrians surveying the surroundings, and the positive vibrations of the evening were a welcome groove for easy summertime skankin’.

Considering the three bands that followed, Niagara Falls rock ’n’ roll quartet Floozie was an odd choice for an opener. But the hometown boys – Jim Schwartz (lead locals, guitar), Marty Schebell (bass), Mike McGranor (lead guitar, vocals, harmonica), and Sam Porter (drums) – delivered a boisterous, system-testing set of straight-ahead R&R, a little bit dark but plenty fun.

The Rockas followed, a hot new group from “all four corners of Buffalo” featuring members of Great Train Robbery, led by vocalist-saxman Vincent Fossitt and including Steve Basil (keyboards), Rodney Chamberlain (bass), David Malia (guitar), Petie Rodriguez (drums) and Naheem Shabazz (trombone, vocals); as well as a guest rapper. The Rockas locked into a smooth groove that brought out the first signs of ska on and offstage — the balance between hoppin’ horns and a hi-hat-heavy beat, and the signature high-kneed kick of those who dance to it.

Rochester-based break-out quartet Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad delivered an engaging set led by bassist/vocalist James Searl, whose punchy yet smooth vocals and contagious energy provide the pulse of the band. Drummer Chris O’Brian matches Searl’s driving rhythm, while guitarist Dylan Savage and keyboardist Aaron Lipp — both able vocalists themselves –punctuate their airtight sound and underlying positive message.

Just after the sun set, The English Beat, born as The Beat in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and now led stateside by original frontman and left-handed teardrop guitarist Dave Wakeling, opened with two of the covers that helped establish the band during the ska revival at the turn of the ’80s – Jamaican toaster Prince Buster’s “Rough Rider,” and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Tears of a Clown.” Both were delivered with the upbeat and insistent ska sound that makes a group like this — as long as they maintain their enthusiasm for playing and connection to the crowd — still sound fresh.

The all-ages crowd, at that point filled in more than halfway back to Rainbow Boulevard, bounced along with the band’s new toaster and rocked steady into the night.

Concert Review

The English Beat

With Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Floozie. Saturday as part of the Hard Rock at the Falls Outdoor Summer Concert Series, Niagara Falls.

URL:
http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article74479.ece
- Buffalo Evening News

Ska stalwarts The English Beat deliver fresh-sounding set in Falls

Updated: August 21, 2010, 7:11 AM

Graced with glorious weather for a second straight Saturday, the Hard Rock Cafe Niagara Falls “Hard Rock at the Falls” free summer concert series continued last night with a four-band lineup headlined by second wave ska stalwarts The English Beat.

Set just a short walk from the Falls in the brick road on the first block of Old Falls Street, the booming system summons countless curious pedestrians surveying the surroundings, and the positive vibrations of the evening were a welcome groove for easy summertime skankin’.

Considering the three bands that followed, Niagara Falls rock ’n’ roll quartet Floozie was an odd choice for an opener. But the hometown boys – Jim Schwartz (lead locals, guitar), Marty Schebell (bass), Mike McGranor (lead guitar, vocals, harmonica), and Sam Porter (drums) – delivered a boisterous, system-testing set of straight-ahead R&R, a little bit dark but plenty fun.

The Rockas followed, a hot new group from “all four corners of Buffalo” featuring members of Great Train Robbery, led by vocalist-saxman Vincent Fossitt and including Steve Basil (keyboards), Rodney Chamberlain (bass), David Malia (guitar), Petie Rodriguez (drums) and Naheem Shabazz (trombone, vocals); as well as a guest rapper. The Rockas locked into a smooth groove that brought out the first signs of ska on and offstage — the balance between hoppin’ horns and a hi-hat-heavy beat, and the signature high-kneed kick of those who dance to it.

Rochester-based break-out quartet Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad delivered an engaging set led by bassist/vocalist James Searl, whose punchy yet smooth vocals and contagious energy provide the pulse of the band. Drummer Chris O’Brian matches Searl’s driving rhythm, while guitarist Dylan Savage and keyboardist Aaron Lipp — both able vocalists themselves –punctuate their airtight sound and underlying positive message.

Just after the sun set, The English Beat, born as The Beat in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and now led stateside by original frontman and left-handed teardrop guitarist Dave Wakeling, opened with two of the covers that helped establish the band during the ska revival at the turn of the ’80s – Jamaican toaster Prince Buster’s “Rough Rider,” and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Tears of a Clown.” Both were delivered with the upbeat and insistent ska sound that makes a group like this — as long as they maintain their enthusiasm for playing and connection to the crowd — still sound fresh.

The all-ages crowd, at that point filled in more than halfway back to Rainbow Boulevard, bounced along with the band’s new toaster and rocked steady into the night.

Concert Review

The English Beat

With Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Floozie. Saturday as part of the Hard Rock at the Falls Outdoor Summer Concert Series, Niagara Falls.

URL:
http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article74479.ece
- Buffalo Evening News