Zebra Thieves

12th Street took the stage at around twelve thirty and played almost straight through with virtually no pause whatsoever. I'd never watched a full 12th Street show from start to finish, nor had I seen one featuring their new bass player (which may be because this was the first -- not sure), but I have to say that this band completely blew me away in terms of sheer musicianship. I mean, this band can jam, and there really isn't a weak member, either. There may not be much in the way of keys/harmonica/percussion, and you probably won't notice the drums too often, but it's really not a discredit to those musicians; it is a tribute to how tight this band is together and how fully capable the cello, acoustic guitar and bass can fill up amazing amounts of sound together.

I must confess, being a bass player in a local band, much of my attention was drawn to 12th Street's new bassist, who truly blew me away. He's all over the fretboard, capable of holding down the low end as well as soloing, and sometimes even did both at the same time (thanks to his octave pedal). I've always been impressed by the other musicians, as well, of course, and they certainly didn't let me down on this night, but it's just where my focus, if not admiration, happened to land. - mmclive.com