You can give me the blues to end my week any time, as long as it's the Brenda Meyer Band brand of blues. Caught their show for the first time last night at The Flea (on Kimbrough, formerly Harlow's), and I'm hooked.
The band easily shifted from gritty give-me-another-whiskey old school blues to classic soul and R&B tunes with a blues twist that had the makeshift dance floor hopping with everything from two-stepping to Soul Train moves. There were no flashy costumes or glitzy light shows, just great vocals, tight harmonies, and musicians that know how to strut their stuff and pump up a crowd. Brenda, on lead vocals and drums, belted out the perfect mix of Bonnie Raitt's gravelly soul and the sultry sass of Bette Midler à la "The Rose." The slide guitarist wailed smooth as silk and hot as Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper at the same time; the bassist thumped the groove and kept the dancers grinding; and the keyboardist looked like he could be a dentist but when he pounded those keys, the finest Hammond organ sound came blasting through to round out the band's unique blues sound.
The band is headed to Memphis for the International Blues Fest next week, and the show was a send-off to get them pumped up to compete. It was great to see a big crowd there, but the turnout of local musicians was phenomenal. I saw Stella Blue and Maddog Steve Call, Chris Albert of Techs and the Roadies, and folks from Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice and the Norman Jackson Band. Brenda also pointed out Treva and the Troublemakers in the audience and that gang was dancing up a storm. The blues, and all types of music, are alive and kicking ass in Springfield, Missouri, and if you aren't out there digging it, you are missing out.
The Flea was a dinky dive, but The Brenda Meyer Band was the bomb! Good luck representing the Ozark's blues scene in Memphis! I'll be catching you again when you get back. I've got my calendar marked for your show on February 16 at Jalen's, the perfect place for live music with plenty of room to boogie. The band starts at 8:00. You can sample their music at www.brendameyerband.com, including "Mississippi Water." I'd never heard it before, but I gotta hear it again.
The band easily shifted from gritty give-me-another-whiskey old school blues to classic soul and R&B tunes with a blues twist that had the makeshift dance floor hopping with everything from two-stepping to Soul Train moves. There were no flashy costumes or glitzy light shows, just great vocals, tight harmonies, and musicians that know how to strut their stuff and pump up a crowd. Brenda, on lead vocals and drums, belted out the perfect mix of Bonnie Raitt's gravelly soul and the sultry sass of Bette Midler à la "The Rose." The slide guitarist wailed smooth as silk and hot as Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper at the same time; the bassist thumped the groove and kept the dancers grinding; and the keyboardist looked like he could be a dentist but when he pounded those keys, the finest Hammond organ sound came blasting through to round out the band's unique blues sound.
The band is headed to Memphis for the International Blues Fest next week, and the show was a send-off to get them pumped up to compete. It was great to see a big crowd there, but the turnout of local musicians was phenomenal. I saw Stella Blue and Maddog Steve Call, Chris Albert of Techs and the Roadies, and folks from Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice and the Norman Jackson Band. Brenda also pointed out Treva and the Troublemakers in the audience and that gang was dancing up a storm. The blues, and all types of music, are alive and kicking ass in Springfield, Missouri, and if you aren't out there digging it, you are missing out.
The Flea was a dinky dive, but The Brenda Meyer Band was the bomb! Good luck representing the Ozark's blues scene in Memphis! I'll be catching you again when you get back. I've got my calendar marked for your show on February 16 at Jalen's, the perfect place for live music with plenty of room to boogie. The band starts at 8:00. You can sample their music at www.brendameyerband.com, including "Mississippi Water." I'd never heard it before, but I gotta hear it again.
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