Make sure you’re at The Knitting Factory this Sunday. You’ll miss out on awesome stuff like this:
Since its doors opened in 1961, The Bitter End has featured artists from Bob Dylan to Stefani Germanotta (who you may now know as Lady Gaga), and almost everything else in between. This past Saturday night, Sam Reider and his Lost Boys joined that extensive list of Bitter End performers, and they did not disappoint.
Soon after the band was set up, the audience was shaken from their conversation with the sound of a horn section as tight as any funk band from back in the day. They had our attention, and would manage to hold it for the next hour.
They began with what has already become one of their signature songs, “Get Lost:” a tune describing the eye-opening experience one may have getting lost, and freeing their mind from the stresses of everyday life. After a couple verses, Eddie Barbash came in on alto saxophone to solo with his soulful melody, combining the sounds of Johnny Hodges, Ornette Coleman and classic country fiddle.
Similarly, throughout the set, each song was garnished with a solo by one of the amazingly talented “Lost Boys:” Ben Flocks (tenor), JJ Kirkpatrick (trumpet), Isaac Kaplan (trombone), Armand Hirsch (guitar), Jeff Picker (bass), and Jake Goldbas (drums). Being that each one of these musicians is well versed in the jazz language, their solos were obviously theoretically and harmonically informed. Yet each of them had a strong sense of the most important aspect of improvisation; melody. At one point, in the New Orleans tradition, the horn section marched around the club while playing “When the Saints Go Marching In,” giving the audience quite a show.
Sam’s piano playing and compositions also gave light to his skills as a jazz pianist. In one song, his stride introduction on the slightly out-of-tune piano harkened the sound of the turn of the century. It was also no surprise to me at all when Sam informed me of some of his biggest influences: The Band, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, James Booker, Norah Jones, Bill Withers, George Jones, Dolly Parton.
Once again, being in the audience during a Sam Reider and the Lost Boys performance is far from disappointing. By the end of the night, Sam had the entire club singing the chorus from his latest song, “Find Me Someone to Love.” The band invites you to have as much fun as they appear to be having on stage, and with the music and energy they create, you can’t help but do so.
boriginal & byou
Kris
For more music from Sam Reider and The Lost Boys, visit their myspace page!
Get Lost
[audio http://campusounds.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/get-lost.mp3]
Tomorrow night (Saturday 2.19), I’ll be at the Bitter End enjoying the sounds of Sam Reider and The Lost Boys. Like what you hear? See you there tomorrow night at 9:30pm!
