MAJOR RAGER
GOV’T MULE LETTUCE THE REVIVALISTS OMEGA MOOS
THURSDAY, 4/9/2015 THE AUGUSTA COMMONS AUGUSTA, GA
By: Barry Brandow • Photos by Josh Timmermans
When I told my golf enthusiast friends that I was heading to Augusta Georgia on the weekend of one of the biggest golf tournaments of all, The Masters, they right away assume I’m going down to catch the event the live and in person. The look of disbelieve on their faces when I told them I was flying down (from Philly) on Thursday to see a concert and coming back Friday was similar to the look on my face when I finally hit a golf ball 250 yards down the middle of the fairway off the tee. I have played golf several times before, even took lessons when I was younger. I do OK, but my best experiences golfing involve a windmill, a loop-de-loop, and hitting my purple ball into the clowns nose on the 18th hole for a free game or a scoop of ice cream from the snack stand. When my wife and I saw the lineup for the MAJOR RAGER (which includes, GOV’T MULE, LETTUCE, THE REVIVALISTS and OMEGA MOOS) that was enough to get us excited. The fact that it takes place on our 25th Wedding Anniversary made it a sure thing no brainer. The “kick-off” or should I say “tee-off” party for the Masters is where we wanted to be.
“But you’re not staying to watch the Masters” my friend asked.
“Only if I can holler ‘Baba Booey’ when the golfers are teeing off” I replied.
When I was offered the assignment to cover the event, there was no hesitation to say yes. I’ll always jump at the chance to cover four of my favorite bands. The weather was close to perfect and the sky was clear, especially compared to the 40 degree rainy weather I left behind in Philly earlier in the day. The grounds and setting at The Augusta Commons were perfect as well.
Anyone who knows me and my passion for live music knows how I feel about the first band up, The Revivalists. Like a 300 yard Jack Nicklaus hole-in-one, they are simply awesome and one of the best live bands making music today. Proving that extremely hard work pays off, this sophisticated 7 piece puzzle assembles with ease and creates a beautiful picture that all music lovers can appreciate. Each member; David Shaw: vocals/guitar, Zack Feinburg: lead guitar, Rob Ingraham: Sax/vocals, George Gekas: Bass, Ed Williams: steel pedal guitar, Michael Girardot: trumpet/keyboard and Andrew Campanelli: drums, are tops in the game and get better and tighter each time they play. Like a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway on the 1st hole, they started the show with ‘When I’m Able’ and ‘Stand Up’ and got the crowds’ blood flowing with great success. The shortened set featured many highlights, the song ‘Catching Fireflies’ being one of my favorite. It’s one song that features every member of the band showing off their talents with many individual solos and brings everything together with a high energy extended jam. The epic song, ‘Soul Fight’, which followed, is a beautifully composed piece that features strong passionate lyrics and stellar solos by Zack on guitar and Rob on sax. My wife, who is one of the bands biggest fans, will say her favorite moment was when David Shaw jumped off stage (as he did many times) during ‘Not Turn Away’, held her hand, and sang the chorus while gazing into her eyes. I’m sure I’ll be hearing about that for a while. Throughout the rest of the high energy set, which included the songs; ‘Soul Too Loud’, ‘I Wish I Knew You (When I Was Young)’, and ‘Criminal’, the crowd was intensely enthusiastic, singing, dancing and hanging on every note. Even the people around us, who had never seen The Revivalists before, were in full party mode, and enjoying every moment. To finish the set, the song, ‘All in the Family’ morphed into a blazing version of The Rage Against the Machine’s funk metal hit, ‘Bulls on Parade’. I think I can speak for almost everyone there when I say we wish their set was much longer. I wouldn’t be too surprised if these guys headline this event in the near future.
One of the most musically ambitious bands on the line-up was Lettuce, which includes an amazing cast of musicians: Adam Deitch: drummer/chief songwriter, Erick “Jesus” Coomes: lead bassist, Neal Evans: keyboards, Ryan Zoidis: sax, Eric “Benny” Bloom: trumpet, and Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff: guitar. The funky fast paced, mostly instrumentally based set, started with the tune, ‘Madison Square’ and kicked into gear confirming that this band meant business tonight. I’ve seen them perform before and I’m always amazed by their chemistry, tightness, precise timing, and incredible musicianship. It’s very impressive for a band this size with no vocal cues to be this tight. Kind of like a funky orchestra without a conductor. The next few songs just reconfirmed what I said about the bands cohesiveness and constant ability to ignite the crowd. Lettuce also introduced a few new songs to their line-up, ‘Chiefs’, and ‘Pocket Change’ from an upcoming release that were equally as great as all the other music in their arsenal. As I stood to the side of the stage, I noticed a few recognizable musicians and suspected we may be treated with a special sit-in or two. My suspicions were confirmed when the band introduced the beautiful and talented Alicia Chakour for the song she recently recorded with the band. Although the town of Augusta was focused mainly on golf this weekend, the music world celebrates and pays tribute to the ‘Godfather of Soul’ and Augusta native, James Brown. When Ms. Chakour introduced special guest, Sharon Jones to the stage the crowd erupted. Along with Alicia, Ms. Jones electrified and dazzled the thousands at the Augusta Commons with a phenomenal version collab. It was definitely the highlight of the evening, so far. As Lettuce completed their powerful and dynamic set the band continued to electrify the crowd like a 50 foot putt on the 18th hole to win. Even the side stage security guard, who had been outwardly expressing his appreciation for the music he was hearing, asked me ‘who these guys were’ and said ‘he would definitely be checking out their stuff first chance he got’. I can’t say I blame him.
If the music and entertainment world held a tournament similar to The Masters, GOV’T MULE would probably have a walk-in size closet full of green jackets (the jacket awarded to The Masters champion every year). They have been in the upper echelon of the live music scene for a long time and are on top of their game…with no signs of slowing down. The amazingly vast portfolio of music that they perform covers several genres and styles with the highest level of precision and energy. Their loyal FaMuley of fans come from all over and will travel near and far to have their faces melted for several hours. You never know what to expect on any night, but you know you’re in for something special. When the most ambitious touring band in the world takes the stage, it is led by the beloved and accomplished front man and guitarist, Warren Haynes. Mule also has one of the best casts to complete the foursome; Jorgen Carlsson on bass, Danny Louis on keys, horns and guitar and Matt Abts on percussion. All four are tops in their class. The fully charged set began with the song, ‘Bad Little Doggie’ and picked up steam into the heart thumping jam, ‘Game Face’. As many moments of smooth guitar solos fulfilled any Mule fans appetite, those who weren’t familiar with the bands’ music had a sense of familiarity during the little ‘Mountain Jam’ tease made most memorable by The Allman Brothers. If that wasn’t familiar enough, the next song, ‘Rocking Horse’ also made unforgettable by both ABB and MULE mesmerized everyone in The Augusta Commons. During the next few songs; ‘Banks of the Deep End’, ‘Broke Down on the Brazos’ and ‘Whisper in your Soul’, I noticed several prominent musicians and guests congregating around the stairway up to the stage. As I hoped and suspected, guest of honor Danny Ray (James Brown’s famous ‘cape guy’) is one of them. Along with Mr. Ray, trumpet player, Craig Sorrells and members of Lettuce; Neil Evans, Eric Bloom and Ryan Zoidis joined MULE. While holding one of James Brown’s vintage capes, Danny Ray addressed the massive crowd. After graciously thanking everyone in attendance and all the bands that played, MULE and their special guests tore into a spectacular version of the JB’s ‘Doin it to Death’. If there was one James Brown song that I though fit best with Warrens’ passionate vocal expression it was the song that followed, ‘It’s a Man’s World’. For me without a doubt it was the highlight of the night. A scorching solo-filled version of ‘I’m a Ram’ preceded the elegantly melodic song, ‘Beautifully Broken’ which bookended the Tom Petty classic hit ‘Break Down’ before concluding the tune with the help of Craig Sorrells and ended the set. MULE returned to the stage with Mr. Sorrells again who swapped his trumpet for a EWI (Electric Wind Instrument) that Warren Haynes called a ‘Psychodelic Lickin’ Stick’. To complete the incredible night of music, GOV’T MULE rewarded the crowd with the inspirational classic, ‘Soulshine’. Just like the previous song, ‘Soulshine’ bookended the Van Morrison classic, ‘Tupelo Honey’. As the anthem-like song ended the engaging and grateful crowd exploded into applause while the band thanked and bid everyone farewell.
The gracious and respectful crowd disassembled and headed back to their homes or accommodations. Many were on their way 4 blocks down the street to continue the festive night at ‘SKY CITY’ for the after party featuring the Omega Moos. Every great party has a great after party. The Major Rager is no different. Parties like this one should never end. Tonight’s house party band is the Omega Moos whose affectionate name comes from the quirky female sorority in the 1984 comedy, ‘Revenge of the Nerds’. Combining members from the band Umphrey’s McGee; Brendan Bayliss, Ryan Stasik and Kris Myers along with Jamie Shields of The New Deal this would be the band’s first performance in over 2 years. The extremely entertaining set was loaded with familiar songs from the 1980’s era. The band put their own musical twist on classic songs like; Phil Collins hit ‘Easy Lover’ and Corey Harts ‘Sunglasses at Night’. Any 1980’s classic set wouldn’t be complete without hearing Loverboy’s ‘Working for the Weekend’ which led into Tomas Dolby’s ‘Blinded Me with Science’. After a brilliant improvised jam the wild ‘time machine’ ride continued with Hall & Oates ‘I Can’t go for That’, Devo’s, ‘Whip It’, Police’s ‘Masoko Tanga’, Foreigners ‘Double Vision’, The Romantics (minus the pink leather jumpsuits) ‘Talking in your Sleep’ and then closed the set with The Simple Mind’s hit from the 1985 movie “The Breakfast Club”, ‘Don’t You Forget about Me’. Everyone at Sky City couldn’t help but sing along with every song and wanted ‘More, More, More’. Well… they got ‘More, More, More’ when the Omega Moos thrilled the enthusiastic crowd with Duran Duran’s ‘Girls on Film’ and Billy Idol’s mega rock anthem, ‘Rebel Yell’ to end the show. I was never a big fan of the 80’s era of music, those were my deadhead years, but I became a fan and really look forward to seeing the Omega Moos perform again hopefully sooner than later. That was a lot of fun.