Casey Russell & The Soul Shack | 2018-01-06 | Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Who is feeling funky fresh this morning? Well, how about after you check out my pull from Casey Russell & The Soul Shack at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom(The Other Side)!

Kicking things off the band showed off their expanded horn section with the trumpet stylings of Matt Wilkolak and saxophone musings from Clark Smith of DYNOHUNTER. The result was the band easing into a funky jam for a buffed version of Donny Hathaway’s “Voice Inside (Everything Is Everything)” and one of the biggest jams of the set. Next up was soulful take on The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” that had some more stellar horn playing. Casey on the organ breakdown fit so perfectly with the tune. Eminance Ensemble’s Taylor James Frederick’s guitar work throughout the set was poignant and directed, framing jams when necessary and going off when needed. After that was a treat for fans of The Magic Beans as Scott Hachey came out to play some guitar on a classic rendition of “Proud Mary” complete with “Toinin and Boinin” vocal inflections from Casey for posterity. The following jam was another treat as Steve Swatkins sat-in on Joey Porter’s rig to lend some fiery clav playing to the Prince tune “She’s Always In My Hair”. The sit-ins continued pretty much throughout the rest of the show as Kevin Watson loaned his incredible vocal talents to a tight versions of “Love The One You’re With” and the Rick James ode to weed “Mary Jane”. The set closed out with the return of Steve Swatkins for two more fantastic sit-ins. Reviving his clav role, Steveland helped add some space funk to the Prince tune “I Wanna Be Your Lover” which launched into a solid jam segment. The set ended rather appropriately with the Funkadelic song “Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On”, a nod to the godfathers of funk. The tune showed off some more of Taylor James Frederick’s playing intermingled with funky clav and keys, all punctuated by the rhythm and horn sections. Just like they started, the band played one of their most thorough grooves to finish off the set, a strong final statement in a set that was full of great moments and friendly faces.

Casey Russell & The Soul Shack | 2018-01-06 | Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO

One Set: Voice Inside (Everything Is Everything) (Donny Hathaway), We Can Work It Out (The Beatles), Proud Mary (Creedance Clearwater Revival)[1], She’s Awlays In My Hair (Prince)[2], Love The One You’re With (Stephen Stills)[3], Sing A Simple Song (Sly And The Family Stone), Mary Jane (Rick James), I Wanna Be Your Lover (Prince)[2], Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On (Funkadelic)[2]

-= Lineup =-
Casey Russell (The Magic Beans) on keys and vocals
Clark Smith (Dynohunter) on the saxophone
Matthew Wilkolak (Lady And The Gentleman) on trumpet
Taylor James Frederick (Eminence Ensemble) on guitar
Sean Dandurand on the bass
James Frank on the drums

Show Notes: This set was performed in support of The SWAT Team. Envy Alo opened the show followed by Casey Russell & The Soul Shack and The SWAT Team closed out the evening.
[1] “Proud Mary” featured Scott Hachey (The Magic Beans) on guitar.
[2] She’s Always In My Hair”m “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “Standing On The Verge” featured Steveland Swatkins (The SWAT Team) on keys and vocals.
[3] “Love The One You’re With” and “Mary Jane” featured Kevin Watson on vocals.

Taper Notes: Stage right of the soundboard. Slightly off-center, Mics raised around 9′. Some feedback issues with the vocal mics but nothing too severe. Thanks to Jason for the patch!

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