Shoeless Soul Elevates, Enlivens Zen Fest Again
[Most photos are from Unicorns Unite courtesy of Adam Danger Smith]
[Tiny little Zen Fest rolled into All World Acres in Plant City for the seventh time February 8-9-10, and once again it exceeded all expectations. The stage is minuscule, the camping space slightly expanded but still small, and the crowds were modest, but none of that is reflective of the wonderful music and community which poured out.]
For the seventh time in seven Zen Fests, shoeless soul had the honor of closing out Saturday night. There is something delightedly different about them, from Rene Schlegel’s Swiss accent and wonderful vocal style to Dave Gerulat’s eclectic presence at the drum kit. They twist up rock, “prozac pop,” jazz, blues, reggae and more into a magical blend, and this set was, for many of us, their most magical of all.
In addition to band members Mike Ratza on tenor saxophone and Sladjan Vidic on bass, the group was augment by two members of Row Jomah who had just played the set before: Austin Llewellyn on keyboards and Dylan Chee-A-Tow on percussion. That was a nice switch, since Gerulat had just played percussion as Chee-A-Tow drummed during the Row Jomah set.
They opened with a bluesy number called “Happiness,” followed by one of Schlegel’s most outstanding compositions, “Modern Day Pioneers.” The band was on fire, smiles everywhere across the stage and in the crowd. As Schlegel sang “Time,” we were reminded that time is a “gift you’ve been given. Maybe it was “Mother Nature,” a song with a reggae-ish lilt, that Schlegel crushed a great wah-wah guitar solo and Ridic was simply stratospheric on bass.
Ratza’s tenor sax gives the band a tremendous extra dimension, giving them that genre flexibility. After “Mother Nature,” “Smile” told us about living life in a “starring role.” Then Adrian Praino commented about this — and every — shoeless soul performance:
“It’s like holding a puppy. You can’t help but smile!”
They played “Bubble Song” about “living life in a bubble,” and then Schlegel commented about returning year after year to Zen Fest.
“They’re going to get us out of a retirement home for a walker race.”
To which Richard Fiallo, proprietor of All World Acres, announced:
“And we’re going to bring you back every year!”
That was met with great huzzahs. “Paving the Way,” all about “games people play,” seemed like the perfect way to finish the set — and the evening.
BRAVO, shoeless soul!
shoeless soul plays tonight (Saturday, March 9) at Dunedin Brewery with Row Jomah. And they’ll play next Saturday, March 16, at 8th Avenue Pub in Safety Harbor.