May We Suggest You Put Custard Pie on Your Concert Menu

It’s possible you’re one of the five people in the Southeast who haven’t seen or heard of Custard Pie, the cosmic gypsy jam band based out of Jacksonville, Florida. There’s nowhere they won’t drive to do a gig, no festival they won’t play, even if it’s a campground show. Except that now Custard Pie are playing lots of shows and festivals, and with good reason.

They are good. Really, really good. So good, in fact that this happened at the inaugural Suwannee Rising Music Festival in April:

It was a brilliant move to have Custard Pie open this festival up. From start to finish, the construction of the lineup was genius. It appeared that there were more than the three Custard Pie dudes on stage as they began. In fact, the trio were augmented by West Brook (Melody Trucks Band, Ginger Beard Man) on slide guitar, Ben Strok on guitar and Max Zargon (The Full Electric, Trail Driver) on keyboards.

There was always special consideration that Levine gave in selecting the first band to perform at Bear Creek including some of my favorites: Shak Nasti, The Heavy Pets, London Souls, Savi Fernandez Band, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, and Freddie’s Finest. Custard Pie fits into that group snugly.

Rory Joseph, Aaron Webb, and Brandon Howell jumped immediately into a badass Latino groove which turned into a trance-y jam which became jazzier as it stretched out: “Long Time Gone Part 1 > Redabs > James Brown.” Finally, I scribbled in my notepad “just stupid.” Because, well, it was.

Reed Skahill (Ajeva) came on stage to sing “I’d Rather Be with You” (from Stretchin’ Out with Bootsy’s Rubber Band) with smokin’ synth by Zargon. Strok and Zargon then split to get ready for their set following. The quartet shifted into psychedelic trance, with West Brook playing ostinato slide guitar. They jammed heavy, they played Calypso, they did whatever they wanted, and everybody there for the opening set dug what was shakin’. The set included a tune titled “Moondark” that will merit an article all to itself.

Custard Pie are the hardest-working band on the Southeast jam band scene, and they show no signs of letting up. They join Ajeva Thursday, August 15, at the Ringside in St. Petersburg for the Umphrey’s McGee Post-party. They have shows coming up all over Florida and Georgia, including the Bold City Beer & Music Festival in Jacksonville September 1. And they have shows in Augusta and Snow Camp, North Carolina, on the road to Dr. Bacon’s Smokedown in Asheville.

Custard Pie are: Rory Joseph, electric guitar, vocals, percussion & loops; Aaron Webb, electric bass; Brandon Howell, drums, percussion, vocals & samples; and Megan Hedrick, lighting engineer.

Haven’t tried Custard Pie yet? You should! It’s delicious!

CUSTARD PIE

08/15  Umphrey’s McGee Post-party | Ringside Cafe | St. Petersburg FL  w/ Ajeva
08/16  The Pub | Tifton GA
08/24  Green Turtle Tavern | Fernandina Beach FL
08/25  Sarbez | St. Augustine FL  w/ Observatory
08/31  L.L. Creek | Waycross GA
09/01  Bold City Beer & Music Festival | Jacksonville FL
09/07  Dunedin Brewery | Dunedin FL  w/ Ben Strok & the Full Electric
09/13  Lucky’s Moonrakers | Valdosta GA
09/14  The Pub | Tifton GA
09/20  Outer Spaced Out | 1904 Music Hall | Jacksonville FL  w/ Trail Diver
09/25  Road to Smokedown | The Fox’s Lair at Olde Town Inn | Augusta GA
09/26  Road to Smokedown | Little Creek Vineyard & Music | Snow Camp NC
09/27  Dr. Bacon’s Smokedown | One World Brewing | Asheville NC
10/17  Jack Rabbits | Jacksonville FL  w/ tomatoband, Stephen Pigman

CUSTARD PIE
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