George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners and The Reality at The Attic
Photographs by kind permission of Funk Eye Media
Stories by kind permission of Phil Ross and Dan Farkas
George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners and The Reality played The Attic at Rock Brothers Friday night, September 20, in Ybor City (Tampa). We asked two of the area’s best to talk about the show. We were there but wanted to share their impressions.
Phil Ross said:
So it has been a while since I last saw George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners. I was happy to see they would be playing in my area and made a mental note to get some tickets before the show date, which I managed to accomplish a full two hours before they stopped selling them online the day before the show.
As it turns out I was already working a trade show in Tampa that day, so that worked out well, as the show was at The Attic at Rock Brothers in Ybor City, just outside downtown.
I ran into some friends at the venue and had a quick little dinner at a nearby Thai place in before heading back to the venue. The staff at The Attic is always helpful and friendly, so that helped set the mood for what promised to be a great night. We arrived upstairs to a full but not overcrowded venue. The opener was a local favorite, The Reality.
They only played a 35-minute set, but it was hot. I especially noticed how they came out right off the bat with some serious high energy. It’s not easy to start a set with that kind of energy and then maintain it throughout, but that’s exactly what The Reality did.
I really like The Attic because it is intimate, well air-conditioned, and they seem to really care about good sound as well as providing their patrons with a great experience. George Porter Jr. and his Runnin’ Pardners helped them deliver. From the first familiar tones coming from George, I knew it was going to be a great night. He delivers his brand of New Orleans funk with style and more than a little expertise on his instrument. The band played about an hour-and-45-minute set, literally without stopping once.
They ran through several songs unfamiliar to me and several old Meters favorites as well as a few of George’s solo originals. George gave his bandmates plenty of time to shine as each member took solos in several songs. Keyboards by Michael Lemmler were silky smooth and funky; drums were tight and sometimes explosive. George played in perfect lock-step with drummer Terrence Houston as if they have been playing together for a very long time. I’m not sure how long they actually have played together, but I hope they continue to do so for a long time. Guitar was classic NOLA funk sound with some really hot solos.
At the beginning of the show I had walked up to the front row with the intention of staying up front for a few songs to get some pictures. I ended up staying there the whole evening. The energy continued to ramp up all night as the band delivered more and more funk to the enthusiastic crowd. The set ended after a blistering guitar solo during which Brint Anderson broke a string and had to switch to his backup telecaster. He did so without missing a beat.
When the last song ended and the band stood up to say goodnight, the applause was thunderous, and it was obvious to the band we weren’t going to let them leave without one more song, and they were happy to oblige us with Grateful Dead favorite “They Love Each Other,” done in the most funky arrangement I’ve ever heard. Who knew that song was a funk song all along, just waiting to be discovered?
So once again, The Attic gave us the perfect setting to see one of our favorite artists with some really great sound, albeit a little loud for me, but my Earaser ear plugs took it down to just the right level for me. It was great to see friends and happy strangers all having a great time. I can’t wait to do it again.
Thanks, Phil Ross!
Dan Farkas said:
George Porter Jr., one of the founding fathers of NOLA funk, gave a lesson in how to lay down old-school funk in our modern world. The night started with a meet-and-greet with George. He was so laid back and so approachable, not to mention he was wearing the best tie-dye in the house.
Shortly after, the music started with local band The Reality gracing the stage. I’d seen the Reality several times before, and they definitely brought their “A” game. Their blend of rock, funk and fun was probably the best set of theirs I have seen to date.
George Porter only has an “A” game, and he and his Runnin’ Pardners gave us an amazing set of music. Within the first five minutes, we had our first bass solo of the night. There were very few breaks between songs as the jams went from one into another. The set list was graced by old Meter tunes (“Cissy Strut”), NOLA standards (“Aiko Aiko”) and old-time rock/blues classics (“Turn On Your Lovelight”), all of it enveloped by the Pardners’ hot stinky funk.
The entire night George remained the coolest cat in the house. The crowd was very into what he was laying down, and our appreciation was rewarded with an encore cover of the Grateful Dead’s “They Love Each Other.” The Attic was thoroughly funked out, and we walked into the Ybor night with smiles from ear to ear.
Thanks, Dan Farkas!
