Guavatron, Electric Kif, Tropico Blvd, MiniM: BRILLIANT NIGHT!

Guavatron, Electric Kif, Tropico Blvd, MiniM: BRILLIANT NIGHT!

On paper, the lineup put together by Guavatron and Floridian Social Club in St. Petersburg looked titanic. The actual show on Friday, December 16 shot several light years beyond that. We will keep words to a “MiniM-um” and let the superb photographs of Chuck Smalling  / Funk Eye Media  and Dan Fer / DJF Workshops: Photography & Multi-Media and the brilliant audio recordings of Marc Foster / St Pete Taper tell the real story. Because it was magic from start to finish.

And the start of the show featured an aerialist and a poi artist. They were gorgeous, talented, exciting, sexy, and the perfect beginning to this evening of magic. And they would return for a repeat performance before the Tropico Blvd set!

Before we discuss the music, we must talk about the sound quality in The Floridian. Admittedly, the room is a box, and sound bounces all over the place. However, a competent sound engineer can work to combat most of those difficulties. The sound for MiniM and for Tropico Blvd was bass-heavy and overly loud. The result was that vocals and keyboards were at least partly lost in the mix (fortunately, the recordings compensate for most of that). Looking for improved sound? You’ll find some suggestions here.

This was my third MiniM sighting. The first was very good, the second outstanding. This performance was quantum levels above the previous. When keyboard master Dave Rakower caught me after the show and asked what I thought, I said, “It was dirtier, grittier, nastier. Exactly what I was hoping to hear.”

MiniM are: David Rakower, keyboards, vocals; Ross Borgias, guitar, lead vocals; Michael Hibler, guitar; Billy Sanders, drums; Hunter Richey, bass; and Shane LeVigne, percussion.

Borgias handled most of the vocals during the four-song set. [And we wish him well with a recent confounding infection!] “Evolving” describes the music of the band; this song was excellent, and “Layered Mirrors” was even better. Hibler had a superb night on lead guitar, and this song kicked ass! Richey and Sanders had the bottom end and groove tamped down tight.

Rakower played piano and sang “Butterfly Pearls” before the band closed with a really, really uptempo groove during “Concrete.” Not too shabby for a band just a year old! Betting that 2023 will see them skyrocket!

[MiniM: Evolving, Layered Mirrors, Butterfly Pearls, Concrete]

This link is for the audio files on archive.org courtesy of Marc Foster.

The aerialist and fire spinner were back, totally awesome again. The house music between bands was unnecessarily and meaninglessly loud.

Tropico Blvd had a tough assignment, stuck in between a fine opening set and the prospect of two powerhouse bands following them. Only one thing to do: knock out a great set of music. They did so, despite the sound issues in the room mentioned previously.

Tropico Blvd are: Miguel Lantigua, guitar, vocals; Audrey Short, guitar, vocals; Cody Moore, saxophone, keyboards; Dan Gaily, bass; Riley O’Brien, drums; and Devin Constant, percussion.

O’Brien and Constant were on point from the word go. Moore’s sax stood out (just barely above the mix) on “Fat Wolf,” with strong vocals from Lantigua and Short. “Under My Breath” had a distinct reggae lilt to it, Moore this time on organ. They dancers were up and appreciating the vibes pouring from the stage. “The Rails” was a great, bouncy tune, and they closed with a really fine song called “Spark,” referring to the spark to life.

[TROPICO: Slide, Rude Awakening, Fat Wolf, Under My Breath, Dave, Haterz, Bloom, Rocks Fall, The Rails, Spark]

There is a feeling that astronauts get during blastoff when they are pinned to their seats by the G-forces. I am no astronaut, so I’m guessing here, but that’s what the Electric Kif felt like. I have seen this Miami-based band dozens of time, but this was a galaxy beyond where they’ve been: ASTONISHING. 

Electric Kif are: Jason Matthews, keyboards, synths; Eric Escanes, guitar; Rodrigo Zambrano, bass; and Armando Lopez, drums.

“Joeway” was incredible, Fela Kuti beats and swirling synths, pulsing, vibrant. Escanes was on top of every jam, blistering solo after solo. They tore through “Sonar” before a legendary version of the band’s funkiest song, “Labrats.” During the jam, they layered “Crosseyed and Painless” atop the song’s vibe.

The Herbie Hancock tune “Actual Proof” had Escanes on that James Brown-style rhythm guitar while Matthews dug deep on synths. All the while, Zambrano and Lopez were laying down an incredible platform for some nasty metal funk. There was amazing prog during “Jefe,” and the closing “Anthem” by turns ran through reggae and Black Sabbath-force metal. INCREDIBLE INDEED.

[KIF: Joeway, Sonar, Labrats,  Actual Proof, Jefe, Butterfly, Tumble, Anthem]

Finally, Guavatron, from West Palm Beach, were ready to take the stage after a fabulous night of music with three great bands plus the aerialist and fire spinner. This quartet just threw down two great sets at North Beach Music Festival, but apparently they were only getting warmed up.

Guavatron are: Adonis Guava, guitar, vocals; Roddy Hansen, keyboards; Conor Crookham, bass; and Casey Luden, drums, vocals.

We have this game we play:

SCOTT: That was your best set EVER!

GUAVATRON: You always say that.

Granted, they are correct, but this one was utterly ridiculously brilliant, beginning with this 50-minute sequence: “Cousin Kelly > Moon Boots > Xilla,” a non-stop dance party! “Cousin Kelly” is probably the best song out of the gate I have ever heard from any band, and this one was off the charts. After several tempo changes, it settled into the jam, finally working into “Moon Boots,” a song they debuted at Suwannee Hulaween. After the vocal portion, it led into a long jam, with teases of “Xilla” appearing several minutes before the quartet directed the groove there. 

Crookham was crushing on bass, powered along by Luden’s mastery at drum kit. Adonis called Jason Matthews out to join Hansen on keyboards and synths, and they twirled away as the jam went to new and uncharted waters. 

After a brief respite to say thanks, pure metal poured out as they jumped into old favorite “Get It On,” which featured a great spacey section. Adonis is a guitarist of stunning talent, and these four men mesh so perfectly. They finished the evening with their “hit” song “Disco Shades,” with that jam too finding new avenues to explore.

[GUAVA: Cousin Kelly > Moon Boots > Xilla, Get It On > Disco Shades]

This link is for the audio files on archive.org courtesy of Marc Foster.

TIME TO GET GUAVATRON AND ELECTRIC KIF ON THE BOAT!

What a magnificent night from four of Florida’s best musical exponents! 2023 promises to be a very great year indeed!

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