Joe Marcinek Band, Voodoo Visionary Romp Sunday Evening at Dunedin Brewery
Both the Joe Marcinek Band and Voodoo Visionary were in Punta Gorda for Funk Fest 9 last Friday and Saturday. I had attended #8 last year but had to miss this year’s event, including the aforementioned bands, two of my favorites. So great thanks goes to Michael Lyn Bryant at Dunedin Brewery for having them both in for an intimate Sunday event that nearly knocked the walls down.
I’m positive that both killed at Funk Fest, but they really let loose Sunday, and everybody in the packed house is the better for it.
Also: Jimmy Lynch and Freekbass. Just sayin’…
Atlanta’s Voodoo Visionary had the first round, their self-proclaimed “improvisational funk and dance grooves” clearly on display. As I arrived partway through the set, they were ripping up “Take the Wheel.” Vocalist Scottie MacDonald was resplendent in New Orleans voodoo get-up, and the usual quintet also had oft-addition Ben Otieno on trumpet with them as well.
Next, Dennis Dowd’s clavinet signaled that “Life During Wartime” was about to get the VV treatment, including a great “Kemosabe” tease in the middle. Bryant was invited to sit in on synth, and he and Dowd tore it up while Mac Schmitz laid down some nasty rhythms at the drum kit.
They followed that with one of their best songs (and they have a lot): “Cold Shadow Moon,” with that great “It’s a sticky, sticky, sticky, sticky, sticky, sticky, sticky situation” refrain. Guitarist Mike Wilson killed all set. And, oh yes, Jimmy Lynch. Because his funky bass grooves were incredible. For the closing “Got a Feeling,” they invited Marcinek up to go toe to toe with Wilson on guitar. That was a thing of power and beauty.
If you’re not familiar with Marcinek, you should get hip, because eventually he’ll come to your town with a ridiculous lineup of top-notch musicians and blow your mind. For this brief foray, he brought along two gentlemen who often join him: Steve Molitz (Particle) on all things keyboard and the one and only Freekbass. For this show, Michael ‘Thunderfoot’ Garrie (The Juanjamon Band, CopE) played drums.
They opened with a great funk reworking of “Come Together” with Freekbass handling the lead vocal. He and Garrie were in perfect sync. Then Marcinek gave the nod to Molitz as they played “Launchpad,” the title track from the first Particle album. The quartet squeezed every drop of jamtronic goodness out of the tune, and the jam got stupid when Bryant joined Molitz on synths.
Next up were two songs from Marcinek’s most recent album, the excellent Slink. They tore into “Soffa” first, with Marcinek’s sweet guitar ripping it up. And then it was on to “George Washington.” It is impossible for me to overstate my love and reverence for this song, one of the best uptempo funk tunes ever. Of course they sent it skyward! Molitz had Dowd join him on keyboards and gave him a lot of space as each one just soared. And Otieno was in the mix as well.
At this point, if you weren’t grinning ear to ear, I hope you checked your pulse; you might have flatlined.
MacDonald came up to sing “Shakedown Street,” one of Marcinek’s very best Dead covers, with WOOs all around. Schmitz took the drum chair for the finale, “Red Hot Mama,” and Marcinek returned the favor by calling Wilson up to shred with him, Molitz dancing all over the keyboards and Freekbass funking everything up.
Just your typical Sunday evening at the Dunedin Brewery.
FABULOUS!
[VV: Off the Ground, Hero on the Horizon, Let’s Stay Together, Bring It Back, Take the Wheel, Life During Wartime, Cold Shadow Moon, Got a Feeling]
[JMB: Come Together, Launchpad, Soffa, George Washington, Shakedown Street, Red Hot Mama]
