First of all let me say that I don’t normally do concert reviews. However, this is one of the rare exceptions. This past Sunday night, I had the opportunity to catch East Bay Soul headed by the gifted musician, and arranger Greg Adams.
The concert was at Yoshi’s in Oakland a great place for food as well. A little side note, make dinner reservations, and you will get preferred seating in the venue. As we finished our dinner, my wife and I noticed a few musicians hanging around at the adult beverage dispensary. We saw Herman Matthews (drummer for East Bay Soul and former TOP member). Along with Herman we noticed Jeff Tamalier and Marc Russo (both former members of TOP as well as numerous other bands). I made the comment to my wife, about how cool it was to see Jeff, and Marc at the venue to support the band. We waited about five minutes and went into the showroom.
Within a short time the show started, and as the band came out, with surprise we knew this was going to be a great evening because sitting in with the band was Marc Russo. The band was on stage for about two hours playing a mixture of songs from the East Bay Soul CD, a few tunes from Greg’s solo recordings, and a couple of cover tunes.
Highlights-
• Greg Adams-his musicianship and arrangements need no description other than fantastic. Greg also adds great stories, and interplay with the audience to the show, making is a very at folksy down home experience.
• Marc Russo-Not sure if Marc is now a regular member of the band, or if he was sitting in, but his solos were incredible, and he looked very comfortable with the band, reading charts for the first time.
• Herman Matthews- what can I say, some great drum fills, and if you need someone to drive the musical bus, Herman’s the guy.
• Johnnie Bamont-since Johnnie is a Bay Area guy I have seen him with many bands throughout the years. Usually in a supporting act, it was great seeing Johnnie lay down a few solos. He plays everything from to flute to Bari with precision.
• James Wirrick-guitar player and Greg Adams writing partner. Great guitar fills and nice solo work as well.
• Joey Navarro-One of the surprises of the evening, this guy is one serious keyboard player.
• Lastly Darryl Walker. On East Bay Soul’s CD there are a number of vocalists. But in this show Darryl is the guy. Having not heard Darryl except on the CD I did not know what to expect. Well this guy can flat out sing, great vocal control; he doesn’t over sing, but has a mellow vibe, and smoothness to his voice.
On several of the bullet points I mentioned soloing. Not only does Greg lend his solo talents to the band, but he allows all the guys in the band to stretch out.
Get the word out about East Bay Soul. If they are in your area, get to a show. If they are not in your area, contact your local venue and request East Bay Soul. This is a band that needs to be heard live.
To book East Bay Soul contact:
ALM Management Group
Encino, CA. 91416
http://www.almmanagement.com/
Tel: 818-609-9528
e-mail : andrea@almmanagement.com
For more info on East Bay Soul go to : http://www.eastbaysoul.com/.
