Tag Archives: Brooklyn Bowl
Bowlive 2 Starts Tonight at Brooklyn Bowl
March 1st, 2011
Soulive—Alan Evans (drums), Neal Evans (Hammond B3) and Eric Krasno (guitar)—formed in the late ’90s and has been bringing its own bluesy, jammy brand of jazz, funk, classic rock and R&B to the dancing masses ever since. Krasno joined the brothers Evans for a recording session in Woodstock in 1999, which eventually became their first EP, Get Down! A host of discs has followed, including last year’s Rubber Soulive, which, as you can imagine, reinterpreted the Beatles. But despite the trio’s recorded virtuosity, far and away the best way to experience these guys is live. And on that note, you’re in luck because Bowlive 2 starts tonight. That’s right: Soulive (above, doing “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” with Nigel Hall) plays Brooklyn Bowl 10 times between now and 3/12. And as always, there will be special guests galore, like Maceo Parker and Lettuce (tonight), Bernie Worrell and Corey Glover (3/3), Robert Randolph (3/4-5), John Scofield, Ivan Neville and Kofi Burbridge (3/8), Neville, Burbridge and Oteil Burbridge (3/9), Karl Denson and Van Hunt (3/10-11) and Matisyahu (3/12). So put on your dancing shoes or bowling shoes and prepare to get down.
Bustle in Your Hedgerow – Brooklyn Bowl – February 24, 2011
February 25th, 2011
Photos courtesy of Greg Notch | notch.org
(Bustle in Your Hedgerow also plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight.)
Funky Meters – Brooklyn Bowl – February 16, 2011
February 17th, 2011
Photos courtesy of Michael Jurick | music.jurick.net
(The Funky Meters also play Brooklyn Bowl tonight.)
Soul to Soul II: Benefit for Haiti – Brooklyn Bowl – January 18, 2010
January 19th, 2011
Matisyahu – Brooklyn Bowl – November 29, 2010
November 30th, 2010
The New Mastersounds Unite Them All
November 22nd, 2010New Mastersounds – Brooklyn Bowl – November 20, 2010
(Photo: Dino Perrucci)
Brooklyn Bowl was brimming with smiling faces and shaking rumps Saturday night as the UK’s the New Mastersounds provided the soundtrack. The room seemed to be hosting multiple parties all at once—there were a couple of birthdays being celebrated, plus homecomings and reunions, and there might have even been a baby shower going on somewhere in the middle of the floor. But when the band got cooking, they all merged into one continuous festivity from stage to bar.
If you think about any funk, groove or boogaloo band that’s ever gotten your toes tapping, there’s a good chance that the New Mastersounds channeled them at some point during their set. Guitarist Eddie Roberts led the charge, merging Grant Green, Leo Nocentelli and everyone else of that spectrum. Each number set up an irresistible groove on Pete Shand’s bass and Simon Allen’s drums and then Roberts would take over, building up a lengthy, well-formed solo that eventually reached either my-fists-are-pumping-in-the-air or my-butt-can-shake-no-more levels.
Despite the greasy grooves, there is something unmistakably British about the guys in this band, who remarked with curiosity on the roomful of large televisions. (What, they don’t worship your flat screens over there?) Eschewing the normal “how you guys doing?” that gets most party bands by Stateside, Roberts actually inquired of the sweaty, smiling crowd: “Are you feeling suitably engaged?” They most certainly were. —A. Stein
DJ Shadow – Brooklyn Bowl – November 16, 2010
November 17th, 2010
Photos courtesy of Charles Steinberg
Bustle in Your Hedgerow – Brooklyn Bowl – October 9, 2010
October 11th, 2010
A Great Night of Guests, Covers and Sweet Music
October 4th, 2010Soulive – Terminal 5 – October 2, 2010
For two hours on Saturday night, Terminal 5 became a messy tangle of happy fans and great music. People danced in every corner of all three floors of the venue, while Soulive and a rotating group of friends (otherwise known as the Royal Family Band) provided an excellent groove ranging from borderline freeform jazz to Beatles covers. The band kicked off the set with a few of the latter from their new album of funkified Beatles songs, Rubber Soulive, including an explosive rendition of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
Those in the crowd were happy to provide their own vocals, especially in these opening moments. The Evans brothers (Alan and Neal, playing drums and organ respectively) and guitar-specialist Eric Krasno brought out a stacked brass section, including Sam Kininger on sax and Sammie “Big Sam” Williams on trombone, and guests like vocalist Nigel Hall, plus famed jazz guitarist John Scofield and local guitar god Warren Haynes, of Gov’t Mule, the Allman Brothers Band and the Dead, for fiery tracks at the end of the set. Scofield even stuck around for the encore, which included Hall doing his best James Brown during an incredible medley of the Godfather of Soul’s best music. —Sean O’Kane
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
(Big Sam’s Funky Nation plays Brooklyn Bowl on Friday.)
Stanton Moore Trio with Anders Osborne – September 23, 2010
September 24th, 2010
Sunday Shows Bring Out the Fervent Fans
September 13th, 2010Stockholm Syndrome – Brooklyn Bowl – September 12, 2010
Last night Brooklyn Bowl was perhaps the only place where you could simultaneously watch the football game, a Tim Burton flick, rock your ass off and bowl a few rounds (when you should have been in bed). Stockholm Syndrome—a supergroup/side project featuring Jerry Joseph, Dave Schools, Eric McFadden, Wally Ingram and Danny Louis—had the honor of extending the weekend. Watching these guys mesh together onstage was much like watching Donovan McNabb hand off to Clinton Portis while both wearing Redskins jerseys. With each musician coming from a distinct background, their joint effort was like a virtual Venn diagram with the music coming out of that small sliver of dark, overlapping area, which, in this case, was a vicious, funked-up rock and roll with Joseph spitting out powerful lyrics like they’d left a funny taste in his mouth.
The crowd was moderate in size but fanatical in spirit; the types of folk who would follow Joseph to the dankest Lowest East Side bar or Schools to the most backwater of Southern towns. There’s rarely a casual fan out on a Sunday night, and the audience was full of vigor watching Schools going chiropractic on his bass all night and Joseph and McFadden dueling on guitar. The two six-strings seemed like different instruments, with McFadden leaving muddy footprints behind each frenetic note played and Joseph, literally bouncing on bare feet, unleashing edgy but clean runs on his Fender. The spirit was loose and jammy, although the jams were direct and concise, lasting just long enough to breathe with democratic solos from all participants. —A. Stein
Big Boi Goes Bowling in Brooklyn
September 7th, 2010Big Boi – Brooklyn Bowl – September 7, 2010
Back in 2003, OutKast took over the world. The hip-hop duo of André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton released two singles, “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move,” that topped the music charts and broke through to mainstream radio. However, André 3000’s and Big Boi’s distinct styles complemented and, ultimately, distanced each other from their respective musical ambitions. Their last major release, the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, is essentially two solo albums under the banner of OutKast. And, while the two have collaborated since that effort, OutKast looks to be at an impasse for the time being.
In the meanwhile, this summer Big Boi released his solo debut, the long-awaited Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. In support of the album, he landed at Brooklyn Bowl last night, his first time back to New York City since the disc’s release. Accompanied by OutKast’s DJ, Cutmaster Swiff, Big Boi took to the stage with a microphone and years of experience. The two were all the MC needed as he cycled through OutKast hits “Rosa Parks” and “Ms. Jackson,” in addition to inserting new party starters “Shine Blockas” and “Shutterbugg” into the mix.
The set kept this balance throughout, much to the appreciation of the audience. While most in attendance knew Big Boi’s new material, “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” and early OutKast tunes from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik captivated the group’s devotees. Moreover, each live song was synced up to its corresponding video and displayed on the venue’s surrounding screens, adding to the audio/visual experience and serene sense of nostalgia. So, while we wait for the return of rap’s preeminent duo, it is best to stay with Big Boi. —Jared Levy
The Radiators – Brooklyn Bowl – September 3, 2010
September 6th, 2010
