I Saw the Stooges Again!
I finally got to see the Stooges Brass Band perform a second time. The City of Johns Creek Georgia hosts a free concert every Saturday as a part of their Summer Concert series. Mostly Johns Creek residents attend this event, but it is open to anyone interested. There was no way I would miss this performance. I had ample opportunities in the past to see the Stooges perform in Atlanta and always found a reason to stay home or engage in other activities. Now when I look back, I deeply regret those decisions.
The concert was great. The first band to perform was the AJ Ghent Band. They had more of a pop jazz sound. I didn’t pay as much attention to them as I was anxious to see the Stooges. However, I did notice their cool trick in covering around 8 different R&B songs on one beat. Having experience in music, I know that this is not hard for musicians to do, but it is always much more exciting and cool to hear and witness during a performance.
The Stooges walked on stage around 8:40pm. They brought their instruments and immediately began the mic check. After three or four minutes of setting up and checking mics, Walter (the band leader) gave an introduction and they began playing. I was so excited to hear them; I couldn’t contain myself. I was ready for them to grace us with what I call, music of the JAZZ heavens.
Today the Stooges had a tough audience. The crowd was very mundane and lacked energy. However, 20 minutes into their performance, the band stopped (I think this is the only time they may have stopped playing) to engage the audience by initiating a dance competition. Their tactic worked well, as they found a way to get the crowd up and moving by teaching one of their most popular dance moves and songs, “Wind it Up”.
Throughout their show, three musicians played different instruments to cover each other while one musician was singing, rapping, or talking. To bridge the songs together, they performed fast paced Latin sounding jazz and it converged well. Honestly, I can’t recall a moment when the music stopped until the end of their show. They may have stopped playing for a few seconds between a song or two, but their energy and music was so rich that all I could picture and hear in my head afterwards were the horns, drums, and their dance moves.
They ended the show by taking the crowd to New Orleans with covers of popular Brass Band songs. It was easy to imagine strolling through the French Quarter or roaming the Treme neighborhood as their horns sang. And If you haven’t been to New Orleans, you knew now that you wanted to go.
Precise note playing, electrifying rhythms and loads of energy is all it takes to put on a great show, but it must be mentioned that the Stooges Brass Band is overwhelming with talent. They have enough material to appeal to all age groups, and music ear types. As long as you enjoy live music, you would find much enthusiasm in watching this band perform. I am so glad I got to experience their show a second time. I can’t wait to see them when they return.
-Jolly
June 22, 2017
