Playing the outdoor deck at The Tap in Haverhill is usually a pleasant gig for any blues band. Last night was a bit of a challenge for Track 44. Their regular rhythm section couldn’t make it, so keyboardist Dan Sevush and guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Pircio had to rely on substitutes. The stand in on bass was Kevin Lilas, and drummer Steve Peabody stepped up to the skins for this gig. Peabody fits in with just about any band. It’s not uncommon to run into him two weekends in a row with a totally different band and he always pulls it off.
Luckily, the stand ins were standouts and the gig went on without a hitch. Track 44 opened with an easy sweep of organ chords and guitar phrases to gently pull people’s attention to the show. The band soon turned up the energy, groove, and “it factor.”
On B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby,” Pircio’s guttural, whiskey-soaked voice and barking guitar phrases made the song come alive with that real down and dirty blues feeling. Sevush’s organ blues poured extra gravy over the potatoes. The combination of guitar and organ did what blues is supposed to do, express the relief of pain which makes people listen to blues in the first place.
The substitute rhythm section locked right into a steady blues groove on “Further Up The Road,” and they kept that tight lock going on all night. On slow boil blues tunes there was an electric glide of easy going guitar phrases, and the organ would step it up with groovy soulful chords. After the organ had its turns, the guitar would reenter with an authentic blues phrase that made you realize that Track 44 can keep turning up the heat. This guitarist, Jimmy Pircio steadily builds an arc for each song. His guitar architecture is carefully and tastefully constructed, with little nuances here and there making things interesting. And boy, can he play that guitar.
Some numbers found this unit bopping along with the organ as part of the rhythm section while the guitarist firds off several blues licks over it. More edgy blues numbers found the guitar and organ grinding out those real crunchy chords that sounding good outdoors. Haverhill’s seven year old establishment, The Tap, has a spacious area that allows for conversation and music to coexist peacefully. The music doesn’t drown out anybody’s conversation. Conversation does not impede anybody’s ability to hear the music. The owner at The Tap has plans to expand his entertainment offerings. Satch Romano hosts a blues jam there every Sunday evening.
Back to the Track 44 show. Sevush had a soulful vocal turn on a rock and roll version of Ray Charles’s “Unchain My Heart.” Peabody did some good cymbal work on a few numbers, and he would always stop in time to get out of the organ’s way. B.B. King’s “Thrill Is Gone” was the band’s smoothest delivery of the night. Pircio’s guitar playing was perfectly understated and his voice was appropriately raspy. “Every Day I Have The Blues” was more of a gritty, thick mesh of instruments than the more linear stuff they had been doing, and the stew made a nice contrast with their previous songs. “Stormy Monday” found the boys wringing lots of subtle nuances, with Sevush brewing up the organ notes behind mighty fine guitar phrases.
“Shaky Ground” may have become a bar band cliché over the years, but it is still a fun song that everyone likes, and Track 44 used it to get people onto the dance floor. “Killing Floor” and “Before You Accuse Me” offered even more opportunity for Pircio to play his guitar magic before the call and response groove of “Got My Mojo Workin’” pulled several people onto the dance floor. Answering calls for one more song, Track 44 closed out with Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” that they pulled off with Sevush’s organ work.
Track 44 is a blues band with a lot to offer. The outdoor deck at The Tap in Haverhill was a good place to host them.
www.track44band.com
www.myspace.com/track44band
www.tapbrewpub.com
