Adam Ezra Group is marked by a tasteful blend of electric and acoustic guitar. That this group has already forged their own sound out of organic guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and organ would seem accomplishment enough. Yet, these guys don’t want to rest on their laurels. They keep delving into their sound, especially in their live shows, to come up with something fresh each time. Last Saturday night show at the Paradise in Boston was no exception.
Ezra whipped out his harmonica a few times to accompany himself solo and a got quite a lot of out of acoustic and harp. Anybody who expects to see Ezra ape Dave Matthews will be sorely disappointed. He does his own thing on acoustic. His guitar chords are beautifully crunchy, full of notes, and his harmonica seems to whistle out each note with playful joy.
Ezra also goes to town on his electric guitar when the mood strikes him and he grinds out an edgy, twitchy style all his own, an eclectic mix of hard rock, grunge, and even soul. “Scandal” was a funky, acoustic-guitar driven sing-a-long that Ezra used to spread his vibe across the Paradise’s wide listening room. Ezra puts out a feeling that goes beyond his music to envelop everyone in the room. Percussionist Turkey(yes, he only goes by one name) did a fine job perking the song up with intricate patterns on his congas and bongos.
Turkey made his lead vocal debut at this Paradise show on Rush’s “Working Man,” a classic rock number that Adam Ezra Group performed with an reggae beat, possibly aping the new version Rush themselves unveiled at the TD Garden earlier in the week. Ezra went off on his own flight of fancy working out the guitar lines in his own grungy way.
Keyboard player Josh Gold can fill sound unexpected places better than most. He could get an easy-going, bubbly organ thing happening or he could crank up an edgy clavinet that functioned liked a rhythm guitar or he would also going into soul music style organ, very organic and rich, with fat chords and a myriad of notes.
Bass player Rob Vincent Soper brought in a lot of thick, knobby low end notes that this music needed to give it all space to breathe. Soper can build an unusual foundation, a latticework of crisscrossing notes that support everything above him, including at some points the drums and percussion. He just kept those supporting grooves coming and it was impossible to imagine this group without him.
Adam Ezra Group performed the new songs on their three song sampler they were selling at a chose-your-own price table. “Miss Hallelujah” got a warm vibe from Ezra’s sandpapery but affectionate vocal approach, and it sailed on its tight interplay from organ, bass, and drums(which were played by quasi-member Jon Chaplin). Most likely of the three to become a hit single, “Soldier” was more guitar driven with Ezra was in an adventurous mood as he rocked his voice over the flow of forceful groove beneath.
“Takin’ Off Today” returned Erza to his gentle acoustic tinkling on the six string while he oozed vocal charisma and grace over his band’s kinder, gentler approach.
Many of the songs from Adam Ezra Group’s live repertoire were performed to the receptive Boston audience, an audience eager and grateful to hear them live since the band has been away for a while
“The Basement Song,” with its textured acoustic guitar and interesting percussion patterns, found Ezra cruising through this mid-tempo rocker with a sense of wistful joy. “Katie” had an easy to follow but danceable beat with more of Ezra’s playful harmonica melody. Their winsome lament cover of The Black Crowe’s “She Talks to Angels” showed some of this group’s influences.
“Half a Hero” was a splash of riffy fun. The no nonsense beat pushed the song forward with a lot of muscle and the quick guitar chords sparred with the stable organ.” And “Kill Like This” was a bopping, swaying piece of poetry with a strong harmonica line and jazzy organ supporting Ezra’s quick-witted, twisty story song. Finally, the encore number “Wagon Wheel” was a terrific ensemble work with more of Ezra’s earthy harmonica wailing.
It was difficult to pinpoint all of Adam Ezra Group’s influences and strengths. They don’t have an easy recipe to follow. They likely aim just to make a song sound good without understanding the how of making it good. This band definitely has a sense of fun and a sense of camaraderie with each other and with their Boston following. WERS promoted this show and the Ezra Group brought two of their station personnel on stage to sing backing vocals. How cool was that?
Opening band Barefoot Truth was more challenging to follow. Their front man, who is also their drummer, opened their set with a large bassoon he blew into his microphone to focus everyone’s attention. The moment also signaled that there would be more unusual sounds to follow.
Barefoot Truth are certainly good musicians with interesting ideas. Their beat, though, was designed more to keep people stationary and swaying rather than moving. A drum solo that came much early in the show had a more danceable beat than the rest of their set. The keyboard player had the most traditional rock and roll style while the others had more modern takes on their instruments. This all worked wonders in the development of a new sound.
Barefoot Truth’s next step should be to separate their lead singer from his drum set and to find a drummer who can move the music forward rather than just let it rev up in one place.
www.barefoottruth.comwww.barefoottruth.com
