Peter Parcek delivers another fantastic performance; Smoken’ Joe’s crowd couldn’t get enough

Guitarist/vocalist Peter Parcek has been on the greater-Boston music scene for several years, delighting and impressing audiences with his highly skilled electric guitar playing. He’s still touring on last May’s release The Mathematics Of Love. Parcek dazzled a crowded room at Smoken’ Joe’s in Boston last Saturday night.

With his live unit he calls The Peter Parcek 3, Parcek went right into the cool rhythmic phrases of his song “Kokomo Me Baby,” his handsome low tenor and lead guitar gliding over a two-step shuffle. Heavenly fuzz notes poured out at the end of the tune. “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” featured Parcek playing some mellow guitar while his voice got husker, heavier. The contrast highlighted both guitar and vocal and each had a lot to offer. Parcek can play anything and he can come up with his own unique approaches. He reaches unusual heights in his rhythmic phrases, playing lead and rhythm at the same time, soloing exquisitely, each solo its own unique creation.

Parcek got a big sound out of his guitar on his title track “Mathematics Of Love.” The drums meant business as drummer Steve Scully played the beat heavy on his bass drum. Over it Parcek played a quick interval of notes that made the guitar sound like it was crying. “Rollin’ With Zah” was played like a rock and roll guitar instrumental, with many different tempos starting up before switching to another one. With a speeded up shuffle beat, Parcek milked a mild rockabilly guitar picking style for all it’s worth.

“Tears Like Diamonds” was a slow tempo piece, breezy guitar notes picked individually, an accent on each, making you hear each tasty note. Parcek moved into the passing lane and drove it home with more edge. His use of contrasts again makes you appreciate each way he was played it. A music venue like Smoken’ Joe’s is one of those upscale blues rooms that are small enough so that every seat is good for watching and listening. The Peter Parcek 3 really came alive in this place last night.

The trio’s piece “Café Du Monde” was a fantastic shuffle with forceful chicken picking guitar. Parcek let loose with some fiery solos that could only be described as his guitar going out wide like a lasso to rope whatever it could and pulling it right back in. “Every Drop Of Rain” was about a drive home in poor visibility outside the windshield. Parcek’s slow burning guitar line mirrored the frustration of trying to get home through darkness and rain. His guitar suddenly came alive like a house fire that wouldn’t go out until the structure burned to the ground.

Parcek went into some instrumental material called “Minor Blues” that blended many tasteful styles with inflections, like a salad bar of possibilities that he explores on a whim. On “Freddie King” Parcek’s playing did justice to the guitar hero from yesteryear. He played a melodic phrase that burned heartily through the rhythmic groove. This guitarist always sears his way forward as his guitar playing can be as colorful as an orchestra with all the sounds he can get out of it.

“Evolution” had a gutsy groove and a feisty rhythm guitar marking this tune about men evolving from monkeys. Parcek’s phrases got larger than King Kong and his boys were swinging behind him. His rhythm phrases were as dynamic as a guerilla pounding its chest, getting louder as the pounding continues.

Man about town Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt showed up to guest perform his harmonica on quite a few tunes. It was generous of Parcek to share the spotlight so often. Rosenblatt, who co-owns Vizztone Records, blew some happy, dynamic notes and his expression was wide and flowing. He can send that harp up high and then bring it down low again while Parcek wailed behind him. The two created a huge mesh of blues that had a lot to offer the ear.

Bass player Joe Klompus was a regular steady-Eddie, even Steven all night, keeping an arc in each number, giving Parcek a balance beam for his guitar gymnastics. Drummer Steve Scully played an endless array of tasteful fills, rolls, and old-fashioned use of tom and bass. At one point Scully was holding his stick a few short inches above the snare and played repetitions of rolls. Scully instilled some variations that just did magic for the sound above the beat and just below the harp and guitar.

Parcek started playing the Jimi Hendrix classic “The Wind Cries Mary” as a strict cover, but his other influences and his own style showed up in his phrasing. He played some bad ass guitar on Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Until My Love Come Down.” Parcek closed out with “Little Wing” by Hendrix and he handled it like he wrote it, wringing as much joy out of those high single notes before bringing it back down to crunchy chords. The crowd pressed Parcek for one more song and he happily obliged them with a smoking rendition of Hound Dog Taylor’s “Give Me Back My Wig.”

Aside from being a brilliant musician, Parcek is also a humanitarian. After the first set he handed his guitar to a handicapped and developmentally disabled woman in a wheelchair so she could get a closer look at his instrument. Parcek is best known for such kindness to those who know him best.
www.peterparcekband.com

Share on Facebook