Mission Of Blues came into Marshfield, Massachusetts last night and kicked out their high energy, high caliber talent at Ming Dynasty. Lead by Scott Bronnes on lead vocals and harmonica, the five piece band never failed to impress and they kept people dancing all night long.
The first thing to be noticed about MOB is their colors and tones. Their music is bright, shiny, vibrant. Bronnes’s lilting harmonica work on “Crazy About You, Baby” contained a spiraling melodic line, each twirl ranged from sweet and high to low and tangy. Later on, Bronnes sang with a raw, husky belt that dominated and directed the songs and contributed to the band’s personality.
The band’s mid-tempo blues version of Wilson Pickett’s Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You” showed what MOB can do at cruising speed. Bronnes kept it forceful and his harmony vocals with guitarist George Dennis were hugely successful blends of voice and tone. Bronnes played his harmonica notes like a Wurlitzer, making you feel every wave of melody. Dennis filled in a lot of the hopeful colors with his extensive phrasing.
A MOB original, “Bad Whiskey,” penned by its bass player Paul Spagnolia, found Bronnes smoothing out his vocal timbre to something less raw and husky. The rhythm section of Spagnolia and drummer Gary Mac was particularly punchy with the groove getting really thick, the kind you just can’t resist. Dennis let loose with his fiery phrasing. Next up, MOB went into John Hyatt’s melancholy “Feels Like Rain” at a down tempo pace but it was no less solid. They put the moody feeling across so everyone in the room was likely feeling it. Guitarist Stephen Todesco pressed out the tender, emotive line with pure soul.
Dennis played a special melodic phrase during Big Joe Turner’s “Flip, Flop, And Fly.” It skipped along over the groove, unleashing short bits of notes at a time, creating a fun rhythm for the band to follow. It was also a dance floor magnet. MOB played a swift, bouncy version of the signature B.B. King classic “Help The Poor.” Bronnes sang it with a lot of respect and class. The MOB take on the Allman Brother’s “Southbound featured a lot of funky blues guitar riffs and a speedy groove that beat the devil to the finish line. Then, the five suddenly got even more into it, with blistering guitar lines coming into glorious play near the end.
The band’s rendition of J. Geil’s Band’s “Gonna Find Me A New Love” featured particularly feisty guitars and harmonica before they played a light version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.” The boys played a lot of funky guitar riffs before Todesco set the song on fire with his close out phrase, pure style and colors were coming through the guitars and harmonica. Then, Todesco utilized his slide phrasing on Don McClean’s “Monkey Around” to conjure a 1970’s joyride vibe in the main melodic phrase over a hefty, rumbling groove.
“Little By Little,” a classic blues brought to us by B.B. King, Lowell Fulsom and probably a thousand other blues artists, got by on the strength of Scott Bronnes’ warm vocal approach. The rhythm section made the rocking horse beat feel deep and meaningful. Lead and rhythm guitars went to town on the groove and flight of fancy melodic line while the harmonica bled emotion.
The boys played a low key Tower Of Power song called “So Very Hard To Go” that came to life with the harmony vocal. The MOB version of “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” found Bronnes making his harmonic whistle out his lines with a lilting grace. Todesco, too, shined, letting loose a coasting, colorful glide of notes.
MOB delivered the slightly country flavored licks and chirpy harmonica on The Rolling Stone’s early 1970’s classic “Dead Flowers.” Yet, it was the harmony vocals on its dark but winsome chorus that did justice to this classic. “Mustang Sally” was a crowd pleaser as well as another dance floor magnet. But, it was the Gladys Knight number “I’ve Got To Use My Imagination” that found the band in top form. Dennis made the melodic phrase cry out the emotion packed drama.
MOB original and title track of their 2006 release, Time Payments, was a perky, jump groove number with greasy lead guitar. The boys played “Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye with a jazzy flow of rhythm guitar accents that fit well around its plea for peace and a better world.
MOB played Spagnolia’s original “Satyr’s Clay” with an assertive guitar line over an even more assertively galloping beat. It was a treat to hear what the two guitarist’s accomplished together. Their bright synergy drew eyes and ears to the instrumentalists. Todesco, with his melodic phrasing, expressed all of the romantic yearnings in Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” making you feel it, while Bronnes’ smoothed out timbre handled the lyrical tenderness.
“Statesboro Blues” by The Allman Brothers gave MOB a lot to sink their teeth into. They milked every slide, rhythm, harmonica, and vocal note for all that it was worth. Todesco’s slide was bleeding emotion all over the song while the other players kept the groove bulbous and knobby.
The boys closed out the evening with a slow burner blues by Spagnolia called “Time To Say Goodnight.” It was a classy, irresistible slow dance number with an appropriate theme. It’s ironic how this bass player maintains a quiet stage presence but is actually responsible for much of the quality original songs played last night.
Mission Of Blues did a fine job. Classy and vibrant in their colors and tones, these extremely talented gents did justice to classics from yesteryear while offering their own tuneful originals. Ming Dynasty is also a fantastic room to catch this kind of band. Its spacious room allows the music to breathe, the chairs are cozy, and the food and service is exceptionally good. Try their Egg Drop Soup.
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