Lee Hawkins has come a long way in the last several months with his Backs Against The Wall Blues Jam. Held every Thursday night at Capone’s in Peabody, Massachusetts, BATW Blues Jam is hosted by Lee Hawkins Band, and it has been featuring many of the biggest names in the greater-Boston/New England blues scene. Last night, Parker Wheeler was on hand to lend his vocal and harmonica skills. Other guests helped Hawkins make last night another winning time for area musicians and music fans.
The BATW house band began the night of music with a funky danceable intro. Vibrant saxophone from Karl Bryan, funky bass lines from Tim Ryan, and an extra layer of exciting percussion from special guest Maureen Medeiros grabbed everyone‘s attention. Hawkins chimed in with his jittery guitar progressions as Dave Morrison blew harp lines.
Hawkins captured the dry vocal delivery of “Feelin’ All Right” as sax man Karl Bryan blew a hearty melodic line. The house band’s usual singer, Terry O’Soro, belted behind the lead vocal with the rangy vocal and spiritual power of a choir. She showcased, even more, her soulful belt, on “Let’s Stay Together,” riding the vocal melody line like nobody’s business.
Hawkins sang with authority on Santana’s “Evil Ways. His strong vocal timbre was enough to let anybody know he’s the boss. Accompanied by bulbous, loose low end runs from Bryan, rhythmically hip drumming from special guest Dave Stefanelli and Medeiros’s uncanny percussion work filling in the open spaces, the song was a killer hit with the crowd. Hawkins is one of our area’s best guitarists. He played a wild guitar phrase that caught people’s attention before the drummer and percussionist went into a solo that rocked with driving, intricate rhythm.
Vocalist Terry O’Soro rocked Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools,” another song she made her own, nailing the soulful vibe. Hawkins was back on vocals for “Knock On Wood,” sounding hearty, hip, and on the money in that hip, twisting rhythmic pattern. Bryan’s saxophone injected a nice, peppy melody line behind the voice before taking it to an even higher level during the chorus. Meanwhile, O’Soro was another layer of soulful vocal, sultry, finessing the song in just the right places.
“Low Rider,” the very familiar classic by War, came off brassy, rhythmically alluring, and bossy, as it’s supposed to. Sax man Bryan hit the horn line out of the ball park with his wide fulsome melody line. Hawkins contributed a wild guitar phrase to the manic frenzied version he brought to this number. Next, Santana’s “Smooth” was tightly played for such an unwieldy song, played by seven musicians. Hawkins nailed the high voltage guitar phrase that the song is built to support.
After the house band opened the show, guitarist-vocalist Dave Hines came up to sing “Without Love” by The Doobie Brothers. His big bellowing voice and kicking guitar phrase made the classic come to life. He also sang a hearty take on Bob Segar’s “Turn The Page” with Bryan playing the lonely, touching saxophone melody. Hines turned blues classic to rock staple “One Way Out” into an R&B version by playing a crying, weeping guitar line over the thumping drums and driving percussion. Fred Sheppard soon took over the microphone duties to sing “Thrill Is Gone” with his husky, drawling blues vocal and fierce guitar playing. Bryan’s burning, spiraling sax line was another nice touch here.
Another fantastic singer, Todd Smith, was on the mark in “Stormy Monday” and “Roadhouse Blues.” He had the perfect rasp for singing these bluesy songs and the brought the feeling of them up from his soul to make them feel larger than life. Smith was probably in a good mood because he’s getting married soon.
The over the top talents of Joe Mack were on full display last night. Mack unleashed his guitar power on “Superstition” offering fantastic phrasing as Parker Wheeler added a nice touch of harmonica. Mack played his wild lead guitar on “Rock Me, Baby” while singing it with a large, strong personality, a large voice full of raw emotion expressed with guttural determination.
Vocalist Regina LaCascia came on stage next. This lady rang every bit of soul out of “Hold On,” singing over the snappy rhythmic jive with a solid sense of when to unleash her talent. LaCascia did justice to the combined powerful guitar and sax phrasing going on during “Soulshine,” making it feel true, belting out the upbeat lyrics with real lift and strength in her voice. She also handled the more rock trappings when she and the house band played the Aerosmith version of “Walkin’ The Dog.”
Bass player Kevin G sang “All Along The Watchtower” with a loose, breezy feeling. The song was filled out by Parker Wheeler’s harmonica and Karl Bryant’s saxophone as much as by the muscular bass groove. Other players last night included, at different points, a guitarist known as The Might Slim, drummer Kevin Livermore, and bassist Ron Belben.
It was a busy, exciting show last night. There was a lot of recognized, respected names going up on stage to strut their stuff, and the incredible vibe in the room brought out many fans for a Thursday night. Capone’s is a perfect venue for live entertainment. The room boasts a large stage and a spacious area between the stage and the bar that is perfect for drinks, dancing, and dinner. Unlike other bars and restaurants that become makeshift venues when someone decides to bring in bands, Capone’s is a shining example of how a live music venue should be designed. The service was great too. Hawkins certainly did his planning well and he applied a lot of hard work to make something successful for Capone’s and the greater-Boston/New England music scene. This has got to be one of the most happening jams in our six state region.
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