The fifth annual Ramble hosted by Adam Ezra Group went off without a hitch. Every artist who played at this Salisbury Beach event turned in a good set, and the finale found AEG playing some of their most popular songs while fireworks were going off in the night sky only several hundred yards behind them. It was a glorious finish to a music event created to further a great cause, raising money to get homeless veterans into comfortable, safe housing. Organized by Rally Sound, Media Boss, and New England Music Awards and emceed by on air personalities Mike Flynn and Jack Baldwin
First up, Sarah Barrios impressed her crowd with her original song “Love Fool.” With flinty guitar picking, she built it into a glorious anthem, letting her girlish voice unfurl across her jaunty line. All of her songs last Saturday afternoon benefited so from her steely approach. A small young lady with a steadiness of purpose that reinforced her sound. She went through her choruses with a steady climb, bringing each to a higher musical and or emotional place.
Next, Joe Young, singer-songwriter from Portsmouth, New Hampshire played some songs from his recent debut album. Young revealed a naturally earnest and reflective voice. Listening to his words, though, you couldn’t guess he was still a young artist with only a debut album behind him. He reflected a Bob Dylan/Bruce Springsteen ability to see things from many different points of view, including the perspective of an older person with more experience. His song “Busking” made the most of his support musicians, Dan King on Mandolin and Bethany Weiman on cello. Each added lovely layers of melody that enhanced the mood set by Young’s experience busking. Young’s voice, rich, husky, the kind that’s full of stories, let him croon with plucky majestic heft over King’s electric guitar and Wyman’s aggressive cello. Briefly singing without any accompaniment, Young’s voice was a force of nature, letting him fill in a lot of space all by his own self.
From Hartford, Connecticut, Atlas Gray showcased their rangy music for the Ramble crowd. These guys have mastered all of the larger than life techniques, husky vocals sustains, ringing guitar tones, and a tapestry of acoustic instruments over a fulfilling groove. And they’re just as good in a cozy, country crawl, with a thick sound and a wall of emotion in each of their numbers. Their final song, “Skyline,” was loaded with rhythmic pulses that carried it along with a nimble thumb. An incisive guitar line or two cut through mounds of groove to deliver another layer of cool.
Hot Day At The Zoo, one of the best country roots bands in the country, did their thing with banjo, acoustic guitar, and upright bass. This trio did things that a lot of rock bands wish they could do. They had speedy banjo lines, acoustic guitar chords, and thumpy bass notes barreling down the highway at top speeds. Their bluegrass influences were apparent in their flying tempos. Their banjo player looks too cool to be a banjo player. He did justice to their hill country music by adding a lot of rustic flavoring. Hearing him dominate a song was a real treat for listeners who enjoy a splash of authenticity in their mountain tempo music. “Long Way Home” was a pleasant, breezy number that made the long way home seem a sweet dream.
New Hampshire’s Aldous Collins Band started with the playful rhythms of “Get On Board” and “Bang Bang” before eventually going into their more aggressive, super funky material. Collins’ crack backing band included not just guitar, bass, and drums but also a percussionist, a trombone player, and an electric violinist. “I Don’t Care,” popularized by a crazy, comedic video featuring an actor in a banana costume, offered island flavored horn work and a faux ski groove that kept people dancing. Aldous Collins strutted around his microphone like some of the best front men ever. Aldous Collins Band added an encore song at the audience’s demand, offering more of their exciting, playful rhythms that this is jam band/party band is known for.
Canadian band Enter The Haggis was the final band to come on before the headliner. One may have thought that Enter The Haggis was at the top of ticket. These guys showed influences ranging from rock and roll to Celtic. A flute, a penny whistle, bag pipes and many more of their instruments might have reminded one of jolly old England. Do they even know that Canada was given its independence from Great Britain? It doesn’t matter. They do well what they do. They certainly went over big with their New England crowd at Salisbury Beach last Saturday afternoon. Their up-tempo music was an endless rush of sound, embroidered by every instrument their multi-instrumentalist picked up. “Beyond The Line,” a song of theirs inspired by Earl Scruggs featured multi-instrumentalist Craig Downie blowing a lot of good harmonica notes during that tribute song. He also made his bagpipes rock right out. Three part harmony ushered in a tune with lush warmth and exuberance. It was about “raising a glass to the dear departed.” Segue into Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” and Enter The Haggis had the crowd enrapt with their sense of humor. Enter The Haggis played their hit song “Getaway Car” as well as their peculiar “Ghosts Of Calico.” A distorted guitar phrase with sprightly keyboard notes added even more luster to this fun, stomping number.
Adam Ezra Group came on last, drawing a huge crowd to the front of the Ramble stage. There isn’t much left to write about Ezra and his band merry music makers. “Takin’ Off” was a nice song to go into early in their set while “Hippie Girl” featured fine keyboard work by Josh Gold, Ezra’s cousin and co-founding band member. Ezra’s voice was at its usual handsome huskiness, enlightened by his neo-hippie inflections. Yet, it was still Gold’s tinkling of his smoky organ notes that made the song a winner. Following up with “Devil’s Side” was a nice touch, as was using “Burn Brightly” as the song to introduce Ezra’s thank you rap for supporting the cause of homeless veterans. Calling to the stage a veteran of the Iraq war named Marston, to speak of his fall into homelessness, was a brilliant, humanitarian touch. It brought home the theme of the event and it reminded everyone in attendance the importance of thinking about what veterans experience when they return home.
Proving that the Adam Erza Group are, in essence, a gang of happy go lucky kids, Ezra announced that “Let It Go” from the Frost soundtrack is one of his band’s favorite songs, and then, showing he’s as game as they are, he went into a few verses. It was a true AEG moment. It was a strange, unexpected follow up to Bob Marley’s “Emancipate Yourself,” Don’t ask. You had to be there. The band was soon back into safe, familiar territory. “Let Your Hair Fall Down,” off of their upcoming album had 
pretty melodies and tender vocals before “Miss Hallelujah” gave Josh Gold another chance to showcase his organ work. The band’s interpretation of Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” renamed “The Devil Went Up To Boston” was hilarious as percussionist Turtle used his whistle to “censor” the harsh language version Ezra sings in less family oriented settings. The band’s exquisite fiddle player, Corrina Smith, showed a lot of talent and charisma bowing her parts to the number. Man, have her band mates got guts sharing the stage with that girl. She could be called Corrina “The Beauty Queen-ah” Smith. No exaggeration.
“!4 Days” might have the most rocking attitude of all of Ezra’s material. Josh Gold killed it, playing an electric guitar borrowed tone on his keyboards. Here, and on other rockers like “Scandal” and “Steal Your Daughter” the rhythm section of percussionist Turtle, drummer Alex Martin, and bassist Frances Hickey proved they were worth their salt holding their grooves ups for the vocalists and the melody makers to prance across.
An after Ramble party was held at Uncle Eddies, right next to the Ramble area. Americana roots band Appleseed Collective did their thing, acoustic style, with banjo, mandolin, and heck, whatever traditional American instrument they could lay hands on. They were fun to listen to.
It was another fun, exciting Ramble event. Adam Ezra Group were in fine form, and they helped to raise more funds to house homeless veterans. Organized by Joe Graham and the New England Music Awards, the Ramble had to be one of the most enjoyable summer music events in our six state region.
http://getrambled.com/activism/
