Ken Clark, Nate Comp
Blues-funk-rock organist, singer Ken Clark was the featured artist at the Nate Comp and Paul Costley Tuesday night Featured Artist and Open Mic Jam at KC’s Rib Shack in Manchester, New Hampshire three nights ago. As can be imagined from the pairing of New England’s notable Hammond organ man with the awarding winning Tuesday night extravaganza, it was one helluva show.
The featured artist always goes on from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. With percussionist Paul Costley and guitarist Nate Comp on either side of him, Clark whipped out several classics from the oldies rock and roll, blues, and funk catalog. Clark began his set with a piping organ lead, a high pitched pop ditty, with Costley adding a light patter on percussion, especially from Costley’s electronic beat box, adding to the groove, engaging, involving. The multi-instrumentalist Costley soon whipped out his harmonica, adding a tasty melodic line around Clark’s groove-laced melody.
Paul Costley; vocals, percussion, harmonica, perfect specimen of masculine beauty.
Clark’s soft rasp perfectly wrapped itself around the Bob Dylan lyrics to “Make You Feel My Love.” Here, Clark made a down tempo groove with his deep rich notes and chords while Costley slapped out some thumpy notes on his electric beat box. Speaking of Costley, the percussion maestro sang Amy Whinehouse’s “Rehab” with a 1960s hippie, coffee shop, listening room vibe in his delivery, savoring each syllable. Meanwhile, Comp’s take on the melody combined funk guitar with thin, energetic notes.
Clark showcased more dynamic chords on Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour. Another highlight of which was Clark’s raspy, soulful vocal, a soft texture, a rich timbre. Just after treating the audience to this R&B classic, Clark turned a sharp corner, playing computer game music. His high pitched bubbly sound challenged Comp to play some similar notes on his acoustic guitar, clearly enjoying his attempt at matching his guitar chords to the punchy electronic keyboard.
Comp’s slide guitar work resulted in some greasy blues notes beside Clark’s simmering organ chords, making “Turn Your Lamp Down Low” and “Statesboro Blues” tasteful blues numbers, especially as Clark’s whiplash organ chords turned the songs funky.
A rendition of “Night Train” featured plenty of synergy and bursts of energy. Next up, the Clark-Costly-Comp triumvirate played an in unison melody of The Beatles “Something,” Clark’s sweet timbre hitting those immortal lyrics just right.
Comp’s assertive lead guitar coated ZZ Top’s blues rock “Tubes Steak Boogie” with toneful color. Costley, meanwhile, blew an edgy harmonica line, a line that seesawed with vigor before he belted the suggestive lyrics. A lot of tension between the contrasting instruments made it a fierce interpretation.
“Hot Barbecue” by Melvin Sparks, whom Ken Clark had actually played with, was a perfect song for KC’s Rib Shack. Not only does it allude to the menu, it has the same funky vibe KC’s gives off with its wooden structures and kitschy atmosphere. Comp’s wiry blues lead guitar gave another twist to this twisty song. Clark’s rapid organ thumps gave the song as much melody as groove, punctuating the tune in just the right places.
Clark’s final song as the Featured Artist of the evening was a spirited rendition of “Good Molly Miss Molly.” Lots of motion came from Clark’s frenetic organ chord pacing as the percussion and guitar backed the Hammond organ with solid rhythm.
Alex Cormier
The open mic & jam portion of the evening began with Alex Cormier. Boy, what a belt that kid has, impressing on verses and chorus. Cormier’s impressive take on “I’m Just To Close To Love You” was flavored well by Comp’s flamenco styled guitar picking.
The KC’s Rib Shack audience was treated to an appearance by Chad LaMarsh, his offerings of “Sailing” and “Going To California” found his voice hitting all of the sweet notes in those famous vocal melodies. The Zeppelin tune was finely buttressed by Comp’s dreamscape psychedelic blues guitar.
Sean Coleman
Another open mic jammer, name local musician Sean Coleman, entertained well on guitar and vocals, hitting “Without Love” by The Doobie Brothers in just the right places, not too mention Costley harping out the melody with chirpy high-pitched prettiness. Most importantly, Coleman finessed the hell out of the twisty motions of “Shine” by Collective Soul.
Youthful singer, Jack, had his whole family in attendance. They came on a bus to hear him sing. Jack brought a neo-hippie vibe to the Oasis hit “Wonder Wall,” moving the song well through all of its subtle paces.
Up next, another young singer, Jared, sang his favorites by Tyler Childers, pretty country songs sweetly adorned by acoustic guitar gentleness and Costley’s persistent beat box. “Feathered Indians” was one tune Jared made perfectly moody and full of melody. Speaking of country songs, Anna Sophia’s vocal phrasing was quite well with its lyrical push. Another young gentleman, Clay, came up to offer a huge range of songs. He lent his rich timbre to Frank Sinatra’s hit “My Way.”
Robin Getman-Rice (Roxy), KC’s staffer, sensational vocalist
A treat for the KC’s crowd came when their staffer Robin Getman-Rice, known as “Roxie” on stage performed double duty. Her sassy vocal approach and solid stage presence gave a cool atmosphere to Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason.” Getman-Rice, or Roxie, also slid her powerful but disciplined belt over Comp’s trippy lead guitar on “White Rabbit” like a slithering snake. She was that good.
Acoustic duo 5 Days Apart had fun with Zac Brown’s “Chicken Fried” and Tom Petty’s “Last Dance With Mary Jane” before Manchester impresario, booking agent Demetri Papanicolau, stood up to test his chops with Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.” He did all right with the challenging piece.
It was a perfect night of good weather, an award winning open mic and jam, a staggeringly good featured artist and a bunch of good jammers packed into one of Manchester’s coolest venues. Last night gave proof that this Nate Comp and Paul Costley invention will be bringing many special moments to KC’s Rib Shack and the Gate City for some time to come. 837 Second St, Manchester, NH, United States, New Hampshire.
