Conrad Warre; Bees Deluxe
Bees Deluxe buzzed into Manchester, New Hampshire Stark Mill’s Brewery last Friday night to play some stinging, blues-tinged numbers. Guitarist Conrad Warre could one moment play pretty, brittle lead guitar phrases before shifting dynamics to create larger, wider, more searing melodic lines.
Stark Mill brewery; photo credit: Stark Mill Brewing Company
During one instrumental, keyboardist Carol Band’s lively funk keyboard work created a clavinet sound, stretching it further into a rhythm guitar line, each of her notes pouring soulful gravy over a knobby groove. Other times, the rhythm section of drummer Paul Giovine and bassist Adam Sankowski carried the upper registers, especially when Band layered tasty organ swirls over the groove. She moved her chords with either tenderness or urgency throughout the night. Warre would add intertwining guitar notes that left space for Band’s stomping organ.
Warre sung in a raspy timbre during his original “Queen Midas,” a tune that required him to match his assertive guitar edge to his vocal. Both sounded fine as he spread his vocal as wide as the Band organ swirls that flavored this tune with something quietly stirring. Warre’s gentle guitar chords could give a traveling feeling before becoming a percussive march. His curlicue lead guitar phrasing loaded the song with classy notes, a line that caressed his song. Offering plenty of drum fills and bass guitar nudges, the rhythm section kept it on sweet wheels.
Carol Band
Blues and rock and roll from the 1960s inform at least part of Bees Deluxe’s sound. One could hear, last Friday night, a 1960s organ vibe, an infectious groove, and a bleating rhythm guitar, ingredients familiar to anyone’s who has followed the music from that time in modern music. Other times, Bees Deluxe offered a 1970s funk, Band’s keyboards painting scenes and creating vibes with a blaring organ assertion.
Bees Deluxe original “Start It Up” found Band giving it a work out, stretching the upper registers notes high and wide, able companionship to Warre’s crying guitar lines, intricate puffs of instruments. Soon after, Bees Deluxe went smooth and pretty with heart, releasing “Georgia” out of a personal part of themselves, especially an emotive guitar line that, with its shadings of color and tone, that made one feel what the song is all about.
Adam Sankowski
At some points in the show, the Warre vocal bordered on a character voice, sounding like someone who could be heard on a street corner reciting his words of wisdom with an acoustic guitar and a voice reminiscent of Tom Waits, essentially explaining why he’s been hurting the worst kind of way, expanding a vast emotion with a spicy guitar phrase.
Bees Deluxe, known for their interesting arrangements of other people’s songs, turned in a muscular, twisty take on Otis Rush’s “Homework.” One could feel the band’s tightness, how they made all of the instruments fit solidly together before take the song on a catchy groove ride.
Conversely, this group took Stephen Stills’ “Love The One Your With” down a wider, larger path, fleshing out all of the organ parts from the original, Ms. Band making them feel new and familiar at once with a strong navigation through the ebullient theme as well as the musical growth it requires to nail this song.
Paul Giovine
Bees Deluxe knew just when to punctuate the “I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog(The Way You Treated Me)” by Bobby “Blue” Bland. After a build up of tearful, weepy blues, the band let the audience get those feelings out of their system.
Bees Deluxe unfurled their sound well in the Manchester, New Hampshire brewery. In addition to quality live bands, Stark Mill Brewery offers several of their own craft beers. The Milly’s Oatmeal Stout went down well with a band that has re-imagined blues through their own quirky ways.
