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Live review: Eek-A-Mouse
The sheets of rain pummeling Zilker Park around 5:45 p.m. turned the normally low key Wildflower Center tent into a jam-packed hot spot providing a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd for the beginning of Jamaican reggae veteran Eek-A-Mouse’s set. The band dropped a guitar-heavy rock groove that slid into a reggae rhythm and the bassist called out, “Are you ready for the Ganga smuggler?” Based on the thick haze hanging in the air, I’d say yes. The crowd went wild. And so the tone was set.
The Mouse took the stage clad in green and gold with a green cap he shifted from side to side. Though his guttural vocals were sometimes lost in the mix, he knew how to play to the crowd, leading regular chants of “Ganga, ganga,” and “Weed, smoke weed,” which drew enthusiastic responses. His set included a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” a loosely politicized version of “In the Jungle” and, naturally, a slew of his own easy groovin’ material. While the crowd thinned when the rain slowed (and Mos Def started his set on the AMD stage), those who stuck around were with the man all the way. He closed his set exhorting the crowd, “Remember tonight, don’t you drink and drive, but you can smoke and fly,” while his band played a muddy thrash in the background. And when he coaxed them to call his name one last time they chanted right along.
Ricardo B. Brazziell photo
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