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SXSW review: Kings Go Forth at Galaxy Room Backyard
Remember when Indiana Jones was descending into the forbidden tomb and sees the floor crawling? “Snakes,” he moans. “Why did it have to be snakes?”
I knew just how he felt as I prepared to hoof it across downtown to see the Kings Go Forth at the tent-covered Galaxy Room Backyard: “An outdoor venue…why did it have to be an outdoor venue?”
Fortunately, the adult-strength dose of hot-buttered soul, R&B and funk that the 10-piece band from Milwaukee served up was an ideal remedy for the blue norther that dropped temperatures 40 degrees overnight. To the Wisconsin band members, it probably seemed like a day at the beach.
The band, which featured horns, keyboards, congas and three vocalists, including frontman Black Wolf, went from zero to 60 faster than a runaway Toyota. If they had any ballads, they kept them to themselves, instead serving up a handful of tracks drawn largely from their forthcoming album, “The Outsiders Are Back.”
The instrumental fanfare that brought the vocalists on morphed into the funk-flavored “Get A Feeling.” Shades of Motown, Stax-Volt Memphis-simmered soul, New Orleans horn and percussion grooves and gritty Southern R&B informed tunes like “Paradise Lost,” “You’re the One” and “One Day.” Another track, “I Don’t Love You No More,” sounded like it was lifted from the James Brown playbook, with its fuzz-laden guitars and tight groove.
Black Wolf’s playful falsetto, with its echoes of Curtis Mayfield and Aaron Neville, made an arresting counterpoint to the tongue-in-groove lockstep arrangements and crisp musicianship. Fellow vocalist Don Fernandez also had a couple of impressive solo turns and bassist/band leader Andy Noble kept the bottom locked down.
With a healthy neo-soul scene having arisen in Austin in the past year or two, it’s easy to see how Kings Go Forth could easily become valued additions to the local scene. Now if they’ll just play indoors next time …
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SXSW 2010
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By Big E.
March 23, 2010 11:35 AM | Link to this
I thought you would dig this story. More Milwaukee boys tearing it up at Austin’s SXSW festival.
Peace, DJ