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MARCH
SHOW
Saturday,
March 5th at Cary Street Cafe featuring
MOOSSA
with
THE
UNKNOWN FAVORITES and THE BOONDOCKS
CARY
STREET CAFE - 2631 W. Cary Street
Here's
a little bit about the acts that are playing the March concert
series...
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THE TATERS
 MOOSSA
Before you get to wondering, this Richmond, VA band is not your typical reggae band, they are however a roots band
with a definitive reggae feel. The vocals are solid, the tracks are good,
and the feel will bring a bit of warmth to the chilly weather that is bound to
hit sooner rather than later. You get a feel that Moosa not only perform
the music, but rather become the music and draw on influences from country to
rock, and almost everything in between.
The band have a flair for the music they lay
down instilling a good feeling on all that listen. There is some very nice
guitar work here from Jim Fabricatore that ranges and crosses musical boundaries
too, an air of progressive jazz, funk and straight ahead rock while keeping the
sound all the time constant. John Moosa's vocals are an experience in
themselves as he ranges from rootsy rough edged to smooth and sleek.
A positive CD in a negative world, Moosa can
transport you to a different existence if you feel bombarded by the news of
late, the feeling here is harmonious and peaceful as well as smart and
fresh. Nailing down a category for this band is an impossibility, it's not
that they are still searching for a sound, it's more that they perform and blend
genres with confidence and true ability.
Not to be forgotten, Ryan Davis does a great jog
laying down the bass line, and Scott Lewis is at home with the drums and
percussions. The overall feel here is that of honesty, ability, and energy
that can also transcend age barriers as there is almost assuredly something here
for the masses. "Dragon's Den", "Stained Glass
Window", and "Break Apart" are pure examples of the diversity and
talent Moosa have put forth here.
Website: www.moossa.com
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SCHNITZEL
 THE
UNKNOWN FAVORITES
The Unknown Favorites are a roots/rockabilly/bluegrass
band from Richmond, VA. Members of the band have played in The Soviets,
The Bombage Band, The Sleeping Giants, Coyote Nowhere & The Wit
Lincolns.
"It's
'THE Unknown Favorites' - not just 'Unknown Favorites'," says Dave Webb
with a feigned sense of trepidation. "A barber shop quartet in Ohio
goes by that name, and we wanted to avoid a complicated legal battle.”
But the Richmond based group, comprised of Webb, Tom Pistey, Jamie Booth, and
Rob Morse, is not worried about being mistaken for a handlebar-mustached,
acappella foursome.
The Unknown Favorites
perform their own brand of acoustic roots rock. Their musical menu
includes a humorous helping of original songs (such as "Holdin' in My
Stomach" and "Stuck at the Wal-Mart") garnished with covers from
Beatles to Ween. "About
the only thing we take seriously is having fun," deadpans Pistey.
That attitude has shaped the group from its inception three years ago when
Booth and Pistey invited Webb, a longtime friend and previous band mate, to play
for strictly personal entertainment in the safety of Pistey’s basement.
With three guitars in the mix, Booth, afraid of being demoted to
tambourine, took up the mandolin “because it looked cooler”. The idea
of a band started when Morse, another longtime friend, moved back to Richmond
from Germany where he had been playing clubs and beer gardens.
"They'd make us play John Denver songs," Morse says of the German
crowds. "Since they knew the words better than me - I decided to come
back."
The ‘Faves, replete
with their alter-ego stage persona, encourage banter and good-natured heckling
from their audiences. “I don’t think we even call each other by our
real names anymore,” laughs Webb, whose stage name is “Wyler P. Juddcoat”
– a character he believes to be a “country hat act wannabe with a sweet
tooth for 80’s glam rock.” There’s “Rupert Earl Conway” (Pistley)
Helmut Hans Holmes (Morse) & Dickie Don Brown (Booth). But no matter
what you call this foursome, their infectious blend of humor and harmony will
have you calling for an encore.
MP3: "Taking
Monday Off"
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SCHNITZEL
 THE BOONDOCKS
The Boondocks, comprised of Dawn Juergensen on
vocals and Shane Parch on guitar, began simply enough with two friends playing
music. That was in October of 2003. Since then, they have
developed a knack for writing catchy folk songs that bring together hints of
blues, country and rock. One can hear influences of U2, The Beatles and
Blues legend Robert Johnson.
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