Small Stage, Huge Sound: Velcro Lewis Group Gets Fresh And Funky @ Township with The Baby Magic and
Velcro Lewis Group
Holy funk is the sound this band creates huge. I've been to a good number of shows now at the various dive bars around Chicago, never have I heard a mix this big fill the small space before. It's hard to decide on where to start. Perhaps we'll start with mentioning Velcro Lewis Group is a funk rock act, more specifically future-funk, creating elaborate panoramas of sound on stage and on the various albums since their inception in 2005. The band is led by blind synth-player and vocalist Andy Slater (Velcro Lewis) and Hawk Colman, who runs his lead vocals through two pedals always within arms reach where he constantly adjusts a delay's feedback, rate and mix level for each song. Before I continue, can we just spend a moment on Hawk's voice. It's amazing and gorgeous and beautiful and it's moments like these when I'm so grateful to be involved in music in Chicago, with such a rich history of blues and soul. I've yet to find a recording from the band that captures just how powerful and dynamic Hawk's voice is. I'll keep looking, but in the meantime let's discuss the other five members of the band.
Picking out some crazy guitar riffs and fills that at times are reminiscent of horn riffs one might find on some old Stax records is Travers Gauntt. The tone and fills by Gauntt are never encroaching on showing off, but are the reserved touches of someone who only wants to serve the song he's playing. It's no surprise when I discover that Gauntt and Slater work at Frogg Mountain Studio, a recording studio in Fulton Market, as their talent for building a mix is showcased by their live performance. Josh Barnhart and Halden Spoonwood are constantly grooving on drums and bass guitar respectively, locking in with one another and the rest of the band song after funkadelic song. Lawrence Peters adds some rhythmical washboard to the mix from the back corner of the stage, along with his bass vocals on several tunes. Last but not least, Ali Hunger plays a theremin, helping round out the band's futuristic soundscape.
The energy and music crafted on stage by Velcro Lewis Group is mesmerizing and infectious. Audience members constantly find the groove too tasty and entrancing, breaking out in dance in front of the stage while Hawk feeds off their excitement with even more impressive singing, layering vocals atop one another via his delay's feedback, then letting them drift off into the musical space of the band's own creation. Most captivating about the Velcro Lewis Group is that the band knows their roots and while paying homage to funk and rock's pioneers, use those skills and styles to build an originally fresh, soulful mix of funk-fused rock n' roll.
Photos by Corinne Halbert and The Velcro Lewis Group
The Baby Magic and Garbage Friends
Opening for Velcro Lewis Group are Garbage Friends, an instrumental three piece band with complimenting guitars, and The Baby Magic, another three piece band boasting a hyperenergetic performance by leading vocalist Mary Beth Brennan. Both performances are unique in sound and visuals, Garbage Friends taking a low key, casual approach to their green light adorned stage, rocking and swaying as they jump from song to song, calling them out to one another on the fly. The Baby Magic on the other hand place their lead vocalist at the center of attention as she constantly moves out from behind her synthesizer to dance and belt it out on stage. Garbage Friends create a dirty psychedelic atmosphere while The Baby Magic provide an unrelenting, in-your-face barrage of sex-charged lyrics and jokes. It can be abrasive and jarring to the unsuspecting, but I, having given myself a taste of their music before hand, know what's coming and find the lyrics ironic and humorous.
If there's one thing that make their sets less enjoyable it's the guitar mixes. It's not my place to say the high mids and highs on the guitars for both bands are too much, they can create the sound they want and be happy with it, but in the dive bars those high frequencies build up and mask other sounds, often the vocals. If it weren't for these earbuds to cut down the highs, it would be difficult to stay in the room with the constant harshness, and audience members leaving the venue is not something bands typically desire. I find it difficult to make out The Baby Magic's vocals, therefore missing out on some fantastic lyrical rage and humor the artist put forth. It's less of an issue for Garbage Friends, who are an instrumental band and have no vocals to cover up. In their case it is just difficult to tell the guitars apart, while a lot of low end space is unused in their performance. Their melodies and guitar work sound great when I could make them out, but a lot is masked in the small space. Both bands have recordings worth checking out on bandcamp, and they're cleaner and and more polished than one will find at a live show.
The Baby Magic Links
Garbage Friends Links
Photos by C.B. Lindsey, The Baby Magic, and Garbage Friends
