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Con Brio – With Energy
Con Brio is a seven-piece soul, psych-rock and R&B band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Charismatic and endlessly-energetic front-man Ziek McCarter grew up in Houston dreaming of being a performer. In 2011, his father – a guitar player and an army vet – was killed by law enforcement. Ziek made the conscious decision to stay positive and to make music that lifts people up.
If you want a sense of a country’s diversity, you need only listen to its music.
I was trying to think of ways of organising the myriad of pictures I took at this year’s Bluesfest Byron Bay 2018 – a five-day festival of international blue-, roots-, and any-kind-of-music; one category I thought of using was “World Music”. I probably still will, but, if the performers I plan to group this way are world music, what are the rest? Non-world?
What is American music?
It is so easy for us to think of our own culture – including musical traditions – as the norm. One of the beauties of living continents away from North America is being able to see it – especially the United States – from a distance. It is easier to get some perspective on the overwhelming cultural influence that the US has on other English-speaking countries.
But, as anyone who has visited the United States and seen first-hand the enormous regional differences knows: the country always was a patchwork rather than a melting pot.
This was certainly true of the very different versions of “American” music that I enjoyed at this year’s Bluesfest.
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Drum Kit – Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
There is something magical about musical equipment on an otherwise empty stage: that anticipatory excitement builds as we wait for the performers to enter.
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Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
I was mesmerised when I first saw/heard Lukas Nelson and his band Promise of the Real (POTR) in 2016 (see: Back to the Roots). Son of American country icon Willie Nelson, Lukas is billed as a “cowboy hippy surf rocker” musician.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
What he and his band deliver is a high-quality, high-energy rockin’ good time.
Lukas Nelson joins Michael Franti and the Kids
One of the many beauties of festivals is the collaboration that happens: later in the week, we were treated to Lukas Nelson again, when he joined Michael Franti and countless festival-going children on stage for a final number. (02April2018)
Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule
More impeccable musical credentials – this time from a different generation and the other side of the country: Gov’t Mule is the southern rock jam band formed as a side project of The Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes (pictured) and bassist Allen Woody.
Alynda Segarra and Hurray for the Riff Raff
Raised on doo-wop and Motown in the Bronx by her aunt, Alynda Segarra formed the folk-blues band Hurray for the Riff Raff in New Orleans in 2007.
Alynda Segarra
This is a very different America: Alynda is of Puerto Rican descent, and although her mother was once Deputy Mayor of New York City, Segarra’s political ‘voice’ is through her songs.
Alynda Segarra
She draws inspiration from Mexican-American cult favorite Rodriguez, and tells stories rooted in life on the streets of contemporary urban America.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
Jason Isbell’s alternative-country Southern-rock music pays tribute to his northern-Alabama roots.
Jason Isbell
Winner of four Grammy Awards, Jason Isbell has lived in Nashville since 2011; his most recent eponymous album is The Nashville Sound.
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
One of the melancholy tracks off that album: “If We Were Vampires”, was a little too real and reduced me to tears. This shot is from their second set on the Saturday (31March2018).
Joe Louis Walker
San Francisco-born Joe Louis Walker is a master of blues guitar and blues history.
Joe Louis Walker
An inductee to the Blues Hall of Fame and a four-time Blues Music Award winner, JLW is know for his virtuoso electric blues guitar.
The California Honeydrops
One of my favourite finds from Bluesfest 2017 (Sound clip at: Classic Blues to Funky Beats) was the big, bold, and brassy California Honeydrops. Band leader and front man Lech Wierzynski was born in Warsaw, Poland, but started playing blues and jazz as a teenager in Washington D.C. before relocating to Oakland California.
Mojo Tent : The New Power Generation
Part of the joy of attending Bluesfest is the atmosphere : …
Full Moon : Mojo Tent
… although the crowds spill out of the tents, everyone is enveloped in the music and the atmosphere is always friendly.
Leon Bridges on the Big Screen : Crossroads
Most days, the rain held off, and there were as many festival-goers on the grassy lawns enjoying the music as there were in the tents.
Citizen Cope
Alternative rocker Clarence Greenwood, under the recording name of Citizen Cope, blends hip-hop with folk, soul and blues.
Con Brio
We were blown away by Ziek McCarter and Con Brio when we saw them at Bluesfest 2016 (see: They Sing Blues all over the World). They have not lost an ounce of energy in the intervening years!
Brendan Liu on Horn, Ziek McCarter, and Patrick Monaco Glynn on Keyboard
“Con Brio” or “With Spirit” became the seven-piece band’s philosophy: do it like you mean it or don’t do it at all.
Ziek McCarter – Con Brio
When the layers come off, you know Ziek is ready to do a few back-flips across the stage. “With energy” indeed!
Lech Wierzynski and Ziek McCarter
Another surprise: Lech Wierzynski from California Honeydrops (together with some of his horn section) joined Con Brio on stage. He and Ziek McCarter absolutely killed it on a few numbers towards the end of the set. (31March2018)
Con Brio
Con Brio had three spots over the weekend; from what I saw, they brought the same level of energy to all of them. (02April2018)
Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie warns of the dangers of hearing only a single story about another person or country; certainly the breadth of performers from the United States that we enjoyed at this year’s Bluesfest treated us to a number of very different stories about the American experience.
And, they certainly kept us entertained.
Until next time,
Keep Smiling!
Pictures: 29March-2April2018
