Photos & Words: Sam Luke
Neighbor opened their winter tour last Friday, January 19th at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, NY to a crowd of eager upstate New Yorkers ready to escape the cold and warm themselves by the musical fire being stoked by the Boston-based quartet.
The show was opened by CT natives Creamery Station, who offered up a compelling palate of soulful, blues-driven Americana. Between the Rhodes piano, harmonica, mandolin, and searing Strat leads they were able to eloquently weave a web of sound that was equal parts understated and authoritative. In its totality, the set acted as a sort of crescendo that peaked late and left crowd-goers poised for the rest of the nights offerings.
Slightly after 10pm, Neighbor took the stage, wasting no time and digging right into an extended jam that would act as the show’s opener. The jam, as it’s listed on http://www.neighbortunes.net, had the affect of a composed piece, marked by on-the-dime shifts and dynamic changes. They casually worked from sultry jazz-oriented jamming to an up-tempo funk section before finding more dissonance and creating a platform on which guitarist Lyle Brewer was able to take front-and-center and show off his prowess. The ever graceful and thought-provoking guitar stylings of Brewer were on early display, offering boisterous presence and masterful neck command that’s seen in only upper echelon players.
After a soaring solo to close out the jam, the band dissolved into their original tune “Canopy.” The swagger from pianist Richard James conjured up sounds of Little Feat and Bill Payne as the song found its pocket. Sprinkle a little James Taylor and Huey Lewis into the pot and you’ve got a quality thing brewing. They tore through the songs written parts before finding a psychedelic “grey area” that bled into their next song, “Broadway, You Could Be Mine.”
What started as a country feel very quickly dove into a composed section, marked by its arpeggiated guitar before bursting forth with a passionate guitar solo, only to descend into demonic terrain before leveling out with some sustained organ from James. This acted as a cue for Dan Kelly (bass) and Dean Johnston (drums) to tear open a pocket and sit in it, creating a dense foundation that would act as the songs battleground.
Once again, Lyle Brewer was at the helm, showing us all why his contemporaries lust after his guitar playing. His meticulous approach beautifully illustrated the notion that “less is more,” finding the proper times to take the crowd down his rabbit hole, while still always leading with a restrained hand. Through this, he provided due diligence to the overall jam in such a manner that you stand on your toes almost hoping for those moments of relief where the tension breaks and you can finally take a breath. You can revel in the fact that the band was gracious enough to offer you a reprieve from the nuanced yet enrapturing musical wall that’s been built, allowing you to momentarily ground yourself and prepare for the inevitable shift.
From there, they continued with a high-energy rendition “Point of No Return,” treating us to some up-tempo funk and immaculate jamming, along with teases of “Pine Tree,” which would come next. I’ve always been a sucker for the musical foreshadowing that is teasing a song that will come later in the setlist. Upon its arrival I was able to pick out the theme, despite not having known the song prior to it being played, which gives you that sense of knowing, even when you really don’t.
In the middle of “Pine Tree” we were met with the first and only cover of the night, “Werewolves of London.” This jam also featured teases in the form of “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, before finding its way to the close of Pine Tree and melting into a bluesy and soulful version of “Don’t You Cry.”
This was perhaps one of my favorite parts of the set. I’m a man who can get into some good vocals, and it’s my frank opinion they can sometimes be in high demand in a scene that’s known more for its instrumentation, but Richard James put it all out there with a powerful vocal performance on this blues standard. Few vocalists in the jam scene could have offered us such soul. Not surprisingly, the song also acted as a beautiful landscape for Lyle to give us a classic blues solo. I’d been thirsting for it since the first note of the song, and it didn’t disappoint.
It was then that the band vamped for a few minutes and created a tunnel in the crowd, by name of the “High Five Gauntlet.” First-time Neighbor-goers were to walk through the tunnel and dish out high-fives to the folks on either side, much like a starting lineup taking the field on game-day. Being a first-timer myself, I willingly obliged, and my bro-roots were more than happy to “take the field” by way of tunnel while getting some skin from the crew. I appreciate seeing a display like this… nothing wrong with a little crowd participation to bolster the vibe!
Up next was “Yo-Yo Ma.” The song was quick but had great personality. The first set closed with “Steel,” which oddly enough (given the title) offered up some Steely Dan vibes for me. Throw a little slap bass and some octave pedal into the mix and you’ve got a happy Sam. The song soared with the resolve of a well-placed set closer before the band took their exit and geared up for Round 2.
For the second set, I decided to place away my notes to focus on enjoying the music and taking some pictures. My internal mechanisms want my phone away from me so that I can take everything in and simply be in the moment, and far be it from me to deny myself that right.
They played a beautiful second set with all the same nuance and diversity that I’d come to expect from the first set, and it was overall an impressive display that I very much look forward to enjoying again. They certainly have my endorsement.
Check them out on social media or visit their website http://www.neighbortunes.com to stay up to date on when they’ll be playing a venue near you!
Setlist:
Set 1: Jam, Canopy (1) > Broadway, You Could Be Mine > Point of No Return (2) > Pine Tree > Werewolves of London (3) > Pine Tree, Don’t You Cry, High Five Gauntlet, Yo-Yo Ma > Steel (4)
Set 2: Lonely Rider (5), Headrush (6), Mighty Apple Tree, The Unknown > One For The Hoop (7), Trippin’ in a Van (8), Terror For Free
Encore: The Bottom Of My Heart
Footnotes:
(1)Unfinished.
(2)Unfinished. Pine Tree tease.
(3)Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) tease.
(4)Cucamonga Carl and Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath) teases.
(5)Don DeStefano on harmonica.
(7)Lonely Rider and Pine Tree teases.
(8)Pine Tree tease.
(9)Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon) quote.
Gallery:
