Sonia Dada
At the end of a week of feeling generally wiped-out, I was nearly nonfunctional at work today. Just sort of stumbling through a few tasks as best I could. I hate it when I feel this way. I left early and came home and lounged around for a couple of hours ("lolled" might be a better word, since that's what my head was doing).
Then my friend Karen picked me up and we went to Barrymore Theater to see Sonia Dada in concert.
Sonia Dada is probably my favorite active band. Rumor has it that the band's founder, Dan Pritzker, encountered these three black gospel singers performing on a Chicago street and invited them to join his rock group. The resulting eight-piece ensemble rock and gospel, with an emphasis on vocal harmonies, but with a wide range of other influences.
Their live act is something to see. I saw them twice last year. Pritzker generally stays in the background as their rhythm guitarist (this is okay, since he's also their lead songwriter), while Michael Scott, Paris Delane and Sam Hogan front the group, often breaking into energetic dance steps. Scott's the lead vocalist for the most part, but Delane handles both the very high and the very low parts. However, lead guitarist David Resnik often steps to the fore during one of his outstanding guitar solos, and keyboardist Chris Cameron often gesticulates to the audience, wears an assortment of funny hats, and performs some nice piano pieces.
As a musical ensemble, they are outstanding. The various parts blend together wonderfully, and they really know how to play with and off each other. The bassist and drummer are often in the background, but are also very good at what they do.
Tonight's concert was different from the last two. Sam Hogan is reportedly battling a crack addiction and was not with the group (the local newspaper was fuzzy about whether he's out of the band for good, or just temporarily). Stepping in was Shawn Christopher, a female vocalist who has performed on their first two albums. The regular drummer, too, was not present, but his stand-in was just as good.
They kicked off the show with several songs from their new album, due out in early January, and it sounds like it should be really good! Their first album, Sonia Dada, was pretty good, but had a few clunkers on it (although some of those clunkers work much better live than on disc). Their second, A Day At The Beach, is an excellent album with a variety of songs and styles. Some of the new songs included some straightforward rockers, some more delicate ballads, and even a synth-backed track (the group has tended to stick to piano and hammond organ in their music, so this is a new sound).
The rest of their set was very different from last year, notably with "Lay My Body Down" turning into an extended jam session. They strung most of their major songs back-to-back in the second half, including "You Ain't Thinking About Me", "Screaming John", "Lester's Methodone Clinic", "Last Parade (Crazy Lady)" and "Planes and Satellites". (I must admit to being disappointed that "The Edge Of The World", from their first album, isn't part of the set.)
Mysteriously, tickets for their shows have only been $12.00, although they sell out the Barrymore every time they play. (The Freddy Jones Band didn't come close to selling out a week earlier.) If you get a chance to see them (check out their tour schedule on-line; they're heading out west later this month), I highly recommend it (even though their opening act, Vigilantes of Love, seemed a one-note affair). It's worth it.
|
|
|
|
