Liviu’s Invitational - J’s Crab Shack, Hartford CT -
Thursday 08 May 14
with Liviu Pop and featuring Tommy Whalen and Bob Laramie
Tommy Whalen - Guitar and Most of
the Vocals
Bob Laramie - The Big Black
Beautiful Bass
Johnny Larsen - The Other White
Strat
Rick Handeville - JLarson's Strat
Mike Nigro - Congas / Percs
Steve & Neil- Horn Section
Johnny Russell - Harp
Liviu Pop - Drums
Upon walking into J’s Crab Shack in Hartford, my road-mate
and I were struck by the Energy. Of
course, we were unaware of Tommy Whalen’s ties to the other players, Bob
Laramie on bass, and Liviu Pop on drums.
All we could see were smiles all around- the few dozen people in the
little garage-ish venue were already enthralled, and the three guys on stage
were clearly enjoying themselves. This
was pretty much Liviu’s gig, with his choice of guests (hence the name ‘invitational),
but we had no idea what was to come.
Neither did the band, for that matter, and isn’t that all part of the
magic? We agreed later, it can’t be
contrived; the muse visits and the energy flows from unseen places.
Liviu was grinning ear-to-ear. No surprise there, that’s how he plays. It’s obvious the guy enjoys what he’s
doing. That spirit is infectious,
though; it spreads right to the other layers and they freely share it with the
rest of us. I had seen Liviu play with
Tommy Whalen and the Ragged Edge a few times at the Waterfront in Holyoke MA,
subbing for Ricky Marshall, so I had a good idea of the level of expertise that
could be expected. Rock-solid, perfectly
placed foundation with plenty of percussive flourishes abound, such that the
listener is never shocked but is often surprised by this drummer and his gifts.
Bob Laramie, though... another story. I had no previous exposure to this fellow,
and who knows why I expected a charming and competent contribution on bass...
silly me! He’s a monster! Not at first, mind you; he starts off being
as laid-back as any bass-man can be. But
within a few minutes, the word ‘fluidity’ impressed upon me and stayed with
me. Again, rock-solid as backing for the
band, but throwing all these little runs and flourishes, the dudes soon seemed nothing
short of amazing. As he got going, all
of that gave way to actual aggression on the instrument- this guy is an
animal! (And a gentleman.) I thought I had seen bass-as-lead such as
would never be duplicated when I saw Twiddle associates last weekend up in
Vermont, but this guy could surely give those young bucks a run!
All of the preceding took place within just a few songs;
mostly blues tracks with a couple of Tommy’s tunes, crossover faves from across
the decades; but the excitement was already building. When they invited Johnny Larsen up to play
guitar (another white Strat), I almost thought, “No, don’t spoil it,” but I’ve
seen Tommy enough times that I know to trust him. He loves to share the stage and the
spotlight, with no real fear that we might not like him so well after someone
else plays (a joke he made). The new
guy, clearly not new to anyone but me, was clearly top-notch. Of course, I learned later that he’s a local
hero and plays around a whole lot. As
the cast of characters continued to expand, I realized that we were on Tommy’s
old stomping grounds from his 20 years with Eight to the Bar, and so playing
anywhere in CT is apt to turn into a reunion.
Mike Niger, who I’ve seen a number of time at Black-Eyed
Sally’s, just down the road, and a few times up in Springfield at Theodore’s,
carried in his congas while Johnny was setting up, and the trio became a
five-piece. They both stayed on for most
of the first set, which took nothing away from the experience and only added to
the energy and excitement. Things were
really ramping up, and more folks were coming in the door.
We had a fairly full house and dancing down the middle aisle
through the second set.
Rick Handeville joined in with Johnny’s guitar for a few
songs, and we had a min-horn section for most of the show as Steve and Neil
came in with their Sax and Trumpet, and when Johnny Russel jumped up to play
harp, it was no less than a nonette in the house! Couldn’t even fit ‘em all on stage; the horns
and congas were out in front, with dancers deftly doing steps all ‘round
‘em.
Rick’s guitar style held some intrigue for me. Not unlike Mr. Laramie, he started off all
mild-mannered and built up to a couple on crescendos, but in the in-between he
played with a subdued and sophisticated style that rather reminded me of Steely
Dan’s Walter Becker, the guy who quietly shifted from bass to guitar and slowly
came up to a level of playing comparable (arguably, perhaps) with not just
Denny Dias and Skunk Baxter, but Larry Carlton, Steve Khan, and the host of
other highly technical L.A. jazzers. As
with Becker, this Handeville fellow played with a plunky, blues-inflected
manner full of fat, round notes and clean, sharp Motown-type gusty rhythms. I checked with him on this point, and it seemed
to talk Dan to him- a favorable comparison, to be sure.
After a rousing, funk-inflected Lowdown (the Boz Scaggs
great), the band settled into the last leg of the night. Not many folks were sitting; not much
stillness could be seen anywhere in the house for that last hour or so, and (of
course) the band played past their appointed time. How could they not? Joe and Enza, the owners of this nifty little
joint, were enjoying the scene as much as anyone else. They reported that, while they have some fine
nights in their sea-shore styled Crab Shack, this one stood out. It was a magical night indeed, one of those
when the planets are in alignment and the strings are all tuned perfectly; the
moods are matched and the vibe is right.
They don’t happen every time, but they do seem to come more often than
not when Mr. Tommy Whalen is involved.
Even Tuesdays get all fired up at the Waterfront in Holyoke; it’s like a
weekend in the middle of the week!
This Thursday thing could not have gone down the same any
other way. It had to be right here,
right now, in this particular place and time.
And the location, provided by Joe and Enza, was a big part of the magic. When I first walked in, I feared for the
audio experience- the stage is all way at the back of a long, rectangular room
with a garage door right behind the band, and the musicians surrounded by
cement and cinderblocks. I expected a
harsh, overly loud sound. It was loud no
doubt, but the good kind. It was easy to
distinguish each instrument; all was crystal clear- good thing, as these guys
are all so good to hear.
The Crab Shack itself is a most interesting place, retaining
just enough of a seaside feel to ring authentic, but not so much as put off the
landlubbers. The décor is likewise, and
the menu is exactly what you’d expect- reasonable prices and all. The building is divided up into distinct
sections, with a fish market, seafood stand and seating, and a bar at the far
end. All of this looks to have been a
car repair facility in the past, so how fitting to bring in a twenty-first
century blues-based garage band! There’s
even a separate game room with a pool table, behind glass doors so all can be
seen and heard without interfering. Not
that this looks to have been fore-ordained; rather the owners had the good
sense to make good use of what they had to work with. Gotta love that- gotta love it all!
My “road-mate” and I had the best non-date of our lives!!!
