If you read about the history of Seattle's legendary music club in the heart of Belltown, the Crocodile has hosted some amazing live talent over it's twenty-seven year span. R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Beastie Boys (the list goes on and on)
Add Aayron Jones to the list.
Last night Seattle got an excruciating taste of the blues, punk, funk spirit as the ghost of Jimi Hendrix and Joe Strummer came into fruition.
Set in an environment of all ages with about two hundred people grooving and moving in unison, Jones had the crowd in his hand from the moment his three piece took the stage.
I had never been to the Crocodile so I didn't know what to expect. Flanked with my rocking, hip father-in-law, he told me stories of shows past and how intimate the venue was.
We arrived to see the opener Woebegone who had a Smash Mouth meets early Zeppelin feel. The lead singer who resembled former US president Martin Van Buren, belted out screams and hissed as they held the audience's attention to get them in the rocking spirit.
Next up? Aayron Jones. The Seattle native didn't waste any time showcasing his blues talent. As if to say, "Hey yeah, Muddy Waters is my Dad!" This millennial with the perennial talent ripped onto songs "Boys From Puget Sound", "Emily", and "Devil's Hand" with such ease and dexterity I thought the guitar would have came out of the womb with him.
Halfway through the hour and a half set Jones busted out Hendrick's Voodoo Child followed by a bluesy soulful Georgia by the late great Ray Charles.
The highlight was the National Anthem. Sure, he was showcasing his love of Jimi Hendrix 1969 Woodstock performance, but he made it his own feeling.The energy and love from the crowd seemed to propel him further into the underbelly of the song's ethos. The anthem lasted five minutes as he bended the notes in a frey of terror. Echos of our current national mood cooed through the air.
He took the mic: "They want to divide us, don't let em." This in between the 'audio' bombs bursting in air.
I've never seen a Seattle crowd dance and groove as one, equal rock horns and peace signs in the air.
Aayron brought the funk. He brought the soul. He brought the rock. And he brought the power of music. For that good hour and more, everyone was under the spell of the kid from the Puget Sound.
No comments:
Post a Comment