Soulive Review: Eric Crittenden
Photos: Joe Casio
Although the second concert trio in the Tower Jam Concert Series could have easily been a wash due to inclement weather, music fans rallied early on while Mother Nature changed her tune as the evening progressed. By the time Soulive hit the stage, the crowd had solidified and all eyes were on the masterful musicians as they played to the energized crowd. From Buffalo musician Eric Crittenden:
“Even though Eric Krasno, guitarist for Soulive, is from Connecticut, there’s no doubt that Neal and Alan Evans, who complete the funky 3, bring with them a groove that is purely Buffalo.
“Soulive’s show at the Tower Jam series was rust bowl soul at its finest. In fact, the ‘old timers’ tell tales of an era where all the colors and all the ‘hoods’ melted together to create a groove, vibe and sound perpetuated by the likes of Rick James, Grover Washington Jr. and blue collar grit. Rust bowl soul was born of blue collar grit and blue collar grind… and Soulive brought it as they always do.
“The trio dropped into the type of funk that would make your teeth grind, hips buck and rump bounce. A decadent display of dynamics and expertise as they indeed took Buffalo on a musical journey complete with a Beatles set that was absolutely bananas!
“Mayor Brown commemorated this day as “Soulive Day” and thanks to the visions of Seamus Gallivan and Jeff Empric of Roaming Buffaloes, the Tower Jams series aims to go beyond the typical “frats-in-hats & silver spooner” vibe that stagnates through the majority of so-called cultural affairs in Buffalo. United we funked under the dawning of the dusk and united in multicultural bliss were we – and it was a joy to behold. In fact I ‘could of swore’ I saw Mayor Brown Krumpin’ on the down-low…no not really but think about it… lol!
“Soulive is proud to claim their Buffalo roots and the Rust bowl has never been more proud of its funk-ta-fied sons!
“Buffalo has a wealth of talent on BOTH sides of Main street and her music is bringing us together, 1 beat at a time. .
“Holla!”