After a recent string of acoustic shows, I was jonesin' for something a little louder. When I heard that Ryan Montbleau Band would be at Brooklyn Bowl over Turkey Day Weekend, it felt like a necessary trek. There's nothing quite like Live Music to get you the hell away from family and unwind after any holidays you're forced to sit around a table with your loved ones. This is why Thanksgiving Run shows are always festive. There's a lot of de-stressing going on and tons of steam getting blown off.
Annnyways, when I found out Ryan Monbleau Band was actually opening for another band- JJ Grey & Mofro, I wondered if a 45 minute set would be worth the drive to Brooklyn. RMB's set at moe.down xi was totes rockin' and I was excited to see another show, but I was hoping for a full one. Folks In-The-Know assured me it was a stellar double-bill. GLR used the word, "swampy" (in a good way) to describe JJ Grey & Mofro's sound. Intriguing. Mark insisted that this JJ fellow's voice was "Honey-Dipped" and that he would undoubtedly be the newest member of the Derhak/Austin Club. Pshaw! Let's not go crazy. However, I can't argue with Honey-Dipped things, cuz mostly Honey-Dipped things are delicious. Now if JJ's voice was also dusted with sea-salt...
It took 15 minutes to get down the offramp of the BQE. By the time I got to Brooklyn Bowl^, the line was halfway down the block. Moving slowly. Oh, so sloooowly. And Ryan Montbleau Band had already started (at least we could hear it?). It took a solid 10 minutes to get in (between the line to get carded and the next line to buy a ticket). In that time, I made friends with some nice folks in front of me and when we got to the Box Office window, the girl handed me their extra! Really?? Thanks, Amy(?)! Great start to the night!
I found some of my peeps and enjoyed the show for a few minutes, but the frozen margarita machine was screaming my name, so I headed over. After standing amongst the mess that wasn't as much a "line" as it was a "total clusterfuck" at the bar for 5 minutes, I decided to catch the rest of the RMB set instead, cuz at that point they only had 2 songs left. I ran up front, took a few pics, and rocked out a bit. The place was packed- the show had SOLD OUT by now. The crowd was great and way into it. When RMB got to the end of the last song, I bolted back to the bar-sterfuck determined to score some booze this time. I would settle for nothing less than a slight buzz!
Another 10 minutes waiting, but I ran into random peeps and met some new friends. The girl waiting next to me proposed a deal- whoever ordered first would order for both. DEAL! -> ALCOHOL OBTAINED FOR ALL! = TEAMWORK HUZZAH!
The floor was packed solid, we stayed back for much of JJ Grey & Mofro's set. They had a southern-soul-blues-rock feel. "Swampy" is a great adjective for it. Swampy Soul. They really hit the spot. The entire set was enjoyable and everyone in the room was psyched. JJ Grey is super entertaining- running around on harp & occasional guitar. His voice may be Honey-Dipped, but he's a little too Billy Bob Thornton to fall into The Derhakian/Austinian Spectrum. Still, I would totally see them again.
Brooklyn Bowl hasn't really solved their sound-issues. Those purty brick walls and/or gorgeous ceiling could use some insulation. Regardless, it's still a fun venue. Dig it!
Mark DJ'd the fuck out of the drive home. He melted a shit-ton of faces on 1st Ave.
Ryan Montbleau Band & JJ Grey & Mofro, 11/27/10, Brooklyn Bowl: 7.8 HUZZAHS!
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^ After realizing the 1st parking spot I chose was illegal (the NO PARKING sign was covered in graffiti and therefore camouflaged into the wall- only to be discovered after careful examination due to my "this seems too good to be true" NYC Street Parker Intuition) and had to re-park. This wasted precious minutes!
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