Ryan Montbleau Band on NPR

One of my favorites, the Ryan Montbleau Band, checked in with NPR last night on a segment that highlighted tracks from their new album, Heavy on the Vine.  It serves as a great introduction to people who have never heard of the band and a nice reminder to those of us who have.

Check out the 23-minute NPR segment here.

The reggae-infused Songbird plays underneath a brief introduction of the band and fades into a lighthearted interview.  Ryan dishes about riding the back of a U-Haul truck to a gig after the van broke down, demonstrating the humble roots of a band that has already played stadium arenas.

It's always nice to hear what Ryan and the boys have to say about their ever-growing careers, but it's always nicer to listen to them play: the band treated us to live performances of Stay, Slippery Road, Love Songs, and I Can't Wait.

Now that we are up to speed on the coolness of the RMB, we can all be properly jealous of this photo:

Elizabeth

GATHERING OF THE VIBES 2010 (Part 4 of 4) @ Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT

The Harlem Gospel Choir: the best way to spend a Sunday morning.  Maybe because I'm a vocalist myself, and perhaps because I may have a thing for gospel music ('Hercules' has the best soundtrack out of all the Disney movies, hands down), but they're always one of my favorite acts at the Vibes.  There's nothing quite like getting shivers from good music on a hot summer day.

Check out this short video I took of their opening song:

I found my twin!

And the official title for Official Random New Find of the Vibes goes to Lubriphonic, a Chicago-based group who kind of rocks (this is where you detect the vast understatement).  Their music is sort of the rock/funk genre (whatever that means) and is super lively and fun to groove and dance to.  I could definitely picture myself going to see these guys again and having a really fun time dancing the night away.

I'm going to link to their MySpace page here where you can listen to some of their music (which I highly recommend).  Here's hoping to a full-on Lubriphonic show in my near future!

I have a bone to pick with this Martin Sexton fellow.  I just don't think he is as good as Ryan Montbleau, and it was a damn shame that he had to come in an interrupt what was otherwise a perfectly fine performance from the RMB on Sunday afternoon.  I saw him in early June and was just plain unimpressed (and totally baffled as to why everyone else was eating it up).  Let's just say I'm looking forward to seeing the Ryan Montbleau Band without Sexton very soon (hopefully doing the August 27th boat show).

'A Mainstay of the Vibes' almost became the tagline for the Ryan Montbleau Band from The Vibes People (official title? No, but good enough) this year.  If that's true, I would love to know why they couldn't squeeze in a full set for these guys.  Normally another favorite act of the Vibes, but this year not so.

We found Ryan later hanging in the Kiddie Tent, so it was chill.

Wavy Gravy MC'd the weekend's festivities and provided some quality entertainment while the Tribe waited (for an unnecessarily long time, I might add) between sets.  Remind me again why there weren't two stages this year?  

Jimmy Cliff

Although I may have complained a little too heartily in this entry, I maintain the utmost sincerity when I say that the Gathering of the Vibes is the best time of the year.

GOTV '11!  Bring it on!

Peace, love, and blue roses,

Elizabeth

Ryan Montbleau Band & Marton Sexton 5 June 2010 @ Nokia Theatre NYC

So I figured seeing Ryan Montbleau would be the way to kick off my 'official' summer vacation (on-campus senior parties nonwithstanding, of course).  It so happened that Martin Sexton was also on the ticket for the night's entertainment.  I had never heard any of his stuff before, but I figured the act had to be worth watching with the RMB on backup.

The show started with a set with just the Ryan Montbleau Band, and as it turns out, it was the best act of the night.  Maybe I'm biased, but from what I heard, Martin Sexton has absolutely nothing on Ryan.  The instrumentation for the RMB is much more interesting (poor Larry the viola player was stuck on stage during the Sexton bit with a cabassa) and the lyrics are less conversational and heartfelt.  Ryan always gives a personal performance and seems so at ease up on stage - tonight he managed to throw in some witty one-liners throughout into his signature tune, 75 & Sunny, that got the audience laughing.

The band followed up with Songbird, a new personal favorite.  There's a lot more going on in this one than what appears at first glance - I found myself listening more  to the reggae aspect of the song (and in that sense, the music itself) during the first few times, but I have come to realize it's the lyrics that really grab me.  You are the dance, you are not the dancer; you are the song not the one who sings. 

I know I brought this up during my last review of a RMB show (NYE, to be exact), but I feel as if it's worth mentioning again: I love the keys solos.  Maybe I just dig the sound of the jazz organ.  Jason keeps getting better and better every time I see him, and man, if I've gotta say one thing, it's this: that guy's always grinning and grooving.

Another random moment that I love during RMB shows: when Ryan is sitting on his leather stool with his acoustic guitar and swings it around to face the rest of the band - I feel as if they're just having any old jam session that we happened to have in on.  Rock on!

For the first time in a while I found myself completely unaware of what was going to happen next with the music during a fade out jam of 'Maybe Today'.  There was this intriguing moment when I had no idea about what was going to happen next.. it was wild. 

The band finished off with the ever-rousing 'I Can't Wait' and took a break before doing the Martin Sexton act.  I walked in feeling a little unprepared for this set - I had never heard any of Sexton's stuff before, but with Ryan and the guys backing him up, I had a feeling it would be good. 

Unfortunately I was mistaken.  Generally when one listens to a band for the first time, there's an immediate decision made if they are worth listening to - Sexton's rendition of 'America the Beautiful' was worth it, but my opinion of him slowly but surely declined throughout the night.  

While Martin Sexton is a 'fun' act, there are no complexities to his music.  From what I observed, there seems to be two different types of sounds that he uses for songs: the first has a country vibe where he employs the higher register of his voice and produces a loud, nasally sound which was not particularly pleasant to listen to.  The second sound he uses has more of a jazzy edge to it where he sort of sing-raps (very much like Jason Mraz) but sounds more like Jack Johnson.  

Now, if I wanted to hear Jack Johnson, I would go to a Jack Johnson show.

I didn't get the impression that he was a strong guitarist either - there were no guitar solos worth remembering - in fact I struggle to recall if he did any at all.  There were, however, vocal solos aplenty.  I will refrain from using the word 'scat' to describe what he did because scatting implies an intimate knowledge of the music and its chordal structure and a trained ear - in other words, scatting uses a lot more technique than what was displayed to me on Saturday night.  Martin Sexton howled a lot of oooohs using utterly predictable pitches on a distortion microphone to make it sound like a guitar solo.  Oh, and the falsetto he persistently used throughout the entire show?  Ouch.

Not to go all Negative Nancy on you, dear readers, but I can't say I will be going back for more Martin anytime soon.  

It's a shame that Ryan Montbleau isn't doing his own set this year at the Vibes.  Anyone want to start a petition?

Peace, love, and lava lamps,

Elizabeth

ps. Sexton did this song at the end of the night, and I will admit that it's one of the jams I enjoyed.  Check it out for yourself.  (See what I mean about the falsetto and the Jack Johnson sound?)

Ryan Montbleau Band 12/31/09 @ Fairfield, CT

What a way to ring in the new decade with a hundred close friends and the Ryan Montbleau Band.  I don't think I have seen or heard a better RMB show than the one I saw last night.  (Consequently, I have lots of notes!)

The band was all suited up for tonight's show -

I mentioned that the band the night before had done a few interesting segways into songs from what I call 'nothing jams' - jams that have no melody, no focus, and really only last a minute or so.  These jams, although plentiful tonight, seemed more connected to what had happened previously or what was about to happen.  I almost liked the disconnectedness of those nothing jams the night before better - although they were spacey and kind of weird, it was cool to see where they would go and experience the segway from nothingness to the concrete.

Another technique used by the band that proved to be a theme throughout the night was tension and release.  I found that there was a lot of that going on in the communal jams (where there are no prevalent solos) tonight.  I really like this technique, but only sparingly.

Example A: Phish's Fluffhead has this section where it's all about buildup and unresolved leading tones; you can feel the tension being intentionally created.  And then all of a sudden - the tonic arrives.  Boom.  You're jumping around, yelling the lyrics, and sporting a huge grin.  The tension is dissolved instantly and it's the best feeling in the world.

It is cases like these that the tension/release thing is great and works like nothing else.  Other times, however, I think it gets overused.  Dare I suggest that the RMB is taking it a little too far?  That's a question I can't answer..

And while I love Phish for their nonsense lyrics, I find myself loving Ryan for just the opposite: he uses down-to-earth, accessible poetry in his material that everyone can relate to in some capacity.  I have been thinking about trademarks lately, and what makes people special.  Ryan's trademark is his poetry and sensuality that he brings to his music.  You don't get any other artists who seem like they're pouring their hearts out to an audience like you do with this guy.  It's magic.

hello!

Another new facet to the RMB that I have really been liking is all of the vibes they've got going on.  There are times when I could swear I am standing at a jazz concert instead of a Ryan Montbleau show.  Similarily, there are times when I feel as if I am seeing a funked-up Bob Marley group.  Then there are the times and the songs that bring a sort of 'pretty jam' element to the music.  I can't find any other way to describe it than just pretty.  There's a softness, a tenderness, that is used in the pretty jams that is a trademark in itself.  These vibes are awesome, and it really showcases the multifaceted nature of the musicians themselves as well as the group as a whole.

Espeically 'Jason on the keys', as Ryan so aptly puts it every night.  I think he's the one who really leans into these different vibes, and the rest of the band kind of responds to him.  There are times when he will solo and it will sound like McCoy Tyner is in the house.  Other times you'll swear there's nothing better than the sound of his organ wailing.  And sometimes both will happen in one song.  There's a certain sense of eclecticness that other bands just don't have.

So the show itself.

There was so much energy in the room right from the start, both in the band and the crowd.  It was a big contrast from the night before, where most of the audience was sitting the whole time.. lame.  When the interactive tune 'I Can't Wait' came around, the audience already knew what to shout, when, and did so: loudly.  It was awesome being in a crowd with so much enthusiasm.

I found myself wondering as Bob Marley's 'Bend Down Low' went down if the RMB is on a reggae streak.  The night before they played all Marley songs during set breaks, and tonight there was not only a big reggae vibe going on throughout the jamming, but there was one of Bob's tunes.  (Phish did the same thing in Hartford, CT this summer - they covered two Talking Heads songs in one night after playing all of Talking Heads:77 before the sets).

The other noteworthy song from the first set was 'Gone,' from Patience on Friday.  It's one of my favorite tunes off the album, and it's done live very rarely, but also very well.  'Gone' is more like a poem than it is a song - the whole tune is only a few lines long, but it's a very welcome few lines in which Ryan laments the loss of a girl in his life, and still "uses her as a hook to hang all [his] insecurities on."  It's lines like this that make the RMB so special.

The second set brought lots of smiles, dancing, and the new year.  We rang in 2010 with an incredible cover of Pink Floyd's 'Time' - Ryan and the boys truly outdid themselves.  They really transcended the expected range of their music this time around.

Another favorite I had the pleasure of grooving to was 'Dancing in the Sunshine,' another tune that Ryan doesn't do very often, but always rocks it out for the Gathering of the Vibes shows in July.  It was awesome to jam out six months early!  This tune confronts some of the same philosophical stuff I myself have been wrangling with lately, but in a simpler way.  It declares that "it's the simple things in life, so let's spend our time dancing in the sunshine,"implying that that's the best way to live.  I can't say I don't agree...

The band topped off the night with crazy fun tunes by the dozen, including 'L.I.D.S.' (anyone knows what that stands for?), 'You Crazy You,' 'A Way With Women,' 'Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)' (a Talking Heads cover, and one of the best grooves of the night), and 'City,' which was the tune I really wanted to between the two nights.

All in all, it was a fun night with all the jamming, grooving, and glow-in-the-dark silly string one could imagine.

I'll let the kid say it -

peace, love, and hobbits,

Elizabeth

ps - here is the link to a very good recording of the show - enjoy!

http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2009-12-31.flac16

Ryan Montbleau Band 12/30/09 @ Fairfield, CT

I remembered exactly why I own three Ryan Montbleau t-shirts.

I hadn't seen the RMB since late August.  Things have changed for me since then, and I'm glad to report that I have found things are different on their end as well.

New material, new vibes, new jams, and new years.  I think we've got a theme going..

The band first impressed me with starting with what I call a 'nowhere jam' right from the top.  This sort of jam literally comes from nowhere, with no melody, no focus, and no point, other than making music, of course.  So this nowhere jam starts slowly with nowhere to go, and all of a sudden, like a button was pushed, the first song comes.  Wild.

The other new technique I found the band using was not only the intro jam, but the outro jam as well.  Many of the RMB songs end on a single beat with the whole band in unison.  Not this time around.  A few of the tunes at the end go into a quick jam, and it seems as if they will return to the known to finish off the song, but instead it just.. ends.  But I kinda like it.  It's new.  Anticlimactic, if you will.

There were some fun moments throughout the night, like Eddy Grant's 'Electric Avenue,' a tune the band loves to do from time to time.  This one can get really funky (in a good way!).

Another highlight of the night was an impromptu song about Oprah, derived from banter with the crowd that somehow landed on the topic of our favorite TV hostess.  Lots of laughter as Ryan picked up his guitar, and slowly drawled something about being the next Oprah and the whole band joined in.  It's stuff like this that keeps me listening to live music.. it's so much more fun.

A mysterious guest?  Note Ryan's dance moves..

I had never heard the group's only coined holiday tune, 'Resolution,' before that night, and I ended up wondering if it would be taboo for them to do it more often.  I really liked it - the song starts off with an invitation - "Meet me by the mistletoe."  It is introspective, calm, and beautiful.  When the chorus comes around, however, a whole new vibe comes into play.  The tune is revved up by Maddie with a rockin and persistent bassline as the whole thing becomes this rock and roll/jazz fusion type deal.  It's very cool.

'Love & Love Lost' is one of my favorites off the album Patience on Friday, mainly because of its poetic value.  So of course I was pleased when it was played tonight, only because it's one of those tunes that almost never happens.  Definitely a personal highlight.

It's good to be back, folks.

The wild horses in Nevada deserve to live in their natural habitat,

Elizabeth

RMB Review

I wrote this comprehensive review of the Ryan Montbleau Band for my school newspaper, the Red & White.  I love disrupting the norm here at school and going beyond mainstream artists... and the editors apparently like it too! (Now I'm a staff writer.. Hooray!)  I'm going to be writing another review for the next edition as well, so look for that bad boy coming your way!

disco sometimes doesn't suck,
elizabeth

Elizabeth Bayne ’10
Red & White Staff Writer

 

Are you a closeted bluegrass junkie? Perhaps someone who digs funk? Or do complex, introspective ballads turn you on? Well then, friends, The Ryan Montbleau Band may become a staple on SG iPods far and wide.

I experienced the RMB for the first time at a music festival over a year ago and ever since, they have surpassed any and all of my expectations. I will be the first to admit it – I’m hooked.

Montbleau went to college for English, and believe me, it shows. His lyrics are pure poetry. Each song tells a story. Every word means something. A personal favorite, “Love and Love Lost,” recounts how a young friend loses a love interest and as a result is “lost, like patience on Friday, like a star behind the moon, burning and beautiful but looked at too soon.”

Another song describes Montbleau’s experience working as a substitute teacher to support himself in the early days his music career. He sings about signing “an autograph at nighttime and a bathroom pass by day.” While the RMB can certainly tell an effective sob story, there is an expansive portion of his repertoire that leaves room for fun: a crowd favorite is an ode to America’s favorite breakfast food – eggs.

Montbleau continues to amaze and impress throughout his stage career with his gift of being able to shift gears on the drop of a dime. He glides through difficult transitions with ease, such as creating an intimate ambiance at the utterance of the last few lines of a ballad, then diving into a happy, bouncy ragtime song that has the whole audience grinning and singing along. That’s real talent.

As the Folk Art and Music Exchange puts it, Montbleau “very rapidly grows on you, if you can go beyond the standard and the formulaic.” So what’s magical about this guy? My answer? His sound.

There is nothing cookie-cutter about this band from their repertoire to their showcased “acoustic-driven, bluegrass-infused lyrical and musical range, which [is sung] with some western-twang and solid doses of funky R&B,” as described by WERS, a popular radio station located in Boston.

Still doesn’t grab you? Try taking the song “Grain of Sand” out for a spin. I personally guarantee those five minutes spent are not five minutes wasted.

Ryan Montbleau NYC 8/27/09

Rocks Off! Cruise 8/27/09

I headed off to the big city on a Thursday afternoon in high spirits and with higher hopes of a great (and always stylin!) night. After a half of an hour playing wild goose chase with an elusive Chinese place on third avenue (I'm beginning to suspect it doesn't even exist), I was not in the best of physical condition, even in my stylin ankle boots. In fact, because of my stylin ankle boots. So it would make sense that I was psyched to get on the boat, perhaps take a brief respite? All good stuff.

So there we (as in, my bestie Caroline and I.. for all intensive purposes, she will be referred to as Dr. Cizzle from now on.. only because it's fantastic. and no, she is not aware of this.... yet.) were, walking up to this ferry, snapping pictures like there was no tomorrow. As we boarded, a man who looked strangely familiar approached us. Like, very familiar, but I just couldn't place him... until he asked if we wanted to work the merchandise table for the night! Then it clicked: it was James from the band (not the band, The Band, but.... oh dear.). So anyways.



We got all set up at the merch table by Larry the viola player and watched the show from there. Not a shabby gig, I must say.. we got freebies on any stuff we wanted (although I already owned everything on the table.... I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing) and made lots of new friends!



Dana and SATURDAY (and Dr. Cizzle and me!), the schizofrenic purple monkey marionette that Dana was kind enough to lend us for a while!


As for the show itself, it seemed as if there was nothing particularly standout at the time (except for a great cover of Bend Down Low and She Blinded Me With Science.. both crowd favorites!), I have been tuning in to the recording of the show, and it's actually quite stellar. The sound quality is amazing- almost like a studio recording. A great setlist and (as always) great musicianship. After listening to the show a few times, LIDS, Chariot, and Eggs are the favorites. I have a feeling I'm presenting a bias, though...



jamming to Eggs



So check it out yourself! The archive is really the way to go on this one.

http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2009-08-27.SBD-140s.mix.flac16

South Norwalk Arts Festival

So of course I was ecstatic when I discovered that Ryan Montbleau, my favorite, was playing a mere twenty minutes away from my very own home (for free!), but I hadn't realized what a great Sunday afternoon it would turn out to be..

Ryan was scheduled to play at 2:30 on an outdoor stage, so when it started pouring around 1, I thought we (meaning dear ol' Papa Bayne and I) could sport our (always stylish!) heavy-duty boots and tough it out. When the thunder started to roll in, we hoped for the best, although with dampened spirits (hah!).

We managed to get in touch with our new friend Kevin, the guy who was in charge of the music at the festival- he was under a huge blue umbrella talking frantically through a radio to the other coordinators. We immediately bonded over the fact that neither of us have taken off our Vibes bracelets yet! After a few minutes of his of communication with various artists scheduled to play, other volunteers working the fair, and a few restaurants, the plan was set: The Black Bear Saloon was going to hold the rest of the bands for the day! Whew.

After wandering SoNo in the pouring rain for a bit, we meandered back to the Black Bear to wait for Ryan to start when we saw a blue van with Massachusetts plates pull up to the curb.. It was him! We called over to him, and this is the best part: he remembered talking to us last weekend at the Vibes! So cool. We chatted for a minute or two, and then he hauled his guitar and equipment into the restaurant.


His set was great, although brief. It almost seems to me like it was Ryan's Greatest Hits- no jamming or anything. But then again, how could you jam while doing a solo acoustic show? A beat has to be kept. Anyway, so I sipped coffee and jotted down the setlist as it came and went. It was good just to hear him play live, even though the show wasn't as entirely interesting as I had hoped. In fact, I had never seen him do an acoustic show before Sunday, although I've listened to many..



So after Ryan's set (he even came up to our table to say bye! I told him I'd see him in three weeks on a Manhattan cruise- excited for that), this three-man band came on the stage. There was an acoustic guitar, a singer, and a drum setup that consisted of one drum and one cymbal. They said they were from Brooklyn (like The Pimps of Joytime! Maybe they're friends!) and called themselves the Dorie Colangelo Band. They played for about thirty minutes or so, and in the end I scored a free CD! Niiiiice. I haven't actually listened to it yet, but I fully intend to after I wear out my new CSN disk... (became obsessed with them after seeing the band at the Vibes!)

Dorie Colangelo's sound is mellow, with lots of pretty harmonies. If I had to give it a genre, I would say it's a soft rock-tinged folk kind of group. Basically it's singer-songwriter stuff. I think the sound flows very well, and it's carried by her very pretty alto voice. At the end of her set, the singer (I think they said her name is Jamie?) and Dorie switched places- Jamie took over the guitar and the main mic. It was evident she is a singer/songwriter too, but her sound was different than Dorie's: there was a heavier beat, it kind of pushed through the song more. She also had a higher and clearer voice. In sum, Dorie's voice is way cooler, but I almost liked Jamie's writing better.. I'm going to have to listen to her CD and compare it to her set.
Here's Dorie!



So a band I didn't catch at the Vibes? PJ Pacifico. Fortunately I made up for my loss and saw them for the first time at the bar, and I have to say.. I was impressed. So impressed, in fact, that I shelled out ten bucks (ok, dad did) for their newest CD at the end of their set. (For the record, the CD doesn't do them justice to what they can do live.)

So they had a full band setup, with two guitars (the frontman PJ on an acoustic, and an electric), a bass, keyboard/synthesizer, a drumset, and a violin/fiddle. Very interesting. They opened up with a Beatles tune- I Want To Hold Your Hand. It was nice, very mellow, with just an electric rhythm guitar, some acoustic, vocals, and a bit of the violin. In all, very cool.

What is interesting about this band is that although there's a full band set up, the sound of the acoustic guitar doesn't get lost no matter what else is playing. It leads everything else instead- a nice touch.

The violin/fiddle (she was picking it like a guitar for a few tunes!) is also another interesting addition to the sound of the band. There are definitely some roots in country music that can be picked up on some of the solos she completely WAILED out. SO sick.

In all, I would tend to say that the songs themselves groove, but are poetic as well. I picked up on sort of a melancholy, reflective vibe for a few tunes, but all the same very beautiful and fun. I will definitely definitely definitely! check them out again.

When I turned on the CD I bought, the songs were.. average. The violin was missing, and it sounded more like some a generic soft pop tunes than the band I saw the other night. Bummer, they really are fun live.

The next show that's coming my way? Phish in Hartford, CT. I'm bringing a friend along for the ride too! Can't wait.
Maybe I'll write notes on a napkin again? :D


Much love.

Gathering of the Vibes 2009- Part 2 of 3

Saturday. I walked into Seaside Park that morning with some high expectations for certain performers and performances. My all-time favorite, Ryan Montbleau, was scheduled to play that afternoon, so of course I bounced into the concert grounds rearing to go.

In fact, the Ryan Montbleau Band is the first band of the day that is worth commenting on. First off, he's my favorite. Plain and simple. What's great about the RMB is that there are so many facets of the band and its sound to admire. Ryan is a poet, a storyteller. The songs that he writes are always heartfelt. Raw emotion comes through his music.
The band's sound in general is hard to coin - I would describe it as some sort of a mixture between folk, bluegrass, funk, gypsy and reggae. Yeah. You've gotta check these guys out. I'm posting a link at the end of this. Click it!

Anyways, Saturday was a great day to see Ryan. There was sunshine, dancing, and great music. Is there any better way to just be? He opened up his set with a real eye-opener, his song Chariot - solo acoustic. It was beautiful, and really caught people off guard. What's this guy doing alone on a stage with just a guitar and a mic? Where's the band? Where's the funk? What a beautiful way to open it all up, and show the audience a different side of Ryan than is normally portrayed at the Vibes (which would be, as I mentioned, the funky, sunshine-loving folk/reggae).



Another noteworthy song he did (full band) was Grain of Sand. The guy put a whole poem into the song as an interlude. It was like a vocal jam session. So cool.

I had tried to describe the greatness that is the Ryan Montbleau Band to one of my friends, and I finally managed to get her to see them live this weekend! At the end of the set, she turned to me and simply said: I'm in love. Welcome to the family.

Here's the set he did at the Vibes this year, check out Chariot, Inspired By No One, and Stretch for starters.
http://www.archive.org/details/montbleau2009-07-25.sb.km184.matrix.flac16

Here's a few pictures of Ryan's set:


That's an electric viola, kids:




The other band I wanted to bring into attention is The Pimps of Joytime. Yes, The Pimps. I happened upon them while noshing on probably my fifth bag of those handy little pistachio sample packages at the Green Vibes Stage, a separate stage run completely on solar power that features lesser-known bands that are on the rise.




This was my immediate reaction upon hearing them: CAROLINE, PUT DOWN YOUR PISTACHIOS. WE'RE GROOVING. BIG TIME.

And we did.






We even bought their CD at the end of their set, we loved them so much. I would describe their sound as some sort of dance-funk (my own term!) because it's funk that just makes you want to dance your face off. So good. Here's their link: http://www.myspace.com/pimpsofjoytime

Favorites off "High Steppin" (the album I bought) include My Gold, Bonita, and Workin' all the Time. Check them out!!!

Those were definitely the highlights of the day for this vibetriber. I ended the night with a nice cuddle sesh somewhere amidst the smelly hippies. It's not too often you get to chill in Bridgeport on a Saturday night at 1 in the morning and not get killed, so take it for what it's worth.

Cheers!

oh ps. favorite hippie of the day: