Friday, January 19, 2007

Circle Sound ~ Bowery Ballroom Review, NYC

Rich Robinson & Luther Dickinson Rock The Bowery

Words By Rich Lieberman
Photos by Rich Lieberman
New York has been the scene of some really classic stealth-like gigs over the years. When you least expect it, your favorite artist or band may show up at some tiny club and take the stage to try out some new material in a live setting, warm up for a nationwide tour, or in this case… get together with some friends to kick down a bunch of rockin’ covers.

This past Friday night, the scene was NYC’s sold out Bowery Ballroom, which is smack in the middle of the Bowery on Delancey Street. The venue holds 575 people max. Circle Sound, led by Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes, and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, is a very talented five piece band. They electrified the packed house with a fiery brand of bluesy rock & roll that made for a very special performance.

Just a little past 10:00 the house lights went down and the band took the stage.

Accompanying Robinson & Dickinson that evening were Rob Clores (Keys) and Sven Pipien (Bass), both current members of the Black Crowes. Bill Dobrow, a former Crowe, also took the stage.

The crowd was ready for whatever these guys would throw at them, as Rich Robinson approached the microphone… “We are happy to be up here playing some songs for you guys. Hope you like them… and here’s the first one”. They then ripped into Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”. The vocals sounded great as both guitarists traded tasty leads for an exceptional opener.

The small room provided an intimate and electric vibe between the band and the audience. “We’re just gonna be playing some covers and some other songs. This is a Bob Dylan song. It’s called The Man In Me” said Rich Robinson, who seemed to lead the band throughout the night. Both Robinson and Dickinson shined on guitar and vocals, trading off on fronting the stage every couple of songs. It was clear that these guys were having a great time at the jam session, playing an assortment of classic songs with a handful of originals sprinkled throughout.



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