Sonic Sutra dominates the Granada then Mouth busts out at the Jazzhaus

This review is late because it's been such a busy weekend for music in Lawrence. Anyone familiar with the wide range of epic concerts playing the last few nights will understand.

Friday night Sonic Sutra opened for California Voodoo at the Granda, starting the night early, around 9:30 p.m. Sonic Sutra is a local jam band that uses a variety of instruments to put together songs that stream smoothly from one style to another. Every song has a way of moving and progressing like a jazzy, funky, rock jam, taking your ears for a roller-coaster ride. As mentioned in a previous review, the band includes a guitarist, second vocalist adding percussion, keyboard player, bassist, and drummer that combine their skills in their respective sounds to create a strong, explosive harmony. Although Sonic Sutra always promises to be a fun time, this show was something else, like a new level of professional performing had been reached. This was the best Sonic Sutra show this reviewer has seen yet.

The band played an impressive set, going on over an hour, with nonstop jamming. Their songs are so well practiced, intricate, and rhythmic, it's exciting just to feel the progression of each piece, while dancing to the beat.

Sonic Sutra always get the crowd going with their energy and enthusiasm. Every venue, no matter how large, this band always fills the space with a contagious fun vibe that's impossible to ignore. Even in the wide space of the Granada, everyone gathered to the dance floor, people staring in awe from the rails, or getting funky up in front.

With every song, you could feel the crowd getting more excited, strutting their stuff to every funky song, rocking out to every jam, swinging to the jazzy beats. Aside from their own brilliant songs, Sonic Sutra plays fantastic covers. The finale for their set was The Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", at which point the audience finally lost control, getting down like it was a summer festival.

Having seen what this reviewer came to see, the night was still young when Sonic Sutra finished, and Mouth was already playing at the Jazzhaus.

Although it was a tough act to follow, Mouth met the challenge admirably. The local funky, jazzy, jam band is like a force of musical nature. Mouths has a distinct sound, and a hip, clever quality that's hard to come by whether you're looking at concerts, or on the radio.

Every show is a party, because the drum beats are so fun, the guitar riffs are so groovy and the bass lines are so slick. The band has a list of memorable tunes they play with creativity that makes every show different, but familiar in a good way. With Evan Leitnaker on a second set of percussion instruments, the band had a stronger rhythm, complex, heart-racing beats, and another layer of brilliant talent to give the band even more power.

The show was already in full swing by 11, with the dance floor completely packed, chairs full, and the bar unreachable. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their face, like it was all one grand party of friends. Mouth was opening for Funkotronic, but the night out that starts early sometimes ends early, and this was one of those nights. After waiting to make sure Mouth was really finished with their set, it was time to rest weary legs from a night of funky, jazzy, jamming dance parties at the best shows in town.