It was a challenging night for music lovers in Lawrence Friday, as party-people were forced to choose between two great shows; bluegrass or funk. The big, early show at Liberty Hall probably got the lion's share of the crowd, with The Brody Buster Band, the Ben Miller Band and Deadman Flats rocking out from 8 p.m. to midnight, building up the crowd for their after-party at the Bottleneck. Meanwhile Mouth headlined at the Granada with openers Free Band Radio and Rocket Science. The show may not have gotten the crowd they deserved, but the band's music filled the Granada with a power and energy that drew out the dedicated funk fans who came to party.
Rocket Science started to warm things up around 9:30 p.m. with electronic jams that combined exhilarating percussion with dynamic bass and synthesizer tunes. The band's newest addition, Adam on synth, gave fresh electronic melodies and rhythm to the band's already intense, driving style. Stephen Gunn from Mouth joined Evan Leitnaker on a second set of drums, adding to the nonstop, rocking beats that pumped up each song.
The first opener's growing, expanding music just got the party started, allowing Free Band Radio to pick up where they left off. The fresh, new jam band from Kansas City has members from other, well-known jam bands, which combined to play a wide range of styles. They rocked out an array of songs that kept the crowd interested through their impressive set. Switching from hard rock to jazz, classic jams to electronica. Free Band Radio captivated the small, but appreciative crowd that came out to dance near the end of their set.
Finally, Mouth came on near midnight for a very excited audience of fans and music-lovers. Folks from all over Lawrence and Kansas City came to the Granada for the jazzy trio's "cyberfunk" styling. Mouth's consistently excellent sets are also always thrilling because of how different they play their songs for each show.
Adding new solos and improv jams, old songs were renewed again, as the trio exhibited their limitless creativity and practiced synergy. Leaning heavy on some funky, womping bass, Mouth broke it down like the best jazz artists, and then swung back into full funky mode with ease.
On top of a legitimate set of newly fashioned songs, Mouth played long renditions of crowd favorites back to back, barely stopping for a breathe before each new song. The crowd packed the dance floor throughout the lengthy set, grooving to the nonstop tunes. Evan Leitnaker joined them on percussion for part of the set, followed by two other drummers.
For their finale, Mouth rocked out for about 20 minutes straight, virtually outlasting the crowd in terms of sheer energy and stamina. With a total of three drummers on stage, working out intricate, overlapping beats for Jeremy and Zach to rock out to, the music reached a higher level of intensity. Folks had to take breathers before resuming their dancing to keep up with the musicians. The crowd still demanded an encore and Mouth was happy to oblige, finishing up the night with another lengthy, expert song that left some of the audience satisfied, even as a few cried for more.
Hopefully it won't be long before Mouth is on stage again. They clearly have the musical skill and strength to rock out a big venue like the Granada. It was a poor audience for this brilliant performance, greatly due to the shows going on across downtown. A lot of Mouth fans are also fond of Deadman Flats, Mountain Sprout and the other bluegrass groups that were elsewhere. Still, Rocket Science, Free Band Radio and Mouth gave a great account of themselves, putting a lot of heart into a show that deserved a much bigger crowd. If you missed out last night, be there next time!
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