Photo Brad Hodge

When Stanton Moore (pictured, right) rolled into Nashville, he brought more than his usual boisterous beats. Along with the latest incarnation of The Stanton Moore Trio, he also held court at Exit/In before the show proper, offering up a drum clinic and free gear to those in attendance. Much later in the evening, between the group’s sets, he shared autographs and more than a few laughs with aspiring drummers and music fans in attendance.

Although the band was billed as the Stanton Moore Trio, the musical direction of the evening was shared equally, as evidenced by the opening song, Robert Walter’s “Big Uns Get the Ball Rolling.” Here, Walter took full advantage of his Hammond B-3, creating a heavy groove with some left-handed bass that was immediately greeted by Stanton’s freakishly controlled frenzy behind the kit. Will Bernard, who showcased his jazz and funk chops on guitar throughout the night, also contributed original music from the start with an inspired version of “571.” Still, the Trio’s recent release, Emphasis! (On Parenthesis), provided most of the evening’s material, including “Over (Compensatin’)” and “(Proper) Gander.” The musicians seemed to enjoy themselves as much as the appreciative audience and as the night moved toward a close they punctuated the point with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times.”

After what was supposed to be the last song, Stanton balked at the idea of leaving the stage or waiting for the crowd to demand an encore. Instead, he declared that if the audience would make some noise the band would simply remain in place. After a small uproar, the trio brought some measure of Moore’s native New Orleans to Nashville with the feel-good romp, “Late Night at the Maple Leaf.”

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment 2.0!