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Coming out of the bayou Papa Grows Funk spread their party all over Colorado. The tour kicked off on a high-energy note at the Bluebird Theater in Denver with a near-sellout crowd. PGF played a non-stop 2 hour and 20 minute set filled with a smorgasbord of funk rhythms and grooves. They focused on material from their CD Doin It, including “Pass It,” “Ridin Thru the Mountains,” “Fire in the Garage,” “In the Weeds,” and the title track “Doin It,” all of which contain the familiar syncopated funk sound. For cover songs, the band threw out the Neville Brother's “Yellow Moon,” and The Meters' “People Say.”
Next stop – Sherpa & Yeti's in Breckenridge. This club makes the Maple Leaf in New Orleans look like the Louisiana Superdome. Word must have gotten around about PGF because the club was packed wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder. The band played a 50 minute first set, and a 1 hour 10 minute second set. The set list was similar to the night before with the material focusing on songs from the bands’ CD, but the order was completely re-arranged. So even though PGF repeated songs from the prior night’s gig, they infused different energy into their playing to create a unique sound giving the repeat concert attendee something different to chew on. The Meters’ classic “Look Ka Py Py” made a happy appearance in this night’s performance.
With two shows down, and four to go, the band led the funk caravan to Vail for a Saturday night throw-down at the 8150 Club, where a spacious dance floor and excellent sound system helped create a positive funk energy vortex. The band again played two sets to a near-sellout crowd, with the set list comprised of songs from the prior shows. The highlight of this show was during the “People Say” encore, when a group of 10 women jumped on stage to shimmy and shake with the band as they were dishing out some very serious funk.
The next two shows were in Steamboat Springs at the Tugboat. I skipped these shows because I have a day job, but I heard that both nights had the ‘Boaters packed in like sardines.
The final show of the tour was at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, which is considered by myself to be one of the top three rooms in the country to witness live music. This show packed a lot of energy as it was the last show of the tour; and because the band had been playing together for 5 nights, they had plenty of opportunity to tighten up the grooves, and lock the room in place. The first set lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the second set was 1 hour and 30 minutes. Again, the band focused on material from their Doin It CD, but also threw out covers by the Meters – “Look Ka Py Py” and “Tippi-Toes,” and the Neville Brothers – “Yellow Moon.” For the encore, the band launched into a rowdy “Hey Pocky Way,” which had the near-sellout crowd and band interacting as we all chanted, “HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY POCKY WAY!!”
Papa Grows Funk, a veritable New Orleans super-group, features John Gros (George Porter Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners) on Hammond B3 and lead vocals; Russell Batiste, Jr. (funky Meters, Vida Blue) on drums; June Yamagishi (Wild Magnolias) on guitar; Jason Mingledorff (Galactic) on tenor sax; and Marc Pero on bass.
All of the players bring their own individual charisma to the stage, but they are tremendously successful in creating a “sum that is greater than the parts” sound. Based on the reception Colorado provided to Papa Grows Funk, they will be returning very soon.
Matthew Kane
JamBase | Colorado
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