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Hollywood | February 16th, 2001
Last Friday an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd was treated to a double dose of infectious funk grooves with Particle and Deep Banana Blackout at the House of Blues in Hollywood. Particle have been making a name for themselves in the LA music scene this year. Although the show started around 7:15, a solid crowd gathered early to see what the buzz was all about.
Particle started off with the Latin shuffle of Depinga to get things warmed up. House of Blues possibly has the best sound and lighting in the city and the band was absolutely pumped to be playing on such a large stage with so much high-tech equipment at their disposal. Next was the Herbie Hancock-inspired Pipe Dream that featured brilliant keyboard work from Steve Molitz and some great bluesy riffs from new guitarist Charlie Hitchcock. Other highlights included the relentless groove of Girth of a Nation which showcases how well bassist Eric Gould and drummer Darren Pujalet feed off each other and create an almost “jungle” sounding rhythm. But the absolute BOMB of the evening was dropped with fan favorite Knee Knocker which closed the set. This jam encapsulates what the band is all about, mixing high-octane funk with tinges of techno-fused jamming into one big danceable stew. Something tells me this wont be the last time House of Blues will have Particle jamming for the masses.
Deep Banana Blackout has gone through some changes in the last year with the departure of vocalist and leader Jen “pipes” Durkin, but new member Hope Clayburn has taken over those duties nicely. Not only does she have an amazing voice, but she has a commanding stage presence and plays both alto sax and flute. The band performed powerful versions of songs like Bump and Sway and Getcha All in the Mood as well as some brand new material and a handful of cover songs. Guitarist, Fuzz showed amazing restraint and great rhythmic chops, and enjoyed staying more in the background than taking big lead solos. This band works together well as a unit and they have great songwriting skills and improvisational talent. The audience was having a blast. Too bad they were cut off by 10pm as House of Blues had a 3rd band lined up for a late-night show afterwards. And with that, we were sent home sweaty and happy.
Erik Koral
JamBase So-Cal Correspondent
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