Watch Kanika Moore Join Oteil Burbridge & Friends For A Sizzling ‘Statesboro Blues’ In Charleston

Oteil & Friends featuring bassist Oteil Burbridge closed out their fall tour on Saturday with a concert at The Pour House in Charleston, South Carolina. Doom Flamingo vocalist Kanika Moore led the band through “Statesboro Blues” towards the end of a night that also saw Burbridge’s longtime Aquarium Rescue Unit bandmate Jeff Sipe sit-in on “Fixin’ To Die.”

Burbridge’s band for the recently-completed Oteil & Friends run saw him team with keyboardist/violinist Jason Crosby, keyboardist Melvin Seals, guitarists Steve Kimock and Duane Betts, drummer John Kimock and vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. The ensemble spent the second half of September hitting cities across the East Coast. Additionally, Oteil & Friends played underground venue The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee last Friday, September 29.

Charleston’s own Kanika Moore emerged late in Oteil & Friends’ second of two sets on the Lot Stage at The Pour House. “Uh oh, you can feel it,” Burbridge quipped as Moore took the stage. “Is Oteil taking good care of you?” Kanika asked the crowd. The band then lit into “Statesboro Blues.”

The blues song written by Blind Willie McTell was a live staple for The Allman Brothers Band. Oteil Burbridge was a member of the ABB from 1997 through their final shows in 2014. Duane Betts’ father, guitarist Dickey Betts, co-founded The Allman Brothers Band.

Kanika Moore belted out the lyrics with soul and passion. Steve Kimock played the slide riffs so key to “Statesboro Blues” and traded licks with Melvin Seals. Duane Betts then uncorked a memorable solo before Kanika took the song home.

See fan-shot video of Kanika Moore fronting Oteil & Friends on “Statesboro Blues” below:

Drummer Jeff Sipe’s (Apt Q-258) guest spot took place near the conclusion of the band’s first set. The Bukka White-penned “Fixin’ To Die” was frequently played during Sipe and Burbridge’s time in Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit. Oteil helmed the cover. The band also worked songs from the Jerry Garcia Band and Grateful Dead live repertoires into the setlist on Saturday. Additionally, Oteil & Friends performed “Mother’s Song” from Steve and John Kimock’s KIMOCK project and were led by Jason Crosby through “Friend Of The Lithium Devil,” a mashup of Nirvana’s “Lithium” and the Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil.”

Audience Recording (Taped by Chris Davis)

Setlist

Set One: Gambler’s Conceit, No More Doubt, Waiting On A Song, Reuben & Cerise, Time For The Sun To Rise, Fixin’ To Die*, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Every Hungry Woman

Set Two: Mother’s Song, Cats Under The Stars, Sisters & Brothers, Friend Of The Lithium Devil, Ride Mighty High, Standing On The Moon, Statesboro Blues**, New River Train, Southbound

• * – with Jeff Sipe (Apt Q-258) on drums
• ** – with Kanika Moore on vocals