Two Nights of Toubab: 12.2.10 Denver, CO

Words & Photos By J-man
Videos By Carly Marthis

A few hours after the interview, I found myself back at the Bluebird Theater. I was excited. After what I saw the previous evening in Boulder, I knew the Denver show would be stellar. That night I was joined by two of the same three folks from the previous night, with the exception of Sasha, who we traded for our buddy Spuckes. Toubab Krewe took the stage and with the first note, I was dancing. I looked over at Murray, who's eyes were already closed as he danced. Then a glance over to Spuckes would yield a smile and a point to the band with a thumbs up. Lastly, a smile from Carly. The energy felt higher than the previous night.


The instrumentation was solid, as Justin and Drew traded riffs and melodies between the kora and the guitar. You could see the musical chemistry between the two of them as they smiled. In the background you could see Teal looking on, smiling, taking and giving musical queues. Dave even seemed to be more animated than the previous night, as he wandered around the stage with his electric bass, involving himself directly with the jam. I glanced over to Luke to see his facial expressions, that were pretty consistent with most percussionists. He was giving off that look of pain and concentration. He was in the zone, and his playing reflected such.



Toubab is known as an instrumental band, however their vocals are very solid. They did an old Johnny Cash song, as well as an old bluegrass traditional (I believe). The Cash song was done almost precisely in the original style, once again proving that Toubab can step outside of their sound with ease. Not to mention Justin's vocals sounded dead on. The bluegrass song, which was performed the previous night in Boulder as well, was drawn out and had an almost psychedelic sound. The variety and diverse amount of music that Toubab plays is impressive.

I want to take a second and talk about the production of the show. The sound and light engineer(s), have Toubab dialed in. The lights were bold, colorful and stimulating. The sound was near perfect. Not only could you hear all of the instruments at all times, but sonically the balance was near perfect. I want to thank the management and staff for their abilities/talents. Too often we attend shows only to hear muffled sound, horrible balance, see crappy lights, etc. What Toubab does reflects a certain level of caring and professionalism.



There is no other band on the scene like Toubab Krewe. What Toubab does musically, thrills me to the point of not only wanting to see and follow them live, but to tell others about them. If your're looking for a band with raw talent and a diverse multitude of sound; then Toubab Krewe is your band.

As with the previous night, Toubab ended on a drum jam...

www.toubabkrewe.com

J-man's Photo Gallery from the show.