The New Mastersounds, Trichome & Dechen Hawk’s Jus Sayin 5.7.15

Aggie Theatre
Fort Collins, CO

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock (Fat Guerilla Productions)

There is no other band that is as elegantly funky as The New Mastersounds. Their approach is unique, clean and ridiculously tight. Their brand of jazz-infused funk flows freely with unmatched fury from this four-headed beast. The New Mastersounds are made up of Eddie Roberts on guitar, Simon Allen on drums, Pete Shand on bass, and Joe Tatton on keys. Each member is a true genius at their chosen instrument and together they are profound. This concert was the Official Pre-Party for ARISE Music Festival, which will again take place at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado on August 7th through the 9th. The night began with Dechen Hawk’s Jus Sayin.

Hawk is a member of the ‘neo-soul’ movement. As a singer/songwriter and piano man his style draws a lot of comparison. Names like Jeff Buckley, Ray Charles, and Steely Dan are easily drawn out of the hat. His band, Jus Sayin is a rotating cast of musicians who are all strong players in their own right. Along with Mirco Attenbach on sax, Hawk has also enlisted Fort Collins local Eric Imbrosciano on drums. Colin Robison on guitar and Ben Rubin on bass fill out the rest of the group. Jus Sayin has been honing their soulful funk sound for a while now with stops at FoCoMX and up and down the Front Range. Musically their show was fresh and full of life. Their songs were filled with passion and their chops were on point. If you are looking for something new and exciting, Jus Sayin is ready to entertain.

Trichome marked their final show at the Moxi Theater in August of 2013. Like many bands formed in college, kids graduate, and go on to be grownups. A cryptic message on their Facebook wall in January that simply said, “We sure miss playing music for you guys!” Then rather unexpectedly, Trichome announced a reunion show at this year’s FoCoMX. They kept the party going with another stop at the Moxi and now with an opening spot at the Aggie for The NMS show. It appears that Trichome could actually be back for some limited local performances. Their set at the Aggie showed a band that was still playing incredibly well together. It felt like a flashback to two years prior when Trichome was still slaying it on the local scene. They even invited sax star Leah Concialdi up to join in on the festivities. It looks like Trichome will keep the ball rolling with a supporting spot for Bill Smith’s album release in Denver next month.

It being an all ages show, the cage was up at the Aggie Theater. For those that don’t know, alcohol consumption is restricted to the bar area and first level down because of an invasive agreement with the city. This means that there is no booze allowed on the dance floor. When The New Mastersounds came to the stage they asked the audience to come down front. Someone told them about the predicament.

“Okay let’s compromise, how about half of you come down.” – Simon.

After the first song and as the floor slowly filled in, Eddie quipped, ‘…we now know who the alcoholics are.” The New Mastersounds proceeded to treat fans to two hours of unparalleled funk and stunning musicianship. Throughout their set they invited the West Coast Horns to add their brass to the mix. Roberts’ guitar was absolutely on fire as Shand held down the rhythm perfectly. It was just a great night of instrumental music. Their set at the Aggie was the first of a three-night run. They would head down to Cervantes for the next two days to play with the Sisters Of Soul and Analog Sun respectively. Mike Dillon sat in on Friday with Scott Messersmith playing percussion on the last night of the run. The New Mastersounds are one of the tightest instrumental funk outfits touring today. They never cease to impress me with their attention to detail and constant drive to play at a higher level. NMS is playing at the top of their game, make it a point to see them live.

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www.newmastersounds.com