The bluesy, soulful, and funky Lubriphonic brought the heart and soul of Chicago to the Beachland Tavern last night. The band that is usually a septet was rolling as a sextet and didn’t miss a beat — even though it was missing a horn. Still, the group had no problem filling the stage of the tiny tavern.
The band formed after guitarist Giles Corey and drummer Rick King recruited some of the best blues, funk, and rock musicians in Chicago. Over the years, they played alongside legendary artists like Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, and Otis Rush before they became a traveling funky dance party.
Since most of the Beachland’s audience was next door listening to Carlos Jones, there weren’t too many in attendance for Lubriphonic at first. But by the end of the night, the floor was packed people slow dancing, break dancing, and free soul twirling. I think I even saw someone doing the worm.
Much of the jams the group belted out were from its latest album, The Gig Is On. They started it out slow with “No Blues,” but the slower jams were few and far between, as Lubriphonic progressed into a mix that included some James Brown hits. (The band sounds like it has some roots in New Orleans brass groups, but their approach is more Chi-Town soul.)
Songs like the new “Under the Line” and the fast-paced “Punk” were funky, and a jazzed-up cover of “Soul Man” featured singer Giles Corey belting out a howl that would have made Howlin’ Wolf proud. —Reed Hazen
Did you go to the show? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments.
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This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2010.
Libriphonic are one of the best new funk rock bands around. They are tight and play almost all original music. Very refreshing. I would not miss them if come to town again.