By: David de Young
 Members of Levitt8 and special guests "blow" at the Cabooze on Thursday at their CD Release Party. Photo by David de Young. Click for full sized version. |
Members: Matt Levitt - guitars, vocals Official website: http://www.levitt8.com |
Funky jam masters Levitt8 had their CD release party for their new CD "Bombs n' Shit" at the Cabooze Thursday night with friends and guests Rare Medium and Pleasure Pause. This was my first time seeing this band live. They'd introduced themselves via email some time ago and after several months of being barraged by show announcements from their mailing list (I'm on twice for some reason) it was just a matter of time until I made it out to see them. Not knowing what to expect ahead of time, I was very glad I attended this show. I know understand that the "dance fusion grooves for your head" the band's website claims they kick out is a fairly accurate claim.
Levitt8's CD Release Party put the emphasis on the "party." I walked in around 11:30 during a high-energy rendition of Parliament's "Up for the Downstroke." As the band sang the lyric "everybody get up" everyone certainly was in the process of doing so (and getting "down" also, of course.) Sandals and smiles abounded. Pretty much everyone was dancing, and there were good vibes all around. As trumpet player Jason Marks played a trumpet solo, I enjoyed the unique sound you get when using a toilet plunger as a mute. In the spirit of fun, Marks gave rabbit ears to his guest trumpeter Aaron McCabe of Rare Medium while he played. Unfortunately, I missed that photo opp. (Also not pictured is guitar player Matt Levitt's psychadelic-style tophat.)
Dueling tenor sax solos between Ed Kashmarek of Rare Medium and Levitt8's Josh Brinkman got my toes working, my head nodding and my face smiling. Thinking back to Har Mar Superstar's performance at First Ave earlier in the evening it made me wish Levitt8 had been his backup band instead of the pre-recorded stuff he'd used, although the band would probably have upstaged him and the feel-good vibe of their funky jams would have been a bit at odds with Har Mar's bad boy sexually charged lyrics.
The next song featured a great bass solo from the consumate Jeff Westerfield. Levitt8's extended grooves left plenty of room for stylistic changeups. This particular song transmogrified from rap into ska with an honest to goodness didgeridoo solo by guest musician Kobe. Levitt8 is not only proficient, and fun to watch, but they've got that intangible thing that separates a good band from a really good band nailed; a result of chemistry as much as rehearsal time Levitt8 puts on an enjoyable show I can recommend without equivocation.
The next song started out slowly with moody blue lighting. It ended with another feel-good jam, full of happy fun. The final song sounded like an extended, joy-filled Baba O'Reilly (it shared the three note bass hook anyway) finishing with the uplifting lyric "let your light shine all around."
Although it the clock had struck one, there was time for a final quick encore. For that the band pulled out Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong's "War," a song Levitt8 recorded for their new CD and one which can't be played enough in recent months. (The song was popularized by recently deceased Edwin Starr who died just last month in England.)
Speaking of their CD, Levitt8's "Bombs 'n' Shit" gives a decent overview of their live sound. Their website features several more MP3's and recordings of live jams, which is where this band shines.
Levitt8 has a busy gig schedule throughout this summer so you'll have plenty of chances to catch them, including June 12th at the Terminal Bar in Minneapolis. They'll also be playing the Green Man Festival in Duluth July 11th-13th . See their website for more details.
Location Info:
Cabooze
Artist Info: Levitt8
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