2021/1/19 Secret Sound @ The Lanes at Sea Girt
If live music is your thing and you’re comfortable being indoors, then The Lanes at Sea Girt is quite literally the only game in town. I attended a Cosmic show there in late October but haven’t been back since due to my own comfortability with being indoors as COVID ramped up around the holidays. I was impressed with how things were run back then and equally so now. Unfortunately, there are always a couple people who think COVID is fake and masks are political, but the space is large enough to avoid them and feel safe having a good time.
I’ve been lucky to see a fair number of shows post-COVID, but I haven’t seen a horn since February 24 of last year when Jon Batiste played a show celebrating the fifteen year anniversary of Rockwood Music Hall. To be fair, I didn’t just see one horn that night but probably more like twenty with musicians literally hanging from the rafters at Rockwood2, before the entire crowd alighted upon a second venue by way of a second line march across the East VIllage in the small hours of the morning. Hands down my favorite show of 2020. Anyway, I’ve been very cognizant of the fact that it’s been forty-seven weeks and a day since last I’ve seen a brass instrument in person.
So a whopping three hundred thirty days later, a post from Kevin Hill of Secret Sound advertising that a trombonist would be joining his local funk outfit at The Lanes snapped me from my malaise. Knock Facebook all ya want, friends, but it serves a purpose. I’ve never seen Secret Sound proper so was fairly pumped to give this one a shot. Funk arrangements of classic tunes with jazzy undertones a la drummer Brett Smith, they took some of my favorite songs and completely arranged them to fit their style. Kevin Hill is an innovative guitarist with legit chops and a flare for the funk and this performance left me super impressed. Backed by bassist Dave Ferraro, Eric Safka on keys, and the aforementioned trombonist Ian Gray, I’d have been happy to see this show anywhere. Once they started in on the originals, it occurred to me that had I wandered in on this band randomly in a more well known bowling alley like the Brooklyn Bowl, I’d have been stoked with my discovery. Having these guys in my own backyard doesn’t diminish those feelings one bit.
The night started strong with what seemed like an improv jam before finding familiar ground with creative offerings on familiar songs like “Tangled Up In Blue” and a gloriously funkified “They Love Each Other”. In the snap of the fingers, a single horn turned into a brass section as Erez Lirov joined the band with trumpet in tow for a ripping cover of Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country.” The next tune was an original whose name I missed (was it “Half Turn Now”???) but it kicked off what was for me without question the best segment of the night with dueling horns and original jams. My blood is tie-dyed and I find comfort in the familiar, but I want to see musicians take chances and showcase their originality. Tbh, anyone can play Shakedown Street and it just gets boring after a while. Hill and Company kept things interesting, even finding a glorious riff on the Theme Song from the Price is Right. I wish I had a video for you but click this to jog your memory and then use your mind’s eye (or ear) to inject it with a couple of horns and a fat dose of funk.
Anyway, I know local musicians walk a fine line between giving the people what they want and taking chances on original material, but I can’t believe that any musician grew up with career dreams of playing other people’s songs. So while there’s a time and a place for covers – and I love them, too – know that there’s at least one of us out here rooting for y’all to keep it real and play the songs that make you you.
The first set positively smoked and I dance my ass off for the first time in a while, nobody giving me dirty looks or telling me that I can’t stand or dance at my seat because of COVID rules, and it felt really fucking good. The second frame (see what I did there?) kicked off with a lovely and distinctive “Eyes of the World” with Hill solo on guitar before a soft trombone and bass joined in one by one, ultimately finishing with a full band dance party before segueing into a super fun cover of “Electric Avenue” with guest Scott Smith adding a second guitar. “Sugaree” and “Up On Cripple Creek” closed the main set as Ferraro gave a nod to dearly departed Toots Maytal with 54-46 bass beats. I usually like a high energy encore but Hill’s choice to slow it down was spot on. I’m not sure what song it was (original?) but was totally into it.
Super high marks for this one. Thanks to Kevin Hill and Secret Sound for delivering my first horn section in almost a year in what tuned out to be a super fun night. Shoutout to The Lanes, too, for keeping local music alive.
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