Listen up Gulf Coast!: Stanton Moore Trio at The Independent

Stanton Moore

San Francisco got a double dose of the Stanton Moore Trio when they ended their cross country tour with not one but TWO shows at The Independent. Luckily, I was in the Bay Area visiting family at the same time. I’m a huge Stanton Moore fan and was anxiously awaiting the Friday night show. I've seen him play countless times on the Gulf Coast with Galactic, Garage A Trois, as well as SM3 and he never fails to blow my mind. The first act for night 1 was Soul Rebels who are undoubtedly one of my favorite New Orleans brass bands so I was excited to see them as well. They were the perfect opener! There is nothing like a good brass band to put you in a NOLA state of mind. Their explosive sound and high energy had the crowd pumped and ready to go. They finished their incredible set to huge applause and then it was time for the main event.

SM3

After a short break the lights dimmed again and Robert Walter (organ), Will Bernard (guitar) and Stanton Moore (drums) all made their way to their respective instruments. Stanton, with his signature black rimmed glasses and ever present smile, greeted the crowd. The Trio kicked the evening off with “Pot-Licker” and away we went. Next were “Pie-Eyed Manc”, “Layer Cake” and “Neeps and Tatties”. Partway through the first set, Soul Rebels joined them for “Tchfunkta” and “Sprung Monkey”. That stage was packed! I felt like I was watching a Jazz Fest after dark show where the musicians just keep piling on. It was fantastic and the crowd went crazy! The Trio continued on with “Special", ”Angel Nemali”, "Knocker”. They finished out the first set with “Bigguns” then took a short break. Stanton signed some cds and had a little “meet and greet” at the merch table, then hopped back on stage and the flurry of funk continued with “Over (Compensatin’)”, “Maple Plank”, “Awana”, “Live Wire”, and “The Yodel”. We were grooving along into the night, then they slammed us with “Proper Gander” followed by “Keep on Gwine” and “Who Took The Happiness”. As always, I was mesmerized by the incomparable Mr. Moore thrashing on his Gretsch kit. Adding to that, the sweet sounds of Robert on the keys and Will’s killer guitar riffs made for a show that was a truly magnificent experience. It was clear they were having as much fun playing as we were listening. These three artists, all masters in their craft, have blurred the genre lines of jazz, blues, funk and rock to create a unique musical fusion. For the final song of the night they took us back down to New Orleans with “Late Night At The Maple Leaf”, one of my favorites for many reasons. It was the perfect song to end an incredible evening of music.

Robert Walter

As a lagniappe, I was invited to SM3's second show so I went back to The Independent after photographing Joan Osborne at The Fillmore Saturday night. I arrived just in time to hear their version of “A Closer Walk With Thee” which made you want to dance down the street in a second line. They followed that up with a heavy hitting cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times”! Although I missed opening act The Shotgun Wedding Quintet (Jazz Mafia), I did get to hear them play with the Trio and would highly suggest checking them out. I also had the pleasure of catching the phenomenal Will Blades sitting in on the B-3 for a couple of tunes as well! This was another stellar night of music by Moore, Walter, Bernard and special guests! Thanks to SM3 for a fantastic time and an extra “Thank You” to Stanton for providing me with setlists!