Concert Recap: Orgone @ One Eyed Jacks – 6/5/12

Orgone @ One Eyed Jacks - 6/5/2012 || Photo by John Stephens

Tuesday night was quite the exciting evening for music goers in the city, with Rubblebucket stopping in at Tip’s Uptown and Orgone making their semi-annual New Orleans stop at One Eyed Jacks. Both bands made New Orleans their mid-week stops before trekking on Manchester, TN for the 11th annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and I’m sure the laid back vibe provided a nice warm-up before their gigs in front of the big crowds in Tennessee. This was my first time seeing the band, as the few previous times that they have come down to NOLA it was for Jazz Fest gigs and I had prior engagements to attend to.

Now, I can’t speak for the Rubblebucket show, but the Orgone show was ROCKIN’. It took them about 5 seconds to launch into their razor-sharp afrobeat-meets-P-Funk grooves and start swinging bodies around the room. Their sound is a potent layering of aggressive harpsichord swells and fiery horn runs, throw in explosive percussion fireworks of Stewart Killen and you have the backbone of one of the greatest touring funk bands out there. Bona fide funk-axe surgeon Sergio Rios dominates his corner of the stage, with huge solos that snake charm their way right into the hypnotic dance-hall riffs that are essential to the Orgone sound.

Orgone | “Break In The Road” | One Eyed Jacks | New Orleans LA

The band covers some pretty obscure tracks from the peak of the funk era as well, with Niki J Crawford (who is doing a MORE than admirable job replacing previous vocalist Fannie Franklin) handling the vocals for Lyn Collins’ “Rock Me Again”, Union’s “Strike” and “Cynthy-Ruth” the old Gospel-esque groove Black Merda track. The above video is a Betty Harris tune, a popular cover amongst NOLA bands (The Meters served as Harris’ backing band on the original recording). I know that they do a mean cover of The Meters’ “Ain’t No Use” too, but it was nowhere to be found on this eve.

Orgone @ One Eyed Jacks - 6/5/2012

It’s pretty obvious that they have been practicing in preparation for their new album (aptly-titled New You, set for fall release) and they had no problems lighting a fire under the feet of the Tuesday party-goers. Niki was especially on this evening (she is Louisianian by birth, a product of the little town of Springhill, LA) and the soulful “Who Knows Who”, which would have been a Top 10 hit in the mid-60s, was my highlight of the evening. Her Tina Turner-esque warble pierced through the air and forced One Eyed Jacks into blender of bobbing heads and flailing arms.

Orgone @ One Eyed Jacks - 6/5/2012

Bottom line, this band is mean. I didn’t talk to an unhappy customer leaving the venue, and I bet it is pretty hard to find one after they get a glimpse of this beast in action. The remaining dates of the Summer Tour touch nearly every big market on the East Coast, and West Coast dates are starting to pop up for later in the year. If you can – get out there and check them out. Keep the funk alive.