Austin's University of Texas campus radio station, KUT has been producing World Music Night showcases recently at Momo's on West 6th Street. Tuesday night saw the return of Hard Proof Afrobeat to the KUT stage with a surprising number of music fans on hand. We say surprising because typically Tuesday night shows can be a bit difficult to persuade Austinites to head downtown.
A crowd of people were gathered on the dance floor to the left of Momo's stage as Hard Proof's horn section of Joe Woullard, Derek Phelps and Jason Frey led the band through their usual set of Fela Kuti covers mixed with their own African-inspired songs. From the way the fans were dancing, Hard Proof was definitely hitting the right notes. The increasing frequency of live show dates has benefited the band who sounds both sharper and more confident.
Hard Proof changed the arrangements on a few of their songs and introduced a guitar-driven piece to close the set featuring Aaron Sleater and Gerardo Larios showing off their chops for the appreciative audience. Even conga player, Tony Cruz played a stirring solo near the end of the show. The band seemed energized by the fan reaction and maybe the full moon shining on Momo's huge patio.
Afterwards the musicians seemed satisfied with their performance remarking at how many folks in the crowd got out on the dance floor which always seems to please Hard Proof's members. Austin Concerts Examiner managed to snag some iPhone video for our readers. The sound is a little better than average but still reflects the limitations of the device recorder. Please adjust your volume before clicking play below.
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Hard Proof Afrobeat ~ Momo's KUT World Music Night~ Austin, TX
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