I liked the Budos band anyway, but catching their live act here in LA the other night added another layer to my admiration. The smooth-groove hypnotic Afro-funk ensemble, which features 12 horn-blowing, gourd-shaking, guitar-picking, bongo-beating musicians in its studio recordings, played its energetic, gravy smothered instrumentals to a crowd of wowed admirers for well over an hour, breaking only long enough to swig Tecate and share expletive-laden tour stories with the crowd in thick Brooklyn accents.
If this band was a mattress you could bounce a quarter off of it. They’re that tight. And there were only 10 members on Thursday night, since two horn players were MIA, which was alright since the stage was so small you could only see five band members most of the time anyway. Plus they were fighting against the Echo’s lazy soundman, who refused repeated pleas to amp the horn section (this is the same club that once tried to plagiarize yours truly for an online concert write-up, so I’ve learned to always expect the worst from them).
But be that as it may. The Budos Band proved that they’re a crack outfit with talent to spare. .jpg)
Most of their set consisted of rousing numbers from their first two LPs, but they did share five or six new cuts that showcased an exciting new direction for the band. With focus added to Thomas Brennick’s funky guitar and Mike Deller’s sinuous Farfisa keyboard, the new songs had a cinematic grandness that rivaled even their last album, Budos Band II. Taking a break from his humungous saxophone, Neil Sugarman asked the crowd, “Those are some new ones. You think they should be on Budos Band III? We’re working on it and it should be out soon.” Good news. Undoubtedly the album will be released by Sugarman’s own Daptone Records, brooklyn’s finest purveyor of lovingly made vinyl records. Be on the lookout.
And take a minute to enjoy "Volcano Song," from Budos Band I, which could very well be the instrumental theme for a hitherto unseen Blaxploitation film of the '70s:
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