Some nights, a musician finishes a gig and just wants to sit up and recap the whole thing. Something about the performance put a smile on her face. Something about the way the crowd was in harmony with the group provided energy where there wasn’t any before. Something off the set list just got called out, and was an absolute home run.
Tonight was one of those nights.
Just Wanna Play hit the stage at M&S Grill to a new crowd, one which included the Facebook meetup group, “Rock Brigade.” This group of musicians and music lovers were all about good, live music, and their energy really helped the band start things off on the right foot. The fantastic playing by M&S manager Jim, on both alto and soprano sax, really kept things flowing, with a great blues touch. Jim jammed out in songs like Ben Harper’s “Steal my Kisses” and Sublime’s “What I Got”. Jim wasn’t the only one chipping in, though.
Dave Morgan joined JWP on percussion, playing everything from shaker to Djimbe. He added his signature style to songs like Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Dave manages the R&B band Arteless, and he is the founder of the Health-conscious music festival called Juanapalooza. Dave will be playing host and MC during Juanapalooza 2011, on August 27th. Click the link for info. Speaking of Arteless, bassist and founder Raymell “Manwich” Smith was in the house to show his love for JWP. Arteless will be on the stage at Juanapalooza at 7pm on August 27th. Check out their unique blend of rap and R&B, and show the band some love on behalf of the JWP crew!
Check out a few samples from Arteless’ new CD, “The Journal” HERE.
The night wasn’t finished then. In addition to a few JWP Vegas buddies showin’ up to let their presence be seen and felt on the dance floor, guitarist/vocalist Navid Rashid from Iris Divine stepped up to belt out a few tunes with the band. Check out some tunes from Iris Divine HERE. “Broken (Arms of Heaven)” is a personal favorite.
Thanks to everyone who knows us and came out to represent. We appreciate the support from our fellow musicians, and music lovers. We can’t do this without you. Finally, thanks to everyone we hadn’t met before who showed up out of the love for music. Music is an amazing energy. She will draw you where you need to be if you just ask her. Tonight, we asked, and she answered.
I heard her loud and clear. I hope all of you did, too.
One love,
nK
JWP
PS: Looks like we’ll be back at M&S Grill on October 14th. See you there?
Tags: Arteless, cover band, Iris Divine, Juanapalooza, Just Wanna Play, JWP, live music, M&S Grill, Nick Kelly, nK, Rock Brigade, The Journal