Too Good Not To Be Shared

Alright, last night (which was actually about two weeks ago)  hubby and I decided to go out to Franco's Italian restaurant -- about the only place we know about has good food and live music that isn't all too bad either. Well, the food was great, but, unfortunately, the music wasn't all that much. Therefore we weren't too disappointed when the band packed up and left after two songs. It was all they probably owed the owner of the restaurant after the excited crowd watching the Spurs game finally gave the rest of the us a chance to express themselves ...

Anyway, we left and headed for the Luna Lounge.

And what can I say? I have not had such a great night in a very long time. The group was simply fantastic. And you all know how hard it is to please your old Raggedy.
I had looked them up on the net before; well, in case you do that too, don't think that what you hear there is what awaits you at their live shows. There lie worlds between their youtube clips and their real live music.

First, Roxy Roca's lead singer, Taye Cannon, is phenomenal. There is no doubt about his Deep South roots where his father's love for soul music, i.e Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, James Brown or Jackie Wilson exposed him to the royalty of the genre.

I can imagine very well what Taye meant when he described on the group's website the reaction to his coming out, so to speak, as a white guy aspiring to become a soul singer. "... I got a lot of sideway looks, like, ‘Really? Where is this coming from?'” he explains. At that time he was the front singer of the Mocktigers, an Austin "darkwave" group (whatever that may be). To make a long story short, Taye at last gave in to his urge to sing what he apparently was meant  to be singing: soul.

I was completely taken by his gritty voice and the naturalness with which he sang his heart out. Taye is a natural born soul man. Believe it or not. (You all know, though, that your old Raggedy would not lie to you.)

Okay, okay ... Taye, however is not the only star of the group. The musicians -- all of them -- are of the finest sort. The trombonist, the lead guitarist, the saxophonist, the drummer -- superb. Once they start playing, there is no way to escape the rhythm (which makes for a huge part of rhythm and blues, after all). They draw you in and -- booooom -- there you go.

For the ladies who, like me, love to have both their auditory and visual pleasure during a show -- these guys do wear ties and jackets! And they wear them well. No sloppy guys in tired t-shirts! I just love that.

During the breaks, they shake hands with the guests, and I had the pleasure to exchange a few words with Taye Cannon and the lead guitarist Errol Siegel. Errol's hair style, I must say, reminds me a bit of the Beatles era and made me smile ... But if you hear him play those blues tunes -- you will forget that something like "I Love You, Yeah, Yeah" ever existed. Pure excellence!

I am sitting on my patio again, trying enjoying the Sunday afternoon. So, I will quit raving about Roxy Roca now. I have to admit it is hard, though, to stop.
I urge you to check Roxy Roca's website out. This group is truly exceptional.

Check Roxy Roca's tour dates here.

I strongly recommend my San Antonio readers to check out the Luna Lounge, San Antonio. They offer soul, funk, blues, latin music, reggae and more. So, there should be something for anyone to enjoy. You will prob. meet me and my chief music scout there this weekend ... 

A special thanks to Marcos Trevino, Luna's sound engineer, who played some fantastic soul music during the breaks. One album he brought to my attention was Memphis Stew, Forever Soul. Please check it out here. There are some great live performances on that album.