Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Live Review: Rough Seven 5/8/2022 Maple Leaf Bar New Orleans, LA

Rough Seven
5/8/2022 
Maple Leaf Bar New Orleans, LA

The Morning Forty Federation were scheduled to play a late night Sunday show at the Maple Leaf Bar to wrap up the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but like lots of shows this year it was canceled because of Covid. Thankfully, Forty member Ryan Scully had his solo project primed to take over the slot as the Rough Seven ripped their unique mix of noise rock, gospel vocal passion, and avant-garde jams into the uptown club, taking over the time slot. 

Having just played the night before at BJ's in the Bywater, the group was primed and flowing. The fill in set found them without vocalist Meschiya Lake, but her absence allowed the band to flush out their noisier tendencies even more. Scully told everyone to breath, stretch and get ready to get their asses kicked by the band as the group stuck to the same set list as the previous night, opening with new rager "Orange Potatoes". 

The wah-wah effects of Rob Cambre's guitar and the pulsing keys of Ratty Scurvics rang out powerfully as the feedback dripped into "Had A Home". "Golden Parachute" had some ragtag slamming as Stoo Odom and Mike Andrepont pushed the group forward while Rick Hukill's trombone joined the fray. 

The elegant emotion of "Meltdown" was on full display as was the title track from the groups first album Give Up Your Dreams. The ballad "St. Anthony" had a harder edge as the group banged into the changes before a cataclysmic rendition of Etta James "I Would Rather Go Blind" saw Scully yelling and flailing, flinging himself all over the stage with furious abandon. 

That thrashing caused some haywire with the pedals and connections onstage, leading to a mini set break as vodka sodas were delivered to the stage and an impromptu gypsy jazz inspired "Shitting In A Bucket" broke out. The band vamped with the avant-garde jazz based Odom, Cambre and Scurvics (who were all playing the Maple Leaf for the first time) slashing in experimental style before the issues were fixed.  

The break energized the front man, as Scully lead the charge into the highlight of this night, a new garage rocker called "Where's My Phone". The straight ahead tune was a contorting journey, taking many volatile turns as Scully and Cambre traded riffs and the low end pumped up before dipping back into soft feeling, then reprising the garage noise clanging for a soaring final time. 

The band kept the fuzzy raucous sounds cooking for "Preacher By Day" and ended the set with their blisteringly emotional cover of Christina Aguilera’s "Beautiful" as all in attendance joined in. Every time the band plays live they need to be experienced as they twist emotions, rock hard as hell and deliver affecting, soul replenishing vibes while teetering on the edge of total collapse, screaming out into the humid New Orleans night. 
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Simply put the Rough Seven are one of RtBE's favorite bands of all-time. They got it all, and while the sound isn't great in this video, you can check out this full show while it is up on Youtube:

     

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