The Chronicles continued their winter residency at Red Square on Thursday, January 23rd and paid tribute to musical legends Earth Wind and Fire with special guest Michael Wooten.
The Cedric Burnside Project opened up the event with longtime friends Cedric Burnside on drums and guitarist Trenton Ayers, who together make a Mississippi funk party parade. It’s no mistake that Cedric was born into music as his grandfather is North Mississippi blues legend, R.L. Burnside and started touring with him when he was 13 years old. The duo brought Mardi Gras to Upstate NY with soulful singing, swampy guitar riffs and fast paced tempo, a foot stomping good time. One of the highlights was when the duo brought up members from the Chronicles to sit in on “White Lightening”, bringing the flair of jazz and pure rock and roll. Burnside and Ayers had permanent smiles on their faces and so did everyone in the crowd, here’s hoping they come back soon.
The Chronicles welcomed Michael Wooten on lead vocals and guitar to join in their tribute to the mighty Earth, Wind and Fire. The set exploded with a funky “Getaway” followed by the popular hit and crowd pleaser, “September.” Wooten added a strong, mature tone to the group with his voice, hitting those ever famous high and low notes. It was fantastic to hear the classic brass melody from, Jeff Nania on Saxophone and Bryan Brundige on Trombone played with soulful execution. “Shining Star” got the most cheers the moment, guitarist Justin Henricks and Wooten strummed those strings and everyone began to sing and get down.
After the Earth Wind and Fire set, the crowd seemed a bit restless and not ready to call it quits just as the night and music was getting started. “We are just about to rage now,” Henricks assured the fans as they boys started their set with a smooth “Mr.Magic” with light yet complex key solo from Paulie Philippone. Andrae Surgick showed great control as he effortlessly slammed on the cymbals and drums. Closing out the set was “Village Living” extra heavy on the bass bombs thanks to Daniel Lawson. A break in between songs during the show gave the Chronicles’ sound guy a chance to mention to the audience that at 5 am, pretty much right after this set, the band was flying out to California for the weekend to play a gig before the Grammys and recording an album. The Chronicles have a supportive fan base in the Upstate NY area and it’s thrilling to watch them stretch their sound to new places across the country.
Don’t miss The Chronicle’s last show of their residency this Thursday, January 30th at Red Square when they pay tribute to J Dilla, with The Big Mean Sound Machine opening the show at 9pm.
Setlist: Getaway, September, Jupiter, Fantasy, Let’s Groove, Can’t Let Go, Shining Star, Way of this World, Can’t Hide Love , Mr. Magic, Purple Diesel, Mr. Clean, Scrasbourg, No War, Village Livin
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