The Dave DiPrimo Band (DDB) was back at it at Buta Pub on Saturday April 14. The band brought their upbeat attitude to warm up a crowd that was brave enough to venture through the ice and the rain, and had the place on fire all night long. The band consisting of lead singer Dave DiPrimo, saxophonist and guitarist Kares Gregory, drummer Reid Hoffmeier, and bassist Ian Benz; has been performing around New York State together for over a year.
The band has a constantly evolving sound that is electric and catchy. DDB came to Buta Pub with one goal in mind, to celebrate. DDB did so in a fantastic way with the theme of the show being a glow party. DDB brought glow sticks and glow glasses for the crowd who enjoyed every minute of it. DDB played some some fan favorites like the spicy Latin melody of “Selena” and the always catchy “Caroline”. DDB always brings an eclectic mix of fast paced songs like “End of the World” and slows it down and connects with the audience with the slower rhythms of songs like “Four Letter Word” and “Whiskey Melody”.
The smooth sounds of Kares Gregory on the sax makes the slow songs methodical and dreamy while on the faster paced songs like “Selena” the sax drives the tempo of the song pushing the pace and then reeling it in in the tense moments of the song. Gregory is also a stellar lead guitar player as he shreds solos on songs like “End of the World” and “Whiskey Melody”. Drummer Reid Hoffmeier is always great as he controls a lot of the band’s emotions and feelings throughout the show. Not only is Hoffmeier an amazing drummer who can do everything that DDB requires him to do and more, he is the underlying humor and emotion that the guys are feeling during their show. Ian Benz was spectacular as always on the bass; fulfilling that low under tone that DDB was missing back when the original band was put together years ago. The front man and the person the band is titled after is Dave DiPrimo. All the songs are written by DiPrimo and DiPrimo will lead the band to spontaneous jam sessions at some point in the show.
At Buta Pub the crowd cheered for the jam session as DDB uses this opportunity for crowd participation. Whether it’s a hula contest or simply a call and answer song, the band always brings the room to life. DiPrimo not only has a voice that can hit all the ranges of the demanding setlist; whether its screaming in “End of the World” and in parts of “Selena” or the soft gentle whisper of “Four Letter Word” and at the end of “Out in the Cold”, DiPrimo can do it all as he executes every word with passion and clarity. DiPrimo also sports three different guitars throughout the band performance. The classic electric acoustic he uses for the softer songs, the Resonator he uses for some of the folk songs and the electric for solos on songs like “Glory Days” and “Know you Best”. DiPrimo’s guitar playing has improved over the time DDB has been together as the solos he played sounded crisp. His confidence not only as a singer and guitar player can be seen improving in every show; but also his confidence speaking to the crowd on a more personal level.
The sizable crowd enjoyed every moment of DDB and was crowded around the stage dancing and having a good time. DDB will be performing on April 27 at Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall with Corey Glover of Living Colour and The Alchemystics. The Dave DiPrimo Band has released two albums, the first being One Year with original band members and Reflections with the current band. Both CD’s are available for purchase at all DDB shows with other merchandise that the band sells. You can also find DDB’s music on all music streaming sites like: Spotify, Apple Music, I tunes, Google Play, Amazon and all of DDB’s music can be streamed and purchased on their website
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