By Lance Stack

Hey crew--packed house last night at the Deep Banana Blackout show! There was no opener, so DBB didn't actually start until around 9:40. We were setting inside @ 9:00 listening to the soundcheck (which turned into a 30-minute jam session!), and the place was practically empty, but by the time the show got going, the room was filled with people breakin' it down.

Anyway here's the setlist:

Set 1:
Anesthetic >
Breakfast at Volo's (no Brunch) >
Especiality >
Hear My
Mama Feelgood >
Doin' It to Death >
Verge >
Doin' It
HOMO >
Mama's Boy >
Pass the Peas >
Drums/Percussion >
Drums/Guitar >
TUG

Set 2:
Brunch >
Everybody >
Getcha'll '76 >
Big Thang >
Universal >
B'Gock! >
Peckin'
Memphish >
Rocker >
Come Together >
Rocker
Trip >
House Party
Bump and Sway
? >
Bump and Sway

By Sean Canan

Although I didn't get there till half way through the first set, still got to take it all in. Deep Banana was really really good last night. Its a shame that Jen (the singer) will not be with them after this summer. She can really wail. Everyone in the band was very impressive, and the FUNK was in full force. It was flowing out of them, and right through most people in the crowd. Their songs were very tight, with lots of interesting changes. They went from Samba, to straight up Latin, to swingin jazz, but the majority of it was the high energy funk that I love. There was also much humor thrown in to make it a bit more fun..... As far as the songs go, I didn't know most of them except Pass the Peas (JB's), and Come Together (Beatles) which really rocked. It was just a great show overall.. ...

I give them a 9.5 on the Funk Meter!!!!

By Jack

OK....I know I am several days late with this, but this is my first chance to sit down in front of the computer. A Blackout descended on Cicero's on Thursday night, and I can never say enough good things about the funkiest band in the universe, so here come my two cents. I was very excited to see DBB at Cicero's because back in the Northeast going to see Banana now means going to a club the size of Mississippi Nights and Standing on a long ass line. I was psyched to see them play Cicero's mainly because it reminds me alot of one of the dives they used to play when they first branched from CT to Long Island in '97.(No offense to all you Ciceros folks) I was hoping there would be more room to dance but it's still great that there wasn't as perhaps they are finally getting some well deserved national recognition. I got there late (typical), forgetting to check the opening time and assuming 10-10:30. I paid my cover walked in and was immediately taken back by the crowd, but a smile instantly rushed to my lips as I heard Fuzz's guitar running all over the rhythms for what could only be Hear My Song. Saying Hi to a few friends, I grabbed a beer and settled in for the ensuing jam. Immediately after Jen went into some patter about the next song and then the familiar guitar lick for Mama Feelgood started up......HELL YEAH! This is a Jen Durkin showcase tune for them. She always kicks it into Janis mode in the middle with some improvised wordz of wisdom to the house. I do remember her encouraging us with the rant "Spring has sprung!" before the horns kicked it back into gear but it didnt end there-a seemingly smoooth seamless transition ripped into the Fred Wesley and the JB's tune Doin' It To Death. I couldnt take it any longer, my head bobbing had started transforming into hip shakin' and with DBB throwin' down the old skool covers I ran down front-fuzz side. I should have known that would kickstart a nasty, nasty Volo solo before we kicked back into the refrains of All the Way-Take you There-All the way-Down Deep-etc.....but it didn't end the horns brought it around again into....VERGE???!??? A George Clinton/P-Funk cover, that is a banana standard, but in the middle of the set??? THis is usually a show ender and it is easy to see why. A lead-in/break that builds in intensity, Jen's screaming when they get to the peak, and a call and response chant section of PEOPLE WhAT YA DOIN'?-STANDIN' ON THE VERGE OF GETTIN' IT ON_GETTIN' IT ON has long been a climactic song for DBB-hell it ushered in the last 2 NYE's. As the song washed over me, I couldnt stop the Dancin...but wondered what they could possibly do after that. What happened was perfect the horns sounded the final notes of a killer Verge as Fuzzy dropped the first notes of "Doin' It"one of the two brand new songs that Fuzz has written in the wake of Jen's announcement to leave the band. The song is beautiful but you can definitely tell that her decision is certainly affecting his songwriting-the lyrics while extremely metaphorical are easily applied to the band's upocoming situation. As Jen came back they kicked into "Homo Lingo", another original with a latin, samba feel. This segued into Mama's Boy with Volo's smooth T-bone intro, building through the song to it's mad high pitched finish. Banana opted not to finish it this night but after the huge explosion to sail further into JB's territory with a little Pass Da Peas. I love this song so much and it is always a treat to hear them do this-but then it segued into a drumz percussion break with Johnny and Eric trading mad stomps with smooth fills until, faster then I have ever heard it done, Fuzz kicked it into high gear with the rocker intro. This little guitar improv piece was originally written as an intro to Rocker or Take the Time as it is known on DBB's first CD "Live in the thousand islands", but nowadays is performed by the bassist, Volo, Somerville-whoever. Tonight-however it was pure "I am fucking metal" Fuzz. He tore through it with abandon and when the horns joined him for the release, the bass line dropped for one of DBB's signature tunes, Tug. YOu cannot be human and stand still in the proximity of this song. The dance floor exploded andwhen the solo section came Volo stepped up and took control!!!!!

Set II led in with Brunch, an ending that the band tacked onto their original, Breakfast@Volo's, but now drops anywhere & everywhere. The tom's and percussive tribal beat with jazz riffs over top gives way to a sixteen bar mad dash swing section back to the jazz and when it gave, Cy sprinkled a little salsa feel over the keyboards as the band dropped Ev'rybody, a song they premiered last fall. Another latin feeling piece, you cant help but samba after fuzz took a turn with Johnny at the solo the syncopated bass of Get'chall '76 started. Out of all the incarnations of this tune, '76 is probably my favorite for finding an incredible middle ground between the swampy, sexy, deep funk of Getchall 96, and the hard edged Dance hall drive of Getch'all 98. The bass wrapped itself up, down, and all around, the horns kick in and finally the jam happens. Getch'all is one of those tunes that can really open up and they did led by the sweet sounds of Rob Somerville on the Sax. Every instrumentalist manages to blow me away in this band, but tonight the Brass Toungue led me down some serious twists and turns to some dark places. His sax was flowin, mesmerizing. It forced my body and mind into so many different directions like i was following some jazz pied piper. The band took it way out and then brought it back home and launched into Big Thing. This is one of my faves of the newer songs, a little slower with great lyrics. It was just what I needed after the meltdown of Getch'all as Big Thing faded away the second of the evening's new songs made it's appearance. Universal Song with the vox split between Fuzz and Rob is a great tune but the bass-horn trade off that followed was even better. Benj LeFevre was droppin' some serious bombs and keepin' it movin as Jen stepped back on stage, the bass and guitar dropped for B'Gock! a great song with really deep emotive lyrics..B'Gock!!! This is the title track from Fuzz's side project, On The Corner and any DBB or Jazz fan would do well to get ahold of this LP. During the chicken breakdown, Eric left the drum kit to double up on percussion with Johnny and the horns went insane. They definitely took the B'Gock breakdown to some other level that night before Volo and his bone brought it back around. This was followed by some classic Banana that I haven't heard in a while and was so psyched to hear them do, a version of the Duke Ellington tune Peckin'. Solo's all around in the classic jazz swing style. A fun song that the house responded to very appreciatively, and soon Memphis Train started rolling up from the bass of Mr. LeFevre. This song's classic build and it's shared parts are perfect - turning the rythm section and the horns into a train moving faster and faster as Jen Durkin explodes in her inimitable style over the top. As the song climaxed it moved perfectly into Rocker, a DBB anthem. As they whisked me away I felt my anticipation growing for the breakdown leading to the solo. Would it be a fiery ax rip-up from Fuzz, or perhaps a smooth build transformed into a fire on the sax????? The breakdown spiraled away into nothingness, the percussion making my body shake as the horns bled into their own musical dimensions-but no solo came...rather-the guitar strains of one of the all time greatest songs in Rock and Roll, The Beatles Come Together started. Go Fuzz! Fuzz and Benj recently played in a side project called Sugar Porn Cops with Vinnie from moe. on drums and The Ominous Seapods' keyboard player. This was one of their tunes but I had no idea that Fuzz had brought it back home to DBB. Very well done with a neat little horn section thrown in as it wrapped it's way around the soaring horn finale of Rocker kicked back in and they were goin' all the way tonight! This was followed by Trip which led into another of the call and response "PAAAAAAAR-TAY!!" songs House Party. This super funky feelin had me groovin' until the sweat was drippin' from my body. I love the way the horns play off of each other here, as a thick groove is laid down by the rhythm and guitar. Then the opening strains of Bump & Sway started- not one of my faves having seen it way too many times to possibly count. There is, however, one part of the song that always thrills me. After the first two verses, the ensuing solos always run in the same order, but, after Fuzz's solo, he always starts an improvised riff for the band to just go off of before returning to B&S. Tonight it wasn't improvised. I knew that riff as it started. A banana moment that had only happened twice before and I am now lucky enougfh to have seen all three. Hard Heavy guitar leading into the raving and ranting of Rob Somerville on "STONE PENIS!!!" Wow! I dont know if the last call lights scared everybody off or what but the call for an encore didnt last long as the crowd shoved off into the night. And oh what a pity, for that encore would have been TI-Tight.....(sanford & son, anyone?) Oh well. DBB came to Ciceros and showed what true music can be made with a bunch of talented musicians. BTW, I didn't hype this show beforehand, as I was in Toledo for several months on a job up until a few days ago and just got to check the three thousand pieces of email I had....I would like to add to the discussion on Jen leaving the band from a week ago. Jen Durkin is an amazing vocalist, a force of funk and a ball of pure adrenalin energy. To almost everyone she is the first thing they recognize about DBB. As someone who has seen them over 100 times, I have seen each member of this band blow me away again and again and again. Fuzz is the chief songwriter anyways, so that wont change. I urge everyone to support them through the changeover coming in the fall. Dont forget to get a copy of Fuzz's On The Corner to see some pure instrumental action comin' at ya!!!!

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