The Windjammer strikes again. Notorious for its muddy acoustics, the beachside venue somehow managed to muffle the sonically powerful Perpetual Groove. Throughout most of the show, Brock Butler and the gang had to battle the reverberating sound in the room, as the guitarist’s sinewy lines were often snowed under a wall of bass-heavy rumbling. That’s not to knock bassist Adam Perry’s performance, which is always solid; it’s just unfortunate to lose the tone of Brock’s guitar, such an integral part of P-Groove’s, well, groove.
Sound complaints aside, the band put together a fairly average performance, opening with the peppy “Downside” and then moving into a thick, oozing jam-stew beginning with “Crowded Tub.” The lengthy “Mota>Stealy Man>Mota> Crowded Tub” sandwich proved to have little in the way of meat, though the “Stealy Man>Mota” portion took some interesting turns. Most of the jam within the sequence chugged amiably along, shifting in momentum as the band meandered in and out of a fairly conventional groove. The closing “Devil May Care” was a well-played treat, and—bonus—I was actually able to hear Brock’s vocals for most of the song.
Seemingly sensing the need to up the ante in the second set, they roared out of the gate with the multilevel beast, “53 Things To Do In Zero Gravity,” and didn’t stop until the muscular combination of “Cairo>Cave>Cairo” wound to a close. After dedicating the song to a recently deceased young fan of the band, “Three Weeks” built gradually and darkly, providing the highlight of the night (a common occurrence with that crowd-pleaser). After the emotion and intensity of “Three Weeks,” the closing “Get Down Tonight” and “Sundog” provided welcome relief.
Though not their best performance, P-Groove reliably delivered the goods as usual. Let’s just hope their next trip through town brings them to the Pour House.
Photo by Megan Case
