Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Blisters Up Brooklyn Bowl With Dynamic Set (SHOW REVIEW)

The overarching feeling floating through the packed Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday night October 12th, was that the blues were in great hands as a younger generation of incredibly talented ax wielders were on full display for the sold-out crowd. 

Opening the night was Mathias Lattin, the 21-year-old Houston, Texas showman who sauntered confidently onto the Brooklyn stage as riffs rang out during the opening rendition of “Big Legged Woman”. The band played as a trio (consisting of Nick Andres on drums and Jesse Gomez on bass) as they worked out a cover of a fellow Texan’s tune, delivering “A Real Mother For Ya” by Johnny “Guitar” Watson, with a splash of “Pusherman” by Curtis Mayfield tossed in for good measure. 

The blues flowed out as the group played their original “Lose Some Weight” as Lattin sang and played with energy and confidence, jamming out and extending solos. The opening set closed with a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” which was filtered through Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Texas roadhouse blues style and re-crafted by this up-and-coming trio.   

After a brief break Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was set to play and while some performers like to ease into their sets, building up energy and tension, the literal first notes from the guitar player that kicked off “She Calls Me Kingfish” were electric, causing hair to stand on end as his first solo was blazing hot, from their the guitar wizard never looked back. The opening number was dynamite (complete with Sanford and Sons teases) as the band, Paul Rogers on bass, Chris Black on drums, and DeShawn Alexander on keys, was totally locked in. 

“Fresh Out” was tight yet funky with touches of Freddy King-style guitar playing while “Another Life Goes By” showed the emotional connection Kingfish has to the blues as he sang and played with passion over a slower affecting foundation of sound. “Midnight Heat” was highlighted by funky keys, “Empty Promises” produced multiple screaming guitar solos, and “Hard Times” put a focus on the bass and deep grooves. 

Kingfish also knows how to work a room as he took a small break to put the spotlight on the band, only to reemerge in the crowd throwing out blues riffs in the vein of “The Same Thing” before returning to the stage supported by the stomping kick drum for “Outside of This Town”. The whole set was standout, but the band seemed to pull everything together for “662” as the energy picked up with flashes of Chuck Berry rock and roll mixing with the group’s blues masterclass.     

“Long Distance Women” kicked off the encore as Lattin joined the group onstage and the song ended with a killer duel as Kingfish and Lattin were smiling wide as they one-upped each other to wrap up the driving tune. The night then closed with a full-on excursion/deconstruction of “Hey Joe” as the band, plus Lattin, welcomed Ray Angry who delivered a highlight organ solo as well as Maurice Brown who pushed the song into reggae territory with his trumpet work as the extended tune closed out a smoking show from these dynamic young bluesmen.