Trigger Hippy Feat: Jackie Greene, Joan Osborne, Steve Gorman- Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA 1/12/14

Free from the expectations and boundaries of the bands that constitute their “day jobs,” the members of Trigger Hippy seemed quite at ease during their Boston performance.   The music and laid-back vibe more closely resembled a casual encounter at a rehearsal space than a rehearsed concert production.

Taking the stage to a recorded children’s chorus singing Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Band on the Run,” guitarist Jackie Greene (Black Crowes) dressed in jeans, army jacket and signature chapeaux lit into “Turpentine .”  The heavy, riff-driven number is the first track from their self-titled EP released late last year.  Greene and Joan Osborne vocally duet over the guitar hooks, culminating with Osborne singing the catchy chorus with a Southern drawl like slant.  This is a prime example of Hippy’s songwriting recipe.  However, where the EP’s production is pretty slick, the live sound of these guys is obviously a rougher, dirtier version.

“Cave Hill Cemetery,” for over a year the band’s only formal recording followed.  The song, another southern, blues rock track plays to drummer Steve Gorman’s (Black Crowes) and bass player, Nick Govrik’s tremendous rhythmic abilities.  Long time friends Gorman and Gorvik originally formed the group in Nashville in 2009, while Osborne and Greene were added in 2011 while the Black Crowe’s were on hiatus.  Another Nashville session star, guitarist Tom Bukovac rounds out the current line-up.

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The crowd, subdued by a combination of the chilly January Sunday night and the Patriot’s play-off win the night before initially seemed reluctant to commit its full support.    Greene moved to keyboards for the 70’s funk groove of “Pocahontas” also from the new EP release.  After the three opening rockers the softer duet of “Pretty Mess” was well placed and given the roadhouse character of the sound, Osborne dressed in a Hippy Trigger t-shirt and skirt, seemed almost too vocally proficient at times.

Midway through the set the musicians began to show their chops with the extended versions of “Unlock the Door,” “Nothing New” and “Pretend Your in Love.”  On vocals Greene and Osborne alternate, duet and harmonize sometimes all within the same tune.      Creating a nice ebb and flow in both the individual songs and the set list in general, the band sounded far tighter  than the dozen or so shows they have under their belts.

The highlight of the night came with Greene back on guitar for the Beatle’s, “Don’t Let Me Down.” His guitar sound was mesmerizing with the Grateful Dead-ish solo flavored by his playing days with Phil and Friends.  The night itself gradually took on a spontaneous feel with the group covering a lot of musical ground.  Despite the show being clearly billed as Trigger Hippy there were more than a few misinformed individuals who expected to hear Jackie Greene numbers, Black Crowes covers or Osborne solo material.  Most fell into the last category so much so that Osborne had to take the time to politely explain they were working from a Trigger Hippy set list as opposed to taking requests. Of course these were many of the same patrons who spent the night trying to talk over the music.

The end of the set saw a return to their Southern Rock roots with “Who Will Wear the Crown” and “Tennessee Mud.” The band came back for the seductive, stoned, blue-eyed soul, blues of “Heartache on the Line” followed by the upbeat “Rise Up Singing.”

Supergroups tend to be long on individual talent but short on band chemistry resulting in mediocre music played by exemplary musicians.   Trigger Hippy successfully avoids that dilemma by performing not as a collection of artists but as a band, singular. The end result is clearly a collective sound that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

Trigger Hippy Setlist Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA, USA 2014

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