The Soul Band @ Johnny D's !!!! August 25, 2007

The Soul Band returns to Johnny D's !!!!

Comprised of Boston's most renowned musicians, The Soul Band specializes in booty-shakin’, love-making, dance-floor-packing southern soul music. Drawing from an arsenal of classics and B-side gems, this stellar 7-piece ensemble has been wowing audiences all over New England. In Memphis in the ’60s and ‘70s, record labels Stax, Hi, American, and Goldwax were cranking out the hits, each with its unique sound and approach. The Soul Band’s tribute to this golden age of soul will make your next event the highlight of the year.

It’s clear from the first refrain that the Soul Band doesn’t fool around. You should definitely read below about the amazing players that comprise this band, but before you do, check out the audio clips. AMAZING.

Singer Tim Pike has a mighty rasp that strolls in the shadows of the classic voices of ’60s greats like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, and with 20 years of performing, he knows how to work a crowd.

The brotherly horns of Scott and John Aruda punch as if these native New Englanders were refugees from Muscle Shoals. Their admirers include Wynton Marsalis, who has invited Scott to join him at several Lincoln Center events.

Bassist Brad Hallen and drummer Steve Chaggaris nail the grooves that made labels like Stax and Hi part of the R&B vocabulary. That’s not surprising, since Hallen spent four years with Roomful of Blues (Blues Music Awards’ Band of the Year in 2004) and has toured and performed with artists ranging from Hubert Sumlin to Aimee Mann to Iggy Pop.

Drummer Chaggaris is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music and a consummate sideman, having performed and/or recorded with a wide array of diverse artists, including jazz luminaries Danny Harrington and Paul Ahlstrand; blues greats Jeremy Lyons, Chris Stovall Brown, Amadee Castenell (Neville Brothers), Sax Gordon Beadle, David Maxwell (Freddie King, Bonnie Raitt), folk/alternative artists Colleen Sexton, Matt Griffin, David Johnston, and The Timbre Project.

Keyboardist Cliff Spencer and guitarist Mike Welch slip between all the cracks, offering terse lines and colors and rhythm riffs, and they, too, boast impressive résumés. Spencer is a Hammond organ specialist who is active in the Boston music scene, performing with a diverse array of acts including Michelle Willson, Myanna, Jon Zeeman, and Martha's Vineyard's Mike Benjamin. In the tradition of Hammond organists, Cliff is a Pisces.

“Monster” Mike Welch is a former Boston Music Award winner who has been performing internationally since 1993 and can be found on records by Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, Johnny Winter, Nick Moss, Shemekia Copeland, and many others - not to mention 5 solo releases.

These accomplished players came together in The Soul Band because it’s their specialty and their passion: classic soul music from the ’60s with an occasional left turn like their earthy treatment of U2’s “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own.”

If you’re looking for a band to make your event unforgettable, look no further than The Soul Band.
“Singer Tim Pike has a stunning ability to recreate the heyday of Memphis's Stax/Volt label sound.” Steve Morse ~ The Boston Globe

“If you haven't seen The Soul Band yet, this is a MUST see band. Trust us...you will not be disappointed!” The Boston Blues Society

Official Website: http://www.thesoulband.net