Blue Monday, January 22, 2007, was AMAZING!!! Blues fans were treated to an electrifying night of Blues courtesy of Jim Suhler and his band, Monkey Beat, from the Great State of Texas. Thank you, Texas, for the musicians that you have given us!!!
Jim began the night by saying, "Being from Texas, I never thought I'd
say this, but WELCOME TO THE ALAMO!!!" This time, Texas came out
the winner!!!
Jim Suhler has stepped into the national spotlight as the second guitarist
for George Thorogood and the Destroyers. The last time that Jim Suhler
and Monkey Beat were scheduled to perform in Springfield, Jim wasn't able to
come because he was playing with Thorogood that evening. Some of you
will remember that Springfield Shaky sat in with the band that night, and it
was a night to remember!!!
The first set opened with Suhler and bassist Carlton Powell on acoustic
guitar. A hush fell over the crowd as the room filled with a
Hendrix-like sound that turned out to be a premonition of what would occur
later in the evening.
Soon joined by keyboardist extraordinaire, Sean Phares, a fine player who
has worked with another Texas guitar notable, Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones,
and drummer Jimmy Morgan, Suhler played some good, old-fashioned Texas
boogie, featuring several nice keyboard solos by Phares, along with
some excellent slide guitar by Suhler.
The band played non-stop from 8:30 until about 11, without taking a break.
The appreciative audience broke into spontaneous standing ovations several
times. That doesn't happen all that often!!
After a brief pause, the band returned with more high-revved, rolling and
tumbling Texas blues/rock at its very best. The surge of energy
through the room was palpable.
It was one of those nights when everything came together just right:
the crowd, the band, and the vibes.
I, for one, am looking forward to having this band back as soon as
possible!!! Hope you were there!
To keep up with this band, visit their website at http://www.jimsuhler.com/.Web page
Judy Burgess
Secretary
ICBC