I was truly excited to see The Broadcast closer to home. I had seen them, briefly, at Bear Creek 2014, and then twice at Springfest last March (all at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park). I wasn’t able to catch them on a Sunday night at the packed Dunedin Brewery, but here they were at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa on a Tuesday night, opening for the John Nemeth Band.
You know what that’s like when the majority of the crowd is there to see the featured act. However, it didn’t take long for The Broadcast to win a bunch of new fans with an electric set of songs, half of the set from the band’s excellent new album From the Horizon.
If you’re going to cover Aretha’s “Rock Steady,” you’d damn sure better do it right. To say that Caitlyn Krisko and the boys nailed this one would be a gross understatement, and they were just getting warmed up! Much of the success of the band centers around the badass rhythm section of E’Lon Jordan-Dunlap on bass and Jaze Uries on drums. No matter what direction the music takes, they provide the heartbeat.
“Eyes of a Woman” was a powerful statement from the new album, Krisko’s voice even more dynamic than on the opener. They followed that up with another rocker, appropriately titled “Steamroller.” Aaron Austin demonstrated his great guitar skills on both tunes — and the entire set.
Krisko explained that they had just returned from an extended trip through Europe, 35 dates in seven countries including Germany, France and Denmark. She told us, “For some reason, they really liked those Appalachian songs over there. They really liked this one.” With that, they played “Sign It Off,” with Austin on acoustic guitar. Tyler Housholder’s percussion stood out.
Next up was a song by one of Krisko’s favorite artists, J.J. Cale. What emerged was a really bluesy take on “After Midnight,” very true to Cale’s original but with a bit more pizzazz. “Electric Light” was next, another great song from the new album (so was “Sign It Off”).
Krisko left the stage to let the boys flex their jazz muscles on “Jan Jan,” a song by Grant Green that many artists love to cover (see: The New Mastersounds). This was a tremendous version, and each member of the band got a great solo feature. Austin went first in homage to Green, followed by Jordan-Dunlap, Uries and finally Housholder. I was in orbit!
As Krisko returned to the stage, she introduced the next song, talking about how we all had to be ready to fight, the perfect lead-in to “Battle Cry.” Uries’ bass drum kicked the song from start to finish; the tune would segue perfectly with Led Zep’s “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.”
The bandstand cleared for Austin on acoustic guitar and Krisko to deliver the soul-stirring title track, “From the Horizon.” It just plain smoked. The others rejoined for a great version of Nina Simone’s “Funky As a Mosquito’s Tweeter.” That song is just so much fun.
The Broadcast had really connected with the crowd about three songs in, and the engagement continued to grow. The band let it all out on “Loving You,” a really powerful tune with Housholder really coming to the fore, Austin blazing, and Krisko baring her soul: “I can’t stop loving you!” WOW!
“We can’t be a North Carolina band without playing some Southern rock,” she explained as they launched into their set-closer, “Whippin’ Post.” It was a rockin’, tight, explosive cover, with Austin shredding away and Krisko feeling every note as she sang and danced.
The crowd response was awesome, with numerous requests for “One more song!” there wasn’t time, but the sentiment was accurate. The Broadcast is building a strong following here in the Sunshine State and in Europe as they expand their geographic footprint at more and more venues and festivals.
Be sure you tune in to The Broadcast! You’ll be glad you did! Catch them tonight in Miami!
[Rock Steady, Eyes of a Woman, Steamroller, Sign It Off, After Midnight, Electric Light, Jan Jan, Battle Cry, From the Horizon, Funk As a Mosquito’s Tweeter, Loving You, Whippin’ Post]
Also, my grandson did approximately 15 to 25 laps around the Skipperdome.
THE BROADCAST ON TOUR!
Jan 11 Bardot | Miami FL
Jan 12 The Funky Buddha | Boca Raton FL
Jan 13 OM Bar | New Smyrna Beach FL
Jan 14 The Whiskey | Wilmington NC w/ Rebekah Todd & the Odyssey
Jan 20 IPA | Greenville SC
Jan 21 Tin Roof | Columbia SC
Jan 27 Clyde’s | Chattanooga TN
Feb 03 The Pour House | Raleigh NC
Feb 05 Highland Brewing Company | Asheville NC
Feb 10 Boone Saloon | Boone NC
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