Monday's Earful: Leroy Justice @ The Mercury Lounge; Phish

By: David Schultz

If this were 1973, the Mercury Lounge would not be the locale for a Leroy Justice gig, they would be further uptown headlining Madison Square Garden as part of a rambling caravan style tour. Alas, in 2009, heartfelt Let It Bleed style rock and roll that soars to enthralling levels when aired out on stage doesn’t have the ready-built audience that it did in the Seventies. The Baby Boomers that would eat this stuff up won’t put up with the dearth of parking spaces for their minivans on the Lower East Side and they have likely lost their ability to feel comfortable within the Spartan conditions of the Mercury Lounge. It’s truly a shame that classic rock radio, where it still exists, doesn’t reach down to find those bands keeping that spirit alive. Unless you are NPR-approved indie rock or singer-songwriter mooted Adult Album Alternative ready, there’s no way to connect with an audience that’s unlikely to leave their living room on a weekday night.

Leroy Justice’s Thursday night set at their hometown digs served up liberal spoonfuls from The Loho Sessions, their recently released sophomore effort. Opening with a gritty version of the loping “Temporary Cure,” whose guitar riff immediately brings you in to Justice’s world, they offered up an inspired version of “Mickey,” with its marvelous singalong chorus and a measured version of “Out To Sea.” With Bradley Wegner and Josh Karis providing the rhythm, Justice’s set gave you an idea of what some early Black Crowes shows must have felt like, even down to the American flag draped over Sloan Marshall’s keyboard setup. Marshall emerged from behind the keys to add some harmonica flourishes to a bluesy stripped-down version of “Revolution’s Son” and they closed their set by restoring all the bar-band glory to “Last 4 Ozs.”

Brendan Cavanaugh is emerging as a genuine powerhouse of a guitarist. At their last appearance at the Merc, a release party for The Loho Sessions. Cavanaugh dazzled with an amazing array of slide guitar licks. Showing his versatility, he set aside the slide this evening, his solos fitting more into the classic rock mode, picking and choosing his spots with the finesse of Warren Haynes. A more animated presence on stage, lead singer Jason Gallagher exudes the confidence of a consummate frontman, his infectious enjoyment of being on stage quickly spreading throughout the crowd.

If you’re growing weary of cycling though your well-worn copies of Cream, Rolling Stones and The Allman Brothers, rest assured, there is Justice is in this world.

LAST HALLOWEEN, AT THE BITTER END, Leroy Justice offered up a start to finish cover of The Beatles’ Let It Be, tapping into a tradition of donning a musical costume that dates back to Phish’s late 90s shows which included All Hallow’s Eve covers of The Who’s Quadrophenia and the Velvet Underground’s Loaded. After playing a Where’s Waldo style game with their fans in releasing the location, Phish will be reclaiming their legacy this October in Indio, California, the site of the annual Coachella activities. Hosting Festival 8, a three day festival of eight sets, one of which will be a resurrection of the “costume” gimmick, Phish has started speculation over who they will be for Halloween.