Lettuce, that genius “vegetable” that you put on your burger to make you think that you are actually eating a vegetable. No, we are talking about the funk outfit from Boston. I have not seen this band since the departure of chapeaued hollow body guitar wizard Eric Krasno. Rising from the ashes of the band Soulive, Kras’ version of Lettuce was guitar centric, and a vehicle for him to display his chops. The current incarnation, while no less funkified, was more of an egalitarian offering. Bass, guitar, drums, keys, two saxes, and a trumpet was the geometry. The keyboard player sang a bit, but this band is primarily a clatch of instrumental virtuosos. I am struck by the varied nature of funk. This band gave us dubby bass inflected funk, blaxploitation film score choogling, even some sappy 70s smooth jazz. The crowd was in constant motion, egged on by the frenetic light show. Two full sets culminated with an excellent take on Curtis Mayfield’s Movin On Up which strayed into a deconstructed dub-wise Everybody Wants To Rule the World and back to Curtis. Happy music for happy people.
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