Grey Leaf

Grey Leaf Band Review at Mug Shots Bar in De Pere, Wisconsin

By TJ
February 10, 2009
The entire day had this weird buzz to it on what will probably go down as the warmest Saturday night in February. It was almost as if the release of cabin fever had people hanging out in different places and doing different things. This vibe held true for me as well, as I found myself down at Mug Shots in downtown De Pere, not to mention the surreal feeling that George Street has, now that the old bridge has been removed. About 50 yards away I could hear the tunes, Grey Leaf were about 20 minutes or so into their first set when I arrived fashionably late. To my immediate right of entering Mug Shots, up on a two foot riser stage, were the five cats settling into the groove. There was one stool at the front of the bar that just happened to be the perfect spot to chill. I ordered my favorite cocktail and began to absorb the Grey Leaf. First in order, they sounded good right off the bat. My theory was that this was going to be just another good rock and roots band. Really all the essentials of rock and roots were right there on stage, you've got Ben Vosters running two keyboards switching from a sweet Hammond organ tones to Wurlitzer electric keys. Nick Lemaire on acoustic and Nick Rathsack on the P90 Gibson SG electric and at the back bone is the rhythm of Brian Harrah on drums and Erik Sikich on bass. Then Grey Leaf started to dismantle my theory. The first crack in my wall was when Ben reached down over to his right and came back up with a trumpet while at the same time tending to his keys. The second shift in my fault was Nick Lemaire's ardent vocals, most pertinent to soul and funk; his notes were tight taunts of emotion that were mostly delivered in a controlled holler. The finality of completely winning me over as a Grey Leaf fan was the "Pocket" ability of Erik on bass and Brian on drums. The "Pocket" is a loosely defined rhythmic term of the feel of playing just behind the beat. I thought the way Brian was riding the bell on the back beat added to that great funk feel. Erik had some fast and killer solos but the tone he was putting out of that Kustom bass cab was like warm butter! After a few more well crafted originals the band took a break before entering into their second set.

I had a little time to hang with Brian Harrah, Nick Rathsack and Ben Vosters who are, by the way, very nice guys. I was a little surprised to find that since their spawn of jam sessions, beginning in Appleton of 2007, this was Grey Leaf's second time playing in the area. You see, for a band that plays mostly original tunes it is almost always an uphill battle to get gigs at most venues, even for a really good band. So Grey Leaf complies with a few covers and very creatively sneaks them into the set via smooth transitions. Never straying away from the Grey Leaf style, they pulled a couple of covers from a stash including Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" and Sublime's "Lovin' is what I got." I nearly fell off the stool when they began to pull off the song by The Doors "Break on Through." Grey Leaf sees itself as a jam band. I saw a band that instead of hiding behind endless solos they stand out with emotion, climatic song structure, and creativity. Grey Leaf fired up their second set, and the casual crowd started really getting into it. Just about everyone that walked by and saw the band in the window stopped in to check it out or danced in the corridor. Nick L. would take solos then fall back on the bands rhythm with harmonica and tambourine, giving Vosters some lead vocal time. Nick Rathsack handled lead guitar with a little wah and overdrive, bending the scale on solos and transitioning in and out with a nice fret board trill and a whole lot of smoke machine. Seriously Nick, your fog is about as thick as the air at Bonnaroo! The band plays with a sense of humor and supplies a nice, laid back, fun atmosphere. Grey Leaf's sound is an arranged mix of roots, soul, funk, blues, folk, and ska, which as a whole adds a different vibe to their personal take on a jam band. Grey Leaf recorded at the legendary Rock Garden Studio in Appleton in 07 and have a full length CD and T-Shirts for sale. As a personal fan of original music I just want to give a big hats off to Mug Shots of De Pere and the other local venues that have begun to open their doors to these great local original bands and for supporting the local scene. Grey Leaf will be playing in Green Bay at Pi nightclub on the 19th and then at Jimmy Seas on the 27th. Go check them out!
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