Sandwiched Between Funk, The Ruby Spirit Dazzles at Lee’s Palace

Date of show: October 29, 2010
Shot of choice: Jack Daniels

The Ruby Spirit played a fiercely energetic and impressive 10-song set. The Ruby Spirit is made up of Paige Boy (vocals), Alex Pulec (guitar, vocals), Mickey Donnell (bass), Jay Cipparrone (drums), and Juliana Eye (organ, synth, keys, vocals). We reviewed their Born Under A Veil EP and we loved it. Needless to say, we were anxious to see The Ruby Spirit live. I had spoken a lot about Paige’s powerful vocals on the EP and they are even more striking live, but are especially captivating in combination with her lively and dramatic stage presence. Physically, Paige reminded us of Gwen Stefani, but her personality on stage is more akin to the likes of the Lady Gaga‘s of the world. She is absolutely electric on stage, making it difficult to not see her as a focal point. However, looking at the band in its entirety, it is clear how well they work together to create their boisterous kaleidoscope pop.

The Ruby Spirit played all 6 songs on their EP, as well as a few new tunes. For “Ruby Dog,” they brought out a 3-piece horn section, with 2 trumpeters and 1 saxophonist (Rory, Jesse and Anthony, if I’m not mistaken). Anthony joined them again on sax for their last song, for which Paige Boy announced, “Last chance to dance, motherfuckers!” Believe me, the crowd danced. I must say that The Ruby Spirit sounded even better live and, given how much we loved their EP, that says a lot.

Elastocitizens

Headlining this show was the Elastocitizens and this was quite the experience! Elastocitizens is a 10-piece groove funk collective led by Steve McCarthy (vocals), who exudes confidence with an electric personality to boot. The rest of the Elastocizitens are Brandon McGibbon (guitar), Jason O’Brien (bass), Mack Longpre (drums), as well as a bold horn section consisting of Gordon Hyland (saxophone), Carolyne Maraghi (trumpet), and Brian Walters (trumpet). Backup vocalists Joanne Boland, Monica Dotter and Melissa Jane Shaw donned Las Vegas-like outfits with Motown-inspired choreography.

The Elastocitizens had the crowd, a large portion of which was dressed up for Halloween, dancing away, completely enthralled by the music. The band was theatrical and engaging, pulling out all the stops to create a lively and entertaining atmosphere. It was hard to take my eyes of the stage, as there really was never a dull moment in their set. This was their party, but it was a party for their fans, and what a party it was!

Ninja Funk Orchestra

Ninja Funk Orchestra came out on stage wearing black Morphsuits, which was amusing and maybe slightly creepy and a lot revealing. However, given that it was Halloween and much of the crowd were in costumes, it was fitting.

Ninja Funk Orchestra is a 4-piece instrumental jazz/funk rock band comprised of Gordon Hyland (saxophone), Neil Whitford (guitar), Mack Longpre (drums) and Andrew Roorda (bass). Two members, Hyland and Longpre, were on stage later with the Elastocitizens. There is certainly a touch of psychedelic in their jazzy tunes, making their sound a little spacey. They maintain their rock sound Longpre’s driven drums, while Hyland on tenor sax brings their jazz-feel to the forefront. This in combination with deep basslines from Roorda and Whitford’s mesmerizing guitar skills leads to a really great sound. It is clear that these guys are talented and they have honed in on their strengths in this instrumental band. We were really impressed with this band and we really enjoyed their set. As a side note, I’d like to add that if we do get a chance to see them again, perhaps we’d prefer it when they’re not in Morphsuits, though it made the set even more interesting.