The up-and-coming group Isaac Hadden Organ Trio opened the night up, getting everyone in a dancing mood. The Trio is made up of Isaac Hadden on guitar & vocals, Bill Stevens on organ & vocals, and on this evening, Nick Baglio was in playing drums (normally Iajhi Hampden is on drums). They played many numbers from their debut album The Glue, which came out last year. Some tracks from this album that they played included "Magic", "Dynamite", "Hot Polutix", and "Always There". "Always There" is a cover of Ronnie Laws, who released it in 1975. The trio also played an awesome cover of Pink Floyd's "Young Lust". The music this group makes mixes elements of jazz, funk, rock, and soul together into a sweet blend of sounds. You can find them touring lots around Asheville as well as in other parts of North Carolina, and they also frequently have dates in Virginia.
The Motet came out fresh, as Raleigh was their tour opener. They weren't messing around and got the funk on right away with the song "Damn!" from their album Totem. Sarah Clarke commanded the stage with her powerful vocals, and was getting the crowd to get down to the rhythm. Continuing on with another song from the same album, they played "Danger", a heavy hitting track highlighting keys & saxophone, played by Joey Porter and Drew Sayers. Then Garrett Sayers took the lead on bass for "Get It Right" from the 2019 album Death or Devotion. Then they played a song off their newest album, All Day, released last year. This song was "Draccus", and featured the use of a talk box. Then it was time for an instrumental jam on the song "Sunshine", also from their most recent album. This one was full of vast synth-scapes and some great guitar action from Ryan Jalbert. Continuing on with the newer tracks, they played "Shade" next. Dave Watts, the founding member of the band, and the one putting all the pieces together with his magnificent drumming, played a great solo. Each member of this band knows precisely how to support and highlight each of their bandmate's solos, which is a testament to both their individual and collective musicianship. Then Sarah came back out to sing some more and they played a cover of Sly Stone's "High On You". Then they busted out their brand new song "Love Time", which was released on February 28. Next they played "False Prophets", which appears on All Day, but was released as a single in 2020. This song is both spacey and funky which meant the band was jamming off these themes a lot. "Back Seat" followed, with some amazing saxophone and guitar jams. Then they played two more newer singles, "We Got U", and "Natural Light", both of which were released later last year. Sarah's vocals continued to shine and she connected with the crowd by standing at the very front of the stage and encouraging people to show off their best moves. "Supernova", from Death or Devotion finished off the set.
They came back out shortly after to play their encore, "Highly Compatible", also from Death or Devotion. This one has an older funk feel, like it could be from the 70's. It was a strong way to finish off the show.
Since its formation in 1998, the band has gone through a lot of changes, but it remains one of the greatest funk bands in all the land. They are continuing to put out great music, and the lineup of musicians in the band are undeniably tight. They're guaranteed to get you dancing, especially at a live show. The good vibrations of the music they're making will travel up from your feet into the rest of your body. Their current tour will be hitting many spots from now 'till May, so go see a show when they come near you!
Setlist:
Damn!
Danger
Get It Right
Draccus
Sunshine
Shade
High On You
Love Time
False Prophets
Back Seat
We Got U
Natural Light
Supernova
Encore:
Highly Compatible
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Words by Maya Crumpton
Photos by Tim Hobert
