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Durand Jones at 7th Street Entry Poster
Durand Jones Setlist
Tour Dates
April 17—Indianapolis, IN—The Hi-Fi
April 18—Cincinnati, OH—Woodward April 19—Nashville, TN—The Basement East April 20—Birmingham, AL—WorkPlay April 21—Atlanta, GA—Sweetwater 420 Festival April 23—Carrboro, NC—Cat's Cradle - Back Room April 24—Asheville, NC—The Mothlight April 25—Baltimore, MD—Ottobar April 26—Philadelphia, PA—World Cafe Live April 27—New York, NY—Music Hall of Williamsburg April 28—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall May 3—Stockholm, Sweden—Debaser Strand May 4—Copenhagen, Denmark—Pumperhuset May 7—Berlin, Germany—Privatclub May 8—Cologne, Germany—Blue Shell May 10—Amsterdam, Holland—Paradiso May 11—Brussels, Belgium—AB Club May 12—Paris, France—Les Etoiles May 14—Glasgow, Scotland—Stereo May 15—Manchester, UK— Gullivers May 16—London, UK—The Waiting Room May 17-19—Brighton, UK— Great Escape May 27—Napa, CA—BottleRock June 7-10—Manchester, TN—Bonnaroo July 7—Werchter, Belgium—Rock Werchter July 12— Madrid, Spain—Madcool Festival Read More
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All indications are clear- this is a band to watch—
Hillaryville, LA by-way-of Bloomington, IN neo-soul singer-songwriter and band, Durand Jones and the Indications made for a refreshing “soul evening’ at a recent sold-out stop at the 7th St Entry in downtown Minneapolis.
Getting things started was local trio Seaberg, fronted by multi-instrumentalist Taylor Seaberg along with Justin Halverson-bass, and Carlos Kelley-drums, make genre-blending music described as smooth alt-jazz, hip-hop, neo soul.
The group released a six-track EP last year, The People Will Dance Tapes whose lead track, ‘Vibes’ received area airplay and song ‘Fool’s Gold’ pays homage to jazz guitarist George Benson’s unique stylings. Showing further musical dexterity, the band even worked in Wolfmother’s ‘Woman’ into the last song of their thirty-minute opening set.
Neo soul needs a new champion- we miss Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, and locally Sonny Knight – all older stalwarts given a musical rebirth later in life, in careers that made them more popular than ever, but unfortunately all lost recent health battles and are no longer with us. Thankfully, some in the younger generation have picked up that torch to continue on, mixing the timeless traditions of classic soul, with a nod to today’s climate and sounds- enter Durand Jones and the Indications.
Jones and band (Aaron Frazer-drums; Blake Rhein- guitar; Kylle Houpt-bass; Justin Hubler-organ; and a horn section) have been bubbling with buzz for a few years, culminating in their self-titled debut record (Dead Oceans/Colemine Records), a very successful SXSW week in Austin, TX last month, and their current tour of mostly sold-out dates.
“This is our first time here…” Jones beamed after the opening ‘Smile’, dressed in bright yellow shirt and blue cardigan, ‘”…and my goodness, you guys look beautiful!” The band’s sound is cut from a more innocent time, similar to the vibe of the classic Atlantic / Stax Records catalogs, with Jones nailing both smooth crooning and the “got-ta, got-ta, got-ta” knelt pleas of an Otis Redding.
The band played a few covers as well as new songs not on their eight-song record, showing they’re determined to continue onward and upward, including the catchy new ‘After All the Lies’. Drummer Frazer took the lead for a few songs, singing in a higher Smokey Robinson-esque falsetto, starting with the new album’s ‘Is It Any Wonder?’
The crowd seemed a bit antsy, charged by frequent phone checks as the hometown Timberwolves would go into overtime across the street to make the NBA playoffs for the first time in fourteen years, and from songs like the funky ’Groovy Babe’, punctuated by a short but snappy Frazer drum solo.
The horn section shone on a frenzied Curtis Mayfield cover as well as on the swing of ‘There Must Be’ and to break up the mundane, the band tries to do a local cover in each major city they play, this night choosing an obscure 1980 electro-gospel song by Minneapolis’ Michael Dixon, that came off well live.
Though ‘Make a Change’ has a classic groove, its lyrics preaching social and financial transformation are as relatable as ever today, with drummer Frazer then asking the musical question, ‘How Can I Be Sure’ to end the main set.
Frazer also began the two-song encore with a “I-wish–I-wrote it” song from a 1975 Smokey Robinson solo album that found the band’s alto sax player trading his brass in for a jazz flute. The night would end with Jones in full Redding mode, growling with passion and dropping to his knees for ‘Should I Take You Home’, the answer to which likely being a definitive “yes” from a roaring crowd that still hadn’t had enough.
Neo-soul thankfully remains alive and well- its spirit rooted in the simpler and more honest past but with a shiny new coat of paint, and Durand Jones and the Indications are too true to that ethic to not be noticed- the indications point to bigger and better for this band, so catch them in a smaller venue while you can.
(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)
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