Modern psychology has taught us through the years that recall is enhanced by emotion. As a musician, hopefully you are left with the phenomenon known as dissociative amnesia. That will help you forget the bad gigs. This one has left nothing but “the feels” for the boys and I. We are excited to share it with you at this time.
The Brian St. John Quartet had been gigging on and off for about two years at this point broken up by extended hiatuses from the lead singer to get an education in education (best decision he ever made). By the summer of 2010, the band was getting a little more serious. While we felt the sting of our good friend Mr. Matt Carlson moving on from the drum chair toward greener pastures in the city of Boston, a new core four had fallen into place almost by accident. Moving to the back center from the bass was Mr. Jon Irizarry who had started playing drums thanks to a jazz course in college. Taking up the four-string bass was another old friend Mr. Randy Sabo. A guitarist by trade with an appreciation for jazz and R&B influenced groups, Randy was a natural fit to join the group at this time. Continuing in his position as saxophonist and percussionist was the one and only Mr. Brian Cornish. After recently adding the soprano sax and flute to his arsenal, he was exploring new sounds and adding them to the band. The eponymous band leader was still there writing and discovering new song forms, harmony, and the connective tissue that make up a good song.
The band was gaining momentum through original sets in the tri-state area as well as dabbling in multiple hour cover dates in the Sussex County bar scene. BSJQs home away from home at this time was Arthur’s in Sparta (we know it has another name now but it will always be Arthur’s to us). A bi-monthly residency helped the group get to know each other as players as well as figuring out their way around a cover song (“Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye anyone).
Through connections made in the summer of ’10, the group played their first show at the legendary roadhouse at the southern tip of Sussex County in September of 2010. They can tell you a little bit more about the room than we can, but the place was built in the late 18th century, it’s more than likely haunted, and it’s been everything from a post office to (probably) a brothel. Don’t let the leopard carpet on the stage fool you either. They’ve had a lot of talented acts grace the stage through the years including Stevie Ray Vaughn, Derek Trucks, Hubert Sumlin, Ritchie Havens, and String Cheese Incident just to name a few. BSJQ was extremely pleased to be a part of that tradition. After a successful first night, the big one was set: To celebrate the release of BSJQ’s second record “Songs About Other People,” the band would headline a night of music that frankly we can never forget.
Setting the stage for the night would be Hunterdon County’s “Randy Morning Band.” A mixture of country, folk, and rock, singer/songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Ryan Bleck, singer/percussionist Rebecca and Rachel Brendler, and bassist extraordinaire Alan Tepper played an excellent set of original tunes from their soon to be released album. A guest appearance by BSJ would foreshadow his couple year run with the band.
From there, BSJQ was introduced by their momentarily mobbed up friend Mr. Patrick Maloney and guys played two long sets of mostly original music from 10pm till 1:30am. While we could not capture the whole release due to technical and time issues, highlights of original tunes were preserved to the best of their ability here. The bulk of the original material focused on the newly released “Songs About Other People” including the opening “Looks Like You Got a Case of them Velvet Floor Blues.” Irizarry sets the pace with a dirge infused floor tom rumble underneath Sabo’s thumping drone. Cornish’s chromatics are well complimented by St. John’s chaotic slide solo in the middle of the tune. Things got so wild that the stage lights strobed! Next up is the favorite from the band’s first album “In Technicolor” called “Southern Discomfort.” An ode to liqueur and southern hospitality, pentatonic pleasures are on a fine display from St. John and Cornish on this tune. Perhaps the centerpiece of the band’s second record is “Townie Girl” and on this show we get a seven-minute rendition of why this became a band and fan favorite live. A true showcase of the band including solo breaks for all, the tune builds into a frenzied ending with a intense solo from Cornish’s tenor sax. An ode to a friend leaving town, “Michelle’s Song” begins with arpeggioed harmonic picking on guitar and the newly acquired flute from Cornish. After the final chorus, the song builds into an impassioned coda mirroring the difficulty saying goodbye. Wrapping up the set is “The Simple Life” from 2008’s “In Technicolor.” After the verses, a touch of 7/4, and an fervent chorus, St. John steps aside for the rhythm section to lay the groove for Cornish to play one of his finest solos to date on soprano sax. While these three-piece moments were always a highlight of the longer shows, this one stands out! St. John rejoins for a verse and chorus with Irizarry harmonizing on the chorus, the boys let loose with one more jam featuring a duel between Cornish and St. John. Wrapped up with a little harmonizing between guitar and sax, the song would do on to become the live signature for the band in the years to come.
While the lights of the Stanhope House in that incarnation as well as the Quartet have come and gone, sometimes it’s nice to have a little auditory refresher every once and a while. The players are pleased to release “Live Volume Four: Stanhope House Stanhope NJ 12/30/10” on all your streaming platforms. May the memories live on for you and yours!