Sauce Pocket + Stick & Ditty at Dunedin Brewery: MAGIC
[Photos courtesy of Funk Eye Media!]
The two event spaces at Dunedin Brewery were filled with amazing sounds on April 27 as the intrepid duo Stick & Ditty ruled The Moontower while relative new kids on the block Sauce Pocket overwhelmed the brewery stage with their psychedelic jazz fusion musings. Thanks as always to Mike Bryant for showcasing great live music.
In an article about my top sets at last year’s Suwannee Hulaween, I scribbled this:
Stick Martin and Jon Ditty won Creative Loafing Tampa’s Best Jam Band award, fascinating for two gents who spit rhymes machine-gun style, full of socially conscious themes. Stick is a brilliant acoustic guitarist, Ditty plays keyboards, and their head-turning performance rocked out on the Campground stage. GENIUS.
Their set at Dunedin was too short, but they filled up the time with their patented back-and-forth musical trade-offs and great sounds. Ditty is a brilliant rapper, and his vocals are sounding great, too; he credits Martin for help. And Martin’s guitar stylings and vocals are always a blast. “Safe Music” indeed!
Then it was time for Sauce Pocket to settle into their fabulous new grooves. This band is barely two years old, and after several guitarist and keyboard player changes, they have struck real gold with a formula combining their initial psychedelic pursuits (musically) with jam and jazz and fusion. Most of their excellent albums on Spotify are live recordings taken from their shows, because they are always dialed in.
Setlist? We don’t need no setlist!
Actually, it seems that this Jacksonville-based band works better without one. Their set inside the brew pub kicked at 9:30, and half an hour and at least six changes later they paused for a breath. From there, by turns they hit Latin grooves, some very Lettuce-y vibes, and frantic power playing. Credit is equally shared by this band, beginning with the backline of drummer Riley O’Brien and bass master Taylor Ivie. They create a brilliant platform for the rest of the band to reach higher and higher.
Much of Sauce Pocket’s transformation set in when they finalized the adoption of Jeremy Prince on tenor saxophone and flute (May 2022??), facilitating the flow of jazz and fusion with the jam. Recently, Prince had the opportunity to join The Ries Brothers on tour. Sauce Pocket’s move? At Resonate Suwannee, Prince performed alongside another badass tenor player, Matt Horhota. Situation completely covered, and we hope to see them both on stage getting Saucy in the future. Horhota crushed all night long.
Steven Rose has been a fixture in some titanic Florida groups, including S.P.O.R.E. (on bass!), Greenhouse Lounge, and Cowford Town Band, but his work in the Sauce Pocket context is stunning. And then there’s the NKOTB, keyboard wizard Aaron Thorla. Wizard. At age 24. Completely mind-blowing, and with a personality to match.
Everything they touched all set long worked, including a really fine sit-in by Jon Ditty. In fact, the Pockets and Ditty are recording that soon, and there is a Sauce Pocket studio album in the works as well.
Sauce Pocket have been pairing up with many of the best bands across the Sunshine State. Do yourself a favor and catch a taste.
You also really need some Stick & Ditty in your earholes!
One response to “Sauce Pocket + Stick & Ditty at Dunedin Brewery: MAGIC”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] Source link […]