Skull & Bone Band + Troy Youngblood & The Soulfish play pair of incredible doubleheaders in Tampa and Gulfport!

Skull & Bone Band + Troy Youngblood & The Soulfish play pair of incredible doubleheaders in Tampa and Gulfport!

Journey. Zero Context. Christie Lenee. Lil John. Row Jomah. Deadset Florida. Geri X. Pitbull. Uncle John’s Band. Have Gun, Will Travel. Antelope. Just a typical weekend in the Tampa Bay area, a sampling of shows May 15–17. And there were dozens more options.

However, a large contingent of area fans packed The Hub in downtown Tampa May 15, all because Troy Youngblood, a stalwart on the Tampa scene nearly two decades, was returning from his home in Maine (since 2017) to reunite with members of the redoubtable Skull and Bone Band, celebrating 20 years of incredible garage rock, and Troy Youngblood and the Soulfish, his other great project concentrating on deep blues and New Orleans vibes. The two bands would take the music the following night to The Blueberry Patch in Gulfport.

Those who know me know that I sit with my little notebook taking copious hieroglyphic scribblings. I lost this notebook, but I believe I can reasonably reconstruct the events of May 15 & 16. We will concentrate on the show in Tampa, the home of The Skull and Bone Band who became local legends through shows at places such as The Pegasus Lounge and the infamous school bus shows.

PERSONNEL:

Both sets: Troy Youngblood, vocals, guitar; Chris Brown, bass, vocals; and Mountain Mike Schuman, drums, vocals, cheerleading.

More Soulfish: Bob Feckner, trumpet; Al Farr, keyboards, harmonica, vocals; and George Pennington III, guitar.

Skull and Bone: Roy Kelich, guitar, vocals.

The Hub was slammed with a host of OG Skull and Bone fans and many others who knew those bands during their time in the area (plus a couple reunion shows). The Hub was the perfect setting for what was to go down. The Soulfish edition emerged first, opening with “Just Another Day,” the perfect vehicle to showcase Youngblood’s magnificent deep tenor voice. Schuman was the frontman and announcer, a brilliant choice. He and Brown were in rhythm section lockstep all night, so important to the sounds of both bands.

Farr’s contributions on keyboards were essential to songs such as “NOLA Blues” and “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In,” and his great deep vocals and harp also colored those tunes. Feckner’s trumpet found multiple opportunities to insert itself to great advantage. Pennington has been on a meteoric rise for more than a decade, offering great work throughout the set.

The (allegedly) accurate song “Molly’s Door” always ignites the crowd, who were already hanging on every note. “Blues in My Blood” was another deep dive with Youngblood’s magnificent voice taking us on a journey. After “Creole Woman,” they blasted off with “Goin’ Down,” Pennington having a rave-up.

BRAVO! Time for round two (in every sense of the phrase).

Guitarist Kelich joined Youngblood, Brown, and Shuman, and The Hub exploded! Farr and Feckner would sit in on occasion to add even more to the killer set unfolding. The irreverence of Skull and Bone poured out of every note during the incredible set.

Many in the crowd knew most or all of the lyrics, which made things even more enjoyable as they romped through “classics” such “Goin’ Down South” and “App Swing.” They reverted to pirate mode for “Walk the Plank,” and the tour through “Gin Song > I Got My Mojo Workin’” included great work from triple-threat Farr. They dove deep into the blues-soaked “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” before lightening it up with “Bummin’ in America,” “Roll Out the Barrel,” and their riotous “Worst Band in the World.”

Could it get even crazier? Why, of course it could! It was time for the true story of “Butt Naked John,” and who was sitting front and center but… Butt Naked John! As the song progressed, it was obvious that a vocal boost was necessary. And who should step up but Butt Naked John’s son, Fully-Clothed Lukas. The place was in pandemonium!

Crazier still? How about the guy constantly weaving through the tight “dance floor” doing his very best Robert Adam impression?!?

All that done, the band romped through “One More for the Road” before slowing the proceedings to a crawl with the wickedly bluesy “The Devil Smells Like Bourbon,” one great last showcase for Youngblood’s amazing vocals. All night, Schuman had narrated the action from his drum kit.

One last blast? YOU BET! Brown was busy twisting his gooseneck mic stand so that he he had to crane his neck up to sing… “ACE OF SPADES!” Lemmy was smiling down for certain! Brown’s bass, Kelich’s guitar, and Schuman’s drums brought the place down proper-like.

The following night at The Blueberry Patch had a slightly different vibe but was equally awesome, Skull and Bone leading off and Soulfish putting it to bed.

Only one question remains:

WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK,

TROY YOUNGBLOOD?

[SOULFISH: Just Another Day, Walkabout, NOLA Blues, When the Saints Go Marchin’ In, Molly’s Door, Blues in My Blood, Creole Woman, Goin’ Down]

[SKULL&BONE: Goin’ Down South, App Swing, Walk the Plank, Ghostdance, Gin Song > I Got My Mojo Workin’, Blue Shudder, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Bummin’ in America, Roll Out the Barrel, Worst Band in the World, Butt Naked John, One More for the Road, The Devil Smells Like Bourbon, Ace of Spades]