DisCovering the Undercover Cover Band and More at Reid’s Deli

Apr 12

Down several winding roads, in a little town I had never heard of, in an indistinctive strip mall, there was a deli. Now, I’ve seen music at big venues, small venues, people’s backyards and everything in between, but never at a deli. And inside the deli played a band with an unusual name: The Undercover Band. This would be an interesting adventure, I thought, and the question arose in my mind: “What is it that creates a good live music vibe, and can it happen inside a deli?”

Ingredient #1: A Decent Band.

You will recall from my other work that I have noted that most of the audience doesn’t know a decent cover band from a really good one. They only know how they feel when they hear the songs they love.

The Undercover Band was more than decent, however, and they rocked me much of the time. As with every cover band I’ve ever seen, the song selection gave me whiplash, but it did highlight their versatility. There were Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Wilson Picket,and ZZ Top on top of that. There were some funky dance tunes with the Commodores and Wild Cherry’s one hit wonder added in. But Black Magic Woman??? I wondered, faintly hearing the opening notes while in the restroom. I haven’t heard many cover bands brave enough to try to imitate Santana. But, sure enough, one guy got on the toms and they knocked it out - complete with that sultry Spanish vibe, so much so that, as I danced back to my table I felt, if not black, then at least magic.

Ingredient #2: An Enthusiastic Crowd

While plunking my magical self back down in my chair, I thought that the key to good dance music is that you get to be who you want to be, if only for that song. You get to be your funky self when they Play That Funky Music. You get to be a Soul Man if that’s who you want to be. I’m not sure how Brick House fits into my theory, but I can say that the crowd was certainly shaking it down (now) to that one, too.

In fact, several folks got up and danced – including one of my favorite patrons of all time – a gentleman with a slight Santa Claus’ look who could really lay down a rug with one of the prettiest ladies in the place. He even did a couple of little solo tap dances (yes, “tap”, not “lap” - that would be a whole different ballgame). His joy was contagious, and the rest of the audience, including me, caught it.

Bonus Ingredient: Something for the People Who Sometimes Get Bored Hearing the Same Covers

Inexplicably, we switched genders, decades, and genres in an anguished slowed down version of the Supreme’s You Keep Me Hanging On. Well…okay… I thought, adjusting my neck brace. But it was so beautifully done, and I wondered at not only the band’s talent for covers but also its creativity. It made me want to hear something else that was reinterpreted in a soulful and complex way. And I did: Three Dog Night’s Easy to Be Hard. “Where did these people get their set list?”, I wondered. ButI realized that the only explanation was that each band member must have his favorite song, and then everyone else in the band learns them. They patch them together like some sort of beautiful crazy band community quilt, which brings us to our next ingredient (I know I’m mixing metaphors here – sorry).

Ingredient #4 Band Comeraderie and Professionalism

I have to say that if I ever begin seriously booking gigs for people, these dudes would make me proud. I’m used to musician time, so didn’t think I would miss much by getting there a little after start time. Wrong. I missed half of the first set. Designated break time over? Everybody immediately hopped back up on stage on the dot. Playing for 5000 or 30? This band didn’t care. They put their hearts and souls into every song they played, and every song appeared to have been practiced to perfection. There was little, if any break between songs or annoying banter while an unprepared somebody tunes up or screws in a cymbal – it was a band as tight as the skins on their drum kit.

This tightness was reiterated in something that I found unique about The Undercover Band: every song had a really BIG FINISH. – like what other bands would do only at the end of the evening. You know what I’m talking about –the big drum flourish at the end and then everyone hops up in the air and comes down on that final drum beat. What was also interesting to me was that everyone came down at exactly the same micro-second. Camaraderie.

And So the Answer to My Question Is….

It hit me that the vibe we are all looking for with live music can really happen anywhere – even in an unexpected location like a small-town deli. Connection between band and audience,between band member and band member, between audience and audience, and between audience and band is the key to a great place to hang out, enjoy life, and find community. That’s because this connection is called “LOVE”, people. And on Saturday night, The Undercover Band helped me to discover that.