By TJ
Posted: February 10, 2009
Live Live Performance: February 7, 2009

The entire day had this weird buzz to it on what will probably go down
as the warmest Saturday night in February. It was almost as if the
release of cabin fever had people hanging out in different places and
doing different things. This vibe held true for me as well, as I found
myself down at Mug Shots in downtown De Pere, not to mention the
surreal feeling that George Street has, now that the old bridge has
been removed. About 50 yards away I could hear the tunes, Grey Leaf
were about 20 minutes or so into their first set when I arrived
fashionably late. To my immediate right of entering Mug Shots, up on a
two foot riser stage, were the five cats settling into the groove.
There was one stool at the front of the bar that just happened to be
the perfect spot to chill. I ordered my favorite cocktail and began to
absorb the Grey Leaf. First in order, they sounded good right off the
bat. My theory was that this was going to be just another good rock and
roots band. Really all the essentials of rock and roots were right
there on stage, you've got Ben Vosters running two keyboards switching
from a sweet Hammond organ tones to Wurlitzer electric keys. Nick
Lemaire on acoustic and Nick Rathsack on the P90 Gibson SG electric and
at the back bone is the rhythm of Brian Harrah on drums and Erik Sikich
on bass. Then Grey Leaf started to dismantle my theory. The first crack
in my wall was when Ben reached down over to his right and came back up
with a trumpet while at the same time tending to his keys. The second
shift in my fault was Nick Lemaire's ardent vocals, most pertinent to
soul and funk; his notes were tight taunts of emotion that were mostly
delivered in a controlled holler. The finality of completely winning me
over as a Grey Leaf fan was the "Pocket" ability of Erik on bass and
Brian on drums. The "Pocket" is a loosely defined rhythmic term of the
feel of playing just behind the beat. I thought the way Brian was
riding the bell on the back beat added to that great funk feel. Erik
had some fast and killer solos but the tone he was putting out of that
Kustom bass cab was like warm butter! After a few more well crafted
originals the band took a break before entering into their second set.

I
had a little time to hang with Brian Harrah, Nick Rathsack and Ben
Vosters who are, by the way, very nice guys. I was a little surprised
to find that since their spawn of jam sessions, beginning in Appleton
of 2007, this was Grey Leaf's second time playing in the area. You see,
for a band that plays mostly original tunes it is almost always an
uphill battle to get gigs at most venues, even for a really good band.
So Grey Leaf complies with a few covers and very creatively sneaks them
into the set via smooth transitions. Never straying away from the Grey
Leaf style, they pulled a couple of covers from a stash including
Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" and Sublime's "Lovin' is what I got."
I nearly fell off the stool when they began to pull off the song by The
Doors "Break on Through." Grey Leaf sees itself as a jam band. I saw a
band that instead of hiding behind endless solos they stand out with
emotion, climatic song structure, and creativity. Grey Leaf fired up
their second set, and the casual crowd started really getting into it.
Just about everyone that walked by and saw the band in the window
stopped in to check it out or danced in the corridor. Nick L. would
take solos then fall back on the bands rhythm with harmonica and
tambourine, giving Vosters some lead vocal time. Nick Rathsack handled
lead guitar
with a little wah and overdrive, bending the scale on solos and
transitioning in and out with a nice fret board trill and a whole lot
of smoke machine. Seriously Nick, your fog is about as thick as the air
at Bonnaroo! The band plays with a sense of humor and supplies a nice,
laid back, fun atmosphere. Grey Leaf's sound is an arranged mix of
roots, soul, funk, blues, folk, and ska, which as a whole adds a
different vibe to their personal take on a jam band. Grey Leaf recorded
at the legendary Rock Garden Studio in Appleton in 07 and have a full
length CD and T-Shirts for sale. As a personal fan of original music I
just want to give a big hats off to Mug Shots of De Pere and the other
local venues that have begun to open their doors to these great local
original bands and for supporting the local scene. Grey Leaf will be
playing in Green Bay at Pi nightclub on the 19th and then at Jimmy Seas
on the 27th. Go check them out!
More Photos and Music from TJ