This is made up of a group of guys here in Sebastian who decided to turn a love of the 'Stones into a tribute band.  We got to view the gang this past Saturday night and thought we would offer a personal critique of their sound, good and not so good.

First of all, I have to confess that we came in late.  I forget that the freaking sidewalks roll up at midnight here in smalltown, so when we arrived at 8:30, the band had already been on for about an hour.  Our loss, lemme tell ya, cause these guys rock pretty well.

The lead singer (sorry, I don't have names yet, but I'll edit this when I get them...) had a decent Jagger sound, but his upper register just wasn't there.  It's ok though, actually, because most of his vocals on the melody lines were spot-on.  "Waitin on a Friend" was weak on the start mostly because I missed the oOooOOoOOoOooo yeah, yeah...  I'm thinking if his backup vocals have any gear, they should do the fill-in for him...  Hell, I was, but I didn't have a mic and I was sitting 8 feet from them.   God, what a pain it is to sing and not have the chance to go and DO it.  I would really liked to have heard the gain pulled up a bit more clearly on the vocals, because the treble was off and vocals can get awfully muddy at times.  Loud doesn't do it, I want it loud and clear!

The yakkin' sax was awesome.  He had the squawks down to a T and there was a rare break in his fill.  This guy can spit some blues out and had Rolling Stones sax out the back.  He completely rocked and has "showman" written all over him.

Bass man was very good.  There wasn't as much clarity when the guys were singing, but the bass was kickin.  He had a nice depth, kept a smooth beat and filled in the back very well.  Keep it up! 

The lead was good, but dude, you looked so bored.  I can see you in an alt group or something.  He and drummer Joey Cafeo just seemed like they were there "because".   I just didn't get the feel that these two were really in it for the Stones, but if you listen to the Rolling Stones, you can see that there isn't really a lot of challenge to the drums or to lead on a lot of their songs.   This was the late 60's, 70's and 80's, when the Stones were working their magic and could do no wrong!  The Stones, though, are the fill for Mick, and if the cover man isn't moving, the natives get restless and bored.  Entertain me!

Now for something better...  Despite the criticisms I've offered, I really enjoyed listening to the guys playing.  Emotional Rescue is a good local band with a solid performance and their Stones covers are better than average.  I just want to see a bit of extra showmanship!  We're talking about Mick-Frickin'-Jagger, who does more than stand-and-deliver.  This guy carries no extra weight for a reason - not that I want to see an anorexic on stage, but he's always been a mover.

Final notes:  A great band for a night out.  The guys play well, cover all the best Stones material and if you enjoy the Stones, you WILL enjoy Emotional Rescue.  And for you clubs out there, hire them.  You won't regret it.  They are very good and with what they play, they'll draw folks in who will buy your beer.  They need some more experience, and you can give it to them.  Guys, if Stones covers are what you want, work it for all it's worth.  You do well already, but you can do better.  I'd love to see you again! 

PS-If I'm right, and you want to be doing something else besides Stones covers, let me know where you're doing it.  I want to see the REAL you, OK?