Live On Stage
By Mike O’Cull
The BluesBones are a smoking hot blues/rock band from Belgium with a brand new album, Live On Stage, that’s going to lift your soul to a better place. The record dropped November 20th, 2020 via Naked and contains the happy sounds of the Bones throwing a wang dang doodle of a live show in front of a blues-loving crowd. The band is a five-piece outfit that’s well able to bust a groove in any blues style you’d care to name and deliver them all with passion and grace. The BluesBones have become one of Europe’s most popular blues/rock groups and have played more than 400 shows at many of the Continent’s crucial venues and festivals. They’ve also shared stages with major acts including King King, Jimmy Vaughan, Seasick Steve, and Tommy Castro.
The band has been operating since 2011 and has built a large, loyal crowd that loves their strong original music and dynamic live shows. They’ve turned up on the Roots Music Report, the UK Blues Chart, and the Australian Blues Chart and garnered quite a lot of attention around the world. Band members Nico De Cock (vocals), Stef Paglia (guitar), Edwin Risbourg (Hammond and Rhodes), Geert Boeckx (bass), and Jens Roelandt (drums) recorded these live tracks in late 2019, long before anyone knew that COVID-19 was going to eliminate gigs as we’ve known them. Of course, the release of Live On Stage was delayed by the pandemic and the promo tour behind it was cancelled. Still, the Bones knew they had captured a special night with this one and wanted to put it out as a reminder of the virus-free good times we’re all wanting to get back to.
The BluesBones open Live On Stage with the heavy-yet-crisp “Find My Way Out.” It’s an uptempo track with sweet halftime sections and an energetic lift in front of the tag line. Edwin Risbourg fills the room with Hammond organ heat throughout the song and Nico De Cock’s lead vocals are brash and melodic. “The End” digs down deep into the funk bag and tells a tale of the madness of life. The beefy pocket the band creates offsets the despair of the lyrics and the entire group feeds off of the tension of the two extremes. Stef Paglia breaks out with a slow-burn guitar solo that has the audience hanging on each note he plays and continually increases its drama until the place explodes. The song is an amazing live-band moment and isn’t to be missed.
“Going Down” drives across the stage with a dark, swampy beat and spins an outlaw story about judgement and hearts of stone. Nico keeps his dark mood going on the vocals and Paglia matches him step-for-step on slide guitar. It’s an intense song that could falter in weaker hands but the Bones know exactly what they’re doing and max it out. “The Witchdoctor” is a strutting, rough-hewn funk number strong enough to fill dancefloors and blow off roofs anywhere and everywhere. The entire band flexes its guns throughout the track and makes it easy to see why they’re so popular. Stef Paglia turns in an epic guitar break that drives the crowd wild on this one, sending them into live jam overload.
“Romance For Rent” is a rock-tinged cut that has a great, aggressive groove and some tasty guitar and organ interaction that help propel it forward. Nico again shines on vocals, launching off of the band’s tough-luck feel and brings us all along with him. Be sure to keep blasting to the gig’s end to catch “Psycho Mind” and “Whiskey Drinking Woman.” The BluesBones bring it from start to finish on Live On Stage and will make you long to go to a concert like this one tonight. When we can gather again, this bunch is a must-see situation.
Watch the Trailer
The BluesBones Online
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