Show Review - Eggy 5/9/24 Buffalo, NY

Today and Tomorrow!!!

One Set: Zugzwang, Between You and Me > Lost and Found, Laurel, High Noon, Northern Lights, Gretchen > Today and Tomorrow^[1]-> Skin It Back^[2]-> Today and Tomorrow

Encore: Apology

Footnotes:
    [1] With Skin It Back (Little Feat) and Finding and Losing teases
    [2] Little Feat cover, with Northern Lights teases

After a hugely successful Canadian debut on Wednesday night, Eggy headed down to Buffalo for their sixth performance at Buffalo Iron Works, dating back to a gig opening for Magic Beans and Cycles in 2019.

There was an amazing and home-y vibe to the crowd before the show, only accentuated by opening band Organ Fairchild, a Buffalo-based trio who has become one of my favourite live acts over the past year. Comprised of keyboardist Joe Bellanti, guitarist Dave Ruch, and drummer Corey Kertzie, they take an improvisational approach to the traditional organ trio vibe. Mixing in elements of jazz, funk, rock, and more to their originals and putting unique spins on well-known covers, it was a treat to catch an hour of them opening up for Eggy. (side note: their latest single, a Harry Styles cover, just released today! Go give it a listen on all streaming platforms!)

Much like in Toronto, Eggy opted to play one long set instead of the traditional two – and they came out of the gate strong with “Zugzwang.” After the small venue in Toronto prevented keyboardist Dani Battat from utilizing his Hammond A-100 organ, the full sound of the Leslie speaker hit hard (at least for me) during the opening song. The quartet interspersed heavy bouts of funk with the lighthearted bliss of the song proper, an amazing way to kick off the show.

Drummer Alex Bailey fronted the band on “Between You and Me,” which again had some amazing organ work from Battat.

“Lost and Found” featured some virtuosic fill work from Bailey before the first extended improvisational excursion of the night opened up courtesy of gentle melodies from guitarist Jake Brownstein over a soft bed of synthesizer. The structure of Eggy’s setlist gave them the opportunity to get warmed up before hitting into the really heavy jam spaces – this one consisted of an amazing and patient bliss build that went perfectly with the cool breeze blowing in through the open garage door next to the stage.

Returning to the song with another high-energy blast of organ, the band went right into a high-energy “Laurel.” The dance-beat jam gave way to “High Noon” next, which opened into a pulsating beat that saw Bailey and bassist Mike Goodman really lock in. Brownstein went to his wah pedal for some funky staccato play as Battat laid down chorus-augmented electric piano chords.

Goodman and Bailey continued their steady pocket as guitar and keys began a frenzied build drenched in delay and thick textures, creating one of Eggy’s best jam themes in a controlled chaos-like atmosphere.

“Northern Lights” was up next and saw Battat and Brownstein engage in some nimble interplay, taking advantage of the song’s stop/start section to duel around each other’s melodies along the way to a frenetically-built and sustained peak section.

“Gretchen” offered a groovy instrumental break before Eggy broke out an all-time caliber “Today and Tomorrow.” I’m no Eggy expert so there could be sections to this that I’m missing, but based on the audience recording from the show it seems as though the song stretched to 40+ minutes – I was absolutely in awe during the show at what was happening.

The song itself is like a pleasant stroll through the park on a sunny day and opened up easily into a relaxed space, Battat taking a rare spin on piano. Bailey’s shift to a focus on toms and cowbell opened up the jam into a funkier zone as Brownstein augmented his tone with some computerized effects. Battat attacked his clav with a flurry of chords as the intensity picked up, the band patiently building together to a small peak.

Goodman began to break from straight pocket playing, running up and down scales in a bouncy and even slightly unsettling tone (in a very good way), giving you the feeling that the upbeat motif may not have been as bright and sunny as it seemed. Gradually, the jam fragmented into a layered ambient space where Brownstein and Battat cranked their reverb and synthesizer effects, showcasing a commitment to patience and quieter dynamics for the next few minutes. Battat’s work, especially on his Moog Model D, crafted some spaceship-like textures, floating us out into the depths of the cosmos while Bailey utilized great washes of cymbal.

Brownstein found a riff akin to “2001” for a brief spell, calling out across the abyss, before Bailey began to pull us back to earth with an insistent tom-centric beat. The other musicians continued with their textural playing as the jam coalesced back into more analog tones, clav re-entering as Goodman turned on a deep synth effect for the thumping rhythm.

A dark and evil motif took over next with some very deliberate riffing from Brownstein as he ventured over to engage in some duelling with Goodman, still engaged in the filthy synth-filter effect. Brownstein’s next musical discovery would inform the next lengthy segment of the jam, an alternating dichotomy between the evil and powerful riff and some minimalist delay-fueled funk.

Battat alternated between thick blasts of organ and funky stabs of clav as each successive hit into the peak vibe got more and more aggressive. I cannot stress enough how much of an impact the synth-filter bass had on this segment, making an already-phenomenal jam even deeper.

Brownstein exploded from the sinister tone into a brighter take on the same riff, hitting into a rocking peak mode with an exuberant solo, every member of the band sporting shit-eating grins as the audience bounced in time with the steady rhythm. Hitting the apex of the peak, the guitarist led a smooth return to the main theme of “Today and Tomorrow” 25 minutes in.

Jamming within the song for several more minutes, a final chorus could have been the end – but Eggy was out for blood. Breaking from another peak into a funky groove, Bailey flexed his incredible chops on a rare drum solo that quickly morphed into a choogle-y jam.

Modulating several times at Brownstein’s cue, the quartet exploded seamlessly into an audible cover of Little Feat’s “Skin it Back,” further proving their skill at covering the legendary band (seek out versions of “Spanish Moon” and “Time Loves A Hero”). Within the cover, Battat and Brownstein had another duel of sorts, crouching down low and facing each other as the keyboardist had some fun with a vocal patch.

Closing the set over two hours in with another return to “Today and Tomorrow,” Eggy delivered a fiery “Apology” encore – though an apology was the furthest thing from what was needed after such an incredible show.

The improvisational strength displayed by this band night in and night out is absolutely astounding and demands to be witnessed firsthand – go seek them out at one of the many festivals they’re playing this summer! I eagerly look forward to my next Eggy show and where the development of their jamming styles will go – there is no way this is as good as they’re going to get!

As you can see, they went a little bit off-script both in terms of set length and song selection!