South Florida has a rather dynamic blues scene with several artists and bands playing nightly from Jupiter to the Keys. One of these is
IKO-IKO, a band that has built a stellar reputation and fan base for the past 27 years by playing a distinctive brand of swamp blues-americana. Their sound incorporates a little of everything; from the Louisiana gumbo through the Delta, and back down to the Gulf Coast rock n' roll. The Louisiana influence is a bit obvious considering their namesake, the song Iko Iko made famous by the The Dixie Cups. We have enjoyed this sound for several years by downloading their music from their internet
presence. But it wasn't until Friday June 18th that we finally had a chance to witness a live show during a performance at
Schnebly Redland's Winery. To learn more about the winery take a look at the review on the
WineCompass Blog; this is an impressive facility.
IKO-IKO is fronted by Graham Wood Drout, who provides whatever the song entails: vocals, guitar, bass, percussion. Plus he is a respected songwriter whose material have been covered by
Albert Castiglia and IBC Blues winner
Joey Gilmore. "Good Rockin' Johnny Wenzel has been playing lead guitar with Drout for thirty years starting with their days with The Fat Chance Blues Band. Mitch Mestel (bass), Daniel East (drums and percussion) and Ron Taylor (keyboards) round out the band; and all have impressive personal resumes. Although this evening, Taylor was sidelined due to medical reasons and Jack Bluni joined in on harp. We wish Taylor well.
They started playing to a sparse audience and even without feedback, the band was immediately rockn'. They have the full package with each member contributing their part. But I particularly liked Wenzel's lead - he can play. And the addition of the harp really gave the band a more Chicago feel. I also enjoyed their takes on Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix, but this isn't a cover band. They have plenty of original material that showcase their unique style of music. As the set progressed more people filtered in and by the end of the first set, their was a line to enter. Seeing late arrivals was not unexpected, since the venue is out there, I mean, pack you lunch before you drive out their. But people do - coming from as far as Ft. Lauderdale and even West Palm Beach.
We had to leave after this initial set in order to embark to the Keys, but not to worry. We will see plenty more of IKO-IKO at
Boston’s Red, White & Blues Festival July 2nd in Delray Beach.
This Saturday we stopped by Boston’s on the Beach in order to purchase the early bird tickets for their Red, White & Blues Festival. We also wanted to get our first look at Amber Leigh, who plays regularly at the restaurant on Saturday afternoons and who we will see this Wednesday evening at City Place with Craig Morgan. And she is entertaining with a nice backing band. Loved their cover of Jackson. Although not indicated in the photo, Ms. Leigh is noted for her fiddle, although don't ignore the mandolin. She's been playing both at patrons at Boston's for the past decade. Not bad for a 23-year old. Her style is labled country, but expect a lot of Celtic and Bluegrass crossovers. We will have more about Ms Leigh later this week discussing her City Place show, but she can always be found Saturdays at Bostons from 2:00 to 5:00.
During her break we headed out back to the Tiki bar in order to hear the acoustic sounds from The acoustic duo associated with the Justin Enco Duo, a subset of the Justin Enco Band. Enco is a Canadian transplant who has found a home in south Florida. We were only able to listen to a couple songs - but from what we heard, we will return.
and today is release day. You can read our original review 
, is now available in stores. We highly recommend it.
