The Brooklyn-based rock duo She Keeps Bees took the stage around 9 o’clock Thursday night as the opener for the proficient blues guitarist and singer Benjamin Booker. She Keeps Bees delivered a raw, powerful performance, combining steady, simple percussion with resonating vocals. Frontwoman Jessica added White Stripes-esque guitar riffs and intermittent keyboard melodies in some tracks, as well as witty quips in between songs, to really get the crowd moving.
Benjamin Booker and his bandmates — including an afro-headed guitarist– took the stage by storm shortly after. Benjamin and his afro-headed companion exchanged ripping guitar solos over meaty bass riffs and electrifying drum fills all night. The crowd shouted and howled after each track and swayed to and fro in anticipation for the next one. Groovy, euphoric Blues music penetrated every nook and cranny in the Fox, guided by Ben’s gentle fingers and rich vocals on tracks like “Motivation”, “Always Waiting”, and “Right On You”. After a guest appearance by Jessica from She Keeps Bees on the smooth duet “Witness”, Benjamin closed out the set with the bombastic hit “Violent Shiver”. Fans stayed put, and the band came out for one more. Benjamin brought down the house on the last song, jumping into the crowd and surfing his way around. His jeans were quite soft, but Benjamin Booker certainly rocks hard.
By Cameron Love