Greenhouse Lounge | Sir Charles 2011.07.23 Tobacco Road Miami, FL

Part 2: Keg Stands and Live Electronic Bands

All Aboard! 

Saturday turned into a throw away afternoon of recovery, writing and venting on the events of the night previous. The dust had settled and the general consensus was that the venue was the notorious dirty party and this was just a last straw for the tight knit local community of music-inclined. After a short stop to check up on Cheesehead Productions, who were gearing up for Cope at The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery, I was on the road heading South. Brotherly Love Productions partnered with reggae band The Resolvers to organize a bus-turned-party wagon for the crew to roll down to downtown Miami.  This had potential!

Get Down On It

Welcome to Miami

Things got off on the right foot and the good vibe was in full swing when we stopped to pick up more passengers in Hollywood, but not before numerous keg stands took place. The silly antics built the friendly atmosphere filled with Soul Train sing-a-longs and humorous banter. By the time we arrived at the Transit Lounge I was feeling pretty damn good and probably had my share of the transportation cost in liquid consumption alone. I was not alone in this endeavor. My partners in imbibing, Mr. and Mrs. Earthspice, lead our short stumble over to Tobacco Road just in time to catch the last few songs of Greenhouse Lounge's first set.

Tobacco Road 

The cozy upstairs venue was close to full and the Miami BLP Krewe was already going hard on the short bar. Luckily the party bus made for a meeting of the buzzes. Sir Charles' set was a high energy dance party by the small stage. Even the older heads running sound were bobbing to the heavy bass. Whether it was the Miami mindset or the gritty venue dynamic, the Jacksonville DJ was bringing the heat to an already warm venue. He paid homage to Pretty Lights with a particularly well placed mix and satisfied my previous curiosity as to whether the Fort Collins producer was a heavy influence on his sound. After over an hour he announced his last track and jumped off the stage like a ball of raw energy. The guy had just completed a 60 minute dance aerobics session on stage and was still ready to go. I was impressed.

Sir Charles 

Party in the City 

It was getting late, and the room was as full when Greenhouse Lounge started their second set. Right out of the gate a burst of high octane grooves got the place pulsing in the dim lit room. I snapped a few pictures, but the beats and booze combined and I had to abandoned camera to take my place on the dance floor. Each time I took a grooving reprieve  or stopped to open my eyes I caught familiar faces lost in the trance of multifaceted dub and deep electronic rhythms. It felt good to let loose and surrender to the music. The aforementioned sound engineers had the levels near perfect and this allowed for Zach Weinert's intricate samples and guitar chops to really shine. They were on a totally different level tonight and it felt more like a music odyssey than a predetermined set of individual tracks.

Greenhouse Lounge 

As a result the movements moved towards higher destinations and blissful peaks of release. Jason Hunnicutt was playing more of a lead roll behind the drums and using every opportunity to hit a fill. Their underrated tightness, and ability to hit changes, is remarkable given how textured each composition is from an instrumental perspective. Zach is balancing his role as a guitar player with  having to be precise on his sample board triggers. This literally dictates the overall flow of each composed and improvised section. I watched him flawlessly nail it every time. They were really feeling it. A particularly fierce "Slow Drip" emphasized this technique and was extended out into multi-layered pick ups and drops. As the last synthesizer tones rung out I came back to reality and felt the tune really capped off a strong set. An encore with a tribute to Michael Jackson's duet with Janet "Scream"confirmed that the hype was real.

Zach Weinert Triggers A Sample

The Heat Is On

The lack of any reasonable curfew in Miami allowed for the crowd to unwind throughout the venue for a while before dispersing. Impressions of the band ranged from impressed to ecstatic. I dabbled with the idea of sticking around for an after party near by. Instead I made my way out into the oddly desolate Miami street.  The heat hung thick in the air and given it was early morning at this point, I jumped in a cab towards Miami Beach for some shenanigans till the sun came up. Yet another overly successful night thrown by Brotherly Love Productions. As Alonso the Taxi Driver and I crossed the bridge heading towards the Purdy Lounge, he asked about the band playing that night. The conversation ended with a warm, yet sloppy invitation to their next planned gig in the area at Aura Music and Arts Festival.  Maybe we will see him there.

Set 1: Silhouette, Empires, Defeating Harrison> Merrimac Merchants, Sands 

Set 2: Bebot (Up Until Now Remix), Slow Drip, Let's Go (Trick Daddy Remix), Beel, Koto, Backdoor Deal, Scream (Michael Jackson Remix)

Dave McSweeney Flexing Bass Skills

Jason Hunnicut Is a Machine On Drums

Party Time