The name The Voodoo Fix itself is attention grabbing, but the powerful voice of singer Abe Rivers is what can grab the attention of a room. When I saw the group play on Thursday night, as they were recording a live album in front of a late night crowd at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street, I couldn’t ignore their cool demeanor. Perhaps it was because of their hair styles and overall attire, or maybe it was just their bar side manner, but this was a very likable group of guys.
Abe was sharply dressed with his usual attire of a suit and tie, and kept his shades on beneath his long curls in the true spirit of the blues. The bass player, known as Captain Willy, wore a white Captain’s hat as he walked around the stage barefoot, guiding the music with his guitar. The attire of the rest of the band was a mix of class and the look of rock n’ roll; seemingly a tribute to their blended sound of rock and blues. Of course, the image of a band would be meaningless without a good sound to accompany it.
Before I get to their actual performance though, a bit of background on the Voodoo Fix. Coming from the Los Angeles area, the five-piece group has only been together since 2007, but has already released the full length LP “Not For Nothing” (available on iTunes or www.thevoodoofix.com/store) and two EPs (available on the website). They recorded “Not For Nothing” in one month in a remote mountain cabin, and have been thoroughly touring since.
After initially playing around California, including gigs on several college campuses, the band set its sites on becoming nationally recognized, and has since played shows in cities such as Austin, Burlington, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New Orleans among others.
However, they have also done many “tour-ganic” shows playing free for gatherings on farms. According to the band’s website, tour-ganic is “the act of bringing people together through music, art, and grass-roots, usually on a farm” and “is an independently financed, grassroots traveling festival that [the Voodoo Fix] started to help spread [their] music, but more importantly to support and raise funds for Independent Organic Farmers nation-wide.” This intriguing concept has allowed them to play on farms in places like North Carolina, Connecticut, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and of course, California to connect with a broader range of people than you would typically find at a city venue.
In contrast to their tour-ganic performances, the Voodoo Fix was the headlining band at the Bitter End on Thursday, coming on stage around 10:45 pm for their live recording. The venue was crowded as people filled up all the seats around the serving tables, and others stood in packs wherever they could find room. The group began playing confidently, proving they were no strangers to the stage. They started on an upbeat note, which lasted through their entire set of original songs. As I previously mentioned, Abe has a very powerful voice, but it also really compliments the band’s style of bluesy rock. The songs were rapid, with short waves of sound bursting through the air. While Abe belted out the lead vocals, the other members of the band also contributed with vocals of their own, adding a surrounding sense of fullness. Each member of the band was on fire, contributing different styles to define the Voodoo Fix sound. The full performance was the sort of high-energy funky music that you want to stomp your foot, clap your hands, and nod your head to.
While currently basing their operations out of New Haven for their East Coast sting, The Voodoo Fix has been playing shows from Philadelphia through Vermont. They still have several more shows in the area over the next few months, and more will surely be added (http://www.thevoodoofix.com/shows). I am already looking forward to going back and seeing them, as the Voodoo Fix has my full support.
-JKS
(Original photographs taken by JKS, video found on youtube)
^^Watch them play from a previous show in Austin^^
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