Brooklyn Bowl had a bizarre vibe Friday night as I entered the venue with ease…too much ease.  There was no line at all; it most certainly did not feel like the weekend.  Even the lobby led me to believe the place was empty until I rounded the corner and saw the overwhelmingly packed bar.  Groups of dudes stood slack-jawed in front of flat-screen TVs watching the New York Rangers game on one screen and the NBA playoff game between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls on the other.

As their eyeballs glared deep into the broadcasted abyss, the band Ghost Owl opened for anyone that would listen.  Ghost Owl is made up of Adam Perry, Albert Suttle, and Matthew McDonald…all previously members of Perpetual Groove.  Pleasantly surprised with the opener, they left the stage and the stage was prepared for Toubab Krewe.

Toubab Krewe can be categorized into the Rock genre but is accented with tradition West African elements.  This fusion is created by the traditional rock n’ roll set up with drums (played by Terrence Houston), guitar (Drew Heller), bass (Dave Pransky) but is then accented by congas, djembe (Luke Quaranta) and their signature kora (Justin Perkins).

For those of you unfamiliar with the kora, it is an instrument originated from West Africa similar to a harp but has 21 thin stings that lay on a bridge that sits over a large resonating body.  Perkins shreds the kora, completely redefining the unusual instrument like no other.

The band is not afraid to experiment with a variety of vocal styles including bluegrass and reggae-like freestyles.  The shows opener, “51 Foot Ladder”, was an unexpectedly heavy instrumental.  The music was impressive and entertaining,  as the crowd examined each musician’s expertise as they played each spot-on note.  The next few songs were traditional American folk covers called “John Hardy” and “Chuck Old Hen”.

For the remainder of the show, the band switched from old folk to West African with songs such as “Maliba”, “Kaira”, and into the original “Bamana Niya”.  Everything slowed down for an acoustic version of folk classic “Red Rocking Chair”, originally performed by the father/son folk-duo Doc and Merle Watson.

Justin Perkins (kora) and Drew Heller (guitarist) sat on the edge of the stage and shredded as hard as they possibly could and suddenly the room became so alive.  The audience quaked into a tribal-like dance session.

Toubab Krewe is a modern group of interesting, unique, and risk-taking musicians, on the cusp receiving the notice and respect they rightfully deserve.

– Diana Kumpf

Toubab Krewe Set List: Brooklyn Bowl May 10th, 2013

51 Foot Ladder
John Hardy
Cluck Old Hen
Maliba
Kaira
Bamana Niya
Red Rocking Chair
Mansani Cisse
Salut
Area Code

Here is a video from the previous night w/ Barika at Brooklyn Bowl: