Tampa Calling

Here’s a review and photo from contributor Arielle Stevenson:

Fri., Oct. 26, Orpheum, Ybor City
CONCERT REVIEW

Guavaween may have been some people’s favorite part of last weekend but it fails in comparison to what took place Friday at the Orpheum in Ybor City. Ryan Shaw possesses the vocal ability of 1960s era Stevie Wonder or James Brown. Raised in Decatur, Ga., singing in church; Shaw preached to the packed room in Ybor as if it were Sunday service before busting into a stellar performance of The Beatles’ “Let it Be”.

Shaw alone could bring a room to tears with his expressive vocals, but the talented band members behind him should be dually noted. On bass was “Tiny”, who at one point in the show played solo, handling riffs reminiscent of Markus Reuter and Jaco Pastorius, while Shaw and the rest of the band waited offstage.

The drummer served up a beat that made you dance, and just as quickly played with the finesse of a jazz drummer . On guitar was Robert Guariglia, who also plays with The Veronicas, offering power-packed ax contributions rooted more in rock than traditional soul music.

What made the show ultimately distinct was the performance of the song “Choosin’”. This tune is not on Shaw’s debut album, This is Ryan Shaw, but was written during a sound check in Colorado. While Guariglia strummed a melody he had been playing around with, Shaw picked up on it and soon Tiny had a bass line to go with it, from there the rest just came to in what the singer describes as a “stream of consciousness” — it proved to be the most moving number of the night.

Shaw and his band, who have been together only about a year, closed off the set with his album’s single, “Do the 45″, which had audience members throwing arms up in the air and doing the twist.

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