No Static returned to Boston’s City Winery last Saturday night to pay tribute to Steely Dan’s 50 year old landmark album The Royal Scam. Playing every song from that record album put many challenges on these tribute players. Adventurous keyboard work, eruptions of guitar phrasing, and players skillful enough to find their place among many moving parts made for an exciting concert.
Smooth flex in the vocal department from Fil Ramil, Lydia Harrell, and Rosemary St. George coated all of the Dan songs with the right tone, color, and timbre. Ramil’s subtle application of his voice on Changing The Guard contrasted well with Finn’s large guitar sound.
Boston’s jazz chanteuse Lydia Harrell made a strong impression when she sang a few lead vocal numbers, especially the lead vocal on The Royal Scam title track.
Every band member played so tightly together that it felt like the music might burst. No Static could also convey the darkness and the tension that mounts in many Dan numbers.
Aside from the instrumentation and precise vocals on “Kid Charlemagne,” No Static worked the pace of this fast number, speeding toward its dramatic conclusion. Jon Finn’s lead guitar phrasing lead the band for a portion but colorful expressions from the keyboards and the horns made it an intense kaleidoscope of sounds. Many exciting drum fills and a thumpy presence in the low end made it righteous .
No Static conjured the mellow lounge groove of “The Caves Of Altamira,” a smooth Cadillac ride whose luxuries included a vibrant vocal presence and a pretty horn siren that reminded that this piece is not the simple breeze that many might interpret at first listen.
Jon Finn’s lead guitar snaked around the groove and the soulful keyboards during “Don’t Take Me Alive” while the Ramil lead vocal flavored the mischievous story. This is possibly the coolest song in the Dan catalog and the way the lead guitar melody was pressed out of Finn’s strings and the manner of vocal expression kept it in that deeply hip vibe.
Frisky piano notes nailed the melancholy melody while flavoring the piece “Sign In Stranger.”.Again, a song that could have gone unnoticed by a casual listener is actually loaded with fine touches. No Static kept this hearty number in a palpable notion by playing all of those loose Dan drum fills and muscular low end touches.
The Fez, Fil Noted, might be Dan’s only attempt at disco music. Clever lyrics about a holy man sung over a sly keyboard line kept this one light and lively. Fil is no slouch on guitar either, his own phrasing sounding quite boss here. The band had a good feel for all of the shifting motions in this piece, making it easy to picture dancers at a 1970s discotheque swirling their partners around the dance floor. Coloring the piece with fine lead guitar phrases helped keep it a Dan level song as much as the feel created by the rest of the band.
Another stand out feature of No Static is the rhythm section. One could just follow the rhythm section and still enjoy the show. Drummer Barry Lit and bass player Jamie Sheldon carried a heavy load with all of those moving parts going on during every moment of this show. Even when there is a pause, it’s a subtle shift, or a very brief pause, and everything must be on time. No Static delivered the quick succession of cool notes on “Green Earrings, a splash of keyboard funk, a dancing lead guitar phrase, and the pace at which all of this funky happening happens.
Jon Finn gave “Haitian Divorce” a dark lead guitar phrase as Lydia Harrell finessed the lyrics. She hit the right beats in the song just right when she employed her start stop approach to this number, working with groove as well as the melody line. Lit and his crew also captured the thick crunchy sound by layering all their instruments and vocals
The band caught the mellow groove “Everything You Did” with enough confidence to express the emotive lead guitar work and all of the swaying instrumentation that keeps this one swinging.
No Static backing vocalist Lydia Harrell is one of Boston’s best known jazz vocalists and she put her abilities to good use concluding the final Royal Scam song. Her tone, timbre, and timing recreated the song’s vibe but also gave it an edge during the moody interplay from all of those buzzing instruments, especially trumpet and trombone calling out from the backdrop with their eerie tones and how they matched the guitar’s sharp corners.
No Static next went into an encore medley beginning with Dan favorite “Reeling In The Years,” a charmer built upon the rhythm section’s and keyboard player’s ability to make it tumble through its paces. Sparks also flew when Ramil and Finn engaged in a guitar battle, playing unison but each with a personal touch. “Bodhisattva” sparkled up the audience’s China with its tight unison ensemble presentation and its irresistible groove. Before going into The Royal Scam album, No Static delivered noteworthy performances of Dan classics. “No Static” had an upward lift from the three vocalist, especially Rosemary St. George who has that silky smooth approach. It certainly didn’t hurt to have Jon Finn making his guitar practically cry out the melodic line. “Hey 19” also benefited from that swooping vocal unison and “Do It Again” had all of the hypnotic keyboard parts as St. George finessed the alluring vocal.
No Static are featured at Boston’s City Winery and other fine venues in New England because they long ago arrived at a point where they are widely recognized for being able to create an evening of fun as well as dazzling good musicianship and vocals. In terms of sheer ability, No Static is one of the best tribute bands in New England. No Static full band next appears at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on January 30th and January 31st.
