The Elle Gallo Band can best be described as a rocked up funk band. The four piece play a lot of classic rock in a funky style and they speed up a lot of R&B classics.
Gallo started her second set by sitting on a male patron’s lap and singing happy birthday to him. There is nothing like a lead singer who makes a bold first impression. The band launched into her original “Sweet Addiction” and she and her band mates had the groove going on right away This band wastes no times pulling people onto the dance floor. Gallo found the right space to launch her svelte voice.
Elle Gallo Band went into Gallo‘s original “You Need To Be With Me” as Gallo’s vocal take brought out all of the mysterious elements of this piece. She pulled the band into the depths of soul. Her guitar ace Ross Hahn plunged the song into the firey furnace with his high pitched cry of a solo.
When they did the Rufus song “Tell Me Something Good” it was reassuring to see that guitarist Hahn knew how to use his pedals to get the guitar sound right Unlike other guitarists, he actually had that heavy whine effect going on. A touch of rasp in Gallo’s voice made her real fire in the belly soulful on this one.
During Bill Withers “Use Me” Mr. Hahn had to conjure up a lot of sound because a four piece doesn’t have all the instruments Withers recorded it with. Gallo belted this one, and it got everybody on the dance floor or at least had them nodding to the beat.
Gallo’s vocal approach captured the sing-song lilt on “Maybe” and the swaying crowd was under its spell, and they got to sing a verse of “it feels so good, it feels so right,” and it is clear Gallo’s following have a lot of fun at her shows. I think it might even be the same exact group of folks who go to most of her shows.
EGB performed an uptempo, rocked up version of “Son Of A Preacher Man.” This worked, as Gallo likes to rock things up a bit. Refreshing too, to hear a song you’ve been hearing for 30 years done with a new twist. There was more guitar magic on this number too, with Hahn using his high octave pedal to hit that really high note, guitar singing quality.
“Whipping Post” sounded strange at first at a quicker tempo, but Gallo and her boys still built up the song structure as is required, they only did it their way. The beat and groove of “Whipping Post” can motivate men to move mountains. It has a powerhouse rhythmic foundation and drummer Sergio Bellotti and bass player David Gagnon built it up like carpenters of sound as Gallo belted out the immortal lyrics.
I found myself wanting to call the Elle Gallo Band the Speedy Band because they seem to prefer brisk tempos. They were given an earlier quitting time than they thought going in, and maybe that contributed to it. Yet, everything seemed to work out well for the band as the songs still had structure and quality musicianship and the audience seemed to know what to expect and enjoyed it.
Gallo performed her original “Yes, I Am” with punch and vigor and she brought a hippie coolness to Grace Potter’s “Stop The Bus.” Another cool modern song was Potter‘s “Ahh Mary,” and the wild man guitar phrasing of Hahn made it happen with swagger.
Janis Joplin’s old time roots song “Me And Bobby Magee” got couples swaying to its summer afternoon take your time easy going feeling. Gallo got real melodic on it, and, during its wild finish, she belted, belted, belted the hell out of it, ringing as much emotional catharsis out of it as possible.
The Grog was a weird place to be last night. There used to be a designated men’s room and a designated ladies’ room right next to the stage. Now, each restroom just said men/women, meaning either sex could use them. I think some patrons misunderstood, as I saw men and women going into the restrooms in pairs and sometimes in groups of three, as in two men and one woman. Jeez, I never knew Newburyport was so wild.
Getting back to the Elle Gallo Band. Gallo had someone pull a chair out onto the dance floor for her to stand on during her final number, an acoustic ballad version of “Over The Rainbow.” Her fans gathered around her and they all put their arms around each other’s shoulders for a collective emotional experience during this timeless song of hope. It seemed to be important to Gallo and her fans that they close out this way, and they were into it.
Elle Gallo Band are certainly entertaining rockers, with elements of blues, funk, R&B, and some modern stuff thrown in. They have plenty of talent, a hip way of arranging standards and covers, and Gallo’s original material also stands strong.
