Explosive soul band bring party to the Ivy Room in Albany
High-powered local rock n' soul heroes Harold Ray and East Side Dynamite and Bay Area rocksteady band the Titan-Ups bring their stage shows to the Ivy Room in Albany Friday night.
Fronted by kinetic singer Jason Morgan -- who had previously wielded the mic with similarly minded punk/R&B crew Harold Ray Live in Concert and early Bob Seger tribute band Total BS -- the group features a number of seasoned scene veterans and Mission District ringers including drummer Tom Galbraith (Mensclub, Field Trip, Portable Madness), his trombone-playing brother Jim (also in Field Trip) and guitarist Brian Mello (The Morning Line, The Bellyachers and current hard rock/metal cover band Thunderbleed aka Blind Vengeance).
The band delivers sweaty, swaggering takes on '60s soul classics and raw rock chestnuts that have been regularly filling dance floors on both sides of the Bay for a number of years. The group has been a regular go-to support act for a number of local performers including Marc and the Casuals (who Morgan frequently sings with) and Kelley Stoltz. Morgan also recently filled the sizeable shoes of the late Flamin' Groovies singer and solo artist Roy Loney, fronting a reunited version of Loney's band the Phantom Movers that featured three of the late '70s band's surviving members.
On Friday night the crew headlines the Ivy Room in Albany with fellow locals the Titan-Ups. Built around noted belter Bob Reed -- who fronted '90s noise-pop bands Overwhelming Colorfast and Oranger; he currently sings with Joe Cocker tribute band Cocker Power and plays guitar in indie rockers Semprini -- the band has been playing its mix of original tunes and Jamaican classics for over a decade.
Harold Ray and East Side Dynamite with the Titan-Ups
Friday, Feb. 2, 8 p.m. $15
The Ivy Room