Concert Review: Butcher Brown
December 14, 2022
Photos by Stanley Collins
On Saturday, December 10, Butcher Brown — the quintet based in Richmond, Virginia — played in front of a packed room at Philadelphia’s MilkBoy music venue. After the show, Kevin and I talked about seeing Butcher Brown live, some of our favorite moments from the night, and more! Here’s our conversation:
Stanley: To start, I was wondering what you thought about Yesseh Ali’s opening set?
Kevin: Yesseh Ali's set was very well crafted, man. One day we should dive into the burden of the opening act. Today, I'll just give a small take - a pretake if you will. Opening acts, that aren't well-known, have the curiosity angle going for them but, at the same time, have to make a pretty quick impression to keep the audience engaged. People walking around getting drinks, the room is still filling up, etc. but I will say that Yesseh Ali (along with Corey Bernhard on keys and key bass and Nazir Ebo on drums) had the crowd locked in. It felt like he wore his musical inspirations on his sleeve, but still left enough space in the songs to add his own musical perspective.
Throughout the set, we heard musical references from Mobb Deep to Tribe to Roy Ayers and of course that (too brief!) cover/transition to LUST. by Kendrick Lamar. I thought he threaded the needle well in that way and he also told stories that connected the music to his personal story and Blackness. I walked away prepared to at least google him and look his music up - and that's the goal. Mission accomplished, Yesseh.
Stanley: Yeah, that’s a great observation about being in that opening spot! That said, I loved Yesseh’s set and thought he did an incredible job. It’s funny, most of the time I see Yesseh around Philly it’s in an ensemble context — with Snacktime or Omar’s Hat, or performing in support of another artist — where he’s not necessarily the lead. But I loved hearing him as a “solo” act, hearing his “voice” was really exciting. Like you mentioned, I loved his set list, and the way he worked in a tunes like LUST and Shook Ones; doing a song like Badu’s Healer, something you don’t hear too often, quoting Coltrane, and so on. It was a masterclass in genealogy and Black music.
You’ve been listening to Butcher Brown for some time now, at least since 2014 from what I can remember, but this was your first time seeing them live. What did you think about their performance? Did it meet your expectations of what you'd heard on their albums?
Kevin: It's crazy - I didn't really come in with any real expectations for the show. I know that Butcher Brown is really good at this music thing, so I just came in ready to take in whatever they were putting down. And the show was predictably great! They didn't really do a lot of talking and priming the crowd for anything - they really let the music do the work.
Couple things I really appreciated about their set was that (1) the music and set was tight. No real wasted moments throughout and they seemed to stick to the tunes. And (2) there was some jamming here and there, but I actually kind of appreciated them playing the tunes like it is on wax, with some breakdowns interspersed. I think I'm becoming a music composition guy and I'm starting to appreciate the complexities, ability and chemistry that goes into producing music this dynamic. We recognize their talent as musicians but they, obviously, continue to work on their craft to deliver a show that highlights all of their attributes. And they even made the Christmas songs sound legit lol.
Stanley: The Mighty Butcher Brown! I loved their set. Like you said, they were incredibly tight, the songs flowed well, but it still had this improvisational feel at times. Everything felt intentional. They’ve been playing together for a while now, and I think that came across in their playing.
This is a hill I feel like I come to often, but I really, truly appreciate Black bands - it’s a tradition that’s becoming increasingly difficult maintain. (Artists barely make money from music as it stands, now you want to split it?) I love that they exist, the space they occupy, and the tradition they carry.
At any rate, thinking about genealogy and Black music again, Butcher Brown channels so much in their music - obviously cats like D’Angelo and Herbie Hancock stand out - but I was impressed by their dexterity and ability to sort of “genre hop.”
Favorite moments from the show?
Kevin: I have a favorite moment and call it recency bias but the ending of the show was insane! Corey Fonville, the drummer, was essentially unleashed during the final moments of the show. He obviously was part of a tremendous show up until that point but the band cleared out and let him iso to shut the show down. He threw everything he had out to close the show and I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard a more spectacular drum display in person.
Stanley: There’s recency bias and then there’s also proximity bias - we were super close to the drum set lol. I love Corey Fonville’s approach to the drums. I remember first seeing him with Christian Scott a few years back at SOUTH, you were there too, but I feel like he’s grown since then. I was completely blown away by his solo, too.
Okay, so a couple favorite moments for me. (1) Hearing them perform Frontline. That song was stuck in my head from the time they performed it until I went to sleep, it’s such a smooth song. Plus, I love the chord voicings Morgan Burrs, the guitar player, uses and Tennishu’s melody is mesmerizing. DJ Harrison’s solo on Frontline was so fun and energetic, too. He was playing his lead keyboard through a Cry Baby Wah pedal, so it kind of had this Clavinet tone, but there’s was just enough break up coming from the amp to give it an overdrive sound. (2) Every bass line Andrew Randazzo played. I love his approach to the instrument, how he locks in with the drums, and his tone.
How does this show stack up against other shows you've seen this year?
Kevin: I'm going to cop out and say this show stood on its own. I'm not going to compare it to anything else I've heard live this year. I mean, we saw Kendrick live and I'm not sure that any show living up to that for me lol. This show is like a bookend to being back to live shows in full force. Not saying it's good or bad, but there were barely any masks worn by folks in the building, and it was packed like a 90s underground hip hop concert - bodies stacked together and a sense of community there that I haven't felt at any other show this year. Every other show I went to this year, felt like we still wanted to keep our distance from other concert goers but this show felt like a return to form. Butcher Brown noted just how long it has been since they were out on the road playing shows. I think I forgot what it felt like to just lose myself in a live performance - Butcher Brown helped provide that.
Stanley: Yeah, this is good perspective. At the end of the show, Tennishu talked about how much it meant to them to be able perform live again, and how challenging the past few years have been. Saturday night felt like a return of sorts to the before times. That said, I’m just so excited and thankful to see some of our favorite artists in-person again.
I think of the Yussef Dayes show we went to back in August and this one as these sort of kindred, spiritually connected shows. There’s some overlap in the music, stylistically, but there’s also a tradition that I think Yussef and Butcher Brown carry. Also, seeing Kamasi Washington — at the otherwise terrible Roots Picnic — is also a moment I think about being in conversation with this show. But yeah, just feels good to back.
