Recap: The Blues Episode at Mojo’s (Troy, NY) 11/26/2024

Written by Staff on November 27, 2024

Recap: The Blues Episode at Mojo’s 11/26/2024

By: Rob Smittix

The online flier that was circulating for this event ended with “the music’s calling—are you in?” I thought to myself, hell yeah I’m 110% in on this!

The Blues Episode has been labeled “A BLUES HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN” and for good reason. The band is comprised of three very talented and accomplished musicians.

Reeves Gabrels – Guitar and vocals

Ross Rice – Keyboard, vocals, bass and everything else under the sun.

Jonathan Kane – Drums

This is one hell of a trio. When the band first took to the stage Reeves sustained a single note on his guitar then paused and joked that it was a new (The) Cure song. The stage banter began immediately between these cats and it added to the looseness and fun of the evening. The music that the band played were known tunes, mostly of the blues genre but their spin on these songs is what makes the show. Rarely do I ever mention a band’s setlist, I just want you to know that if you weren’t there, you missed out.

One song they did cover was a “deconstructed” version of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” I believe it was Reeves that jokingly said it was a version of the song that we probably didn’t want. Well all jokes aside we definitely wanted it and it was one of the many highlights of the night. I did take a few photos with my cellphone, which aren’t the best but if I was to bring one of our photographers I think they would’ve obstructed the views of many and that would’ve also hindered the vibe.

Ross Rice sang most of the night and his voice really captured the essence of the songs. He also played keys and bass on keys simultaneously and that’s got to be like patting your head and rubbing your belly. I whispered to a friend that the bass sounded authentic too as if it were an actual guitar. Jonathan was a beast on the drums, what more can I say? And we all know that Reeves is an actual guitar hero, scratch that guitar wizard! So getting these three guys together was meant to be.

MoJo’s Cafe & Gallery is a very intimate setting, especially for a show like this and this is my favorite type of show. The kind of show that you can mingle, meet people and even exchange conversations with the musicians. You could tell that Jonathan, Ross and Reeves were having a great time, not only together but with all of us. When they played it felt like the audience was not only witnessing a performance but we felt as if we were a part of it. And we were. It was a good crowd in that room and I saw a lot of smiles.

The Blues Episode plans on returning to Mojo’s to do this again so keep your ears open and your eyes peeled!