March marks the Allman Brothers’ annual return to the Big Apple, but the family affair doesn’t end at the Beacon Theater. Just a few blocks down Broadway, Duane Trucks’ new project, Flannel Church, will make their New York debut Friday, March 9 headlining the first of the Allman aftershows at the Iridium jazz club ($22.50, show starts at midnight).
Offering a raw display of jazzy gospel funk and deep South rhythm and blues, Flannel Church features Trucks on drums with fellow Col. Bruce Hampton bandmate Kevin Scott on bass and New Orleans’ Gregory “Wolf” Hodges on guitar and vocals. The trio will follow up their New York debut at the Iridium with another live showcase Sunday, March 11 opening for Bobby Keys & the Suffering Bastards at the Highline Ballroom.
With soul saving licks and unmistakeable rhythmic runs, Flannel Church sounds like a group that’s been together for years rather than just a few months. Formed in the winter of 2011, the trio made their live debut on Duane’s 23rd birthday in December 2011, hosting a Tedeschi Trucks Band aftershow in Jacksonville, FL with sacred pedal steel frontman Roosevelt Collier of the Lee Boys and various members of the TTB joining them on stage. Flannel Church then hit the road in January 2012 for their inaugural two week tour, playing a string of music rooms throughout the Southeast.
Following their New York debut, Trucks and Flannel Church will rejoin the Allman family at the 2012 Wanee Music Festival in Live Oak, FL, performing at the festival’s “Wanee Wednesday Happy Hour” on the Engine Barn Stage April 18.
About Flannel Church
When a history playing music with Col. Bruce Hampton is the glue that binds a band together, there’s bound to be some serious mojo at play. Duane Trucks requires no introduction. The young drummer held his own as a frequent guest with big brother Derek as a teenager, before striking out as a full time member of Hampton’s band, the Pharaoh Gummit. Rounding out the Flannel Church rhythm section is fellow Hampton bandmate, bassist Kevin Scott. But the Colonel’s storied legacy digs even deeper with New Orleans blues guitarist Gregory “Wolf” Hodges, a veteran of the legendary Codetalkers and Blueground Undergrass.
Blazing their way through sets of jazzy NOLA blues and gospel funk, the sizeable trio presents a reckon-worthy force on their own. But when joined Roosevelt Collier of the Lee Boys or AJ Ghent on pedal steel, the band morphs into a veritable powerhouse. From swampy late nights on Frenchmen Street to blazing hot shuffles on the Carolina coast, Flannel Church’s live show is a raw celebration of deep South rhythm and blues. Don’t expect to be preached to, but you may just find salvation.
Studio Recordings: available for download at www.flannelchurch.com
