After ending an over 11-minute song complete with multiple guitar solos, Reeves Gabrels apologized to the audience.
“Sorry about the volume of the first two songs. It was even too loud for me,” he said.
Laughter and cheers erupted from the crowded room at Cafe Nine on Tuesday night where the congenial Gabrels along with His Imaginary Friends celebrated all the sounds his guitar could make, loud or otherwise. Gabrels — widely known for his work with both The Cure and David Bowie — appeared to have more than his share of friends in the audience, whether he knew them personally or not, as the night became a testament to the kind of rock ‘n’ roll for which no one complains about the noise level because they are too busy being mesmerized.
The night began with the New Haven-based The Outer Side. This was only the band’s second gig, but the trio played a tight set of eight songs as if they had been playing together for years. Consisting of Ryan Boudreau on drums, Paul de la Reza on guitar, bass, vocals, and Jeff Maleri on guitar, bass, vocals, the band concentrated on the music with very little chatter in between and appeared to be having a great time. The first four songs saw de le Reza take lead on guitar and vocals with Maleri on bass; then the two switched off for the next four songs. Each performer had his own unique style. De la Reza leaned toward a more classic-rock style of singing and playing in the vein of Cream and Deep Purple. Maleri’s vocals and guitar work had a funkier and even somewhat punk lean to them, reminiscent of the RHCP and System of a Down. The audience was very receptive to this new band; it even elicited a few wows from the crowd.
But the main act of the night, of course, was Gabrels on lead vocals and guitar, with Kevin Hornback on bass and Marc Pisapia on drums and harmony vocals. The room was crowded yet intimate, the audience continually hypnotized by the sounds Gabrels created with multiple guitars and extensive pedal use — though there were definitely shout outs of requests and multiple screams of yes throughout the night.
Gabrels turned rock songs into messages, communications between him and his instrument that seemed to be traveling out not only through the room, but beyond, as if he was speaking to another solar system, consistently backed up by an incredibly solid rhythm section. Some songs leaned toward a more melodic rock, such as the tunes “Wish You Were Her” and “Try.” Others leaned toward a more traditional blues-tinged rock, such as the tune “Drown You Out.” Extended guitar solos were the norm, but there was nothing normal about them. Even the most extended one, which concluded the final song of the evening that Gabrels mentioned he wrote with Cure songwriter, singer, and guitarist Robert Smith, left the listener entranced by its ethereal qualities, wondering where he would take the sound next. We were on a bridge soaring through the blackest sky, unable to see too far ahead but unafraid of what to expect. The crowd erupted in cheers and gave the band a lengthy standing ovation after the final song, and the band stayed to meet and talk with fans long after the set was over, thus ending the night with the same congenial and intimate nature that began it and threaded through it.
Gabrels spoke during his set about the last time he was at Cafe Nine, which was also the first time he played there, back in 2011. He said he “liked it so much we asked to come back.”
“You can’t always play at Madison Square Garden,” he joked. Then he got serious.
“This is where the real rock comes from. You guys should treasure what you got here. Support your local music venue,” he said. He even pointed out all of the posters covering the walls of the club, telling the crowd with a smile, “look at all the other bands that play here that are even better than us.”
With bands such as this one continuing the tradition of rock ‘n’ roll that not only explores what was done before, but adds to its legacy, and with venues like Cafe Nine supporting them, one can only hope fans will return to hear Gabrels’s call and answer back with a resounding yes.