Part One Tribe

Beadle Bar in Norwich

22 February 2008

Reviewed by Dustinello

Norwich loves POT. They also love the Part One Tribe. I count those as two recent discoveries I made on my weekend excursion to the Beadle Bar in Norwich, New York to catch Part One Tribe stopping through and subsequently rocking the collective socks off the audience.

The band showed up in their customarily late tradition, however, Norwich’s own Buckshot’s Brother kept the crowd entertained with a competent command of an acoustic blend of his own irie originals and covers. About eleven PM EST. a white van came to a screeching halt outside the bar. Rob D, George and Matt of the Part One Tribe jumped out with the stealth of ninjas and the quick efficiency of a nascar pit crew to begin a lightning quick set up. Fifteen minutes later, they unleashed a raucous, energy-packed show that didn’t quit until shortly after two.

The band moved from song to song sometimes without a break, other times with a quick tuning or chug of beer. The audience hardly had a chance to quit moving from the last song before the next one kicked in—re-energizing the intoxicated, shimmering bodies of the dancers up front. It was a barrage of their own brand of reggae-inspired, melodic rock and what-have-you. Don’t Have A Fit, brought the bar (even my two hundred pound frame) airborne, hopping along to its upbeat ska strum. When Rob D. stepped aside to jam out during Perpetraitors, even former bassist John Muldoon stood struck with admiration at Rob’s stunning guitar work handling both rhythm and lead in the absence of the talented Fred B.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Part One Tribe show without a George “the left-handed genius” drum solo. Rob and Matt took a break allowing a full view of the man with a drummer face rivaling some of the best in the business. The steady drummer relished the opportunity to unleash and wowed the audience with a display of solid mastery of his kit.

A Part One show isn’t all just wild jamming and fast paced melodies though. The band also slows down the tempo allowing the audience to sway to the groovy bass lines of Matt Rizzo and soulful crooning of Rob D. Tunes like Jamaica, Genevieve and Moonlit Sky turned the crowd into a sea of head nods and softly swaying hips. Of course, these tunes served as a mere breather before building the crowd into a frenzy with rocking renditions of 420, New World and Spread Love. There was even a blast from the past as John Muldoon was invited to the stage to join Rob and George on I-95 and Anything.

Friday February 22nd spots of freezing rain and snow were pummeling the Northeast, certainly slowing down the Part One Tribe’s arrival to the bar. However, when I stepped outside the bar after the show, inadvertently into an icy puddle on the streets of Norwich, I had the feeling of physical exhaustion combined with extreme mental stimulation. I left experiencing the kind of ecstasy only a really, really good musical performance can offer. I’m no Chinese astrologist, but 2008 feels like the year of the Part One Tribe. Its arrival seems as certain as the coming spring.