The Marcus King Band fills Bell’s Eccentric Café with a roomful of soulful joy during their visit to Kalamazoo.

Bell’s Eccentric Café provides an intimate stage to enjoy the best in local and national music. This Saturday evening the room was full of music lovers eager to see The Marcus King Band. The band is relentlessly touring in support of their latest self-titled album.

The show gets started with Jesse Ray and the Carolina Catfish.  This duo from Grand Rapids, Michigan jumps into a set of stripped-down rock and roll boogie. They serve up a thick ladle of hammering drums and reverb-soaked guitar. Their rump-shaking performance brings to mind the greats such as Eddie Cochran or Carl Perkins. They surround the audience with hot rocking music and receive nothing but adulation from the crowd.

With just enough time to grab a tasty beverage, the stage is set for the Marcus King Band. The band hails from Greenville, South Carolina. There is no mistaking the influence of southern rock, blues, and soul within the warm confines of the Marcus King Band’s music. Marcus King (vocal/guitar) is joined on stage by Dean Mitchell (saxophone/flute), Justin Johnson (trumpet/trombone), Jack Ryan (drums), Stephen Campbell (bass), and Matt Jennings (keyboards).

The Marcus King Band lights into a few numbers off their brilliant new album including “Virginia” and “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With That”. Marcus’s soulful voice and mesmerizing guitar are nicely complimented by bright horns. The band also bites into the first album Soul Insight by knocking out spellbinding renditions of “Always” and “Dyin’”. With eyes closed, the band becomes one with the richly textured music they play. A scan around the room reveals it is full of smiling faces glowing in stage lights and letting the music set them free.

Jack Ryan gets into a drum solo giving the rest of the band a brief respite before coming back into an extended jam. This jam spun off into a cover of “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath that instantly meets with a roar of approval from the crowd. After nearly two hours of music, the Marcus King Band leaves the audience looking forward to the next time they come to town.

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Marcus King Band
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Jesse Ray and The Carolina Catfish
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Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
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Event Date: 25-MAR-2017

About The Author

Chuck is a native Michigander. He grew up in Detroit, and later Pinckney. He now calls Ann Arbor home. Running is in Chuck’s blood. He has run several marathons and numerous other races. His favorite race is Dances with Dirt in Hell, Michigan. Chuck was first exposed to photography in 7th grade. He has been a photographer ever since, honing his skills shooting landscapes and most recently concerts. In addition to experiencing music from behind the camera, Chuck is a musician in his own right. He has been playing guitar since his teen years. He played in Detroit area metal band, Battalion, recorded two independent releases, and toured. Today when not covering concerts, you can find him online at his blog, Life In Michigan.