So, the world didn't exactly come to an end on Friday. But something major definitely went down at Culture Room, where Greenhouse Lounge and the Heavy Pets, with special guest Roosevelt Collier, jammed out an epic end-of-the world party. If any sort of an apocalypse was gonna happen, this was where we wanted to be.
The Heavy Pets took to the stage in the most potent, assertive show we have seen from them yet. They have become local staples, playing (much needed) afterparties around town for major acts like Umphrey's McGee, but this concert made a clear statement that they are a headlining act in their own right.
First of all, we made sure to arrive early on Friday because we missed out on Greenhouse Lounge's opening set for Papadosio a couple weeks ago, a big mistake which we were determined to rectify. The Jacksonville-based trio weave a soundscape of jam, jjazz, electro, and funk that proves "jamtronica" is not only a legitimate genre, but an entirely new musical frontier.
Now, we knew that a concert headlining the Heavy Pets would be exactly as awesome as it was. But the real star of the night was Robert Collier, the steel pedal guitarist who sat in for nearly half of the Pets' set. You may have heard him around town as a member of the Lee Boys, a Miami-based soul brigade made up of an extremely talented crop of brothers and nephews. We'll call it a great case of musical genes. Collier made an appearance with the Heavy Pets last month at Bear Creek, and it went down so well that we can only assume they wanted to make it happen again just in case the world truly did implode on itself.
