Written by Eddie Ferranti
The thrill you get when a band you have been supporting for years finally “breaks thru” is satisfying to say the very least. One of those , Uncle Lucius, has broken thru to thee other side of greatness in our eyes. Going on twelve years of relentless touring has finally started to pay off for this self titled “5 headed beast” of songwriting talent!They consist of animated mad man Josh Greco on drums, “Mad Scientist” Jonny “Keys” Grossman, steady thumping bassist Hal Vorpahl, Mike “Take no prisoners” Carpenter on lead electric guitar, and of course Kevin “Wolf man” Galloway on acoustic guitar/lead vocals. All five members sing lead at one time or another, but the soulful distinct sound of Galloway personifies this band’s success. UL is regularly being booked for 7 + 9:30pm shows at this stellar venue and they answer the bell by packing the place. “Set Ourselves Free” rocked everybody back in their seats and “Take Me Away” made it feel like a tribute to the Allman Brothers with a huge southern rock tinge. Mike Carpenter has really emerged as a major show stealer and the way he bookend jams with Grossman on keys/accordion is beyond sweet. Hell MC even torched the stage with harmonica and violin strings on his electric making spooky sounds that motivated the amped up audience big time. The loyalty of this band’s followers is amazing with lots of folks singing along to songs word for freaking word! “Liquor Store” was stone cold cool, elongated intro jam to crowd fave “Keep the Wolves Away” smoked, and the trippy intoxicating 70’s buzz sound of “A Million Ways” is so damn refreshing to witness live.
UL blasted thru 1.5 hours of steamy in your grill music that seemed to pass like ten minutes! Haymakers were let loose with “Everybody Got Soul” which they did bellowing the lyrics as Galloway played leader of the pack followed by psycho Carpenter lead on “Pocket Full of Misery”. The band’s last record, 2015’s The Light, has helped show the overall depth of the five songwriters. It is hard enough to tour and play amongst five dudes let alone write together. I could not even see a playlist displayed for this show which further shows the cohesive nature of these guys. Judging how the aggressive audience still did not want to let go after encore brought goosebumps. Hitch yourself to this wagon like we have for years and enjoy the ride ladies and gentlemen…….
Eddie “Edge” Ferranti
Senior Editor
Houston Music Review