It had been far too long since I last made it to a Deepdown show. Last night at the Gig on Melrose reminded me of exactly what I had been missing. Deepdown consists of four, extremely talented and dedicated players that, in a nutshell, rock WAY hard. Brendan told us last night that the band is hard at work on new material and seemed really enthusiastic about the new stuff. One thing is for sure, Deepdown are constantly coming up with fresh ways to entertain their loyal, local audience.
Glenn Perham, who is a remarkable singer and performer, has never once let anyone down when it comes to giving it 1000% on stage. His vocal quality has largely improved (as if there was room for improvement to begin with) since the last time I saw them about 5 months ago and he moves like someone I would LOVE to dance with. Glenn has exactly what it takes to become a huge success, as do the rest of his band mates. Because of the way the stage at the Gig is set up, the curtains slowly lifted revealing Glenn crouched down and ready for the kill. The set opened with “Decide” which sends a powerful message about thinking for yourself and controlling your own destiny. I’d say Deepdown’s destiny is triumph.
In the case of Brendan Morris, I always considered him to be a really focused and intense guitar player – these days he has more intensity on guitar than ever. His trancelike, signature playing style is sinuous and soothing. He always seems to remain in direct contact with his audience and he gives the impression that he loves what he’s doing. The band went right into “Connect”, “Drift”, “Don’t Care” and “Lost” with the heavy, funk-inspired grooves that Deepdown have made their own. Kris Hunter displays the same type of passion in his performance on bass as Brendan does. There is non-stop action on his end of the stage and he really knows how to play. Chris Weible (drums) is the more demure personality of the four members, but there is no mistaking that he is the one that is holding ground the entire time.
The classic Deepdown song “Dive” was next on the roster, to be followed by two songs I have obviously been missing over the past months entitled “Wash”, and “Erase” which were both equally amazing. To me, the band has always had a really distinctive sound; a combination of the hard stuff you crave and the melodious, quiet segments within many of the songs that bring you down just long enough for you to catch your breath before getting right back into it again. The set closed with “Start Over” and I think most of the audience was left wishing they would. You just can’t get enough of the good stuff.
Lesa Pence
