JJ Grey & Mofro and Guests Entertainment Art Saint Augustine Amphitheatre Saint Augustine Amphitheatre, FL August 30, 2008

The first band to play was Nervous Turkey, a harp, organ, and drum trio out of Tampa. As local bands go, they were a fun, blues-driven band with a gritty edge that you would expect in a greasy beer joint, rather than 2 in the afternoon.

The Lee Boys played next and, as usual, they had the crowd grooving’ to their rhythms. From the same sacred steel tradition as Robert Randolph, they’re still a little closer to their spiritual upbringing, and the funky grooves and rocking guitar playing had many of the hippies dancing in front of the stage. They do seem to be moving towards more secular songs, including covering Stevie Wonder, and with L’il Al’s bass grooves more prominent now. Roosevelt Collier seemed a bit more restrained at the festival too, but he cut loose a lot more at an after show party later that night. Their line-up is a bit fluid, and they had Derrick on vocals but not Keith. Matt Grondin also joined in on guitar for the whole set.

I’ve always liked the North Mississippi Allstars so I was definitely looking forward to Hill Country Revue. Drummer Cody Dickinson is touring with some friends from Mississippi while his brother handles guitar duties for the Black Crowes. I thought Chris Chew would be there to add a fun vibe but I guess he only sits in some of the time as it was a different bass player at Blackwater Sol. They have that gritty Mississippi blues-rock vibe that informs the Allstars and the audience definitely got into the meaty grooves.

Toots & the Maytals were the co-headliners and they lived up to the hype with some heady Jamaican rhythms and a different vibe than the other bands on the bill. Toots was in good spirits, venturing to the front of the stage to do fist-bumps with the fans, and constantly smiling. JJ Grey got caught up in the mood and joined in for a song, adding some vocals and harmonica to the delight of his fans.

Local blues legend Willie Green came out with his guitarist for a few surprise tunes (he wasn’t on the bill) during the set change and spent a good part of his set wandering through the audience playing harmonica and communing with the fans.

It was JJ Grey & Mofro’s night though and they proved with a nice long set of southern-flavored R & B. They played most of Orange Blossoms, debuting a new, expanded line-up that included three back-up singers, a small string section (duo actually) in addition to the horn section and four core members. The newer songs varied from the funk of “On Fire” and “Higher You Climb” to ballads such as “She Don’t Know” and “Dew Drops” and it sounds like Orange Blossoms will be a winner.

Although they often play on jam band bills, it’s a different kind of jam, rooted in the groove they lock into that echoes the soul sounds of Memphis but from the funky swamps of Florida. No noodling here, if it doesn’t serve the groove, it doesn’t belong, Early on, the groove of “War,” which is now meatier and tighter than the album version pointed the direction of the set.

Of course all of the classics were there. When the keyboard monitor wasn’t working right for “Lochloosa,” JJ Grey got up, strapped on a guitar, and kept the groove moving forward, with a little help from the fans who love to help sing the song with him. I’ve seen the band many times in many cities and “Lochloosa” always turns into a singalong, and I always find it curious when Yankees sing it, wondering if they truly understand.

The set ended with plenty of help from friends. Willie Green and Matt Grondin came out to help fatten the grooves in the grand funk/soul revue tradition of packing the stage with musicians. Then, for part of the encore, Will Connor (who played at the first Blackwater Soul Revue) joined JJ Grey for an acoustic duet before the rest of Mofro returned for the final encore. Many traditions are worth keeping (I guess by definition, really) and I’m glad to see the start of the Blackwater Sol tradition. It’s something to look forward to every Fall.

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