The Joe Marcinek Band is a vibrant fusion of the Chicago Blues, Dat New Orleans Funk, Grateful Dead inspired jamming psychedelia and an array of intricate jazz fusion which creates a unique and eclectic musical journey. Attending a Joe Marcinek Band concert is an electrifying experience that takes listeners on a diverse musical journey. Each concert is unique, as the band is known for its improvisational skills, ensuring that no two performances are exactly alike. The band’s palpable energy and passion for music are infectious, making their concerts not just a listening experience, but a full-fledged musical adventure that resonates with fans of diverse musical tastes. Expect a night filled with skillful musicianship, unexpected musical turns, and a lively atmosphere that invites the audience to be part of the band’s ever-evolving musical narrative. For years now, Joe has also been curating a collection of albums with each showing that true range and ability he has with the music but also how he interacts with other artists to find their personal together landscape. It always feels fresh and evolving. His latest release, 1 River Street, was recorded in Massachusetts at Iron Wax Studios with Alan Evans producing and on drums, Nate Edgar on bass, Kris Yunker on keys, Brian Thomas on trombone and Alex Lee-Clark on trumpet and Jared Sims on sax & flute. It’s a tight collection of eight sharply-honed tunes that brinGs the funky and groove of life within each note.
I had an opportunity to catchup with family to the proGram, Joe Marcinek to get into the new record 1 River Street. We talk about the evolution of both him as an artist and this new music. We get into the above mentioned players and friend of the program, Mr. Alan Evans’ studio and the desire for both to work with each other finally on a record like this. So this one is on Alan’s Vintage League Music label which is a conduit for many a funky great. Mostly, I really wanted to tell him how funky he is and that this record really shows off where the experiences of many years now has taken him. We find out what big shows Joe and his rotation of cool musical comrades played in the past year or so and highlight a couple of the bigger ones to look forward to this year. Joe is family, he is open to what & where the groove takes him, and I just really respect someone who can work with so many different people and the music still has it’s own unique smile to it, each time. If you are looking for a groove, it could very well live inside of 1 River Street.