Medicinal Purpose and Outer Stylie Root Cellar Greenfield, MA October 14 2017
It was a night of celebration. It was the one-year anniversary of local smoke shop the Enthusiast, who put together this bill and made it free to the public to fete the night away. It was also the birthday of Brother Sal, the guitarist/singer for the Medicinal Purpose.
The Medicinal Purpose started the night, and are a tight blues rock trio with Jimmy Robitaille on drums and Chris Ball on bass. Their sound ranges from the grittier end of the blues rock scale, a kind of Billy Gibbons trio vibe, to the cleaner crisper tones of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Their set was mostly originals and over a baker’s dozen worth of songs showcased Sal’s gravelly voice and hyper bluesy guitar licks. Chris and Jimmy really shine in their respective roles, at times providing foundation and at other times providing the elevator ride necessary to properly frame this pyramidal trio.
Covers included the finale classic of Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers but the set clearly concentrated on the original blues penned by Brother Sal.
Full audio of Medicinal Purpose set
Up next were regional purveyors of dark prog rock, Outer Stylie. The quartet is heavy, hot, and fully loaded. Fronted by the great vocalist and guitarist Nate Martel, the band unloads one song after another of heavy riff laden material that seems to have evolved out of a swampy mixture of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Martel is joined by John Duffy on lead guitar (a lefty no less. . .) Tom Schack on bass, and Monte Arnstam on drums. Each brings their own personality and amazing and endless supply of riffs to the table.
They had the dance floor packed with headbangers who were soaking up the hard rock vibe from start to finish. Stylie even finished THEIR set with their own rendition of “Whipping Post,” too! The Root Cellar itself seems to have progressed here in their second year being open. Providing an intimate basement club atmosphere, the Root Cellar has become a great place to see a show, with both seating and a dance floor. The celebration was on that night and you could feel it.
First twenty minutes of Outer Stylie set
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