Twiddle and Eggy Bring Delicious Jams to The Sunset Strip’s Roxy Theatre
Twiddle
Eggy
Roxy Theatre
February 24, 2023
Story and photos by Andy J. Gordon
Vermont-based quartet Twiddle brought their Distance Makes The Heart Tour to the legendary Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. The rollicking show on February 24, 2023 included fellow New Englanders Eggy, who opened the night’s festivities. Both bands got enthusiastic support from a packed house of rain soaked fans.
Eggy are the new kids on the block that have broken through and built strong buzz in the crowded jam scene. The Connecticut upstarts are guitarist and vocalist Jake Brownstein, keyboardist Dani Battat, bassist Mike Goodman and drummer Alex Bailey. Brownstein, Battat and Bailey shared vocal duties and produced some fine harmonies during their too brief, first ever set in Los Angeles. Brownstein produced some entertainingly trippy guitar solos on songs like “Solid Ground,” “Sunset Strip” and “Time Escaping.” He also traded licks and transitions with Battat’s multiple keyboard forays. Battat’s solos had impressive, psychedelic elements. We hope these guys come back to LA soon.
The crowd went nuts when Twiddle finally hit the stage. Maybe it was because they recently announced an indefinite hiatus beginning in 2024, perhaps making this the last chance to see them in the area. The band put on an enthusiastic performance, running through many of their popular songs. Lead singer and guitarist Mihali Savoulidis was recently ill and hospitalized, but he showed no signs of any issues. His distinctive voice was strong and he delivered many intricate solos during the show.
Keyboard whiz Ryan Dempsey also played a variety of solos. Early in the set, “Tiberius” was a fast, killer jam with a sweet piano solo, a long, trippy guitar solo and then a haunting organ groove. Bassist Zdenek Gubb pumped out booming notes and Adrian Tramontano, who is filling in for drummer Brook Jordan on the tour, laid down a solid beat that had many in the audience dancing happily. Upstate NY’s Scott Hannay (Mister F and Wild Adriatic) joined for an unannounced sit in on keys during an excellent version of Talking Heads’ “Girlfriend Is Better.”
Check ou the full gallery of photos from this night by Andy J. Gordon here.
Other show highlights included the heavy jam “Slippin’ In The Kitchen” and the band’s anthemic “When It Rains It Pours.” That track featured a long, pretty piano solo and beautiful vocals from Savoulidis. The quartet teased Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg’s Wizard of Oz classic “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” before surging back to “When It Rains It Pours” for the end of the set. The spent crowd did not have to wait long for the encore. The band opened it with the soft and sweet “Beautiful.” They followed with the equally stunning “Every Last Leaf II” that started out slowly, but dramatically upped the tempo while the crowd cheered enthusiastically as the show finally ended.
The night felt like a new beginning and ending – the early stages of success for Eggy and the last hurrah of the impressive two decade career for Twiddle. We are looking forward to great new music and live shows from Eggy and truly hope that this is not the last we’ll see of Twiddle. They offer too much interesting and enjoyable music to leave the scene at the top of their powers.
Setlist:
Friends Theme ->
Tiberius ->
River Drift
Collective Pulse ->
White Light ->
Girlfriend Is Better ->
Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Doinkinbonk
Slippin’ In The Kitchen
Hattie’s Jam ->
When It Rains It Pours ->
Somewhere Over the Rainbow ->
When It Rains It Pours
Encore:
Beautiful ->
Every Last Leaf II
Check ou the full gallery of photos from this night by Andy J. Gordon here.
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