JJ Grey and Mofro: Windjammer, Isle of Palms, SC 6/26/09

JJ Grey has often described his music with Mofro as front porch soul. With no juke joints in Charleston, the Windjammer seemed as good a venue as any for the boozy, sweaty, soulful music of Grey and his band. For about two hours, Mofro churned through a representative selection of their catalogue, hitting on highlights from each of their four albums, in addition to a couple choice covers.

“Ybor City” kicked things off in swaggering style, the slow burn of Grey’s vocal delivery easing the crowd into the set. With a shaved head, the front man is looking sharp these days, despite the chinstrap beard—of course, he is from North Florida—and the beachside vibe of the Windjammer seemed to suit him perfectly. As “Ybor” wound down, Grey laid down the clipped guitar opening of one of the band’s funkiest tunes, “Dirtfloorcracka,” a defiant anthem of backwoods pride. This version didn’t seem quite as dirty as most, but it led nicely into “I Believe,” which featured a well-blended crescendo from each of the band members.

A long harp intro signaled a fan favorite, “Lochloosa,” the title track from the band’s excellent sophomore album. The crowd provided most of the lyrics, much to Grey’s delight, who eventually took over the vocal duties, demonstrating his impressive range. No matter the note, his voice is pure growling soul. Following “Higher You Climb” and “Move It On,” the John Anderson country song “Seminole Wind” was a welcome cover.

“On Fire,” a sultry echo of “Dirtfloorcracka,” reignited the dance floor, which continued uninterrupted for the remainder of the show. The highlight of the night proved to be the “Stagger Lee”/“Ho Cake” combination, which pulled together all of the band’s diverse influences—blues, country, soul, funk, bluegrass, rock—into a thick, syrupy groove, with the horns providing just the right flavor to complement the rock-solid bottom and energetic rhythm. The ultra-catchy “Orange Blossoms,” followed by “Junior,” closed the set in fine style, and the “Brighter Days” and “Mojo” encore provided a positive cap to a fiery night of swampy soul.