On Thursday, February 13th, the Alan Evans Trio (AE3) will perform at Brothers Drake. Local openers Rust Belt Rumble Family Band will serve their “Rust Belt Soul Stew” at 9pm, with the AE3 hitting the stage around 10. Admission is $10. The Alan Evans Trio is the full-fledged side project of drummer Alan Evans of modern groove masters Soulive. Though his primary band is still active, the trio allows him to explore other vibes and provides Alan, in his own words, “The challenge of making myself better than I was the day before.” After their tour wraps up this weekend, the band’s plans for 2014 include more touring, a live album, and their third studio album, so this is not the average “side project.” With B3 organist Beau Sasser and guitarist Danny Mayer, Evans kicks out silky melodies and hard-charging grooves. Having seen them rock Woodlands Tavern in 2012, I can attest to their sweat-soaked passion in concert, and placing them in the cozier room at Brothers Drake should put the groove energy through the roof.
Here is a sampler of tracks from the AE3’s 2013 album Merkaba for your preparations: