By Vlad T, Rock At Night Detroit & Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa

LIVE REVIEW: S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival w/Slash – Larkin Poe – ZZ Ward – Robert Randolph Band – Baycare Sound, Clearwater, Florida – August 10, 2024

Guns N’ Roses guitar legend Slash has long had to contend with his principal band’s reputation for controversy, hard living, and drama amidst the numerous brilliant moments fans remember. The guitarist himself has largely avoided becoming headline fodder, letting his unparalleled riffs—and a fondness for things serpentine—do the talking for his legacy. That he has spawned a number of highly successful bands in his own right—Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit, plus ongoing efforts with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators—proves he belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Slash’s latest effort sees him remember and honor his blues roots with Orgy of the Damned, an uplifting solo release of amped-up classic blues covers featuring a star-laden lineup ranging from Billy Gibbons to Chris Robinson to even Iggy Pop.

This associated tour in support of “Orgy” is even more uplifting. The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival (another snake reference, an acronym of ‘Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance’) finds a portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold going towards support of a host of charities, including the Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, the Greenlining Institute, and War Child.

There’s a sense of conscience here, and that manifests clearly when one looks at the roster of acclaimed acts that joined Slash and band as this blues-fed S.E.R.P.E.N.T. gracefully slithered into Clearwater’s Baycare Sound on an especially steamy Gulfcoast Saturday evening. (Most apropos for a Southern-rooted genre like the blues, right?)

Steel pedal guitar master Robert Randolph, backed by the “Family Band” including siblings Marcus and Lenesha, is renowned for his melange of gospel, blues rock, and funk that especially appeals to fans of, say, Sly and the Family Stone and gospel-flavored music. His set Saturday was a concise, yet rousing sermon of numbers comprising originals like “I Need More Love” and “Where The River Runs Free” sandwiched between original interpretations of “I’m So Glad” (Skip James, popularized by Cream) and a funky spin on “Foxy Lady.”

ZZ Ward has established herself as a mainstay on the blues charts with her combination of punchy delivery over a bed of classic electric blues backing, with a sprinkle of femininity. A recent change to her own independent label as well as motherhood has empowered Ward to seek new themes and a female-inflected frankness relevant to a woman’s life; this direction has infused her most-recent releases, and the Sound blues faithful were treated to this material Saturday with tracks like “Grinning in Your Face,” “Ride,” and “Mother.” The greying men in the crowd might not have grasped the wit of Ward’s numbers (focusing on her costuming instead), but this reviewer saw a number of girlfriends and wives standing and singing in unison with her. Equality delivered in short order!

Continuing the theme of female power, the Lovell sisters of Larkin Poe seized the evening by the lapels and defied anyone to shift their attention elsewhere. Larkin Poe’s performance vividly revealed the Grammy-winning Lovell ladies have elevated their music and performance to a new level of power, confidence, and maturity. An early, faithful rendition of Allman Brothers chestnut “Jessica” was an elegant nod to one of the group’s reference points and a clarion call to what the audience was in store for.

Ably backed by pedal guitar stalwart sis Megan and sidemen Tarka Layman and Ben Sutterlee, Rebecca confidently moved to all parts of the stage as she commanded response from a Sound faithful all too willing to indulge in an onslaught encompassing the sisters’ roots of fiery Southern rock and blues. Larkin Poe continues to demonstrate that their act easily sizes up to larger audiences. Is headlining larger theaters and perhaps even arenas in their future?

Speaking of arenas, the big ‘snake’ in this evening’s nest was obviously Slash, who did not disappoint the many blues and GNR aficionados who came to see him.

Encompassing material from “Orgy” like blues standards “Cross Road Blues,” “Killing Floor” and a blistering “Oh Well” plus surprise soul classics “Born Under A Bad Sign” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” the brand of heavy blues, soul, and riffwork on display in this set was stylistically consistent with what the guitarist’s reverent fans have come to know and love. The sterling vocalists and backing players included faces familiar to Slash fans, including charismatic vocalist/keyboardist Teddy ‘Zig Zag’ Andreadis, mainstay bassist Johnny Griparic, first-rate vocalist/guitarist Tash Neal, and the swinging, propulsive Michael Jerome on drums.

In keeping with the spirit of S.E.R.P.E.N.T., the evening closed with an encore of something unconventional and something traditional. Donning a Bob Dylan ‘78 tour t-shirt, Slash seated himself at a steel-pedal guitar and, with ‘Zig Zag’ on vocals reminiscent of Tom Waits, honored Mr. Zimmerman with a tender version of “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry.” Dylan might not be thought of as a major blues artist per se by the general public, but, as Rock At Night has witnessed, his later body of work will go down as one of the spiritual cornerstones of American blues.

Remembering that one of the restorative aspects of blues is its rhythm and rumble that reaches the listeners in places visceral and mysterious, Slash and the boys closed out the evening with a rollicking take on a cornerstone in the blues canon, Elmore James’ “Shake Your Money Maker.”

Remember, snakes—like the blues and indeed music—are part of our greater ecosystem and deserve a space just as you and I do. Let’s be thankful this S.E.R.P.E.N.T. paid Clearwater a visit this weekend.

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