Swamp Soul from Red and the Revelers
The Mobile, Alabama group soldiered through a rough show for our enjoyment
According to Red Padilla, a miscommunication with a promoter had Red and the Revelers onstage for four straight hours the night prior to their appearance at the Iron Horse in Wichita Falls. That is a grueling live set for any singer, and as a result, Red’s voice was toast, a fact or which he apologized several times during the show.
It was one of those situations where you find yourself with no choice but to soldier on… you have a job to do and nobody else is gonna do it, so Red did it. With the help of his skilled band (which was also down one member on this night) they rearranged numbers, took extended improvisational rides, and performed some tracks fully instrumental to accommodate their singer’s blown voice.
Inescapable, however, is the clear conclusion that Red and the Revelers are an incredibly talented funk, soul, and R&B band — self-described as “Swamp Soul” — with some ideas of their own about how to entertain an audience. There are moments that I would call almost heavy, in the way Prince could sometimes feel a little heavy when he got loose on the six string. Red and the Revelers also use their horn section as a lead instrument, in a way that reminds me of Rocket from the Crypt, although that’s admittedly a different genre. And if that isn’t enough weight for you, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention their incredible rhythm section.
Bassist Ross Graham is an Olympic athlete on the bass, a non-stop walk always happening with his frenzied right hand, matching with drummer Aaron “Bam” Hunter in absolute precision. I’ve seen some really good rhythm sections, but Red and the Revelers has one of the best.
The full impact of a Red and the Revelers show wasn’t to be on this particular night due to Red’s unfortunate vocal difficulties, but I saw enough to know that I’ll be back if they come around again.
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