The Video below shows Dan Guzman’s band Light The Band playing this past August at the iconic Boom Boom Room in San Francisco (John Lee Hooker’s club) and at Bocci’s Cellar, its weekly gig in Santa Cruz. Though Dan’s bands have always had a jam vibe, Light The Band amps this up and commits to a funkier, bluesier, more New Orleans feel. Honest, real, immediate—its grooves build to exciting, high-energy jams, or just stay in the pocket—or both—and there’s more dancing than ever at Light The Band shows.
The band began as a trio—drummer Logan Tyler, bassist James Tashnick, and Dan on guitar—in late 2013, with guitarist and singer/song writer Tim Gan joining in early 2015. More recently their sound has grown fuller with B3 keyboardist Pat Blizinski and Bay Area sax legend Chris Noonan often joining their sets.
The video below features this six-person lineup and short shots of some of the band’s key songs: “Waitin on the Boys,” “Way Down Low,” “Baby Brother,” and a carry-over from Hypnotist Collector days, the Dead’s “West L.A. Fade Away.” You can also catch Light The Band on these other videos and more:
♦ JB’s “Give It Up or Turn It Loose” — a great example of its high-energy jamming.
♦ “Way Down Low” — LTB as a trio at Oakland’s Stork Club. Daniel’s guitar solo is a classic. I often show it to people to illustrate just how to build a solo.
♦ “She’s a Freak” — great soloing and great dancing up front.
♦ “Waitin on the Boys” — at the Boom Boom Room. (For a longer, just-audio jam of this song with B3 organ, go Here.)
♦ Hear more of Dan’s music on this site.
Below, the video’s last image shows them at Boz Scagg’s club Slim’s in San Francisco. ENJOY!
