Cory Wong and the Fearless Flyers, accompanied by Couch, recently made a stop at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, MI for an evening of funk-inspired music.
Couch performs at Royal Oak Music Theater
Couch
Couch is a pop-funk septet based out of Boston. The band is fronted by the electric Tema Siegel, who is joined on stage by Zach Blankenstein (guitar), Jared Gozinsky (drums), Will Griffin (bass), Danny Silverston (keys), Jeffrey Pinkser-Smith (trumpet), and Eric Tarlin (saxophone). The included popular tracks like “Still Feeling You,” “Jessie,” “(I Wanted) Summer With You,” and “Easy to Love.” On top of their original tracks, the band covered Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and the Schoolhouse Rock classic “Conjunction Junction.”
This band is absolutely electric on-stage. Their energy and stage presence command your attention as they play and dance around the stage, using every bit of the space during their performance. Do yourself a favor and see this band live.
Cory Wong
The main act for the evening was Cory Wong. Wong has been an active member of the funk community for well over a decade, performing and recording as a member of Vulpeck, the Fearless Flyers, and even recording some solo material along the way.
Joining Wong on this tour are members of the Fearless Flyers. Guitarist Mark Lettieri, and Eddie Barbash have performed for almost a decade with the Jon Batiste-led Stay Human/the Late Night Band.
In the first set of the evening, Wong and the band performed a mix of songs from his solo efforts (“The Grid Generation,” and “Burning”), the Fearless Flyers (“Assassin” and “Patrouille de France”), and the Mark Lettieri song “Magnetar.”
In the next set, the band was joined by Tema Siegel of Couch. During her two-song set, Siegel sang “Call Me Wild” by Cory Wong, and an incredibly fun cover of “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore, the latter of which resulted in a rowdy sing-along by the crowd.
After Siegel’s performance, the set switched to an acoustic note that Wong and his band introduced on this tour. Accompanied by guitars, bass, bongos, and a cajon (and Barbash on sax for one song), the band launched into acoustic versions of “Introducing the Fearless Flyers,” an instrumental rendition of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years,” and popular track “Bluebird.”
The final part of the main act saw several more songs from Wong’s career. Once concluded, an announcement was made that there would be a press conference shortly.
In one of the most unique moments of the evening (and maybe the year for me), the entire band came out for a press conference. Huddled around a plastic table, the band discussed things that went well (their performance of Reelin’ in the Years) and where they could improve (Lettieri’s guitar not making sound right before the show started) to bring the best show possible on each stop of the tour. The band then proceeded to take questions from the “press” (members of the audience) which made for some really fun moments including recording a video for a school band.
Wong and the band wrapped up the night with Lettieri’s “Gigantactis” and the Fearless Flyers’ “Flyers Direct.” From the moment the band stepped on the stage, they put together an absolutely fantastic evening. The entire band sounded tight and their performances were incredible to watch. They are an absolute must-see live act.
Both bands will continue to tour again in the new year with a European leg. You can find Couch at couchtheband.com and on Instagram @couch.theband. You can find Cory Wong at corywongmusic.com and on Instagram @coryjwong.
All words and photos by Adam Briggs
Article originally published on Ballad Magazine:
https://www.balladmagazine.com/articles/cory-wong-brings-the-fearless-flyers-to-detroit-stop
