Low Cut Connie + Ruby Boots Great Scott October 17, 2018
When Ruby Boots stepped to the front of the stage and her band stepped back so she could sing “I Am A Woman” a capella, the crowd at Great Scott hushed up. We were with her. And we were with her not just because she has a great voice or because it’s a powerful song, but because she was putting on an incredible set.
Her songs feel more punk-influenced live than on her studio recordings, but maybe that was just because she is a badass, and badassery comes across more clearly in person than through speakers or headphones. Ruby has an incredible sense of melody and lyricism too, and it was these qualities that led the person behind to just keep saying over and over after her set, “I love Ruby Boots.” She puts on a great show and her band is tight and soulful. “Don’t Talk About It” was another highlight, with many people in the crowd singing along. Ruby has a great way of interacting with the audience, bringing people in and engaging them directly. She ended her set with “Believe in Heaven,” and we all wished she had two or three more songs to play.
Low Cut Connie just straight up does not mess around. During the change-over, they moved monitors out of the way so Adam Weiner’s piano, Shondra, could be right at the edge of the stage. Adam slaps hands, messes up hair, takes and wears fans’ hats, and runs through the crowd giving hugs. I saw Low Cut Connie at Newport, and that was raucous, but Great Scott is the type of place that they thrive–the crowd packs in, everybody knows the words, and the band feeds off the energy, building something sweaty and beautiful together. When some well-intentioned fans bought Adam a drink, they tried to put in on Shondra for him, but ended up spilling the drink all over the piano. Adam shrugged it off, and just grabbed a towel, wiping off the keys as he played. There’s not a lot of banter at a Low Cut Connie show, they just keep going and keep the energy high.
Occasionally, the “anything goes” attitude goes a little awry. There was one wookie-looking dude who couldn’t hold his liquor who seemed to think that if he just pushed up hard enough on the women enjoying the show that they’d be interested in him. A message to men: don’t do that. And it doesn’t matter if you look like a wookie or you look like a Greek god. Don’t do that. But, also, men: don’t let other men do this. It’s not alright, it never has been. Speak up, get in the way, check in, don’t be a bystander to that kind of crap.
Back to the music. In interviews, Adam talks a lot about tension and release and one of the best examples of that is how they deliver “Shake it Little Tina.” Saundra Williams starts off the song, leading the crowd in a slow-groove sing-a-long of “Shake it little Tina, shake it little Tina, shake it little Tina, nooooowww.” Everybody joins in. Everybody. It builds and builds and by the time Adam comes in with the first line, the whole place is ready to blow. For me, that song was the turning point of the set, where from front to back, everybody was locked in. “Big Thighs, New Jersey,” was another high point, and, “Boozophilia,” had everyone singing along loudly. But if I could go back in time to this night, it would be to hear Saundra sing, “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down,” again. Oh my good Lord, it was everything. She took us to church, my friends.
The thing that enables Low Cut Connie to reach such heights in their live show is how expertly they use silence or a break in the music to focus attention and energy. It’s the moment when Adam is on top of the piano or leaning into the crowd and they come to a dead-stop halt before coming back with twice as much energy. It’s the moment when he sings, with a cacophonous build up, “Me and the boys are going to Rio,” and then bam, everything stops. Breathing deep and looking people dead in the eye, Adam starts it up again. It’s that tension-building that creates the whole sense that you can let loose and join the party.
Low Cut Connie is on tour through most of November and is hosting a hometown New Year’s Eve celebration at the Trocadero, in Philadelphia. (God, that’ll be good.) Ruby Boots joins LCC for those shows through November, so get there early for her set, because it’s damn good. And, if you missed our conversation with Adam of LCC earlier this summer, check it out here.