POKEY LAFARGE
Unlike the other two local groups at LouFest, Pokey LaFarge played the festival’s main stage and proved his act deserved to be there with a confident, raucous performance to one of the largest crowds of the weekend. Pokey & Co. have been rambling along across the globe for years now, and if you’re not familiar with their brand of countrified, hot jazz originals and standards, please take note — Riverfront Times spoke in-depth with LaFarge after the release of his fourth album, Something in the Water, earlier this year. Experienced studio players and festival circuit standbys in the U.S., Europe and Canada, its members are no strangers to this kind of thing. But that doesn’t mean it’s routine.
“It’s certainly not any other gig,” said LaFarge after the performance. “Every show can be different, but a festival’s different than an indoor show. It’s not so much based around listening, so you really have to bring the energy to keep people engaged. You’ve got pretty ladies walking by, the beautiful day, you’ve got other stages going on. You have to bring a different approach.”
In front of a huge hometown crowd, LaFarge knows there are special circumstances to take into account.
“The fact that it’s a local show also just kind of makes it a special occasion,” he said. “I think what makes it a different show for us and me in terms of preparation, is also that you know that there’s going to be a number of people that have seen you perform before. And that’s becoming a nice challenge, actually.
“You have to continue and try to do different things. I’m also a person that wants to play new songs a lot, but I’m also hesitant to do that currently — play new songs in the current format — just because I want to save that for records to come. So you mess with the old songs you’ve been playing with for a while so that they’re new.”
LaFarge and his seven-piece group gave a command performance. He was full-throated, sure of himself and constantly engaging the crowd. The horn section blew a wide emotional range, from angry to sweet or funny — some of the melodies literally made the crowd laugh, as if they’re being told a joke. Ryan Koenig (harmonica, vocals and washboard) elicited roars of applause with his lightning lip-work. His homemade, Inspector Gadget-inspired washboard breastplate clinked and clanked in time with all manner of apparatus. If he and the band’s music is outside of the mainstream of the festival, Pokey’s not concerned.
“I don’t really want to represent any kind of style. I certainly don’t attempt to, because my music is always changing and is going to change even more in the next year or two. You have plans, but some things aren’t planned, it has to be natural.
“With that being said, people have only a fraction of my creative side and my voice. It’s been successful, whatever it is I’ve done, but I do want to get involved and get deeper — even more so now that people think they have my classified in this certain thing. I’d want to work even harder to come become even more original and break those classifications down.”
So is LaFarge ready to head back to the studio? What’s next?
“The act evolves, the show evolves, the music evolves, we evolve as people, and it’s important to stay in tune with all that," he said. "Next year we’re taking a lot of time off. This year’s been insane, a lot of shows. So next year’s going to be only like 50 shows the whole year with festivals — writing and recording the whole year, a new record — and really just taking time off and trying to be a regular schmo. Ride my bike, work out, eat right, spend time with family, do all the stuff I never have time to do… And watch a lot of ballgames!”
