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Con Brio-The Pocket, Santa Cruz CA


  • The Pocket 3102 Portola Dr Santa Cruz, CA, 95062 United States (map)

Known for their fiery live shows, Con Brio is a living, evolving testament to the power of soul.  Fronted by 21-year-old phenom Ziek McCarter — a charismatic, undeniably gifted showman whose stage presence calls to mind the magnetism of a young Michael Jackson or James Brown — the band’s sound traces a clear lineage from the dirty funk, blues, and psychedelic legacy of Bay Area legends like Sly and the Family Stone, with a nod toward ‘90s neo-soul trailblazers like D’Angelo, but with an eye to the future: A drive for experimentation, for pushing their high technical ability higher, for reaching beyond the familiar —  approaching a deep R&B groove, a hard-rock guitar solo, or the warm peal of a Hammond organ with an ambitious, progressive sensibility.

All of which is to say: They throw one hell of a dance party.