Friends of the Brothers LIVE! at SOPAC

By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery

Dreams of hearing an authentic revival of ’60s and ’70s Southern Rock are about to come true inside South Orange, NJ’s SOPAC auditorium this Saturday, September 7, 2024 evening as music lovers prepare themselves for a sold-out performance by the Allman Brothers tribute band, Friends of the Brothers.

The Allman Brothers Band was established in 1969 by guitarist Duane Allman and vocalist/keyboardist Gregg Allman, along with guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johnny Johanson, also known as Jaimoe. Following the release of the group’s 1971 live album, At Fillmore East, the band’s success blossomed with such critically and commercially acclaimed recordings as Eat a Peach and Brothers and Sisters despite the tragic loss of founding members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.

Backstage at SOPAC, Friends of the Brothers’ drummer, Lee Finkelstein — an Allman Brothers’ fan who has worked with such well-known artists as Tower of Power and The Blues Brothers — talks about his early years as a musician, recalling, “When I was four years old, I was banging on pots and pans. My father had been a drummer when he was younger and he heard me playing and thought there might be something there. The guy who lived across the hall from us in Queens was a ‘weekend warrior’ musician so my father asked him, ‘Do you see anything here?’ He said he did and he ended up teaching me basic drum rudiments. After that, throughout elementary school and junior high I played in band and orchestra and eventually started playing gigs in high school, too.”

“As a teenager I started listening to The Allman Brothers and became a huge fan,” continues Finkelstein. “I lived with their records — I knew every note on Eat a Peach and At Fillmore East — and I could sing every solo and play every drum beat. When I’d come home from school, I’d put the records on and play to them. Now, move ahead 50 years and I’m playing with Jaimoe — the drummer of one of my major influences of my whole life, The Allman Brothers — and I hear this lick and I feel that I’m back in my room in ninth grade, but when I look over, the guy who played that lick on the record is playing it right next to me! There were four or five times that night when I had to do everything in my power to hold it in because I was losing it — I thought I was gonna wail like a baby — the joy was so unbelievable!”

Concludes Finkelstein, “It’s a honor to play the songs of The Allman Brothers because the music is timeless — it means so much to me and so much to other people — and to do it authentically and with the right vibe is a priceless thing; it’s really special. I’m blessed that I get to do this so people can continue to enjoy this music all over again.”

Inside the packed SOPAC auditorium, the lights dim and executive director Lana Rogachevskaya welcomes tonight’s audience. She introduces the Friends of the Brothers — keyboardist Mike Katzman; guitarists Andy Aledort, Junior Mack, and Alan Paul; bassist Roy DeJesus; and drummers Shawn Murray and Lee Finkelstein — who make their way onto the stage to avid cheers and applause.

“Thank you for the lovely welcome and thank you for coming out!” announces guitarist Alan Paul as the group opens tonight’s Allman Brothers’ set with “Revival.”

Guitarist Junior Mack’s soulful voice handles the lead vocal and the audience happily claps and sings along on the song’s universal “People can you feel it/Love is everywhere” message.

Guitarist Andy Aledort introduces the next number, “Statesboro Blues,” and toes tap and heads bob in the audience as Mack soulfully sings, “Wake up momma/Turn your lamp down low.”

Mike Katzman solos on the organ and Aledort and Mack duel on their guitars to avid hoots and hollers from the crowd.

On an arrangement which features Aledort playing slide guitar, Katzman sings lead on the funky Southern rocker, “Don’t Keep Me Wondering.”

Mack handles the lead on the bluesy “Done Somebody Wrong” before Katzman solos up and down the keyboard and Aledort solos on slide guitar.

Aledort explains that when he worked for ten years playing with Allman Brothers founding member Dickey Betts, they always played a special extended intro on “Blue Sky” in honor of The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Following this extended introduction and the bouyant “You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day” chorus, Aladort renders a thoughtful and soaring guitar solo.

Junior Mack’s full voice is featured on the 6/8 ballad, “Stormy Monday.” After wailing, “They call it stormy Monday/But Tuesday’s just as bad,” Mack plays a bluesy guitar solo which brings cheers from the crowd and Katzman plays a upbeat swirling organ solo after the band shifts into a faster tempo.

Strong vocals ring out on “Midnight Rider” as the Friends soulfully cry, “Not gonna let ’em catch me, no/Not gonna let ’em catch the midnight rider,” before guitars ring out to enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Alan Paul reveals that Gregg Allman once played a solo rendition of his song, “Come and Go Blues,” on guitar for him during an interview. Suggesting the number has “a message everyone can relate to,” Paul and the group perform this rhythmic number from The Allman Brothers’ Brothers and Sisters recording.

Paul reveals that Gregg Allman wrote the group’s next song when he was only 20 years and that it was the only tune Gregg ever wrote on a Hammond B3 organ. On the Friends’ interpretation of “Dreams,” Mack soulfully sings, “Just one more mornin’/I had to wake up with the blues,” and Aledort plays a lyrical guitar solo on this mystical composition in 6/8 time.

Music lovers stand and dance to the infectious rhythm of the free-flowing Southern rock instrumental, “Jessica,” where Katzman, Aledort, and Mack are all featured playing solos to enthusiastic whistles and applause.

The crowd stands and cheers, and Paul responds, “Thank you very much! We appreciate you coming out,” before adding, “‘Jessica’ is one of the happiest songs ever written!” At this point, fans in the crowd surprise Paul by calling out “Happy birthday” to him, and the Friends respond by having concertgoers join them in singing “Happy Birthday” to Paul.

For an encore, the band performs a dynamic rendition of “Whipping Post” where audience members move to the music while Mack soulfully wails, “Sometimes I feel/Sometimes I feel/Like I’ve been tied to the whippin’ post,” and Mack and Aledort duet as the arrangement builds in intensity and music lovers applaud on their feet.

“Thank you very much!” replies Paul as the Friends take a well-deserved bow in front of the standing and cheering crowd.

To learn more about the Friends of the Brothers, please go to friendsofthebrothersband.com. For info on the group’s upcoming December 18, 2024 performance at The Homestead in Morristown, NJ, please go to https://events.liveit. For information on future performances at SOPAC — including Suzanne Vega on September 28, The Lionel Hampton Big Band on October 1, and the Simon and Garfunkel Songbook starring Aztec Two Step 2.0 on October 6 — please go to sopacnow.org.