Listening to Con Brio takes me back to Polk St, San Francisco circa 2010-2013. Back then Polk Street had three small yet mighty music venues (The Hemlock, Kimos and The Red Devil Lounge). When checking out their weekly lineups, I began to see the name “Con Brio” pop up. As the years came and went, Con Brio climbed the ladder from small to midsize 300 / 500 capacity clubs. To see where they are today is truly special. A testament to their hard work and talent.

Scream At It is the band’s fourth full-length album, blending Oakland soul, Motown, rock n roll, with a touch of early 80’s dance pop.

There are three tracks that caught my attention for the range they offer. Sweet horn lines and a toe tapping swing to ‘Fancy Shoes’ radiate Oakland soul.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is the upbeat and driving ‘Close The Gap’. This single is drenched in rock n roll. A perfect song to play at full volume in a speeding car on the highway while blowing past the world.

The heavy hitter of the LP is ‘Traunch’ and its slow chugging ways. When ‘Traunch’ is performed live, I hope the venue turns the lights down low. This single is straight up dirty. Gritty guitars, loud cymbals and towering vocals all played at max intensity is exactly what I look for in my rock n roll. I’ll take two please.

CON BRIO LIVE DATES:

SEP 22 FRI – The Guild Theatre – Menlo Park, CA w/ Galactic

SEP 29 FRI – Zion Canyon Music Festival 2023 – Springdale, UT

OCT 14 SAT – Smiley’s Schooner Saloon & Hotel – Bolinas, CA

Find Con Brio on Facebook | Instagram | Youtube

By Izzy The Gent

Bay Area music veteran Izzy The Gent produces alternative new wave post punk out of East Oakland with his collaborative band Everything But The Everything. The EBTE website has a blog feel with blurbs and excerpts about the artists and musicians who have contributed to the project. To further hone his writing skills, Izzy started to write small reviews for bands on his Instagram, and now has taken the leap to a music blogs.

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