New Orlean's very own Stoop Kids, stoop chilled once more on One Eyed Jack's stage this Saturday night closing up the spookiest of weekends in the city with a sure explosion of energy. Stoop Kids' sound puts soul, psychedelic pop, hip-hop, skit-scat, rock, and jazz into a blender and garnishes it with high energy performance. The energy of the crowd did not permit swaying as an acceptable dance move; rather attendees were entranced in a tunnel-vision like state with our attention utterly held by the colorful performance unraveling before our eyes. We moved as if in front of the mirror in one's britches with only one's eyes and teddy bear for an audience. Sam the bassist, also named by attendees as the M.C. or personal hype man, kept energy in the dancing crowd buzzing at at least 150 beats per minute (intensity of dancing equivalent to heart rate during slow jog).
The stoop kids declared that the stage be more than a simple platform. They used the entire One Eye Jack's venue to perform. As tethered to the stage only by the chord attaching the microphone to the amplifier Griffin Dean, main singer & professional (charming) klutz, leapt from Jack's stage in something resembling a Kung Fu kick into the enchanted crowd. While singing, Dean took a lap around the circular bar in the center of the venue as if he were an incredibly talented puppy running around the dining room table during a thunderstorm. The unique place the band sets for improvisation in their songs allows each show to be especially curated for the individual crowd. In his own words Griffin Dean claimed (referencing Brittany Howard), he felt something in the New Orleans crowd that "I ain't ever felt before."
The brotherly love of Stoop Kids offers a feeling of timeless nostalgia. There is a wholesomeness one comes into contact with while lost in the rush of the crowd, pulled back to reality only by peeking over one's shoulder to find a loved one - also - dancing their face off. The boys create a sense of comradery which they happily extend to a younger band in the New Orleans music scene, Jank Setup. According to bassist, Sam, "it (was) really awesome to work with musicians we genuinely enjoy." Main percussionist for Jank Setup, Ethan May, replies that "the show we put on was really electric" and that Jank is "sending our love right back!" The next time Stoop Kids return to New Orleans, their performance is a theatrical extravaganza you cannot afford to miss. Check out their latest release "Watch T.V" here.