Photos / Recap: JC Brooks & Uptown Sound @ Cubby Bear 3/28/14

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound may be the most versatile band on the Chicago scene.  Judging from list of stages they've graced over the last few months -- from Montrose Room to the Metro and from North Coast to Taste Of Randolph -- their appeal extends far and wide, and they are leaving a trail of excited fans in their wake.

It's no surprise, the band's edgy yet accessible sound combines soulful hooks and sweet sounding vocals with a raw instrumental underpinning.  Now they can add another venue in their portfolio… the resurgent Cubby Bear, who along with 93XRT presented a concert featuring The Uptown Sound and Lowdown Brass Band under the "Back To Baseball" moniker.  Located in the shadow of Wrigley Field, the March 28th show marked a return to the baseball season for the longstanding club, and demonstrated that the club has upped its own game in bookings at the begging of it's high season.

The band threw down versions of some of the standouts from their latest release Howl.  Of particular note, JC's impassioned vocals on "Rouse Yourself" and  the wild, danceable groove of "Before You Die".

In the end, Cubby Bear fans became another crowd of converts, staying engaged through the they band's closing number "Baltimore Is The New Brooklyn".  The Barn's Rickie Kostiner was on hand to capture the spirit of the evening in the following gallery.