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An all-you-can-eat helping of good music by Kevin Langston Encore Editor Several packed their way into Pavlov’s in Five Points on Friday night to see Shits and Giggles and Irene’s Kitchen blend their sounds into somewhat of a review of several influences and genres. Shits and Giggles packed several members on the stage and displayed their ability to several lengthy jams. They covered songs by Bob Dylan, the Talking Heads and the Grateful Dead. Without missing a beat, Shits and Giggles provided a 90 minute prelude to the night’s headliner, Irene’s Kitchen. In their final song, Shits and Giggles continued playing as members left, one at a time. As one would leave, a member of Irene’s Kitchen would take the stage to fill his spot and continue the song. Finally, all of Shits and Giggles were off the stage, and Irene’s Kitchen had the attention of the crowded club. For the next two-and-a-half hours, Irene’s Kitchen, made of brothers Matt and Rob Williams, Justin Banks, Hartman Meehan, Matthew Bridges and Juliette Niel, would take the packed club on a journey through some of Amercia’s most recog nizable sounds and genres. To start things off, they covered Stevie Won der’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman.” Matt jovially danced around the stage with a tambourine that broke later in the song. It was a fitting way to start a show that would cover many genres of music. The performance was laced with many fine and diverse covers like the Grateful Dead’s “Brown Eyed Women,” Van Morrison’s “And It Stoned Me,” “Rikki Tikki Tavi,” The Beatles’ “Ballad of John and Yoko,” the Rolling Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue” _ the Velvet Undeiground’s “Cool It Down, and 1 he race s Ooh La La.” Though the songs they chose to cover are familiar to the seri ous music lover, they are typi cally not covered by many bands. Irene’s Kitchen didn’t hesitate to play what they wanted by their favorite and most influential artists. But not to be a strict cover band, they also played a vast amount of original and new material, as well. “Barnyard Girl,” “Blue Eyes,” “Cold Winds of Alberta” and “Urban Decay” come from their album The Trav eling Salvation Music Show. Some newer songs they played were “The Train That Wrecked My Life” and “Miss New Or leans.” The sound of Irene’s Kitchen cannot be easi ly categorized. Some would call it the “golden sounds of the South,” but that would highly limit the range of Irene’s Kitchen. The Williams broth ers and company pull from many genres and artists. They have been compared to as many great bands as The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, The Band, Bob Dylan, Wdco, Widespread Panic and the Grateful Dead. While these comparisons are flattering in their own right, they do not fully explain the sound of Irene’s Kitchen. In talking with Matt, you can tell that he is en thusiastic and open-minded to several types of mu sic. He can keep you guessing when he runs off a list of his most influential artists and bands. In one song, Irene’s Kitchen could be pulling sounds from the early Motown movement, and in the next, they could be paying tribute to Woody Guthrie or Gram Parsons. Ranging from bluegrass, country, soul, Americana or straightforward rock ‘n’ roll, Irene’s Kitchen welcomes all styles and genres in a process that blends, mixes and com bines them to make a distinct sound that is pure and moving. Irene’s Kitchen throws all these styles and el ements into their show, and you can tell they are enjoying themselves. They love the artists that in spire them, and they love the music they play. But do not mistake Irene’s Kitchen for a sim ple cover band. While they can pull from an ex tensive catalog of cover songs, they can also daz zle you with many original songs. In their viigwuu umicuui, i'luu V.UUJ v/u the songwriting style of his fa vorite songwriter, Bob Dylan. Matt says he likes to tell stories with his music. He wants each song to have a clear beginning and end. Irene’s Kitchen cares for theii songs and for the presentation ol them, and when mixed into their live show, it is tough to dis tinguish their material with the covers. The pure content of their mu sic is powerful and rich with thought and talent. The term one man band can be applied to a per son who can provide the neces sary talents for all the instruments in a band. I think the term one band show should be applied to Irene’s Kitchen simply because they can satisfy the tastes and pref erences of many music fans. They are a complete package, and to hear their performance is only part of the experience. Their stage show is quite entertaining and the per feet accompaniment to their sound Matt has a stage presence tha minors a combination of Mick Jag ger, Micheal Stipe and Iggy Pop He rarely stands still unless he is delivering another verse into the microphone. He lejs the music dic tate his behavior, setting an example for the rest of the band and the audience. It’s always refreshing to see a band that obviously enjoys what thej^do and what they play, and Irene’s Kitchen is this type of band. Each member not only excelled in his individual role, but they provided an attitude and spirit that was undeniably strong and convincing that night. To Matt’s right was his older brother, Rob, who provided a flawless performance as the lead gui tarist. It was fun to turn your head away from Matt every now and again to catch Rob in his element. He could deliver a powerful and clean solo, and his range on the instrument was incredible. Just when you thought he was a good guitanst, he would pull out the harmonica and wail on it for a spell or two. Then you knew you were watching a true mu sician, one who knew what-he was doing and how to do it. To Matt’s left on the stage was backup vocal ist Juliette Niel. Her smooth, beautiful voice was the perfect complement to Matt’s. Like Matt, she was never completely still on the stage. If she was n’t laughing at Matt’s onstage antics, she was con tributing to the song’s vocal arrangements. To prove that she was more than the typical backup singer, she would put down Matt’s joking passes at her, putting him in his place. Watching them interact was almost as entertaining as listening to her sing. . Kitchen see page 4 Photos By Robert Fleming The Gamecock (Top left) Lead singer Matt Williams looks to organist Justin Banks as lead guitarist Rob Williams performs a harmonica solo. (Bottom left) Bassist Hartman Meehan and drummer Matthew Bridges make up the rhythm sec tion of Irene’s Kitchen. (Above) Juliette Niel provides backup vocals and watches as Matt pours out another song. Irene’s Kitchen played Pavlov’s on Friday night