What does a band do when the lead singer loses his or her voice? Most o the time, there’ a scramble to find someone to fill in Friday night, not only was Rae of Rae and The Royal Peacock out sick but the bassist, Harold Patillo, was out, too. Luckily, Darryl Lee, one of the best bassists around and a backbone of the Atlanta music scene, was there to fill in for Harold. Darryl’s infectious smile automatically makes you feel you’re going to have a blast! And Ira Malkin of The Vipers agreed to handle vocals and play harmonica as well. So the lineup was Danny Vinson on lead guitar, Ira Malkin on vocals and harmonica, Art McNaughton on drums, Darryl Lee on bass, and Valerie Water on keyboards

Naturally, we missed Rae (Rebecca Easley-Eaton) and Harold, but one of the great adventures in live music i the opportunity to watch true pros adapt and rise when the occasion demands it These peacocks and a Viper not only rose, they stretched, playing extended jams on nearly every song, It was a joy to hear as each musician excelled on the jazzy blues numbers they delivered.

As most of my readers know, I can only stay for one set as I tire easily and cannot sit for too long, so I don’t know what we missed in the second set. I can only tell you that we were enthralled with the first act, which sounded flawless to me And on 2 days’ notice!

It was also good to be back at Darwin’s. Delicious food and drink and great music – who could ask for more?

Kudos to the Peacocks, Darryl Lee and Ira Malkin for providing a great show!