Bodega Annual Christmas at Boxcar Brewing Company 12/23
Words and Photos by Brian Overton
West Chester PA has a long history of great musicians and venues that have been a part of the natural progression of the jam scene. From the old Rex’s bar which hosted bands like The Disco Biscuits and Brother’s Past during their debut eras to The Note that hosted a plethora of famous jambands (Pretty Lights, STS9, The New Deal, Blues Traveler) in the few short years that it operated. After the demise of The Note, local brewers Boxcar Brewing Company have now taken up residency in the very same building and have decided to start serving up the jams again!
One band that stands out as a local West Chester original and favorite is the fun, energetic, and always-funky band BODEGA! Formed by West Chester locals Jeremy Worthington (Blurry Nights, Apache Trails), Nick Bockrath (Cage the Elephant, The Rituals), Steve Lyons (The Rituals) in 2006, the band has also had a rotation of other amazing musicians to supplement their funk. They have shared the stage with many great musicians over the years including Tom Hamilton, Marco Benevento, Eric Slick, and Rick Lowenberg just to name a few as well as many great local musicians. They have graced the stages of festivals and venues up and down the east coast including the All Good Music Festival in 2007 and 2008.
Tonight Bodega reunited at Boxcar Brewing Company for their annual Christmas reunion show. This is a show that friends, families of the band, fans, and the band alike all look forward to each year as it has become a tradition over the past few years. The original trio also brought with them their original saxophone player Max Swan (LP Stiles), guitarist Barney Cortez (The Rituals), and singer Brian Williams (The Blue Method) to share in their funky holiday get down. The evening was an eclectic journey through the soundscapes of many genres, molding and morphing throughout the evening. When you go see Bodega you get to see a little bit of everything, jazz, funk, blues, rock all melded with musical subgenres such as break-beat, house, and even hip hop. The first set brought fans back as the band cruised their way through some of their high-energy funk riddled originals that did not include singer Brian Williams. These instrumental jams got the crowd moving and brought the whole audience to the dance floor with a rhythm section that could move walls. Drummer Jeremy Worthington demonstrated his technical style of drumming fusing so many genres that it would make your head spin while bass player Steve “Steak” Lyons laid down some bass that would blow your mind. Guitarist Nick Bockrath commented through the microphone after saying, “What did Steve just do!? Who are you!?”. The set progressed with powerful guitar tones and rocking solos from both Nick and Barney while saxophonist Max Swan got to spread his wings playing the EWI (Electric Wind Instrument) adding all kinds of funky flavors to their musical soup.
One band that stands out as a local West Chester original and favorite is the fun, energetic, and always-funky band BODEGA! Formed by West Chester locals Jeremy Worthington (Blurry Nights, Apache Trails), Nick Bockrath (Cage the Elephant, The Rituals), Steve Lyons (The Rituals) in 2006, the band has also had a rotation of other amazing musicians to supplement their funk. They have shared the stage with many great musicians over the years including Tom Hamilton, Marco Benevento, Eric Slick, and Rick Lowenberg just to name a few as well as many great local musicians. They have graced the stages of festivals and venues up and down the east coast including the All Good Music Festival in 2007 and 2008.
Tonight Bodega reunited at Boxcar Brewing Company for their annual Christmas reunion show. This is a show that friends, families of the band, fans, and the band alike all look forward to each year as it has become a tradition over the past few years. The original trio also brought with them their original saxophone player Max Swan (LP Stiles), guitarist Barney Cortez (The Rituals), and singer Brian Williams (The Blue Method) to share in their funky holiday get down. The evening was an eclectic journey through the soundscapes of many genres, molding and morphing throughout the evening. When you go see Bodega you get to see a little bit of everything, jazz, funk, blues, rock all melded with musical subgenres such as break-beat, house, and even hip hop. The first set brought fans back as the band cruised their way through some of their high-energy funk riddled originals that did not include singer Brian Williams. These instrumental jams got the crowd moving and brought the whole audience to the dance floor with a rhythm section that could move walls. Drummer Jeremy Worthington demonstrated his technical style of drumming fusing so many genres that it would make your head spin while bass player Steve “Steak” Lyons laid down some bass that would blow your mind. Guitarist Nick Bockrath commented through the microphone after saying, “What did Steve just do!? Who are you!?”. The set progressed with powerful guitar tones and rocking solos from both Nick and Barney while saxophonist Max Swan got to spread his wings playing the EWI (Electric Wind Instrument) adding all kinds of funky flavors to their musical soup.
For the second set, the band brought out surprise guest singer Brian Williams (The Blue Method). This set was a set filled with covers that allowed the band the ability to show yet even more diversity in their musical repertoire. The set seemed to pay tribute to great musicians who have passed touching on covers by artists such as Prince, Bowie, and Leon Russell. Also thrown in the mix were covers by greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and by Stevie Wonder. If you have never heard Brian Williams sing, he has a voice that will not soon be forgotten. We all have seen/heard Purple Rain covered many times by many bands in the past year but I can guarantee you have never heard one like the one performed by Brian Williams and Bodega!
All in all, the BODEGA holiday reunion show was one filled with friends, families, and fans enjoying drinks, dancing, laughing, and having a down-right amazing time to great music provided by an awesome band. These are all the things that the holidays should really be all about. Although West Chester has a historic and diverse music scene, there are certain bands that will stand out with pride to locals and BODEGA is definitely one of them. So, next year if you are looking to get funky during the holidays to an amazing local band, we will see you at BODEGA’s holiday reunion show in West Chester!
All in all, the BODEGA holiday reunion show was one filled with friends, families, and fans enjoying drinks, dancing, laughing, and having a down-right amazing time to great music provided by an awesome band. These are all the things that the holidays should really be all about. Although West Chester has a historic and diverse music scene, there are certain bands that will stand out with pride to locals and BODEGA is definitely one of them. So, next year if you are looking to get funky during the holidays to an amazing local band, we will see you at BODEGA’s holiday reunion show in West Chester!
