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Live Review | Reignwolf at Cafe 939

Steve Benoit

Steve Benoit

— 4 min read

Photos by Boston Concert Photography

[W]hen I first saw videos of Reignwolf (a.k.a. Jordan Cook) performing live on KEXP, my first thought was “So much soul, emotion and stage presence for someone so young.” That was quickly followed by, “He’s literally beating the tar out of his guitar and it sounds amazing.”

As it turns out, this “kid” has been hailed by many as one of the best guitarists in the world and he’s no stranger to being on stage. It seems Jordan Cook has had an axe in his hands since before he could jump (something which he’s obviously gotten the hang of, given his performance). He came up sharing the stage with the likes of B.B. King, Van Morrison, Edgar Winter, and The Tragically Hip. All of which can be seen and heard in Cook’s newest incarnation – Reignwolf.

I don’t think anyone can say it better than NPR already has, when they said he’d “wrenched every wailing chord from (his guitar’s) guts.” Cook literally plays everything on stage. Guitar, electric mandolin, drums of all kinds, microphone stands… you name it. By the end of the set, Cook and bandmates were drenched in the sweat that comes with putting on a Rage Against the Machine type performance. The thing is, they were playing the blues-inspired riffs of a pretty original kind of rock. Consider this sentence a confirmation that the combination of those two things works.

The set time was pretty much perfect. After about 40 minutes of the back and forth of Cook playing solo and his band joining him to toss their heads up and down violently, everyone in the always-intimate Cafe 939 had their faces sufficiently melted. Concluding the show with a very humble thanks and an all out brawl of an encore (see the clip “Neighbors” below), the Saskatoon native and his cohorts retired to the backstage area briefly before meeting fans, appreciatively shaking hands and posing for pictures.

I’m not sure you could ask for much more from a free show.

Catch this meteor as it screams through your city. I’m looking right at you New York.
Tour details right here.

Reignwolf on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Soundcloud

Reignwolf – Old Man
[youtube]http://youtu.be/M6eDqJ6VWW4[/youtube]

Reignwolf – Neighbors
[youtube]http://youtu.be/6bPrD_GjYj0[/youtube]

Photos:

 

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