The Stephen Neeper Band won Round 2 of the Times Musicians Showcase pic

  • Brian Chilson
  • The Stephen Neeper Band won Round 2 of the Times Musicians Showcase.

The Stephen Neeper Band played the middle slot of the evening at Round 2 of the Times Musicians Showcase, winning the Round and advancing to the March 1 finals. The five-piece absolutely slayed, with a ridiculously tight set of amped-up blues rock that drew from points all along the history of the genre, from the funky shuffle of late-’70s, “Some Girls”-era Stones to the swaggering-yet-soulful stomp of early Black Crowes. Oh, and then there’s the guitar-god shredding of frontman Stephen Neeper, which was pure, blistering six-string madness.

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Judge Grayson Shelton wrote, “Good transition, great stage show. You can tell they play a shit-ton of shows.” He also noted that “it’s the Stephen Neeper Band, but every musician is solid, great collection of musicians top-to-bottom.”

Guest judge Rodney Block appreciated the “great outros/intros — love your transitions between one selection to the next.” He noted “overall great stage energy — it counts to make the audience feel like a part of the performance.”

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Judge Mandy McBryde wrote, “Gigantic. These guys are doin’ it right,” while CT summed it up succinctly: “Nailed it. Bad ass. Thank you.”

More photos and a video after the jump.

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