by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
To call the power trio Mr. Natural a “cover band” is a misnomer. Yes they play wide range of cover material from Barry White to Motown to classic and modern rock, but the individual players are such advanced musicians, they reinvent the songs by improvising on the themes, making the compositions their own. In other words, MN never plays a song the same way twice. Ray Charles was the most famous proponent of this stylistic way of putting his personal stamp on his material by melding the songs into his own distinctive style. He didn’t write the songs but when he performed them he owned them by making them hits.
Indeed, Mr. Natural is the best bar band on the planet. Everywhere the band plays it gets invited back. This monster trio includes Gregg Chirico on bass and lead vocals, Jimmy Graves on lead guitar, and Frankie Urzetta on drums and vocals. In the past, I’ve lauded Mr. Natural in many feature pieces, but I hadn’t crossed paths with them in almost a year. So, when I visited my good friend Elaine, operating partner at Whitey’s last Thursday night, and I heard them play, I was reminded again that this is the hottest band in the region–maybe the world.
At the gig, Gregg told me they are booked through 2007 and a club in Daytona upped the ante on compensation to get them back again. So, it’s not just me singing Mr. Natural’s praises. Club owners and managers are clambering to get them booked before someone else gets them. They are that exceptional.
Young aspiring musicians can learn much from checking out this band in concert. They are the ultimate professionals. They show up in plenty of time to set up and do a sound check, they carry professional lights, and they manage the band as a business enterprise not a prelude to a drunken party. More significantly, they are all accomplished musicians with impressive resumes. Take the test–check out Mr. Natural and if they are not the hottest bar band you’ve ever heard, then E-mail me and I’ll eat my panama hat.
MN’s material is so improvised, most of the songs are not immediately recognizable until mid-way through the song. Gregg does an uncannily accurate impression of Barry White that blows people’s minds. Of course, (as I’ve stated many times) Jimmy Graves is a guitar avatar of the highest order. He’ got bull chops and amazes me every time I hear him play. His roots go back to touring and recording with Rossington Collins and touring with Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band, when the group took a hiatus in the early 1980s. Jimmy is a guitar idol to many aspiring young players, many of whom have been taught by him. If I decided to start playing again seriously, Jimmy would be the first person I called to get me back up to speed.
Funny, people often ask me why Jimmy didn’t go further into the so called “big time.” Well, he did in his own way. The rigors of the road are not for everyone. Besides, Jimmy has found peace of mind balancing his business interests with playing gigs around the region. He has the best of both worlds. He just wants to play and reinvent electric guitar technique, which, believe me, he does every night MN plays. Every time I witness Jimmy play, I see first time MN watchers (“Jimbies”) jaws drop when they realize they are hearing the best guitarist they have ever witnessed on any level.
When I preach about MN’s musical prowess, it’s gospel. That’s why I don’t mind writing about MN periodically. It’s always a new story, because they just keep on getting better, one upping themselves. Between Gregg’s vocal and bass wizardry, Jimmy’s awesome guitar mastery, and Frankie’s exemplary drumming, this is a tough act to beat–original or cover. Mr. Natural is somewhere in between. Beyond being master musicians, the band members are exciting entertainers, putting on a dynamite show. It doesn’t get any better, I swear!
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