Robert Jon And The Wreck/Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast -
The Junction, Cambridge, Friday, 22nd September 2023
With only a day or so to go, I knew nothing about Robert Jon and The Wreck. Amazingly I knew even less about Caitlin and the… so after a quick foray into YouTube I discovered a bit about Robert, but with limited time nothing about the support band. This was going to make the night at the Cambridge very interesting, I had squeezed a bit of information in but I really was up the Junction!
So, with very little time to get acquainted with either band this is what I found out; Robert Jon & the Wreck are an American five-piece Blues/Southern Rock Band. They formed in Orange County, California in 2011 and the ensemble has released several albums and toured extensively. I am partial to the Blues so I was quite excited.
Set List: Half Asleep/Blue Heron/Haunted/Devil On Your Side/Operator/Led Blood/Rock ‘n’ Roll (Led Zeppelin Cover).
Caitlin Krisko and The Broadcast remained a mystery, but that mystery soon evaporated as they, or should I say she, hit the stage, Wow! What a powerhouse Soul/Blues performer, Singer, Caitlin is! The Broadcast backed her well but Caitlin really dominated proceedings.
From opener ‘Half Asleep’ to closer, a cover of Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll, C.K and The Broadcast were excellent. Another bonus for me was how photogenic Caitlin was. The rest of the band were quite static but she moved and grooved continuously, her voice was impressive as well.
Although Caitlin dominated the stage visually, Guitarist, Aaron Austin played well and really looked the part. Bass player William Seymour helped me at the beginning of the show by turning and holding the set list round so I could get a clear photo and underpinned the sounds with suitably solid bass lines.
Drummer, Michael W. Davis provided the drum beats. I have to ask was Tyler Householder there? If he was, I never saw him. I thoroughly recommend this group, so check them out and give them a listen. Oh they are from Asheville, North Carolina. Established in 2021.
Set List: Pain No More/Do You Remember/High Time/Don’t Look Down/Bring Me Back Home Again/Blame It On The Whiskey/Hey Hey Mama/Stone Cold Killer/Oh Miss Carolina/Who Can You Love/Cold Night/Last Light On The Highway Part 1 & 2.
The Junction had been warmed up very nicely indeed now it was time for the headliners. When The Broadcast came on stage Caitlin was absent, then suddenly she appeared bringing her craft and stage presence. Robert Jon and The Wreck could not have been more different. All the members kind of sauntered on, unfussily. Robert Jon Burrison giving his guitar a last second tweak before they got going.
Henry James (Schneekluth - must be some kind of nickname), quickly showed us that he was up there with the Rock Gods as he preened, posed, and played with panache and power. Organist, Jake Abernathie was a mane of wild hair which flowed like the sounds of his organ, Andrew Espantman, the band's Drummer provided backing vocals and the required rhythm, that along with Bassist, Warren Murrel held it all together nicely.
Frontman, Robert was kind of stoic in his hat as he led the Wreck through a Southern Blues set that produced some great dancing as the Junction. We were treated to a night of Skynyrdish sounds that entertained with quality and style. The Wreck have released several albums since 2011, their most recent being the acclaimed ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’ (2021).
It is difficult to pick one song as the night passed by so quickly, the sound was great, the atmosphere put a smile on your face. As I said at the beginning, I was unfamiliar with both support and headliner but it was a night to remember and both bands are of such class that I need to get to know them better and so do you.
By Paul Mace