Anthony Geraci

Anthony Geraci
Live At The Arts Garage – Delray Beach, FL

By Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © October 2024

If you’ve never spent an extended amount of time in Florida during the rainy season, no one will be able to accurately describe to you how treacherous the rainstorms we get can actually be. As a matter of fact, any attempt at even being close to accurate would sound like an exaggeration. That said, on the night of the Anthony Geraci concert, we almost had an “I don’t care how much these tickets cost or how good this show is going to be, I am not risking my life and going out in this crap” kind of rain, thunder and lightning storm with tornado warnings. Notice I said almost. That’s because the Arts Garage was literally packed with a bunch of us lunatics who were not missing this show no matter what, and by night’s end, the reward was indeed worth the risk.

Having been a fan of Anthony’s for many years from, listening to him on recordings by Sugar Ray and The Bluetones; Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters; many of those other players who came from that big roomful of monster artists; right up to Fifty Shades Of Blue – his killer debut release on Delta Groove back in 2015; I was well aware of his massive musical talent. As a matter of fact, I even remember seeing him get a rousing ovation after a raucous boogie-woogie solo performance on that dusty ol’ piano at the Shack Up Inn at Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale, MS some years back.

All that said, tonight was a whole different ballgame. This was Anthony Geraci, the pianist, singer, songwriter, storytelling, band leader and his band with Barrett Anderson on guitar and vocals; Tom Terry on bass and vocals; and Fort Lauderdale’s own, Krister Landiver on drums.

To say tonight’s show was absolutely mesmerizing would be a gross understatement and I think I only need two words to tell you why – instrument and venue. Prior to the show Anthony – who knew that the last time I saw him with an ensemble similar to this was at a noisy venue where the music often comes in fourth to drinking, eating and talking and he was playing a portable electric piano – said to me – “Wait until you hear me in this room on this piano”. Man, did he know what he was talking about. In a room where the audience comes to listen and not talk, you could pretty much hear a pin drop. It appeared that Anthony was enjoying telling stories about his songs, his storied past long before the The Bluetones’ days; his friends and family; etc; as much as the audience was enjoying hearing them. That’s how and when magic happens. As for that fabulous piano, the Arts Garage needs to give its tuner a raise.

Musically the show was masterful, and the band was flawless. Barrett, besides being a killer blues guitarist is quite the lead singer himself; Tom is one of those go to bassists that you may have seen with several other touring bands – because he’s that good; and Krister – who had just met the rest of the guys an hour before the show – received constant praise from Anthony for learning his music and fitting in like a glove. The songs consisted of a good mix of some covers and some original tracks from Anthony’s three other releases.

BTW, if you’d like to read my review of his last release titled Tears In My Eyes, just click this – link….. https://www.mary4music.com/CD102.html#CDAnthonyGeraci4

With four releases and a few Blues Music Awards to his credit, the Anthony Geraci brand is well underway. To find out more about Anthony, his quite impressive biography, his massive discography, and a whole lot more, check him out at – www.anthonygeraciblue.com. When you do, please tell him his good friend the Blewzzman sent you.

Photos: Chris Schmitt