The Congress has not only been productive during its sessions this year but it also did such great work that when it reaches the people it will surely make everybody smile with approval.
The quartet played July 10 in the Crystal Bay Casino’s Red Room for the eighth time.
This Congress, obviously not the one from Washington, D.C., is based in Denver after spreading its rock ‘n’ roll roots from Richmond, Virginia. Its last Red Room show was Saturday, April 4, 2015 as the after-party at the conclusion of the North Mississippi Allstars-Anders Osborne Crown Room concert.
The 5-year-old band recently cut its first original album in three years, and its goal is to have it available to the public in September.
“We are taking our time with this one and having a lot of conversations with people and seeing what the possibilities are because we’re in a much better place now than when we released our last original record,” said guitarist Scott Lane. “It feels like a coming out, of sorts, because … it’s really like the first time, (we are saying), ‘Here’s our sound. Here’s what we sound like,’ and we actually have that chemistry on a record. We are taking our time and making sure we are doing this one right.”
A versatile band with undeniable talent, the Congress live is apt to play a jammy Grateful Dead cover or go into an Impressions or Roberta Flack tune that shows off the soulful voice of its red-bearded bass player in a ballcap, Jonathan Meadows. He sings like an angel onstage and swears like a sailor offstage.
“I get the same reaction all over the place,” Meadows told Tahoe Onstage before the Congress’ 2014 appearance at the lake. “A lot of times people don’t believe it’s me singing or I don’t know what the hell they think. The appearance thing will fucking throw somebody off and I’ve just got to prove it to them.”
The 2012 EP “Whatever You Want” had two southern rock originals and two prog rock songs. An analog tape recorded and Vinyl-only CD, “The Loft Tapes” in 2013 was considered a fun side project inspired by a weekly gig in a cool venue. But it captured people’s attention. Any time – and this might have been the only time – a band with male singer has the audacity to cover “Killing Me Softly” and “Que Sera,” and to do it with the tenderness those songs demand, you know it is confident in itself.
With the new, yet-to-be-named record, the Congress is set to present its own studio sound, although there will be some contrasts on the album. Tracks were recorded in three studios: Macy’s Sound Studio in Denver, Scanhope Sound in Littleton, Colo., and Montrose Recording in Richmond, Va.
“Each of them is completely different,” Lane said. “We are big fans of the (Rolling Stones) record ‘Exile on Main Street.’ and I’ve always really liked how you can clearly hear the difference between what they did in France and what they did in the LA studio.”
Production of the album was a collaborative effort from the quartet. Mark Levy plays drums and Chris Speasmaker, a longtime friend from Virginia, joined the Congress in 2013, his first official gig being at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.
“Tahoe is our home away from home,” Meadows said. “There is a huge Southern contingency that lives out there, so Tahoe isn’t much different for us from being in Colorado, but it’s just a lot prettier, in my opinion.”
While the Congress makes annual summertime appearances at familiar Tahoe venues, it is gaining national attention when it is away. It has toured multiple times with Lake Street Dive and had been on the road with the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and shared the stage with Hard Working Americans.
“We want to be increasing the quality of rooms where we’re playing but sometimes it doesn’t get any better than a grimy bar gig where everybody’s throwing down and having a great time,” Lane said. “Still to this day, you put 100 people in a tiny little room and everybody’s into the music, sometimes that’s like the greatest show of all time.”
Meadows often joins Lake Street Dive for a duet with Rachael Price when the two bands tour together. And with the Congress playing the after-party for Saturday’s North Mississippi Allstars-Anders Osborne show, it would hard to imagine the jam-spirited headliners to not invite Meadows and other Congress members to the Crown Room stage for a song. It’s also hard to imagine that other bands are not trying to recruit Meadows for something more.
“I’ll play with as many people as I can all the time but the Congress is our project and I love it and believe in it and have been working at it for a long time,” he said. “I get invited to play with a lot of people but nobody is trying to take me away from this band. I don’t think that would be smart.”
The commitment is paying off.
“We have a lot of new people working with us,” Lane said. “We have a team of people who are making life a lot easier on us. We come home and can play side gigs with our friends and have fun and then go out on the road again a month later. The quality of life has improved a lot. It’s been really wonderful.”
The Congress addressed Tahoe Onstage on June 13, 2014. Here’s the clip:
