Tag Archives: Bees Deluxe

Live Review: Bees Deluxe at Sanctuary

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Bees Deluxe

Sanctuary Bar & Lounge, Maynard, MA

April 2, 2026

Tonight, Bees Deluxe helped turn a cozy suburban bar into a hip urban blues lounge. Top-shelf musical acts will do that. Of course, those of you who live near Sanctuary know that, in addition to hosting some acts that are big suburban draws, this venue is also an oasis of music from artists who don’t often perform this far out in the burbs, and that’s why you’ll so often find me in this arts and entertainment venue’s cozy little bar. The frequent early set times in the bar – 5:30 shows, like tonight; sometimes earlier on the weekends – are another draw for those of us who live and work nearby.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

As for Bees Deluxe, I love this band, a group that infuses such cool grooves through their songs. They play a style of blues I don’t know well but enjoy. You may have noticed my enthusiasm when I reviewed Hallucinate a couple years ago, but I was happy to defer the review of Smash Hits to longtime co-conspirator Eric Harabadian, whose blues knowledge is much broader and deeper than mine.

Last night, the Bees Deluxe lineup was comprised of three of its core members – Carol Band (keys), Conrad Warre (guitar), and Matt Arenburg (drums) – plus Allyn “Aldo” Dorr, who you’ll find listed on the “musical guests and friends” section of the “musicians” page of the band’s website. A couple times during the set, the quartet became a quintet, as they were joined by special guest Keith Lanzilotti on harmonica.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The band noted they were going to try to fit a 3-hour setlist into the 2.5 hours available. (The Donna the Buffalo show in the main concert hall began at 8:00 last night; hence, the hard stop.) So it was no surprise that the band didn’t take a break. I had other obligations, so I just stayed for the first two hours of set, and I stopped taking notes about a half-hour earlier. So here’s what I heard during the first 60% of the show.

The groove was already in full swing by the time the band reached its cool rendition of Michael Burks’ “I Smell Smoke.”

Soon thereafter, Bees Deluxe entered a section of its setlist readily recognized by those of us without much blues knowledge. Notably, a neat version of “These Boots are Made for Walkin’,” with Carol taking the vocal lead, obviously, in place of Conrad, who took back vocal duties on the cool, hoarsely delivered “Love the One You’re With,” a song that also served as a great opportunity for Conrad to show off some nifty guitar riffs atop Carol’s rich keyboard bed. The easily-recognizably trilogy concluded with some crowd-pleasing Bacharach, “I Say a Little Prayer.”

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The next few songs included several originals, including “You Say Red,” a smooth number that is a little softly rollicking, if you believe a “rollick” can be soft. It was followed by a number whose title I missed but that’s worth mentioning because it featured simultaneous atmospheric and psychedelic vibes, a combo that runs through a lot of Bees Deluxe’s music. Also worth noting in this run were a great rendition of “I Wouldn’t Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me),” which you’ll find on the band’s Smash Hits disc (follow the link to Eric’s review, which I shared in the first paragraph). It also featured the first appearance of guest harmonica-wiz Lanzilotti and a couple more originals – lean-back-and-soak-up-the-vibe number “Wherever You Hide” and “Queen Midas,” a kind-of-groovy, psychedelic personal favorite of mine from the Hallucinate album that features an aggressive approach to its chorus.

The band then slowed things down with a rich rendition of “Georgia on My Mind.” Carol’s keys set an almost religiously organ-ic baseline, while Conrad’s meandering axe added additional character.

The show continued, but my note-taking stopped. The crowd, sparse as it often is at the beginning of these 5:30 sets, grew to a packed room over the course of the early evening. And Bees Deluxe provided top-shelf, crowd-pleasing blues to the appreciative audience.

Throughout Bees Deluxe’s set, the keys, very organ-like, set the backdrop. The guitar danced and showed off. And the rhythm section… rhythm sectioned, steadily and solidly, notably nuanced if you paid attention, and clearly appreciated by their bandmates as evidenced by callouts throughout the set, but otherwise not generally showy, as is often the fate of an excellent blues rhythm section. Again, a helluva band. And not surprisingly, an excellent early evening of accessibly thoughtful cool blues.

Looking Ahead

The “Shows” page of Bees Deluxe’s website lists plenty of shows already scheduled for the rest of this year, crisscrossing New England, New York, and New Jersey.

Sanctuary’s concert calendar lists the venue’s upcoming shows, both the free early performances in the cozy bar and lounge and the ticketed shows on the big stage in the main hall. In fact, I’ll be back in Maynard in less than 2 hours for the 8:00 PM start time of my first main hall concert at Sanctuary, as Danielle Miraglia and the Glory Junkies take the stage tonight, following opening act Britt Connors. If you read this as I post it, maybe I’ll see you there. If not, watch for my review so I can tell you what you missed.

Album Review: Bees Deluxe – Smash Hits

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image courtesy of Bees Deluxe

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Bees Deluxe: Smash Hits

The term “acid blues” gets bandied about in the description of this fine Boston-based east coast act. However, I don’t know if that tells the whole story. While they do possess a quirky psychedelic playfulness in their approach to lyrics and some sonic experimentation, they can be pretty no-nonsense, straight-ahead players as well.

This somewhat faceless British-American amalgam lays down some classic slow and pensive blues on the opening Fenton Robinson standard “Somebody Loan Me a Dime.” This tune spotlights smoking guitar and a plaintive, heartfelt vocal that will tug at your soul. And they keep that vibe going a little longer on the lyrically cryptic “When is Yesterday.” Cool electric piano and screaming guitar is only trumped by a smooth harmonica fadeout. “King of Bad Luck” is a recommended radio track for its authentic blues demeanor and subtle use of space. Everyone enjoys a novelty song from time to time, and these guys are not ones to shy away from a little humor. Beer drinkers of the world unite and enjoy the lyrical sentiments of “Beer.” You’ve gotta love a line like “I want you, but I need a beer!” It’s a weird juxtaposition of lighthearted revelry and Robben Ford-like guitar prowess.

photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

They slip some instrumentals in here, too, like “Blues for the Decline of Western Civilization.” There’s this jazzy Wes Montgomery-flavored octave thing happening that blends with a mid-section acoustic guitar lead. It’s a really tasteful and well-orchestrated musical departure from your standard blues fare. “Nitro” follows and is a cute little song, with the line, “You filled me up with nitroglycerin… You lit my fuse and blew me up!” It’s an odd and quirky premise supported by a reggae-like rhythm and lively horns in the chorus.

Another curiously titled piece is the piano-driven instrumental “How to Play 96 Tears.” It really has nothing remotely related to the Question Mark and the Mysterians classic, but it’s an intriguing roadside attraction to further throw convention out the window. “Bad Influence” boasts the line “you got ways to make me do what you want.” The Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits like finger-picking of the guitar fuels the coercive sentiment of this curious jam, requiring further scrutiny. A blues song that was popularized in the rock world back in the day was one done by the J. Geils Band called “Homework.” This Otis Rush classic is unearthed here, with open, inviting grooves and tight drum fills. It just feels really good, and the teen love angst expressed in the song comes off very well.

“Kidnap” is another weird and wonderful track that sounds like an outtake from Steely Dan’s Gaucho album. Its laid back syncopation and cool rubato drum fills are a startling surprise. “Crank Part Two” is some cool, somewhat experimental, funk, as “I Wouldn’t Treat a Dog” and “Gee Whiz” wind things down with equally pseudo-funky backbeats and loose open jams.

Bees Deluxe have been wowing crowds, as they say, from “Maine to Miami.” And critics have noted their Zappa-like wit, Steve Ray Vaughn-flavored passion and penchant for jazzy textures and engaging interplay. You can’t really put your finger on what they actually are, other than an unorthodox blues band that likes to have fun and slyly break the rules.

Album Review: Bees Deluxe – Hallucinate

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photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

Album Review of Bees Deluxe: Hallucinate

Bees Deluxe‘s music is a unique, progressive combination of blues, jazz, and funky rock. On the band’s newest album Hallucinate, Conrad Warre (guitar, bass, vocals, trumpet, kaossilator, strings, keyboards), Carol Band (keyboards, vocals, harmonica), Paul Giovine (drums, percussion), and Adam Sankowski (bass guitar) are joined by a half-dozen additional musicians to round out the sound on various tracks. You can read the liner notes via this link for a glimpse at the other exceptional instrumentalists involved in this project.

The album has a cohesive sound, with an experimental bent permeating throughout, giving a jazz feeling and even an alternative progressive rock flavor to what is, if you dig deeply, primarily a blues album. The band refers to itself as Boston’s British/American acid blues, the “British” referring to guitarist Warre’s British origin, and who am I to argue with the description? I certainly can’t concoct a better description to this high-brow mélange of musical influences.

Bees Deluxe opens Hallucinate coolly with the rhythmically catchy “Sharkskin Suit,” then follows it immediately with the funky grooves of “When Is Yesterday.”

There’s a familiarity I feel for Bees Deluxe’s sound, and it comes from an entirely different – or seemingly entirely different – musical style. At least, there’s a similarity to an artist I’ve always thought of as a different genre. Notably, “Houdini” and “What’s Wrong with Me” both remind me of the Les Paul’s (The Paul’s) albums I’ve previously reviewed, and Warre’s vocals throughout hint just a bit (or quite a bit, as the case may be) at the vocal stylings found on Les Paul’s (The Paul’s)’s releases.

photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

Back to Bees Deluxe, though, and there’s an originality in the band’s sound that makes its music difficult to categorize (blues and jazz with a bit of an old-school alt-pop-rock energy) but easy to enjoy. “Queen Midas” stands out as a song that might have stood a chance as a crossover song, with a soft-edged but still clearly punk attitude and aggression intertwined with the smoother overall music bed.

I’m especially drawn to a song that stands out by being so different, the smooth, keyboard-driven instrumental piece, “How to Play 96 Tears,” that lacks the edginess of the surrounding tracks. It’s just a really good, short piano number. The other instrumental piece on the record, “Gary Burton’s ex-Guitar Player Stole My Highschool Girlfriend and Now I Can’t Stop Dreaming About Her,” features some cool, contemplative guitar noodling, something you’ll need to replay the song to notice, since you spent the whole three minutes the first time through just reading the song title.

photo courtesy of Bees Deluxe

And finally, if you ever hear me call a song “hep,” as in “cool-but-old school,” it’d have to sound a lot like Bees Deluxe’s “Call Me Frank.”

I’ve already mentioned the two final songs on the album, “Houdini” and “What’s Wrong with Me,” the latter a catchy pop-jazz-blues groove that’ll leave you wanting more. Or, at least, to start over and play the album again.

Hallucinate is a solid entry from this I-suppose-they-must-be-blues-maybe outfit, one of the more unique – and uniquely talented – groups on the Boston music scene. I’m guessing it’ll be a groovy live performance; hopefully, I’ll find my way to one of their gigs one of these days.