Concert review: Shoeless Soul stepped into the Skipperdome for a rousing CD release Credit: TRACY MAY

Concert review: Shoeless Soul stepped into the Skipperdome for a rousing CD release Credit: TRACY MAY


Popular Dunedin eclectic ensemble Shoeless Soul trekked over the bridge with a posse of fans to deliver an uplifting and impressive set of originals and covers at Skipper's Smokehouse this past Saturday night.

The band with the minimalist black-and-white design on its CD cover concocts a sound that's anything but; rich, textured and colorful. Their style is infused with elements of funk, jazz, reggae, a touch of Tin Pan Alley, a smidge of bossa nova, rockabilly and other sounds from American/international pop music. 

Concert review: Shoeless Soul stepped into the Skipperdome for a rousing CD release Credit: tracy may
Sladjan Vidic (bass, drums), Rene Schlegel (vocals and guitar), Dave Gerulat (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and newly official member Mike Ratza (saxophone) got the Skipper's crowd dancing — yeah, they'll dance to anything — but on this night, Shoeless Soul delivered the kind of sounds that might stir more cynical, stationary types who resist jam music out of their seats.

Shoeless Soul's pop-centric type of jam is in a class all its own. Schlegel nimbly went high and low on the frets and sang his heart out as the others delivered their own solos, ranging from a eerie, theremin-like keyboard on "I've Got Sunshine in a Bag" (a Gorillaz cover) to heart-pounding skin-thrashing by Gerulat. Click here to check out and purchase a copy of the new EP.

Concert review: Shoeless Soul stepped into the Skipperdome for a rousing CD release Credit: TRACY MAY
The band returns to WMNF Live Music Showcase on Friday at 1 p.m. Also on Friday night the band will be at Green Bench Brewing Co. from 8 to 11 p.m. On Saturday, they headline Cafe del Mar 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Click here for show updates on Facebook.


This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2015.