It's an intimate club on the St. Pete side of Gandy Boulevard known for roots 'n' blues music, colorful regulars and potent cocktails. Dave's Aqua Lounge is a place where a lone guy or gal with an acoustic guitar is typically what people have expected to see over the years.
But that perception is changing.
Steele Management (Mojo Gurus, Dex Romweber) started booking occasional shows at Dave's a few months back. The gigs have featured a variety of styles, from punk rock to bluegrass. On Friday, Steele brings the Soulphonics to Dave's to make their St. Pete debut. The small stage will be filled to capacity with a full-fledged rhythm-and-blues ensemble that has honed its chops during the past year-and-a-half playing to rowdy college students.
The Gainesville band includes a pair of capable, charismatic lead singers in Ruby Velle and Wester Joseph. The fierce backing unit includes bandleader/organist/bassist Spencer Garn, drummer Johnny Radelat, guitarist Scott Clayton, percussionist Andrew Aranow, trombonist Doug Fischer plus saxophonists Irving Campbell and Matt McCarty. They range in age from 23 to 33.
Garn, 28, founded the Soulphonics as well as Element Records, which issued the CD Soulphonics Vol. 1 earlier this year. "When I started the label, the intention was to get together a house band to play soul music," Garn says. "And then we found Ruby and Wester."
Booker T. & the MGs and the Funk Brothers, the respective session men at Stax and Motown, are the template for the label's "house band" approach. As for further inspiration, Garn also points to Florida's underrated funk legacy, which is spotlighted on the recently released compilation disc Florida Funk: 1968-1975. Ultimately, Garn would like Element Records to be a breeding ground for Sunshine State soul music.
"We're always looking for other singers — not to replace anybody — but to add to the mix," he says. "Someone feels they fit into [the label's] style of music, they should contact us."
For the time being, though, Garn's focus remains on the Soulphonics, a band just starting to establish itself outside of Gatorland. In fact, their first Tampa show was at Creative Loafing's Sensory Overload bash that took place at the Cuban Club in March. They closed the night with a blast of old-school R&B that took the audience by surprise.
After heavy doses of cerebral music that put the crowd into a lull, the room suddenly was flush with grins. Soon enough, people unfolded their arms and crowded the dance floor. Ruby and Wester soaked up the spotlight, turning in genuine star performances. The Soulphonics created a relationship with the audience, resulting in the synergy that's essential to a successful soul revue — be it a gig at a small blues club or James Brown at the Apollo.
"That is very important," Garn says. "It's pretty difficult to do what we do if the audience isn't responding. The whole band feeds off that interaction. If there's no energy from the crowd, it's pretty much a bummer for the whole band, especially for Wester.
"He gets down in the crowd and pretty much does whatever," Garn continues. "He doesn't plan anything out. We've done a couple of gigs where there has been a small crowd, but even then he'll get out there and get everyone riled up. It's very important for him and [the rest of the band] to get the crowd into it."
The Soulphonics usually start their sets with Wester on lead vocals and his histrionics. He's responsible for grabbing the crowd's attention. About 20 or 30 minutes later, Ruby comes out to sing harmony on a song and then takes over for lead vocals on a number. The two vocalists then alternate lead duties for the remainder of the show. Their on-stage chemistry has led the Soulphonics to develop some duet numbers recalling those of Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.
"We've been working on stuff like that for the last couple of months but just aren't ready to sing it live yet," Garn says. "But we have a lot more in our arsenal than the songs on our CD — four reels of tape containing about 19 unfinished songs. We'd like to have a [Soulphonics] Vol. 2 out by the end of the year, but we can't force it."
Vol. 1 is a collection of seven originals that would not sound out of place on WMNF's Friday afternoon broadcast Rhythm Vault, which is dedicated to classic R&B and soul. Everything from the band's horn arrangements to the words is marked by a timeless quality that speaks to several generations of listeners.
"That was the thing, the lyrics, really," Garn says. "With any pop band, writing lyrics is what it's all about. The music can be good, but if the lyrics are ridiculous, it doesn't work."
Helping to shape a love song like "Still Feels Naturally," which features Ruby on lead vocals, is Gainesville singer/songwriter Sarah Tobing.
"It's an interesting collaboration," Garn says. "[Tobing] has taken on that role on a couple of tunes. When it comes to writing lyrics, it's always important to have someone else put their two cents in — especially if they're not the ones singing. Not that it is an issue with Ruby — she hasn't even submitted lyrics yet — but too often, singers are too focused on themselves when they write."
In addition to originals, The Soulphonics also revive obscure numbers by R&B icons like Brown, Redding and Wilson Pickett. When the band does private functions — like the wedding that's on their schedule the day after they play Dave's — they add more obvious R&B covers to the set list.
"We can have just as much fun if the wedding crowd is into giving energy," Garn says. "But playing clubs is a little more up our alley."
This article appears in Aug 8-14, 2007.