LIVE: The Funk-Shins @ The Tasting Lab, 06/05/2022

At the end of the Funk-Shins’ two-set performance, bassist/musical mastermind Scott Petito told the remaining crowd, “Thank you for coming!”

A woman in the audience, obviously a local, returned, “Thank you for coming to Greenville!”

Mind you, Petito lives in Catskill, so getting to Greenville is no big whoop for him. However, for those of us who live north of Nipper’s statue, it’s a little more of a schlep. Bottom line, you really need a reason to get to Greenville, and I now have two of them: First, there is The Tasting Lab, an extremely comfortable bar located in what looks like an old general store; second, there is the weekly concert series the Lab’s presenting on their spacious two-level deck in the back of the pub. 

Local drummer Brad Monkell (who’s been doing concerts of his own in Greenville for a couple of years now) recruited Petito to open the series, and he brought a couple of friends along to do the job.  One of them was going to be keyboardist Rachel Z, but COVID laid waste to all her weekend plans, so Petito called Pete Levin, who I’ll go see any time. Altoist Eric Person – who is having a VERY good year thanks to the success of his release Blue Vision – took the front of the stage, while drummer Jeff Lipstein laid down the foundation. Then there was the surprise guest: Mino Cinelu, one of the greatest percussionists in the world, who apparently just showed up and said, “Can I sit in?”

The band was getting it together as I sat down at my table on the deck, ordered a Juice Bomb, and came to grips with the two-part menu. At The Tasting Lab, it’s definitely “Choose Your Own Adventure” when it comes to what Guy Fieri refers to as “elevated pub food.” A sandwich can be anything from chicken and veggie burgers, to elk and venison, with a wagyu burger thrown in for good measure (Take THAT, Arby’s!) and something called a “Mutt Burger.” (I didn’t ask!) There’s a separate page just for ordering a quesadilla, with a list of proteins and fillings that would make most Mexican restaurants run and hide, and the wings come with a choice of nine sauces. 

The just-spicy-enough Thai Chili sauce clung perfectly, both to the wings and to my face. Multiple napkins are required, though licking your fingers is an added benefit. I’ve become an expert in veggie burgers since my cholesterol decided to start slapping me around, and the Lab serves the best one I’ve ever had, complete with my choice of toppings. (Tomato, onion, pickles, mustard: I’m a simple man with simple needs.) I looked longingly at the Poutine Fries in the Appetizers section but decided to show restraint as I kicked back and watched some of the best players in the area do their thing.

Basically, it was a night of standards, but comparing the Funk-Shins’ “standards” to what normally goes with the label is like saying the Lab’s burgers are “just the same” as the ones Wendy’s serves up. Petito called Herbie Hancock’s “Canteloupe Island” to lead things off, and that tune was dead solid perfect for the cool June evening, particularly with Person blowing up on the melody and Levin comping on piano. The band was set up on the raised part of the deck, and it made a perfect stage for Petito and his pals.

Person changed over to flute for Chick Corea’s “Windows”, and Cinelu joined in on triangle. It may sound like Mino brought a miscellaneous percussion instrument to a gun fight, but Cinelu does more with a triangle than most people do with entire kits. He comped on bongos on Bobbi Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe” until Person gathered the lead sheets blown around by the wind; fortunately, someone in the crowd had a box of binder clips in his car, and Person made good use of them for the rest of the night. 

Levin switched over to the classic Fender Rhodes sound for “Billy Joe” and stuck with it for a funky, second-set opening take on “Footprints” that was more Terence Blanchard than Wayne Shorter. From there the quintet brought Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues” up to the 21^st century, and then did Levin’s own funked-up composition “Gimme Some Scratch.” Person had been masterful for the whole show, but he positively soared on Eddie Harris’ “Cold Duck Time.” These are musicians that can name their price at festivals around the world, and they were cooking with gas in the middle of Greene County.

In the end, The Tasting Lab has the potential to be Greene County’s version of Galway’s The Cock ‘n Bull, which is also WAY off the beaten path but draws people in every night with their one-two punch of a killer menu and outstanding music. And while the Funk-Shins are definitely the best band on the Lab’s current schedule, word travels fast, and it would pay to keep this venue on your radar – at the very least, because Poutine Fries are Canada’s gift to the world, and because (as Petito continues to demonstrate) “local musicians” means something completely different – and better – in the Hudson Valley.

Photo Gallery by Rudy Lu