Youman Wilder and Weird Stories Live from Here

The band decided to work on different projects as well as continuing work on the humanitarian work the band has come to be known for.

Xavier Paul the young pianist decided to return to New Orleans and worked as a part time music teacher in New Orleans revamped public school system. Bassist Curtis Heyward toured in Europe and worked with the New York Jazz Ensemble that toured The Peoples Republic of China.

Drummer Markel Dupree worked on the Tony and Grammy Award winning Broadway Musical “In The Heights" and Tenor Saxophonist Preston Torrey started work on his solo Jazz project. Flutist Rhonda Jacobs produced 2 successful Off Broadway plays and welcomed her first baby.

Lead singer Youman Wilder rested up by writing a play based on soul legend Donny Hathaway's life and music, and also mourned the death of his beloved aunt Ms.Barbra McPherson.

So when the band got together for the beginning of the Live From Here shows here in the bands old haunts of Montreal Quebec,there was great expectation on whether the band could recapture its high voltage show stopping past performance.

Playing at the legendary Upstairs and once again packing the famed jazz club to the rafters, Wilder and W&S opened up the show with a hello to Ole School Philly Soul. Setting out with an sound that sounded as tight as ever, the band hit it on all cylinders with a soul shaking high octane “Joy To Have Your Love" and then the African back beat of “Be Your Self"..

Wilder who is the heart and soul of this troupe really jumped on the lyrics and the audience, Wilder's vocals were all ablaze as he wailed on JTHYL and took “Be Your Self" into a different direction, with a heavy funk and Reggae African groove beat, the song had a different flow than the legendary Patti Labelle's version.

After the audience decided to quiet down after a two minute ovation, Wilder and W&S laid into another Philly natives song MusicSoulChild's, “Just Friends"(Sunny). While I am a huge fan of MusicSoulChild, Wilder's vocals and wider range and better jazz phrasing and vocal runs made this song fresh and vibrant and an obvious crowd pleaser.

The smoothed out “Just A Little Closer" once again showed the wonderful musicianship of the now 23 year old Xavier Paul's great piano licks and Wilder's on point vocals,once again Wilder and the Storie started on a high note.

Joking with the audience Wilder said if he was more Gospel than Jazz too audience member's who had never seen him in concert it was because of things on his heart at the moment and he jumped into the song “Harlem Rain" “Tomorrow Has Trouble Of It's Own" along with, “And I Said It Would Be" all are songs that he was trying out on the Quebec audience, and they were soulful as well as lyrically powerful.

As the show went on songs like “Caught Up In A New York City Minute “Yea" and “Black To The Root"(The Miss Education of a Hip Hop Sellout) and “Dear Mr Man" set up the show as if it was a 70's soul groove show, that worked extremely well at the Upstairs.

The encore was Wilder's singing a song he wrote for his recent deceased aunt Barbara McPherson, the song was called “And Now She Can Live." It was a touching song about her life as a gay black women living in a world of hate and judgment in the 1970's

The poignant lyrics:
Before the Spring can blossom and the tree's can grow love can still find hatred even when you are growing old.

Wilder's smooth and solid phrasing gave the song an haunting echo,along with the great playing of Rhonda Jacobs.

Youman Wilder and Weird Stories may have been on a long break, but once again this solid outfit always seems to reinvent it's self and with the brilliant playing of Xavier Paul and Wilder's on point showmanship and solid vocals we are lucky to have them back onstage.