The Liza Colby Sound will be shaking things up at Mercury Lounge and Lucille’s this month
Tuesday, June 5, Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St., 212-260-4700, $10, 10:30
Friday, June 15, Lucille’s at B. B. King’s, 237 West 42nd St., 212-997-4144, $5-$7, 9:00
www.myspace.com/thelizacolbysound
Once in a while you’re lucky enough to catch a band firing on all cylinders, and it’s a visceral experience that gets your toes tapping, your head nodding, and your ass shaking all at once. The Liza Colby Sound is this type of combo — sort of a rock and soul hybrid, tight beyond belief, that meshes a ’60s guitar sound with the powerhouse vocal presence and physicality of a lead singer who can channel prime-era Tina Turner and Janis Joplin while still rocking a style completely her own. As a performer, Connecticut native Colby is all charisma, by turns unaffected and convivial, or sultry and arresting — playing it as the moment (or song selection) calls for. . . . With a set of belt-’em-out pipes and a penchant for provocative attire, she demands attention from the eyes and your ears. And lest they be mistaken for a backing band, the Sound’s sound is a big part of the equation, too. The crisp and resonant guitar/drums/bass and spot-on co-vocals are anchored by New York scene veterans Adam and CP Roth and Alec Morton, forming a fine counterpoint to Colby onstage, with the arrangements and songwriting all benefiting from the unit’s cohesive vibe. With a growing following, great original material (and stellar taste in mining the occasional cover), and a well-received six-track EP, High Yellow, released last summer, the Liza Colby Sound seem to be hitting their stride. Colby is celebrating her birthday on June 5 with a show at the Mercury Lounge with Brooklyn-based psychedelic blues band the Juggs, then will be back on June 15 at Lucille’s at BB King’s headlining a bill with Miami Cake & Donuts. Seeing them live is more than recommended. It should be required. A toe-tapping, head-nodding, foot-stomping, fist-pumping, ass-shaking good time is guaranteed.