The Louie D. Project
The Brick
Dec. 10
Cover bands in Charleston are a dime a dozen, but only a select few of these acts can actually give you some bang for your buck. The Louie D. Project is one of those bands.
Drummer Paul Walls, bassist Jesse Anderson, guitarist J.R. Getches, and singer-saxophonist extraordinaire Louis Dixson have honed their craft well while entertaining barflies at various local watering holes over the past years. Pulling songs from genres such as soul, hip-hop, rock and funk, while spanning multiple decades, gives the Project the ability to compile some creative set lists. They sandwich classic hits like “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” and “Shout” between more eccentric covers, like T.I.’s “Whatever You Like,” inviting dancers young and old to shake their booties on the floor.
What really sets this band apart in the Holy City is the immense musical talent that each performer brings to the table. The musicians are a bit older than the college crowds they play for, they’ve honed their crafts well enough to impress onlookers.
Regularly through the sets, each member soaks up the spotlight with impressive solos. Getches wears his emotions on his sleeve as he wails away on his guitar, switching between blues, rock, and funk, depending on the mood of the song. Anderson lays down the foundation of the groove with bouncy rhythms and frenetic slap solos, while Walls displays amazing speed and dexterity on the skins. Walls makes even the simplest drum beats fresh, while making the tightest solos and fills seem simple — all done with a boyish smile.
At the heart of it all is Dixson, the charismatic frontman who displays as much range as he does showmanship. He switches between singing and saxing, all the while keeping the audience engaged with clever banter and impromptu dancing with some of the females in attendance.
Nearing the end of their performance at the Brick, it was almost as impossible to navigate through the crowd as it was to determine where the dance floor ended and the bar began.
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