Arts DEVO: PandeMUSic

Arts DEVO. By Jason Cassidy

Chico News & Review March 18, 2021

Brand-new-timers

I don’t know any of the guys in the band Blu Egyptian, which might partly explain why I am a couple months late in sharing anything about the five-piece’s debut album, Lotus, released Jan. 23. Also, they are teenagers who just started the band during the pandemic. The Inspire high school friends have used the sheltering-in-place time to come together and create something incredibly refreshing.

Typically around these parts, when dance-friendly world beats amalgamate, things twirl down a well-worn jam-band groove—but this is something different. Maybe it’s a function of youth or just the band’s devotion to lively Latin rhythms, but the four songs here are jumpin’! It’s a dizzying double-time approach that is fun, infectious and a just what Chico needs.

Blu Egyptian – Lotus

The best example of what I’m describing is probably “Rumba de Chango,” a hyper ska-via-Cuba-sounding jam (with a ripping guitar solo by frontman Don Jules) that invites the listener to open their mind while shaking their ass:

“Emancipate yourself from this mentality / There’s a world of wonder beyond what you perceive.”

Pretty impressive for a band of any age, and something special to look forward to once the dance floors open again—though you can catch a live acoustic set next week, March 28, 3-5 p.m., at Secret Trail Brewing Co.