Spicy Rice

New Dish: Red Beans & RIce chef/bandleader Gil Rubio (lower left) says the news blend of talent has everyone reenergized.

Red Beans & Rice remixes one of the county’s favorite blues blends.

By Stuart Thornton

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Even though Red Beans & Rice has undergone a major change in ingredients, bandleader Gil Rubio says the long-running local blues outfit will retain the same basic flavor – with a few dashes of Latin and gospel seasoning. Since the end of 2007, the group has welcomed new bandmembers Brian Shaw on bass, former Chicano All Star Karl Stearns on drums, John Tindel of Santa Cruz’s RST on keyboards and Jon Gorman on vocals and harmonica. (Rubio and saxophone player/flutist Tamas Marius are Red Beans & Rice holdovers.)

According to Rubio, the addition of new members has done more than modify Red Beans & Rice’s sound. “It’s been really inspiring,” he says. “It’s been a lot of fun again.” Rubio has been writing more original songs for the band. One is “We Need to Help Each Other,” which the bandleader says has “a southern gospel feel to it.”

This November, Red Beans & Rice plans to record its fifth CD. Before that, the band will unveil some new numbers at its Saturday night show at Wave Street Studios. In addition to an hour-long set of originals, the group will do another hour of takes on songs like Taj Mahal’s “She Caught the Katy,” Charlie Musselwhite’s “Both Sides of the Fence” and Los Lobos’ “That Train Don’t Stop Here,” among others.