With bands like Lake Street Dive and Vulfpeck, jazz-based sound is pushing its way into the mainstream. Though Boston can seem to have an oversaturated market of these artists at times, Gretchen & The Pickpockets work to steal the spotlight with the single “Let Me Do My Thing.”
“If we did our thing,” guitarist Richie Smith said, “we’d have a full big band playing with us at all times. Twenty-plus horns. And once per night, they’d all take a solo at the same time. As loud as humanly possible.” Though their group is a bit smaller — six musicians, with the classic guitar-bass-drums-vocals setup plus a few horns — the sharpness and warmth from the small brass ensemble paired with the honey-sweet smoothness of Gretchen Klempa’s vocals could fill a room.
And they do: the video for “Let Me Do My Thing,” a track from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Falling Rising, features a live session filmed at The Record Company in Boston. Gretchen punctuates lines with hand gestures as her band leans into their instruments — performing this song is something fun for the lot, not just a necessary step forward in the album process.
The video for “Let Me Do My Thing” offers a glimpse into the energy Gretchen & The Pickpockets put out into their music. Their eclectic sound borrows from a love of a wide range of music. “From soul and jazz to The Beatles,” bassist Mike Klempa said. “And a hint of the contemporary stuff, like Steve Reich.”
Improvisation and dynamic shifts enliven the already declarative song. Gretchen’s voice dances through an improvisational scat before dialing down the volume to insist, almost in a whisper, to “let me do my thing.” At first listen, it seems like an afterthought, a quiet reminder; as the trumpet and her vocals play in call and response, all we want to do is let Gretchen continue doing her thing, continue listening to the playful spontaneity.
Gretchen said that she took more risks melodically speaking throughout Falling Rising. “Over the past several years I have really learned how to listen and absorb many different styles of music,” she said. “In return, I think it has expanded my vocal vocabulary.”
Their live performances always feature some kind of improvisation, borne out of instinct. “We always make sure that there are moments in each song to be creative,” Smith said. “Whether it be a new guitar rhythm, a cool bass fill, or a chance for a big drum fill, we want to keep things interesting and engaging for our listeners.”
The video works to hold your attention, with close shots of each band member leaning into their sound and tightly focused ones on Gretchen’s dynamic facial expressions. If the song is any indication of how the rest of Falling Rising will sound, we are surely in for a ride.
Falling Rising comes out April 25th, and you can watch the video for “Let Me Do My Thing” below.