The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts

I'm reasonably certain that Aristotle wasn't referring to a rockin' blues double bill with that phrase but I am DEFINITELY referring to a rockin' blues double bill with that phrase and it would be that of Albert Castiglia and Mike Zito, who played last night at the Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio, where they kindly stopped on their Blood Brothers tour. I've seen Mike Zito twice before and Albert only once before, so I was really looking forward to this show! When I entered the auditorium and saw each band's gear set up side-by-side, I knew it was gonna be good...really good! Albert took the stage first with his drummer, his bass player, and his Les Paul that is clearly a very durable instrument because he wasted no time absolutely SHREDDING on that thing! A perfect example of his delightfully gritty style is Let the Big Dog Eat, which he was sure to include in the set. Mike Zito then took the stage, making his Les Paul speak a slightly more refined but no less rockin' blues language. His set had many high points, but my personal favorite was Presence of the Lord; it was a beautifully smooth and soulful roll, with a fiery solo in the middle. Shortly thereafter, Albert and his band came back out and as they shared the stage for the rest of the show, I don't know who smiled more, the performers or the audience. That's some real blues rock magic and I'm sure glad I didn't miss it.