Pitt band turns Club Cafe into a ‘Jungle’ this weekend

‘ ‘ ‘ The Jungle is coming out of the basement and into the South Side. ‘ ‘ ‘ Longtime Pitt… ‘ ‘ ‘ The Jungle is coming out of the basement and into the South Side. ‘ ‘ ‘ Longtime Pitt student band The Jungle, which was a house party staple when the members were underclassman and has since moved on to play at venues like Oakland’s Peter’s Pub, is playing at Club Cafe this Friday. ‘ ‘ ‘ But for a venue best known for quiet, singer-songwriter fare, The Jungle might come as a shock ‘mdash; the band’s brand of groovy funk-rock is more Black Crowes than Sheryl Crow. ‘ ‘ ‘ Made of singer and guitarist Hans Lorei, lead guitarist Alex Keim, bassist John Bixby and drummer Jay Maul, The Jungle has been sharpening its funk assault since before all of the now-college seniors were even settling into their freshman dorms. And since even then, the band’s always been more than just another gang of students playing classic rock covers ‘mdash; a Jungle live show features the full-tilt boogie-down grooves of the band’s recorded songs played with more energy than the Oakland Zoo. ‘ ‘ ‘ With opening spots from Kansas and Jefferson Starship under its belt, as well as a new EP produced by Phil Nicolo, who’s worked on projects by Billy Joel, Santana and The Police, the band is primed to outstretch its home in Oakland and truly make a name for itself outside the college scene. ‘ ‘ ‘ And Friday’s show is the beginning. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’ll be playing a lot of new material. It’s also the first time we’ve ever played the South Side,’ said Lorei. ‘It’s hopefully the start of us branching out of Pitt’s campus into Pittsburgh.’