Crammed into Nick Greene's sound-proof bedroom, Boss Lady and the Company played a few of their original tracks Thursday night. Instead of awkwardly standing around explaining what they're about, the band members decided to show it.
Amps, instruments, recording equipment and drums cluttered the room. Posters of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd adorned the brick walls, and the band jammed in their little sound cave.
With Danielle Decosmo providing a haunting, classically-trained voice over Greene's driving bass lines, Steven Unrue's rangy lead guitar and Matt Lazar's tight drums, the band falls somewhere between jazz and funk with a smattering of what they call "accidental reggae."
The band's first incarnation played its inaugural show last Halloween. Greene and Unrue grew up playing together, and with the addition of Lazar on the drums they became The Company (the Boss Lady would be picked up later). With Greene cautiously handling the lead singing, the band played gigs around town.
"I really didn't like singing in public," Greene said. "When we found Danielle, it made sense."
This past summer, Decosmo was thrown on stage and sang with the band while The Company was playing at Reggae Tuesdays at Sidebar.
"More than anything, we had to coerce and talk her into being our singer," Greene said.
Boss Lady and the Company have been playing together since June, and they play everywhere from house parties and fraternity gigs to Market Street and Common Grounds.
A Boss Lady show combines original material and covers, and the band prides itself on tight play. When they play covers, they try to play as close to the original as they can.
"We're all into it when we're out there," Decosmo said. "Steve will have a cigarette, and we'll all just be dancing. We're all into it in our own ways when we play."
On Friday, Boss Lady and the Company will play at Thai Fusion downtown. The show will mark the beginning of Boss Lady playing the venue every Friday night.
"It's outside, and the sound pours out onto the street," Greene said. "It gives people a chance to hear us and then come check it out."
