Groovethang

It takes nerves of well, steel, to have your band perform Steely Dan outside of a Steely Dan show. But prior to last summer's Michael McDonald/Steely Dan concert at the UMB Bank Pavilion, Groovethang set up on a side stage and played a few Steely songs from their vast repertoire. Curious passersby exhibited intrigued expressions — which perhaps revealed that they had never attended Groovethang's annual tribute show to Steely Dan, a show where even die-hards are wowed by the group's accurate portrayal of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's music. Groovethang lead vocalist Justin Stewart says this year they've learned Aja and several other songs from deeper within Steely's catalogue, and they'll perform for over two hours on Saturday. (Even better, the concert is a benefit for leukemia research.)