On Februrary 2, The Shotgun Wedding Quintet made a lonag-awaited return to the stage, playing the middle set at Cafe Du Nord. It was wet out, but the crowd packed into the downstairs venue to check out an energetic evening.  Opening band Audible Mainframe  got the crown into the mood with their intense music.  The band has in your face beats and melodies to support the strong vocals of the MC.  When this Long Beach crew is up here, be sure to check them out.   SWQ took to the stage next.  We haven’t seen all 5 of these guys together for a while.  The crowd was eager to hear favorites from their summer release.  With authority they got the crowd moving.  Banging through favorites like “The Beat,” “We Take it Back” and “Can’t Get Enough,” Shotgun sounded like they just played the night before.  Joe Cohen, MIA since November, had an extended solo, which accented by beats from PDub and Adam Theis, was a highlight of the evening.  SWQ played “Culture of Life,” near the end of their set, which is one of their most energetic songs, and definitely a fan favorite.  The show had been a long time coming.  Despite a few months of not playing together, the band was as strong as ever.  The Jazz Mafia has a big year coming up, and this was  a great show to kick that off.  Check out the calendar to see what is coming up in the next few months.    Forrest Day took the stage after the SWQ, and closed out the evening in style.  This local musician is making some great music right now, so scope him out.   As always, pics are from this evening or on the Jazz Mafia Flickr Page