Monday, July 26, 2010

4 For 4

Last week, Monday through Thursday, Waterloo had music every day at 5:00. I'm happy to say that I made every show.
Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel often comes across as a guy with an enormous ego. However, his life's work stands as a tribute to the work of others, mostly Bob Wills, of Western Swing fame.
Asleep at the Wheel has kept this kind of music alive, and is the only band to play at the Austin City Limits Festival every year since the beginning. On their latest album, they invited Leon Rausch, an original member of the Texas Playboys, to sing and tour with them. Ray Benson stood back and gave Rausch the spotlight during the show, and Ray seemed honored just to be a part of it all. Maybe his ego comes from the confidence in knowing that he is a great band leader, who can make other people look good, sound good, and feel good. Nothing wrong with that.

The Henry Clay People said their show would be the quietest one they had ever played. Still, it was the loudest of the week. All rock, with a little Ramone's vibe, and lyrics I could hear and understand. Good stuff. They'll be at ACL in October.

The four lead guys of Stonehoney can all sing in a smooth modern country kind of way. The harmonies were impressive, and they have been compared to the Eagles. Vocally, that may hold up, but musically they reminded me of Little Texas, circa 1995. Very "Amy's Back in Austin" mid-tempo ballads, and not much range. The last song they played kicked it up a notch, but it was too little, too late.
Thursday's Jonathon Taylor and the Northern Lights show had a little bit of Blind Faith, and a whole lot of Black Crowes sound to it. Overall it was good, but they seemed to not have a lot of passion for what they were doing.

Four days in a row allowed me to see good music, but I also had a chance to talk to some of the in-store regulars. This can be good or bad, as more than a few of the people wander in just for the beer. The guy who serves the beer, and wears a battered name tag that reads only "Slippy," is not a regular employee of the store. His regular job is in the kitchen at the fancy French restaurant, Aquarelle.
The picture of the final band was not taken by me, as I forgot my camera that day. I asked a lady in the crowd, who was somehow connected to the band, if she could e-mail me one of the pics she had taken. Technology is amazing, and I'm a little surprised that I was able to get the picture from my email into this blog. Not sure if I could do it again... The blank box at the end of this post is a remnant of a failed attempt.
Peace,
JS4







1 comment:

Anonymous said...

just wondering...no posts on lunches or dinners...you're not eating bologna sandwiches at home everyday, are you????