Cracker - The Ultimate Rock Band

Cracker is easily my favorite rock band and with a run against The Drive-By Truckers, the Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, may be my favorite American rock band of all time. In fact, they are band #1 in the myjoog.com database (the DbT are band #2). So of course I made the short trip to Falls Church to see them, and their compatriots, Camper Van Beethoven, perform at the The State Theatre on May 16th. And they seem to get better with age; Johnny Hickman can burn up the guitar and David Lowery is the ultimate conductor. Maybe its the fight with NPR that keep them motivated. In any case, they were rockin'. And its easy to forget how many great songs they released. Yes there are the classics like Low, Teen Anthem, Eurotrash Girl, & Get Off This. But then there's Sweet Thistle Pie, I See the Light, Take Me Down To The Infirmary, and I Ride My Bike. And let's not forget their Countryside, this night covering Dwight Yoakam - the guys are extremely versatile. The only disappointment was no Lonesome Johnny Blues. Maybe next time.

The Gourds & Patrick Sweany at the State Theatre

On Thursday October 6th we attended a great show at the State Theatre in Falls Church Virginia featuring Patrick Sweany opening for The Gourds. Two of our favorites one the same bill. We saw Sweany for the first time a few years back at Merlefest and have been following since. His latest CD,That Old Southern Drag, is well worth a listen.

The Gourds, well what can we say, perhaps our favorite overall band. We never miss a show. And they have just released a new CD Old Mad Joy which they featured predominately during this show.  We have several videos from both artists on MyJoogTV and the MyJoogTV YouTube Channel as well as photos on the MyJoog Gallery. Check them out.

WAMU's Bluegrass Country: Stars of the State Concert

On Saturday June 11th, we attended the Stars of the State Concert, celebrating the 10th anniversary of WAMU's Bluegrass Country. The station was able to book some amazing talent to play at the State Theatre: The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Boxcars, and Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen. Photos of the event are available at the MyJoog Facebook Page and videos at the MyJoogTV Youtube Channel. But here's a short video set to the Steep Canyon Rangers "Lovin' Pretty Woman".

Stars at The State - WAMU’s Bluegrass Country’s 10th anniversary concert

2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of WAMU’s Bluegrass Country as a dedicated a 24-hour bluegrass radio station. In celebration of this milestone, on Saturday June 11th they are hosting a night of music at The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA. The concert features The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Boxcars, and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. Tickets are only $25 and limited in quantity, so purchase from the venue early. 

This Week at MyJoog

There's a strong Americana presence in the nation's capital this week starting tonight with John Mellencamp at DAR Constitution Hall. On Wednesday night, Slightly Stoopid comes to the Nightclub 9:30 and then Thursday we head west to WolfTrap in order to watch Paul Thorn. The following evening we either head back to DAR Constitution Hall to catch The Avett Brothers or head to Alexandria and The Birchmere to watch Tom Principato Band 'CD Release Show' which also includes Bill Kirchen. We finish the week back at Nightclub 9:30 for the second night of The Drive-By Truckers - who also play at the venue Friday night.  Or we stay close to home and watch four entertaining local bands at The State Theatre: The Dreamscapes Project, Melodime, Crooked Crow, and Cobra Collective. And speaking of The State Theatre; the 25th annual Wammies show is scheduled for this Sunday the 20th with the after party at Bangkok Blues.

JJ Grey & Mofro Rock Out The State Theatre

The steadily evolving JJ Grey & Mofro returned to The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA on November 18th and showed why Aligator Records' investment is well worthwhile. Over the past decade, JJ Grey has evolved from a swamp-roots artist to a soulful R&B artist that can dominate a stage. Plus with a full band consisting of horns, keyboards, drums, and the usual - they have a big sound. The one unusual aspect, the absence of longtime Mofro guitarist Daryl Hance, who is now out touring with his own band. 


Getting back to JJ Grey, the band is supporting a new CD, Georgia Warhorse that showcases Grey's soulful vocals and the R&B sound of Mofro. Yet the first song that night was the title track to the last CD, Orange Blossoms, with the rest of the night rotating between these two and Country Ghetto - JJ Grey & Mofro.I'm talking about Diyo Dayo, War, Beautiful World, A Woman, Georgia Warhorse, The Hottest Spot in Hell, Fireflies,  King Hummingbird, Slow Hot & Steady, Everything Good is Bad, On Fire, and The Sweetest Thing. Yea and also the song that started it all, Lochloosa. That even has a more soulful feel know. Go out and see JJ Grey - our favorite Alligator Records artist. We also posted a few videos on the MyJoog YouTube Channel.

Jimmy Cole Benefit @ The State Theatre

There have been many excellent blues\rock musicians that have originated from the Washington D.C. area. Some have become national acts, but many have remained close to home - developing a solid local following. To supplant income, these artists pursue secondary careers. One such artist is Jimmy Cole; a popular musician at night, but construction worker by day. Unfortunately he had an accident and fell off a ladder - fortunately he has recovered. To help alleviate his medical bills several associates organized a fund raiser at the The State Theatre in Falls Church. The lineup was amazing - as several Washington D.C. based artists set aside their schedules and participated in the fund raiser. Jimmy Thackery opened the show, followed by Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen. Next was The Cathy Ponton King Band - which includes Dave Chappell, Ron Holloway, and Billy Starks. This was the first act I was able to see and what a performance. King shares the spotlight with her fellow musicians so there were plenty of solos by each band member. The Tommy Lepson Band followed and as usual guitarist John Bell was a crowd favorite. Lepson has that authentic blues vocals. In between these acts, Dave Chappell, Big Joe Maher, and in occasion, Daryl Davis entertained the audience as the "tweener" band. These three were worth the price of admission themselves and brought back many recollections of seeing Big Joe and the Dynaflows years ago. And the first I saw Daryl Davis - he was planning with Pinetop Perkins. What talent. Unfortunately I don't see a younger set coming along to replace them. Eventually Jimmy Cole and his band rocked the house, and I couldn't stay for the The Nighthawks finale. Yes, it was quite a lineup. All these artists have regular gigs around town, so check out the 219 Basin Street Lounge, The Matchbox, Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle, JV's Restaurant, Bangkok Blues, and other such venues. There is great talent in our own backyard.

20 Days in November - Day 11: The Randy Rogers Band

We returned to our alt-country roots this evening at the The State Theatre for ladies night - actually for a performance by The Randy Rogers Band. But with all the ladies in attendance - if this is what Austin is like every evening it's time to relocate. Randy Rogers is all Texas - as are his fans - heckling each other on which Big 12 school they attended. The band's formation is an interesting tale. Kent Finlay, songwriter and owner of Cheatham Street Warehouse pulled Rogers over after a regular gig in a singer-songwriter circle and told him if he formed his own band - he get's a night all to himself. Two month later, the The Randy Rogers Band was born. I first heard the band on XCountry satellite radio a number of year's back and saw the band live at an Austin City Limits Festival around the same time. At the festival I purchased Just a Matter of Time and that has been my favorite CD from the group. Why? The offer songs with meaning combined with hard driving music - part rock and part what country should sound like. No polished Nashville pop here - just true grit. And wait to you see a live show.

This is a BAND - not a solo artist with a supporting cast. Several members participate in songwriting and often Rogers moves to the back and let's the band take over. Sometimes its bassist Jon Richardson carrying vocals, lead guitarist Geoffrey Hill blaring away, and fiddler Brady Black, everywhere at once. That's one charismatic dude. Along with drummer Les Lawless, the group has been performing with this lineup since 2003 - playing over 200 shows annually. At the end of this night's performance - the band is taking a tour break and heading into the studio to record a new CD. As a result we heard several new songs - "Interstate" will be a good one. Rogers did explain that the band needed to play the new tunes in order to practice - but be patient - the old favorites would come. And he didn't disappoint. They played "Kiss Me In The Dark" and "One More Goodbye" as well as songs from their latest Randy Rogers Band and Rollercoaster: "Lonely Too Long", "Lay It All On The Line", "This Time Around".... Their hard core fans sang every verse to every old song while dancing in the front. I'm really going to look forward to their next release.

Local rock band, Memphis 59 opened the show - and this has allowed me to catch these guys twice in the past month - for they opened for Sons of Bill at the State previously. Like that performance, they can rock - with songs like "Me, Myself, and I" and Girl at the End of the Bar". I hope to catch them this week (November 18th) as they team with Justin Trawick for Pink Jams - The Clarendon Ballroom for a fund raiser for breast cancer awareness.

20 Days in November - Day 8: Reckless Kelly

A few weeks back I saw that Reckless Kelly was scheduled to play at the The State Theatre along with Scott Miller and I immediately purchased tickets. I would have made this decision even if Miller was the headliner - but to have both in the same building - a no brainer. I arrived just at showtime and the venue was already full - evidently a lot of people had similar views in waiting to listen to both acts. Miller is touring with Reckless Kelly as a solo act - so The Commonwealth had stayed home. The acoustics at the theater were perfect for him solo, each distinct note was crystal clear - even at the back bar. Miller and I have something in common in the sense that he hails from Augusta County Virginia just like out dog Augusta, who hails from the Augusta County SPCA. Many of his songs reflect living in the region or traveling to neighboring West Virginia. See "Appalachian Refugee" and "Indiana Sin". His best songs: "Drunk Around Town" and "Amtrak Crescent"; most of which are available on For Crying Out Loud and Reconstruction. Highly recommended.

The venue became even more crowded when Reckless Kelly took stage - with a sudden rush to the front. We've been following this band for several years after seeing a fleeting glance of their talent at an Austin City Limits festival. I immediately purchased Under the Table and Above the Sun with "Let's Just Fall", "Nobody's Girl", and "Vancouver" becoming instant favorites. And to my luck - the band performed each one this evening. Reckless Kelly's nucleus are brothers Cody and Willy Braun - Cody on fiddle, harmonica, and mandolin and Willy the singer, songwriter, and as Robert Earl Keen says: "...and hurricane force guitar slinger". The brothers grew up in Idaho, and first played in their fathers swing band with younger brothers Micky and Gary - who eventually formed Micky & the Motorcars. Talking about a musical family; wow - what a musical family. After playing a few years based out of Oregon, Cody and Willy relocated to Austin and have been one of the most popular alt-country bands in the state.

I was expecting this type of sound, but unexpectedly was attending an all out rock concert. And I mean concert. There was no fooling around between songs - as soon as one finished they unleashed into the next. And they can play. Drummer Jay Nazz and Chris Schleke on bass set the background - but at times its David Abeyta on electric guitar that steals the show. The guy is awesome - yet unassuming and no grandstanding. And paired with Willy Braun on electric or acoustic - this was a rock band. Loved it - particularly the extended version of "Helter Skelter". They performed songs from most every album in their portfolio - which made most of the fans surrounding us very happy as they cheered the intro chords after recognizing a favorite. I only recognized one song from their latest CD, Bulletproof - "American Blood" - although I'm sure there were more. But during their encore they did play a song I've heard a few times on satellite radio - the entertaining "Wiggles and Ritalin". And they closed with a rockin' Alejandro Escovedo tune. After an evening of listening to the band - I'm itching for a trip to Austin. Fortunately The Randy Rogers Band comes to town Sunday. Thanks for a great show.

More photos are available at the MyJoog Gallery.

20 Days in November - Day 4: Eric Lindell

We came close to ending this run rather early - being tired from three consecutive nights out, but the thought of seeing Eric Lindell was a prime motivator. And we were able to arrive at The State Theatre just in time. Lindell is an Alligator Records artist in the New Orleans blues mold of Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lonnie Brooks Blues Band, or Kenny Neal; not the Chicago blues of Little Ed & the Blues Imperials. This was most telling in their version of "Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" which was more Allen Toussaint than Willie Dixon. Loved the piano on that song - and Lindell traded his guitar for a tambourine. I don't think you'd find that in Chicago.

As you can tell, many blues purists wouldn't even list Lindell as a Blues artist, his style incorporates classic R&B, soul, New Orleans Funk, and rockin' blues. He has a friendly stage presence - laughing with the band which was even more evident with this night's crowd. They were a small, but raucous group of true believers. Almost all sang along to every song, called out requests, or as in the case for two ladies in front of me, submitted a constant stream of catcalls to the band's 18 year old drummer. Needless to say an entertaining evening. He played songs from his three previous CDs, Change in the Weather - 2006 Casanova; Low on Cash, Rich in Love 2008; Gulf Coast Highway - 2009 - with my clear favorite being a Delbert McClinton-ish "If Love Can't Find A Way" - the first track from his current release. Another favorite was the funky "Lady Day & John Coltrane". I also really enjoyed slide guitarist, Thomas Johnson's song; his voice has shades of JJ Grey. All in all, Lindell can play. And with a full band - they were rockin'. That's why its better to go out on Sunday night and see live music, than to stay home and sit through another food challenge show.

Up next, JV's Restaurant's 62 Anniversary party on Monday night.

Sons of Bill & Memphis 59 - The State Theatre

A couple of weeks back at the Dewey Beach Music Conference, we became fans of the Levee Drivers, a rock band at our Bucks County, PA. At the time they informed us that they were opening for the Sons of Bill at The State Theatre on October 16th. We added the show to our MyJoog calendar, but when we arrived the Levee Drivers were absent - apparently the band couldn't get a confirmation from the venue. Instead, local rock band, Memphis 59, was warming up. Not a bad replacement, we had heard of this band and exchanged emails, but never saw them live. And they can rock. I am confounded how I missed their performances at the Mid-Atlantic Band Battle held in my own backyard at Jammin' Java. The nucleus of the band is frontman Scott Kurt, bassist Richard Lewis, and drummer Chris Zogby. These are real rock songs - listen to "Black and White TV" or "In Spite of Me" or "Knock Me Out" - and not the power-pop that is prevalent nowadays. I'm looking forward to their collaboration with Justin Trawick at The Clarendon Ballroom for the Pink Jams! fundraiser November 18th.

The Sons of Bill also turned out to be an incredible rock band. I had always heard them referred as a country band - but that is a mistake. This is a rock band, albeit one with roots influences. Yea, they cover Billy Joe Shaver and site Townes Van Zandt as an influence - but listening to the electric guitar, keyboards, bass, and percussion - these guys can rock. The three Wilson brothers; James, Sam and Abe grew up listening to their father playing old country and apparently blues tunes and eventually inherited his guitars and talent. They are based out of Charlottesville, but have a nice regional following along the east coast. Many of these fans were in attendance this night - singing every song and cheering their favorites. Mine was their version of Blind Willie Johnson's classic "Let Your Light Shine" - the best version since The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. Plus we are fans of any Shaver cover. And Sam Wilson can play the heck out of the electric guitar. What's also nice is that the three brothers alternate fronting the band - with James taking most of the leads, but Sam and Abe contributing their own songs as well. From mid-November through the rest of the year Sons of Bill is touring with Robert Earl Keen starting with a quasi hometown show at The National. How can you pass on that combo?

Gourds @ The State Theatre

Usually every six months we have the pleasure to watch The Gourds perform at the The State Theatre in Falls Church Virginia; this time in support of there latest CD Haymaker!. Ever since seeing them perform at the Austin City Limits festival several years ago, this band has entertained us with their uncanny lyrics, zany behavior, and extraordinary musical talents. And extraordinary is an understatement. Start with Max Johnston who during a show will play the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and a lap steel guitar. When not playing the mandolin Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith will smoothly transition from the others electric and bass guitar. Add in Claude Bernard on the accordion and organ and Keith Langford on percussion and you have the composition of one of our favorite bands. Maybe the favorite.



And this show was no exception. It could probably be called the Kevin Russell show, because it seemed that the night revolved around him. Not that that's a bad thing. He was his zany self on stage and perhaps since most of the songs played from Haymaker! appeared to be his. They started with Country Love Listen and throughout the night we also heard All the Way to Jericho; Shreveport; Tex-Mex Mile; Way You Can Get; and Country Gal - all Russell songs. Add in Russell's "The Lower 48" and he was the man. That's odd because I really liked Smith's tracks on the new album. As with Johnston's pair - particularly "Tighter".

The first time I listened to Haymaker! I wasn't sure what I thought - probably because all CD's are instantly compared to Cow Fish Fowl or Pig. But I spent the day after the show re-listening to the CD and it is tight. It's better than the last two: Noble Creatures and Heavy Ornamentals; with great vocals, harmonies and the standard "jambalaya" of instruments. Go buy this CD.

The Justin Trawick Band opened the show and they provided a solid performance to start the night. Many of us have followed Trawick on his usual local circuit at IOTA Club, Vermilion, and The Rookery. But tonight he had a few extra's including Ken Wenzel - who was excellent on the sax. The band had a great sound with the sax, Jean Finstad on bass cello, Will Reinhardt on drums, and Josh Himmelsbach on lead guitar. Some in our party thought it had a Dave Matthews-ish quality - maybe - but not being a great Dave Matthews fan - I like to think of them as having a Trawick-ish sound.

Tea Leaf Green @ State Theater

For the first time I had a chance to see Tea Leaf Green as they continued their national tour through the Washington D.C. area to the State Theater. I had read great reviews of this band - but what we experienced was awesome. We arrived during a wicked drum solo, followed by another half hour of funky - jammin music by Jimmies Chicken Shack - a local band with a hardcore group of followers. After a brief set change - it seemed as if the front doors re-opened as waves of people moved towards the stage. When Tea Leaf Green opened with Red Ribbons I immediately thought out loud that this group had outgrown this venue. Not only was their sound too big - but also the size of the audience. By the time they finished Jezebel and Don't Curse the Night during their first set, I was wondering if this is how music lovers felt thirty years ago following the Allman Brothers or Grateful Dead in smaller venues.

What makes Tea Leaf Green so impressive starts with the guitar work of Josh Clark. He just plays a tight guitar which is backed by the rhythm of Trevor Garrod on the keyboards. Finally Reed Mathis and Scott Rager round out the group on bass and drums. But Josh Clark is the man as seen in their opening song of the second set: The Devil's Pay and then the Baseball Song. By the time they played Incandescent Devil I hoped they'd go on all night. This is one band I will travel to see and purchase Rock 'n' Roll Band or Taught to Be Proud.

The subdudes @ The State Theater

On November 8th we were able to attend the subdudes show at The State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia. Their current tour is in support of their latest album Street Symphony and from the songs we heard, this album could be better than Behind the Levee. My favorite song: Poor Man’s Paradise. For those unfamiliar with the subdudes, they are a New Orleans band that blends that cities funk and blues sound with unique percussions and incredible vocal harmonies. These vocals were particularly on display when the band moved into the audience and sang a few songs with Tommy Malone playing an acoustic guitar and Steve Amedée, John Magnie, and Tim Cook adding percussion and singing at times A cappella. Amazing - that was worth the price of admission itself.