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There is an old phrase about the social incest of Baton Rouge that says there are only four girlfriends and six apartments in the whole town. Even though our population has surged recently, I saw a perfect example of this the other night. One of my longtime favorite local bands, The Roebucks, was playing at Chelsea's, opening for Elsah, who both share ace roots rock guitarist Sam Boykin Short. Dave Hinson plays bass with the Roebucks as well as Righteous Buddha, who had a Spanish Moon gig immediately following the Roebucks set. I really like all three bands, and am good friends and former roommates with a number of the members throughout so it was an exercise in attending to many loyalties at once.

First, the Roebucks. Just over a decade ago, The Roebucks ruled this town’s live music landscape. I know I used to go see them a minimum of twice a month in their heyday, waiting for Robbie Taylor to launch into one of the best, tortured love-slow-dance-allegories ever, their "Guided Missile." I haven’t seen them play in the better part of seven years, but the band still has it. The Roebucks make music for dancers, that rootsy, surfy, twisty clever music that rides the fence between country swing and indie rock, the intersection of Bob Wills and Nick Lowe. They always were and still are a fun band.

Elsah took to the stage with an expanded lineup, expanded enough to require the keyboard player to stand just off the stage. Elsah's brand of country-rock leans more to the singer-songwriter side with whiskey tales filled with tattered lovers and all. Its good stuff and really, they are still one of my favorite acts operating in town right now. But since this was a reunion of sorts, I split mid-set to catch the end of Righteous Buddha with the out-of-town folks.

If you haven't seen them yet, Righteous Buddha has a formidable sound that gets more ironclad each time. John Smart's Hammond organ is the kind of all encompassing force that would sink a lesser band, but Chris DeJohn's drum prowess and Hinson’s sense of groove keep the Titanic upright. Righteous Buddha is perhaps best described as funk miasma, with strains of jazz and soul and rock all undulating in quick succession. Sometimes the miasma gets too intense, moving beyond hippie-jam throb into Ornette Coleman-esque algebraic frenzy, but that’s a good thing. I’m hard-pressed to think of a rock moment in recent memory that was too intense. Plus, not many evenings move seamlessly from Western Swing to fire rituals, all pulling from the same musicians. That’s one of the things I love about this town. We don’t have a style, a particular sound, opting instead to be a breeding ground for individual, unique projects.

On an unrelated side note, if you need a new Christmas song to add to your rotation, seek out Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa." It might just give you a reason to rock around that tree.

Wednesday, December 20: Tree Logic and Clint Calendar are at Chelsea's Café and the Michael Foster Project is at SoGo Live.

Thursday, December 21: Simon Lott's "Galactic Collaboration" is at Chelsea's Café.

Friday, December 22: The Planning Fallacy and The Lazarus Heart are at the Spanish Moon. K-Flux is at Chelsea’s Cafe. The Fourth is at The Caterie, John Lisi and Delta Funk are at Phil Brady’s and Bryan Lee is at Teddy's Juke Joint.

Saturday, December 23: We Landed on the Moon! and Shark Attack! exclaim their command over the evening at Spanish Moon. The Rebirth Brass Band and Jack Fate are at Chelsea's Cafe. Passing Japan, Evangelina and Norcio do an all ages show at The Caterie from 5-10 p.m., Lazy K takes the stage later that evening. Rev. Rob and the Original Sinners are at Phil Brady's.

December 24 – 26: Have a happy, safe, anxiety-free holiday and rest up for New Years' Eve.