May 22, 2007
By Alex V. Cook
I don’t know where everyone was this week, but they missed some glorious guitar playing. Thursday night The Junior League brought their eternal pop to the stage at Chelsea’s with Lee Barbier infusing their classic sound with some J. Mascis-style runaway train fretwork, like Dinosaur Junior League, if you will. They opened up for Austin’s The Summer Wardrobe, headed by former Baton Rouge fixture Jon Sanchez. The Summer Wardrobe consisted of pedal steel, Sanchez’s aurora borealis mastery of his pedal board and an epic rhythm section, delivering magnificent sonic vistas that were as much Santa Fe as they were Sigur Ros. The Summer Wardrobe has been selected to be the backup band for the legendary Roky Erickson on his comeback tour, and if their version of Erickson’s “Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)” is any indication, Erickson should be glad to have them.
Saturday night I trucked out to Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary to hear Smokehouse Porter and the Gutbucket Blues band. Porter’s low dirty rumble in his voice and guitar playing stands out from the more uptown Chicago–style blues we hear a lot around here, but it was his two guitar players who owned the night. His main man William Dale throws down some hard rock technical prowess in the mix without going into (in my opinion) corny Stevie Ray Vaughn territory, and was having a good night. However, the star was special guest Electric Larry, whose prowess in pushing a blues line to the stratosphere is surpassed locally only by Kenny Neal. Two glorious nights of music -- you should’ve been there.
Wednesday, May 23:
Matt & Kim (sunshine indie rock from Brooklyn) at Spanish Moon
Louis Ford (traditional jazz from New Orleans, 6 p.m.), Michael Foster Project at 10 p.m. at Chelsea’s
Thursday, May 24:
The House Harkonnen, Parade and the Brass bed at North Gate Tavern
The Track Record, The Bleeding Alarm, and I Am the Pilot at The Darkroom
Friday, May 25:
Reception is Suspected, Fred Weaver at Spanish Moon
Jack Fate at Chelsea’s
Werewolf at North Gate Tavern
Dead Money, Crown Hill, Remove the Veil and Pay It Forward at The Darkroom
Michael Foster project and Friends at The Varsity
Bobby Campo Quartet (blues/jazz, non-smoking) at Phil Brady’s
Lil’ Jimmy Reed at Teddy’s Juke Joint
Saturday, May 26:
Pretty Girls Make Graves (last tour ever), Moon rats and Moros Eros at Spanish Moon
American Aquarium (literate roots rock form Raleigh, N.C.) at Chelsea’s
The Salutation, Break or Burn, Skylight Invitational, The Exit Season, Evangelina and Ever Be are at The Darkroom
Lil Jimmy Reed at Teddy’s Juke Joint
Comments
Post a comment
(225 magazine reserves the right to remove any comments from this site we deem offensive, malicious or otherwise inappropriate.)