10/26/10 Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys

It was time to jump into my wayback machine with Mr. Peabody and Sherman and land myself squarely in the 1950s. That's right it's time to bee-bop with Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys like it was 1955. If you enjoy that amalgamation of western swing and bee-bop rock, then Big Sandy is the man for you. He fills the stage with his larger than life persona leading his band of wayward troubadours through the annals of early American rock music.
The band hit the stage with Joe Perez on drums, Jeff West on upright bass, Ashely Kingman on electric lead, and Big Sandy on acoustic guitar to the delight of a medium sized but enthusiastic crowd. They opened with Little Cabin Home On the Hill and the dancing started. OK that should really be that one couple did some swing dancing and a few women from "the party bus" did that dancing that girls do at rock shows. You know, stick the arm in the air and start gyrating the hips. Sandy kept the mood light and really engaged the crowd as always. He was the picture of the perfect 50's rock star with his guitar hung high on his chest and schtick well in hand. At one point in time during the show the Band took a "request" via text to show that they were thoroughly modern and embracing the new technology. The best crowd moment had to be when the most consistent dancing girl of the night gave Sandy a shot of tequila and they brought her on stage to dance while they played Tequila Calling. It was a great show that also included Jeff West singing Mad in honor of there being family memebers in the audience at the show. The only potential downer for me was the lack of Black Berry Wine in the set, but I guess you can't have everything, and they were a great warm up for Los Straitjackets.
Here is the show info.
Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
10/26/Mojo's
Columbia, MO
SBD+AUD recording
1) Little Cabin Home On The Hill
2) Hey Lowdown
3) If You Fall Out Of Love With Me
4) Chalk It Up To The Blues
5) The Greatest Story Ever Told
6) Spanish Dagger
7) Mad
8) True Blue Papa
9) Good Bye Little Star
10) Don't Sweetheart Me
11) Tequila Talking
12) My Eyes are Open (But There Ain't Nobody Home)
13) I Thought It Over*
*not sure of this song title if you know it let me know.

10/03/07 Yonder Mountain String Band The Blue Note, Columbia, MO

This was my first time seeing Yonder Mountain String Band, and witnessing the Kinfolk in action. I have to say I was impressed, and the crowd was CRAZY about this band. this was the first show of the fall tour, so the band was full of energy and ready to play, and The Blue Note was packed to the rafters and ready to party from the first note to the last. It was pretty obvious that Jeff Austin and Ben Kaufmann front the group, doing most of the singing and crowd interaction.
The band played two solid sets of music full of covers and originals. The first set consisted of 13 songs and ended with If There's Still Ramblin' In The Rambler (Let Him Go) leading into Catch A Criminal and then back into If There's Still Ramblin' in the Rambler (Let Him Go). This mash up of songs is a Yonder tour staple from what I can tell, and they did it with another set of songs when I saw them the next year. I will say that the transition wasn't from Ramblin to Catch a Criminal was not smooth like it was the next year, in fact the blending of songs was actually done at the transition from Catch a Criminal to Ramblin, and not between Ramblin' and Catch a Criminal. Of course, when you transition between songs with a shot, that is still a good transition.
The second set had 14 songs that varied more in temp, texture, and mood compared to the first set. Ranging from the barn stomping (most of the set) to feedback laden I'd Like off, an outrageous 15 minute version of Snow On the Pines, and the rollicking Town. I think the emotional peak of the whole show happened during My Gal when the crowd stomped so hard that the balcony actually shook. I had never seen that happen at the Blue Note before, and I have been to a LOT of shows at the Blue Note. They ended the show with Crow Black Chicken, and I have to say I never felt that song was dirty until I heard Yonder play it live.
Here is the show info:
The Blue Note
Columbia, MO
10/03/07
SBD+AUD matrix
Set 1
1) intro
2) Years With Rose
3) The Bolton Stretch
4) Fine Excuses
5) Mental Breakdown
6) 40 Miles From Denver
7) Only A Northern Song
8) Ain't Been Myself In Years
9) If Lovin' You Is Killing Me
10) Night Is Left Behind
11) Kentucky Mandolin
12) If There's Still Ramblin' In The Man (Let Him Go)
13) Catch A Criminal
14) If There's Still Ramblin' In The Man (Let Him Go)
Set 2
1) Intro
2) Sideshow Blues
3) Elzic's Farewell
4) Another Day
5) Just The Same
6) How 'Bout You
7) Snow On The Pines
8) I'd Like Off
9) Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
10) Town
11) My Gal
12) Angel
13) Ten
14) Raleigh And Spencer
15) Crow Black Chicken

09/23/10 Robbie Fulks & Jenny Scheinman Mojo's

This was another great Robbie show at Mojo's. I didn't know what to expect from this show since he was bringing Jenny Scheinman along instead of a band, so I wasn't sure how the set list would go. However, since half the fun of seeing Robbie live is the banter, I wasn't too worried about the songs they were going to play. It turns out I had nothing to worry about because Jenny's songs fit in nicely with Robbie's songs.

For those who don't know, Jenny Scheinman played violin and Robbie played acoustic guitar. During sound check Robbie played banjo, but sadly, it didn't make an appearance during the set. They played 20 songs, but only 18 of those were from the normal catalogue of Robbie and Jenny shows. The musical highlights of the night for me were Cocktails, The Hangman's Reel, and I'll Trade You Money For Wine. I also really enjoyed Moses with Robbie providing a stomping beat to drive the song along.

The Robbie moment of the show had to be the proposal that happened during Little Darling. It turns out that if you need a little help popping the question to your lady, Robbie is your man. Of course his way of helping is by writing you a soliloquy that you read on stage while he plays the song of your choice. It's Romantic Gold, and hilarious! I always learn something at a Robbie show and this show was no exception. Turns out Robbie's kid isn't going to get an Ipad, and Jenny really like New Castle Brown Ale.

If you like Robbie I am sure you will love this show. I imagine this is the kind of show he been putting on at the Hideout or the Old Town School of Chicago. I have heard about these shows and it is nice to get a chance to experience the show in person. If you listen the to show and realize it is nothing like the shows at the Hideout or the Old Town School of Chicago, don't tell me. I like to keep my illusions alive.

Here is the set list and show details:
Robbie and Jenny Scheinman
09/23/10 Mojo's
Columbia, MO
Multi SBD+AUD matrix
1) Bill Cheatham
2) Goodbye Virginia
3) Houston
4) Shanty In The Holler
5) Newspaper Angels
6) Run Run Run
7) Cocktails
8) Waitin On The New Things To Go
9) The Broken Spoke Waltz (Alvin Crow)
10) Brother
11) Little Darling-Proposal (The Diamonds)
12) The Honeymoon Song
13) Hangman's Reel
14) My Old Man
15) Satisfied
16) I'll Trade You Money For Wine
17) Moses
18) The Palms Of Maracaibo (Lionel Belasco)
19) Busy Not Crying
20) Let's Kill Saturday Night

08/26/10 Richard The Lionhearted Forrest Rose Park

Richard The Lionhearted was the second opener for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at Forrest Rose Park. I had never even heard of the band, much less the music, so I didn't know what to expect. They hit the stage with two guitars, bass, key boards, drums, and an extra percussionist that played things like a washboard and another tom from what I could see. All and all they played a solid set and were tight as a band, which does not always happen with the "local" opening bands. At the time of the show the most interesting part of their show were the vocals. While they did appear to have a lead singer, he almost always had at least one person in the band harmonizing with him, which resulted in a rather interesting sonic vibe. When the songs had a faster tempo the harmony gave the song more of a campfire sing along feel, which is very noticeable in the songs My, My, My, You've Heard That One Before, and O' California. The slower tempo songs actually had a very monkish feel to my ears most notable on songs like Ain't Been Straight, Son House, and Adieu. I am not sure if the change in vocal style varied depending on who was singing lead, I was back by the soundboard and it was hard to see who was leading the vocals on each song, or if the lead singer just changes his style more than most based on the tempo of the song. Even after mixing I still don't know, but I do like the variety; and I like the fact that the harmony builds up the lyrics, but doesn't make them sweet.

I left the show not sure what to think of the band. The music sounded solid, but there weren't any hooks, nothing that would grab me if I heard it on the radio. There wasn't an anthem or catchy pop rif in the mix that slapped me in the face and made me take notice. However, I left the show wondering if I saw something worth more than a good hook that gets old way too fast.

While mixing the show down I get a chance to listen to a show more and really start to digest the contents of the songs. Some shows I have loved on the night turn out to be shows that don't hold up to the light day during processing. Every so often there is a show that I am not sure about that night, but I grow to love during the mixing process where I get a chance to appreciate what the band is trying to achieve. The last time that really happened to me was Quien es, Boom! a number of years ago when they opened up for Cary Hudson. This show has creeped up on me just like Quien es, Boom!.

So now I have to try and describe the sound of Richard the Lionhearted. They say they are Rock/Folk/Country, and I definitely hear all of these components in the music. I would say they have a good Rock Country sound on some tracks that hearkens to say a CCR, but the majority of the music has a moody and textured darkness that is more 120 minutes and less Country Brunch. As I said, there are not real hooks, no chorus you are singing an hour after you listen to the music. What you do get are well crafted songs full of dark harmonies and bit of country flair that is well worth sitting down and digesting.

Here is the set list for the show:
Richard The Lionhearted
8/26/10 Forrest Rose Park
Columbia, MO
1) Ain't Been Straight
2) Anatomy Lesson
3) My, My, My
4) Son House
5) Whale Bones
6) You've Heard That One Before
7) O' California
8) Adieu
9) Ghost

08/26/10 Someone Still Loves You Borris Yeltsin posted on site

I have added my recording of this show to my site for download. Enjoy

08/26/10 Someone Still Loves You Borris Yeltsin at Forrest Rose Park

This was a free outdoor show at Forrest Rose park beside Mojo's in Columbia, MO. It was a nice night for a show, but the temporary outdoor setting resulted in an interesting show. First, since it was an outdoor show we got a shortened set without an encore. Second, there were technical difficulties like the original subwoofers didn't work and I think the replacements did not give as much bass to the live mix than i would have liked, and a piece of equipment powered down for a minute at the beginning of the set resulting is a significant drop in sound level. However SSLYBY ripped through a fast set with minimal crowd interaction and managed to play a 16 song set in an hours time, not bad. They did mix in quite a few songs off the new album including let it sway and All Hail Dracula (which I enjoy purely for the fact that it's a vampire song). The best banter of the night was when they talked about their new album and then told people that they could go by the merch table now and steal the album since they are their own merch people and no one was watching the table while they were on stage. They then proceeded to have a quick discussion of whether they would go over and steal they album if they had the chance. I let you listen to the show to find out the results of the discussion. I have to say you don't often have such moral/ethical discussion from the stage, and it gave me a true laugh for the night. They played a solid version of Modern Mystery and Darn Right, so the rest was really just cake for me. If you like SSLYBY, then you should really enjoy this set. I will say the vocals on the recording are a little less clear than I like, part of the problem with temporary outdoor show recording, but over all it is a nice recording that captured the moment well.
Recording details:
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
08/26/10 Forrest Rose Park
Columbia, MO
SBD+AUD matrix
Set List:
1) Banned (By the Man)
2) Everlyn
3) Heers
4) Pangea
5) The Beach Song
6) Made To Last
7) Glue Girls
8) Think I Wanna Die
9) House Fire
10) Back In The Saddle
11) Sink/Let It Sway
12) Dead Right
13) In Pairs
14) My Terrible Personality
15) Modern Mystery
16) All Hail Dracula

02/26/08 The Felice Brothers at The Blue Note

For this set The Felice Brothers were opening up for The Drive By Truckers. I had never heard of The Felice Brothers before the show, and had no idea what to expect, but I was not prepared to be blown away. They ripped through a frantic set that had me stomping one song and swaying the next. The energy and companionship on stage was infectious, and the band easily won over the assemble crowd. I found their sound to be an amalgamation of Appalachian, vaudeville, and zydeco; similar to The Asylum Street Spankers without the tongue and cheek humor. They included drums, fiddle, harmonium, guitar, and washboard to encase the vocals and harmonies that had just enough rough edges to suit the subjects they were singing about. And the songs, oh the songs. They sang of love, loss, drugs, drink, the lord almighty, and the devil himself. I love this show and listen to it often. I have since acquired the recorded works of the band, and while solid, do not truely capture the live show that this band can lay down on a stage. So if you have listened to a CD and potentially been left a little less than impressed, you must see them live. You will find the energy passion in the songs that the studio just can't caputre with this group.

I have posted my recording of the show on my site for free download in both MP3 and FLAC formats, so enjoy. The first song or two there were some issues with the vocals, but it is still a very nice recording with a good representation of their songs live from the time. Oh, and if you know the band please tell them to come back to Columbia, MO. Enjoy.

The Felice Brothers
02/26/08 The Blue Note
SBD+AUD matrix
Track list:
1) Intro
2) Lord, Send Me An Angel (Blind Willie McTell)
3) Her Eyes Dart Around
4) Whiskey In My Whiskey
5) Rockefeller Drug Law Blues (Gap in song due to recording error)
6) Radio Song
7) Wonderful Life
8) Cincinnati Queen
9) Helen Fry
10) Run Chicken Run
11) The Devil Is Real
12) Frankie's Gun