What do you do when you have two great shows next to each other? Why, club-hop of course! Now sure, this makes for a somewhat more frazzled experience and sure peeps prefer to just stay put but, given the artists performing and the intense contrast, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Over at the Mink's Backroom you had Indian Jewelry, Dizzy Pilot, and The Wiggins while over at The Continental Club you had Archie Bell, The Mighty Hannibal, and Barbara Lynn. In short, this was the best juxtaposition of generations and genres one could hope for and the question I kept wondering was which would blow the other away which was a pretty foolish thought as each had it's own unique charm and the differences only heightened the charm of each show.
The unbilled
El Orbits opened up at the Continental and were clearly acting as the warm-up band before the headliners whom they would do an expert job of backing-up throughout the evening. The band plays a solid enough selection of rockabilly, lounge, and early Rock and Roll hits - in essence a cover band - but that's not a bad thing. There is something to be said for hearing a classic like Fats Domino's
Ain't That a Shame played straight by live musicians in a club that brings a smile to my face. The band plays great songs with enough skill that it's garnered them the recurring Monday night slot at The Continental so if you ever want to kick back on a Monday with some straight up early rock and roll, you may want to swing by - after all it's free.
Things really kicked-off with Texas legend
Miss Barbara Lynn. Once you walked inside you immediately felt the breeze of sass and grace from Miss Lynn. Lynn may be up there in her 60's but she can bring the room down with her expressive voice and smooth bluesy guitar work. Songs like her signature
You'll Lose a Good Thing, still pack a punch when she delivers them in person especially since her delivery has a bit more grit and immediacy than her slick latter day recordings would suggest. Particularly amusing was her guitar work which alternated with a loose strummed rhythm style with a much more precise finger picked style when she played lead. It may not have been virtuosic arpeggios but within the blues idiom, her guitar was as distinctive as her voice. The audience was clearly energized by her and it took some effort to pull myself away to run to the Mink for Dizzy Pilot.
It's tough to bring out what
Dizzy Pilot do on stage into a recording studio which is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they are fun, wild, and woolly (definitely woolly) live but, on the other hand, Dizzy Pilot for the most part seems caged-in on their recordings. Consider guitarist Bill Kenny's guitar work on stage - it's like watching a gymnast on speed and while the songs are clearly structured there is this wild and frenetic quality that jumps from the dirty garage looseness of say Mudhoney to the more epic melodic precision of the best Flaming Lips lines. Vocalist and guitarist JJ White is no small shakes either as he belts his lungs out and flails on stage - he just doesn't do it under the attention grabbing mountain of hair Kenny employs. It's an energy that's contagious. Take the one fellow in the audience who was clearly waiting for his jam. When
Heart of a Hurricane's notes rang out, the guy immediately began thrashing, hanging from the rafters, and bumping into people who easily forgive his enthusiasm. Who could blame him?
Heart of a Hurricane is, after all, a kick-ass song.
Back at the Continental Club,
The Mighty Hannibal was taking the stage with a sweetness in his voice and presence that lifted the crowd into a swoon. I'm going to assume that in his younger days the Mighty Hannibal may have been a much more spry performer but even though he largely stood in a very small area of the stage - which may be more of a practicality issue given his blindness - he clearly knew how to command the stage. I mean, you try to look cool wearing a skimmer hat on your head and see what it gets you. You really want to know how you have someone who can sing R&B? Have them do
Mustang Sally. I freaking hate that warhorse of a song to the point where it's become synonymous with tired boring bar bands. But here is the thing - Hannibal made it work! That's something I thought was impossible but his voice was adept enough to make it swing along with everything else that night be it
get up and dance funk to the more heartfelt
couples-only soul. Regardless of the style, it was pretty hard to resist the urge to move and I'm glad that my posse stayed at the Mink because otherwise I may have had to hit the dance floor which is something nobody should be subjected to. Thankfully, the crowd had much more grace than I would have had on the dance floor and as I left the couples were dancing wrapped in the Hannibal's voice. Clearly, The Mighty Hannibal's work here was done.
Back at The Mink,
The Wiggins was running through his weirdtronic one-man show. That's being a bit silly as the Wiggins' weirdness is less about the elements and more about how they are assembled. Imagine an 60's garage and psych song structure, throw in a Johnny Rotten nasal delivery, a distorted drum machine straight out of an 80's dance floor, drop a post-punk guitar style that's angular yet melodic like say Wire, and you might get an idea of what makes the Wiggins so clever and fun. Those elements aren't much in and of themselves but it's John Read ability to join those elements into something fresh and droll that tickles it's audience to no end. In fact, I can't think of anyone who has ever seen the Wiggins play who has not left with a smile and this was no different.
Closing the night over at the Continental was
Archie Bell. Bell's a pro who knew how to work the crowd in his white suit - getting people all up and dancin' , singing along, and, of course, inciting the occasional request for
Tighten Up. Bell knows that, despite his decades old catalog, people want to hear his signature song -
Tighten Up - and demands for the song were met with a gracious and jovial "Oh you know I have to save that for last." that kept the audience on his side. That's a pretty sweet skill to have and it all comes from Bell's demeanor which invites the audience to have a good time with him. Be it engaging audience members directly, throwing down some sweet (if not so limber) dance moves, or just allowing the music carry him, Bell is clearly a veteran of an old school - one that just wants people to put aside their pretensions, feel good, and just enjoy themselves. And yes,
Tighten Up closed the evening and the response was exactly what you'd expect - dancin' dancin' dancin'. Well, except for me of course. When I left, the bartender (knowing I'm not a regular) asked "D'ja have a good time?" I believe my response was something akin to an enthusiastic "Hell yeah!"
Finally, over at the Mink,
Indian Jewelry took things in a totally different and trippy direction from Archie Bell but one that was no less raucous and joyous: drums machines crashing, guitars screeching, electronic sounds swirling, and a crowd that loved every second. Some songs - like say
Temporary Famine Strip - are much better live than on CD but that no complaint against albums like the exceptional
Free Gold but more a compliment to the band's loose and fluid live performance. The songs have structure but they are also open enough so as to leave room for the unexpected and allow the players to be in the moment. That kind of interaction makes their performances unique enough where no two are alike but it also leaves the albums to be merely a static snapshot - a single possible universe out of many. Regardless of this kind of penny-ante comparison between the recorded and the live - it should not be lost on anyone that Indian Jewelry are and have been one of Houston's most challenging yet accessible graduates of the Houston experimental community. They get trippy and noisy but the tribal beat that accompanies most songs is undeniable. One fan even took it upon herself to join the band on stage and start dancing. I ask you, how many experimental bands inspire that response? So dance on Indian Jewelry girl we totally know where you are coming from!
The El Orbits kicked off the evening with a nice set.
Indian Jewelry's entry won 1st Place
in this year's science fair!
Barbara Lynn may be hitting 60+ years but
she can still whoop your ass on a Strat!
Barbara Lynn shows us why they call her
The Queen of Gulf Coast Soul Blues
Dizzy Pilot's J.J. White
"I'd like to order a dozen crullers."
Dizzy Pilot's Bill Kenny -
"Dude how many times do I have to tell you!
This is not the donut shop!
This Dude was really excited about Dizzy Pilot's set.
He hung from the rafters, danced violently,
and here almost fell on his ass
until Al (ex-Sharks and Sailors) caught his fall.
Atlanta's Mighty Hannibal - how it's done folks!
The Mighty Hannibal - Style knows no age!
Happy couples dancing and
a satisfied Willie Nelson fan
- The Mighty Hannibal's work here is done!
The Wiggins testifies at The Mink Backroom
No, the Wiggins did not play My Pal Foot Foot
Bobby Dj (Tense), Tex (Indian Jewelry), and Omar (Caprolites) diggin' the Wiggins!
No, Tex isn't on a cell phone - he's singing along!
The Wiggins Crowd:
Tex (Indian Jewelry), Omar (Caprolites),
a very stern looking Erica (Indian Jewelry),
and Cley (Young Mammals)
Archie Bell - Nobody leaves without dancing!
Archie Bell Tightens It Up at the Continental Club
Indian Jewelry's bestest buddy - the strobe light
Ladies and gentlemen we have Maracas!
Out of control Indian Jewelry dancin'!!!
Errr no, wait! My bad.
The above caption was meant for
I can't help myself! I have to run onstage and dance! woman.
Fuck those chin-scratching crossed-arm music fans!
You go and dance to your heart's content!
Links
More Pictures on My Flickr (Link)
(all the following myspace and in order of appearance):
The El Orbits (Link)
Miss Barbara Lynn (Link)
Dizzy Pilot (Link)
The Mighty Hannibal (Link)
The Wiggins (Link)
Archie Bell (Link)
Indian Jewelry (Link)Labels: "Archie Bell", "Barbara Lynn", "Dizzy Pilot", "El Orbits", "Indian Jewelry", "Mighty Hannibal", Wiggins
