Minor keys are like hot sauce on open wounds. When you want
to kick that urge, that emotion, that thrill, that chill up a bit, nothing’s
finer than going minor. Then there’s Rochester acoustic blues aficionado and
virtuoso Fred Vine. Armed with a dreadnaught and a National Steel, Vine
swings from the minor vine as the tunes dictate, but he maintains the music’s
ominous burn when he sails into major territory. It’s all in the man’s fingertips.
His finger style was loose yet flawless Thursday, January 31,
at the Little Theatre Cafรฉ. With legendary string bassist Brian Williams
holding down the rhythm and walking the line, Vine struck me as a displaced
ragtime piano player as much as he did a guitar slinger. The duo picked and
plucked a handful of ragged gems as the audience nursed heat from coffee mugs.
Waters got Muddy, as Vine and Williams traversed the dirt between The Delta,
Chicago, and the snowy East Avenue corridor.
After my wife and I dined as Mario’s guests Friday night, we
headed to Abilene for a nightcap, which turned into a blasting cap with The
Fools. Maybe it was the Rory Gallagher rave-up that spun me out right away,
but I really dug the band’s set — a blend of blues and atmosphere on the rocks.
I flew out into the upstate tundra to Lovin’
Cup Saturday night. It was so cold I actually saw a lawyer with his hands in
his own pockets. Anyway, Low Flying Planes was on stage to keep us warm
with its hot rock. This is a band that flies the original flag for the most
part and shows huge potential as it comes into its own. Tonally speaking it
could stand to smooth things out a bit, but the set rocked otherwise. This
Life followed with its cerebral, piano-driven alt-rock. The band has a
serious slant amidst its clever compositions and people seemed torn between
dancing and listening. You can do both, you know.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2013.
