Heaven didn’t want ’em and Hell
was afraid they’d take over, so Christian rockers Wales Road and recovering Christian rockers The Lobster Quadrille piled penitently into the Bug Jar instead
last Thursday. Tommy Wales opted for a more jangly
tone than usual but the songs still sounded great. His humility on stage is
refreshing even though the man has chops to boast.
The Montage saw Andre
Foxxe’s return. This show was everything I hoped
it would be: funky and loose. Foxxe led all nine
pieces through a set of mostly his originals, but the dance floor flooded
whenever he pulled out Funkadelic. His vocals were
dead-on and mixed awesome with the lush harmonies of three back-up singers. The
show — as much rock as it was funk — had something for everybody, whether
they had a jones to rock out, get up, or get down.
After a few slugs of ‘nog Friday
with The Universal Buzz crew, I hit the Spy Bar where out of the door arose
such a clatter, I had to go inside to see what was the matter: ‘TwasThe UV Rays.
They delivered a loud and mean set with a new bass player (rumor has it his old
man was in Black Sheep). The band has an abundance of energy, general
disregard, and a bunch of really memorable riffs.
On Saturday at The Clarissa Room, The John Cole Blues Band played a swingin’
set to a cozy house. A new portrait of the late John Starr oversaw the proceedings. The
band was in the pocket all night and Cole sang all Big Joe and B.B.-like.
I caught Mainline
Adrenaline at The Montage as part of a Toys for
Tots hardcore show. The band is 100 percent aggressive dynamics. The bass
literally shook me and the walls.
Auburn’s Rocko Dorsey & The
Individuals played a tight, original pop-rock set. I was a little taken
aback the first time I saw them, they looked so rockabilly. The same thing
happened with Social Distortion 15 years ago. The band slicked a little glue in
the ‘do and into its set, and Rocko knocked me out
with a solo piece he referred to as “metalbilly.”
— Frank De Blase
This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2005.
