“We’re gonna make sure shit gets broke at Abilene,” promises country singer/songwriter/all-around rambunctious hillbilly cat, Chuck Mead. And though he and his band, the Grassy Knoll Boys, will undoubtedly tear up the joint, Mead is a respectful artist who speaks with an excited reserve when talking about his latest platter, “Back at the Quonset Hut.” […]
Abilene
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MUSIC: The sounds of autumn
The summer concert season might be dominated by large-scale festivals, giant outdoor concerts, and get-together shows everyplace that can throw together a stage. But just because summer is ending doesn’t mean that the musical good times have to stop once the leaves hit the ground. There’s a little bit for every music fan coming through […]
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CONCERT REVIEW: Barrence Whitfield, Charlie Mitchell Group, Anonymous Willpower, Dust & Bone
You put a powerful black voice in front of a garage band you’ve got some unstoppable rock ‘n’ roll. Put Boston’s bombastic blues belter Barrence Whitfield blasting in front of The Savages (including two of the original Savages) and it’s like an operatic Howitzer. The band unleashed an incredible r&b-tinged garage barrage on the unsuspecting […]
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Where have all the cowboys gone?
Country music is huge. Yet the appeal seems to drop off sharply when it comes to country music on a local level. Where are the bands? Where are the country-music fans the other days of the year that megastars like Chesney aren’t here?
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CONCERT REVIEW: C.J. Chenier, Chris Duarte at Abilene
C.J. Chenier certainly laissez les bon temps rouler at Abilene Wednesday, August 21. The joint was one big percolatin’ dance floor as Chenier and his able crew rocked up the zydeco. The show went well past most bedtimes, and into those hours known as wee. I don’t believe I’ve seen Houston, Texas, blues rocker Chris […]
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MUSIC FEATURE: The Fox Sisters
It was no big deal; just another night of rock ‘n’ roll in the Flower City. The smart set had shoehorned itself into Abilene on a Friday night in March for headliners 5Head and an unknown support act. You could’ve spread the energy with a spatula. It was palpable within the crowd-powered steam heat when […]
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Nikki Hill
All hyperbole aside, St. Louis-based soul shouter Nikki Hill is one of the best roots-rock singers I have ever seen. And I’ve seen quite a few. And I’m not just talking about the stars of now, but of all time. I rate her up there with Wanda Jackson, Barbara Pittman, Etta James, and Ruth Brown. […]
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Concert Review: The Bygone Few, JD McPherson
I know it’s lazy to describe a band’s sound with another band — bands as adjectives, I call it — but sometimes it’s a good kick start in the right direction. So when I tell you the new Rochester band The Bygone Few sounds like a Misfit Concrete Blonde, you’ll understand why…and hopefully accept my […]
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JD McPherson
For 29 of the 35 years that drummer Jason Smay has spent on the globe, his snappy beats have gotten asses out of seats and started them shaking. An amazingly solid, in-the-pocket performer, he’s kept time with an array of classic rock ‘n’ rollers. Smay has done time — and kept it — in groups […]
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INTERVIEW: Marti Brom
There’s a spot in certain female voices — a transitional spot, if you will — between sweet vibrato and growl. Texas rockabilly songstress Marti Brom traverses this vocal twilight beautifully, leaving a slew of broken hearts in her wake. Brom’s voice and overall persona is classic and way beyond your typical rootsy twang and tribute. […]
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INTERVIEW: Gas House Gorillas
So, five gorillas walk into a bar… But seriously folks, five guys from Brooklyn walk into a joint in Anytown, USA, and promptly take the stage. They look like a cross-section between The Bowery Boys and escapees from The Reformatory for Wayward Boys circa 1959. It’s still not clear if these cats are the band, […]
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Concert Review: David Mayfield Parade, Jeremy Laurson, Teressa Wilcox Band
Friday night marked the first part of The David Mayfield Parade‘s two-night stand at Abilene. By the time I made the scene the place was packed and sufficiently lubricated on Genny, Jim, and Jack, and show openers The Tarbox Ramblers‘ opening set was full of lowdown, drop-tune, and swampy Beantown voodoo. The headliners from Columbus, […]
