Barn Dance Review - February 1998

From: tejas (tbsamsel@richmond.infi.net)
Subject: ccbd feb13

CCBD AK2 Feb 13, 1998

This month's show at Alley Katz led off with another manifestation of the multifarious CAPITAL CITY BOYS which included THE POI BOYS' pedal steel player and the peripatetic Big Scotty Price. I was quite pleased to hear the muddy vocals that plagued the CCBoys' performance at last month's Barn Dance improved upon by several orders of magnitude for their entreact sets this time.

The first guest act, HONKYTONK CONFIDENTIAL from DC, was also sporting a pedal man (albeit a ringer) and kicked in with a fine set of tunes worthy of two-steppin' in any reputable roadhouse. Vocals on both covers and originals were impressively shared by bassist and songwriter Geff King (an old musical pal of mine from a defunct DC/Bawlmer C&W band THE NEW EARLY MORNING SUNRISE BAND), guitarist Mike Woods and the lovely and Wammie-winning Diana Quinn who did a knocked-out version of the Wanda Jackson rockabilly classic Fujiyama Mama. Ms Quinn also performs with at least two other DC-area bands and is likely to be as impressive with these groups as well. (These guys have a home page at www.muddypaws.com/honkytonk, go check 'em out folks! You can find out about the Wammie Awards, too.)

This was a repeat performance by Portsmouth, Ohio's LEMON LILLIES; the last time they were here, they performed as a duo, but tonight they had a fine lady mandolin picker who, I was told, is the sister of one of the Lonzos of bluegrass's own Lonzo and Oscar. Michael Hurley was also on stage, Hurley started out on fiddle and also played guitar & string bass. He sang I PAINT A DESIGN, THE RUE OF RUBY WHORES (?) & LEAN ON ME. It seemed that the sound crew may have not been used to miking an all-acoustic act like this one for there were a few instances of feedback and dimming microphones. But the ladies held forth with their melange of tunes that is much like a combination of Emmy Lou Harris and the Roche Sisters to the delight of the portion of the crowd that wasn't involved in rudely jabbering away.

The STEAM DONKEYS, fronted by Buck Quigley (a songwriter of wry sensibility, not unlike a jolly Leonard Cohen), played a fantastic set that lived up to what I had heard about them from folks who had heard them at Bubbapalooza and at our own MOONDANCE. Those winters in Buffalo, their stomping grounds, probably seem a lot warmer with their rockin' roadhouse jive, fueled by a swing fiddler with more chops than a yuppie butcher shop. The rosin was indeed flying just like it used to be at the legendary Utica Club replete with the obligatory broken bone or three. Watch for their second CD, which will be released sometime this spring by an Atlanta label that has had the foresight and wisdom to rerelease their first recording effort, Cosmic Americana. And for the geeks in the crowd, y'all can check out their home page at www.wnywebshop.com/donkey1

And next month will be the Barn Dance's first anniversary.
Stay tuned...

TBSamsel@richmond.infi.net (also tejas@infi.net)
'Do the boogie woogie in the South American way'
Hank Snow THE RHUMBA BOOGIE