Barn Dance Review - January 1999

From: tejas (tbsamsel@richmond.infi.net)

The 16th of January saw the first Capital City Barn Dance of 1999 (and the second at the new location; The Dogtown Lounge on Forest Hill) leading off with Oregon Hill's FIDDLIN' TOMMY B. He commenced the evening by saying that he didn't really play guitar and contrariwise got right down to business pickin' on the flat-top box. His guitar technique was quite good, but it was not until he picked up his fiddle that things cleared up. He picked up his bow and I realized that he was playing in the same style on both instruments in a unstructured Southern Appalachian manner which is sometimes better heard in consort with another picker and with a less raucous audience. Spare and gripping.

The Barnyard Playboys, a three piece cowpunk outfit out of NYC, was more punk than cow. Songs about drunkenly browning your drawers in "K-MART DUNGAREE DIAPERS" were the order up and over and out. A 3-piece with the guitarist playing a clapped out looking Buck Owens red/white/blue that had been tricked out with pickups and played left handed & upside down. Deep Purple & Pink Floyd licks as intros. Horsey-set she-bulls were dancin' with some geezer types in full linedance fig to this.

To the glee and rapture of all, the main event was The Fat Elvis Band with a rather lo-cal Elvis. (I must note that Elvii-appearances are an acquired taste, but better than okra at times). This evening's Elvii was none other than Bryan Harvey, from HOUSE OF FREAKS, and is a pretty fine faux Elvii but he ain't fat, nossir. He should eat more fried banana sammidges, I reckon, if he wants to be fat. There were folks there all rosined up for fun including a pack of teenaged girls who were pinching each other to squeal on cue as the hits kept on a-comin'. Takes me back to the '50s when I got an 8X10 glossy of the King at the drive-in pitcher show on the road to Chorizo Springs. They were showing LOVE ME TENDER that night… this was back when the Louisiana Hayride was still on.. where was I? Oh, yes.. catching a flying kick-drum beater and handing it to old Coby, the drummer of this killer band of immaculate good taste. Si, senor. Go see these folks, they get the crowd moving.