In this section we will post any articles, reviews, lies, or notices that get written up in the local or regional press concerning the Capital City Barn Dance.
Excellent review of Trailer Bride in 9 Times Magazine!
(Published by Plan 9 Records.)
Found this one online at Rural Route Show Archives
Ghost Rockets - Route 44 Club, Virginia Beach, Va July 11th
I've been friends with Buddy Woodward for about a year. I first met him on-line when I ended up causing a lot of hate and
discontent on the BGRASS-L, a Bluegrass internet discussion list. He was of no help in defending me from the attacks of several
overly constipated banjo pickers. Asshole. I spent the next year insulting him at every chance I could get. What are friends for?
I first met the rest of the band and saw them perform for the first time at Twangfest 2, the annual music festival/drunkfest/sex
orgy/spiritual-healing held in St Louis every year. They rocked the house. The dance floor quickly filled up and they owned the
crowd. I was warned that they were headed down my way in July and to alert the authorities.
In early July I wrote up a press release and sent it to the local music rag. I was promised that it would appear the week before
they were scheduled to play. Instead, the paper ran into a financial difficulty and it didn't come out until the week AFTER the show. The venue never advertised the show either. The venue was also supposed to schedule an opening band, but failed to. The
only advertisement that was done was on a 2'x3' blackboard that was placed by the front door of the club the day before the
show.
The venue had a postage stamp styled stage and their own soundman who finally showed up at 10:30 for an 11pm gig. While the
band was setting up, the club owner was walking back and forth with a toilet bowl in his arms. He picked a hell of a time to fix the bathroom. Hard Rock was blasting out of the clubs sound system. 11pm came and went. The band was ready, but the owner
preferred the stereo. At 11:40 the band went on. The sound was terrible. They played for an hour before the bass amp blew a
fuse. The few people in the club were digging it though. While the fuse was being replaced in the bass amp, the club started filling up with people who wanted to see the band. But the owner cranked up the stereo again and told the band to go home. Truly a gig from hell.
The next night's show was better. In fact it was night and day. The Capital City Barn Dance is a twang event put on at Alley-Katz
in Richmond, Va. Whiskeytown canceled out because Ryan Adams had to have a cyst removed, his head pulled out of his ass,
or some other delicate surgical procedure. The venue provided a dressing room, liquid refreshment, and saltine crackers. What
more could you ask for? As we were waiting for show-time to come around, I sat up in the dressing room discussing women's
anatomy and playing Duets of the Buck Owens catalog with Budrocket while playing his cheapass Martin Guitar.
Come showtime, the Band rocked. The crowd loved it. They had the folks dancing, which is a Ghost Rocket guarantee. Yours
truly was even asked up on stage as a GuestRocket to sing an old Lester Flatt song. The Ghost Rockets brand of Twang won
over the people of Richmond.
Next band up was the Drive-By Truckers from the Alabama/Georgia area of hell. The best way to describe them is Country
Grunge. They pulled no punches. The band was tight, but the most memorable part was the song lyrics. Patterson Hood looks
like he should be locked up somewhere. Once you listen to his songs, you become aware the he really should be locked up
somewhere. They sang songs with the bark on, pulling no punches what-so-ever. Songs about subjects than real men can relate
to. Steve McQueen, Bulldozers and Dirt, and a town called Buttholeville. It was a fun show.
It was a good gig for both bands. It wasn't the best match-up I have seen. The Ghost Rockets and Drive-By Truckers come from
Alternate ends of the Alt-Country spectrum. But each was good. If you get the chance, go check them out. And if you are in
Richmond on a Saturday Night, the place to be is the Capital City Barn Dance at Alley-Katz. If you come out here to Virginia
Beach, let me know ahead of time. The Route 44 Club is not where you want to go for a Twangin Good Time.
by Goondaddy
Here's an article quoted from Style Magazine about the first Barn Dance.
YEEHAW!
The Richmond music scene has suddenly become home to sellout
crowds and top-shelf star power. In the rock realm, in the last
eight weeks we've had Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Matthew Sweet,
Counting Crows, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Soul Coughing.
In country, we've had Garth Brooks for three soldout shows. In gospel,
we've had Kirk Franklin & the Family for two nights.
Not bad for a town that sometimes sees itself as the City That Rock Forgot.
This time of year is generally the lull before we find out what the warm-weather
concert venues - Big Gig, Jumpin', Innsbrook After Hours, Classic
Amphitheatre and others - hold for us, but with this strong a preamble I'd
predict a return to the "A" list.
Who knows, maybe someone will even have the sense to bring James Brown here.
Meanwhile, some Richmond musicians are working hard to ensure that some alternative
country stars of tomorrow make a stop here, too. To do it, they're resurrecting a
proud tradition from Richmond's musical past.
Louis Ledford, George Reuther, Wes Freed and others are kicking off the Capital
City Barn Dance on Friday nights at the Flood Zone. The once-a-month show is
done in the same homespun spirit as the Old Dominion Barn Dance, a days-gone-by
Richmond tradition that used to boast Sunshine Sue back in the '50s.
"The Old Dominion Barn Dance, the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride...
these were all entertainment shows designed to give people a nice palette of
different stuff to listen to," says Ledford, lead singer of local band Used
Carlotta, which will perform at the inaugural episode March 7. "We're going to
provide the same thing. I want to stress that this isn't going to be three
local bands every time. We're going to bring in bands from all over the country.
Like the old show, it'll start promptly and end promptly. It's not going to be
hokum, but we're going to make it as exciting and theatre-like as we possibly can."
Wes Freed, lead singer of Dirtball, also performing March 7, is designing the set.
"It will be somewhere between the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw," drawls Freed.
"We're making a barn to go over the top of the drum riser. It'll be sort of campy.
The drum riser will be made to look like bales of straw. Big Scotty Price, of Big
Scotty and the Sexabilly Avalanche, will be our emcee, and he'll be dressed in a
neat cowboy suit with spangles and stuff. We're getting a bunch of cloggers to come
in, too. We want to make it an event. At the end, there'll be a gospel rave up where
everyone gets out on stage together. It'll be a knockdown, drag-out, give-em-some-thing-to-remember,
and then it'll be dance night."
George Reuther of Used Carlotta says the goal of the Capital City Barn Dance is
to create a monthly showcase "for all these different flavors of country bands" that
have popped up. March 7 will present the traditional bluegrass and mountain music
of the Slack Family, the hillbilly soul of Dirtball, and the contemporary honky-tonk
of Used Carlotta; the April show will feature out-of-town talent.
Reuther says the common bond for the alternative country realm may be Hank
Williams. "All these bands are made up of ex-punk rockers and ex-speed metal rockers
who've discovered Hank Williams. There's a real response now to rootsy traditional
American music, and that may be 'what's next' after grunge. This whole
movement is about recreating something with old pieces, about traditional elements
with new flavors."
Reuther then waxes philosophical. "What did people do after the Renaissance?
There was Mannerism, which was taking elements of Renaissance art and reapplying them.
We've taken the Michelangelos and DaVincis of country music, which are Webb
Pierce and Hank Williams, and we're studying the Old Masters and reapplying them.
It's the same kind of thing... I guess."
Reuther realizes that he and his cohorts' efforts may be less than illustrious at first,
but he's philosophical about that as well. "This is more like the Little Rascals trying
to put on the Grand Ole Opry," he admits. "But it's coming along pretty well. The basic
goal is to provide entertainment, and we're trying to put on the best show we can."
This section features email reviews from "Tejas" Ted Samsel.
He emails 'em to me and I post 'em here.
These reviews also go to local print 'zines, and to internet newsgroups devoted to the country / bluegrass / old time music scenes.
Click on the link above check to out what's being said on the 'evil' internet about little old us.
Ghost Rockets/Drive-by Truckers/ Whiskeytown, Capital City Barn Dance, Richmond, Va July 12th
New masters put a modern spin on the old barn dance tradition
By Andy Garrigue
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