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PrintHot Club of Cowtown, Brandon Jenkins and January’s other best bets for live music
Jan. 2 — Hot Club of Cowtown, Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St.
This three-piece western swing outfit has traveled to the four corners of the earth to preach the Gospel According to Bob (Wills, that is). And now they are playing in the House (it might be more of a church to this band) that Bob Built.
Ancillary influences include jazz, Americana, folk and country, but the band most definitely swings.
Hot Club’s most recent release, “Wishful Thinking,” has popped onto charts in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and parts in between. They are some of the youngest inductees into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame (Wills was originally from Texas, too — until he found out how much better Okies were).
Not a bad way to shake off the fog from New Year’s — with a band that shakes and a chanteuse with a hauntingly beautiful voice.
Jan. 9 — Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersoe, All Soul Acoustic Coffee House, 2952 S. Peoria Ave.
This is a return performance for Fulks. His last show at this venue was the first show I saw from this series. I have been hooked ever since.
Some think (and I was among them for a good chunk of my years) that all country music is abhorrent and lacks any modicum of intelligible merit or discourse. And if all they listened to was country radio (aka Top 40 with a twang), they would be right.
However, the law of averages catches up and occasionally your ears stumble upon someone who seems to get that country music was originally (and should still be) about a life, a love or just some brilliant observation that city folks just cannot slow down enough to find out for themselves.
It’s not about stripper poles or dance routines. It’s what Hank, Waylon and Johnny lived through and sang about — not a thin, blond tween shrieking, “Someone hacked my Facebook … darlin’!”
Fulks gets it.
His authentic, good guy, “aw shucks” persona seems to fit the country genre until you pay attention to his self-effacing lyrics (e.g., “Countrier than Thou”), spray your beverage all over the person in front of you after hearing his wisecracks between songs or hear the brilliance that is Run DMC and Michael Jackson played through the Robbie Fulks prism.
Jan. 23 — Mount Righteous, Soundpony Lounge, 409 N. Main St.
If you read my blog at TulsaPeople.com (and you really should, as it has won Nobel Prizes for local music news, obscure references and wisecracks disguised as journalism), you might remember my experiences with Mount Righteous.
To review:
- They are nine-plus rotating members from Grapevine, Texas.
- I warned you they were coming and not to be missed.
- Some listened; most didn’t.
- I liked them so much, they stayed at our house.
- They ate from our refrigerator and cleaned the house while the wife and I were at work.
- I “heart” Mount Righteous.
They are returning to the scene of their last engagement in Tulsa. I do not say this lightly: You are a moron at the level of Glen from “Raising Arizona” (see: “Mind you don’t cut yourself, Mordecai!”) if you miss this show.
Jan. 29 — Brandon Jenkins, Flytrap Music Hall, 514 E. Second St.
Ex-Tulsan Brandon Jenkins returns to promote his newest offering, “Brothers of the Dirt.” Jenkins has taken his early Oklahoma influences to Austin, Texas, for some polish as well as some grit. He consistently makes music that shows up on the Americana Music Association and Texas Music charts.
This new album shows that you can take the man out of Oklahoma, but it is far harder to take the Okie out of the man. This new work mixes the new sound (Stoney LaRue, Jason Boland, Cody Canada and Mike McClure) with the not-as-new (Steve Pryor, Ron Morgan, Pat Savage and Brad Absher).
Should be a great night/homecoming for someone the local music scene has missed since the day he left.
Even if you do not like the red dirt sound, can’t you at least support Mr. Jenkins’ dedication to the growing of a spectacular beard?
Happy 2010!
