Burley Mountain, The Bourbonites and Johnson County at Darrells 1-11-13

It was a fun evening at my favorite place. After checking the musical listings for the evening, Darrells was topping the list. The formula is this: Musical Genre (band reputation (if known) multiplied by band list) + Location (ease of access multiplied by comfort/amenities of venue) over mood. Darrells usually wins.

Darrells is as comfortable as my front room. See them here: http://www.darrellstavern.com/

Tonight's bill offered a good mix. Three bands sauteed in country, this was going to be fun.

Johnson County was on first. 4 guys delivering raw country rock: great guitar, thumping bass, fine vocals and driving percussion. Dan Foster plays guitar, harmonica and is the lead singer for the band. Joseph Lee is on drums, Jessie Dosher on bass and Paul Hsu on lead guitar.

Some of the tunes they played reminded me of The True Believers, big guitar riffs, raw vocals and rocking rhythm. Dan was multitasking singing lead, playing harp and rhythm guitar.

The lead guitarist was skilled and rocking. Here Paul is blasting away.

The drummer was driving the band with some tasty beats. Here is a fuzzy shot of Joseph.

The bass player was laying the bottom, Jessie also sang vocals.

They played a fun set, one of my favorite tunes was Johnson County, an obvious original.

My new camera has some cool features, here is the panorama shot. Click to enlarge.

Dan and his mates performed some sweet original tunes. The crowd appreciated them and they were a great opening band.

The Bourbonites were up next. They play rock with a country flavor. Sometimes it is the other way around. I liked them immediately. The Bourbonites are: C. Todd Stevens, Roger Johnson, John Fisher, and David "Deep" Cameron.

They play original music with passion and talent. I read where C. Todd sang punk for years, it doesn't surprise me. He was blazing on the guitar and pouring his heart into the vocals. A few tunes bordered on punk, even psychedelia.

He was a great entertainer, delivering humorous lines between the tunes. He was hawking their CD. I bought two, you can connect with them here:https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bourbonites/137615269625687

The lead guitar changed hands several times, C. Todd taking some and Pete taking his turn. David was blazing his beautiful guitar. He carried it high on his body, just like George Harrison.

I didn't get a great shot of the drummer at work but I did catch him at the bar. He has a sweet smile but played some mean skins. This was the first time I have seen an abundance of Asian and Native people on stage rocking. This band had a Native drummer, the last had a Native lead vocal and an Asian guitarist. I love diversity, and it just goes to show that music can bring different people together.

The Hard Way was one of my favorite tunes. They were really rocking, the sparse crowd was too.

I loved their energy and style. This brand of rock is my current favorite.  The peeps were enjoying the vibe too. There were many moving butts and bobbing heads.

At times they really had a Steve Earle sound.  The tune Changing Hearts not only sounded Earle like, the title and the lyrics were reminiscent of the man. It featured excellent writing and a stellar performance. They had killer harmonies and dueling guitars.

These guys were all about making your toes tap. They had a good connection with the crowd and they were having fun too.

Todd played a gorgeous left handed 6 string.

One tune featured the two guitars trading licks. A most excellent exchange.

One more of Todd.

I have been listening to their CD, great stuff, well worth a listen.

This is a pic of the bar mat that was sitting in front of me. Great graphics.

I had seen Burley Mountain once before, they were excellent. They play southern rock, country and electric bluegrass. I saw them at Darrells and reviewed it here: http://liveseattlemusicintheclubs.blogspot.com/2012/04/outlaws-burley-mountiand-and-thornton.html

Burley Mountain is: Brandon Russel; on lead vocal and guitar. Marty Ofsowitz on lead guitar and harmonies, Andrew Staufer on bass and vocals and Scott Jantzen on drums. I liked them before and I liked them again.

Brandon had some great facial expressions. His passion for the music is obvious.

His pal Marty on lead guitar, was awesome; tasty licks form a talented musician. Burley Mountain brought out the dancers right away. It was midnight and the place was just warming up.

 
These guys knew how to rock. They played all original, country infused, southern fried dancing music. The lead guitar picking was outrageous. Marty and Brandon shared the duties. It was a sweet combination.

I love Burley Mountain music. They have a great style and provide an excellent performance. You can listen to some of their music here: http://www.reverbnation.com/burleymountain

A great bill tonight delivered in my favorite place. I hope you will see some live music soon.