The Sourmash Stevedores, Johnson County and The Buffalo Stagecoach at Darrells 1-12-14

Here I was at Darrells again, my friendly neighborhood tavern. It just so happens they book the best music in town. It seems I am here once a week now. Tonight they were presenting some great local bands. Just the kind of thing that is great for the artists, great for the community.

This was a super fun event. This is my kind of bill, three killer rock and country bands that are playing to an intimate audience. In this case very intimate. Nobody was there. Too bad no one else was there to enjoy it.

First up was The Buffalo Stagecoach. Their gear was staged for action, nice stuff.

They put on a good show, cranking out great energy from skilled artists.

The Buffalo Stagecoach is: Dallas Urwin = Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Ehren Will = Guitar, Vocals, and Peter Johnson = Drums. There was another fellow so I hope to add his name later.

Here is Ehren rocking his Tele.

I met Ehren at the bar after the show.

With blazing fingers and a great set of pipes, he could rock. The Buffalo Stagecoach blasted a great mix of punk, country, rock and even a bit of psychedelia.

Here is the description from their Facebook page: Two parts rock. One part country. One part folk. Splash of punk. Three parts Rainier Beer.

Dallas had a distinct voice, singing high, balls to the wall vocals.

 
He also played a killer guitar. These guys knew how to rock playing original music as well as some covers.

They say they play Mountain Rock, I think that is a very good description. I was moving my big, high-altitude butt the whole time they were on stage.

You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/thebuffalostagecoach/info
See them live, they put on a great show.

Next to mount up was Johnson County. I had seen them before and was looking forward to seeing them again. I reviewed them here: http://liveseattlemusicintheclubs.blogspot.com/2013/01/burley-mountain-bourbonites-and-johnson.html

Johnson County is fronted by Dan Foster; a talented writer and performer.

Johnson County is: Dan Foster (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Paul Hsu (lead guitar), Jesse Dosher (bass), and Joseph Lee (drums).

Paul is a screamingly great guitar player. I had to stand right up close to watch him ply his craft. He has magic fingers that make beautiful music. He also sang vocals.

He and Jesse had some great interaction, dueling guitars.

This is a talented band with a superb front man that writes killer tunes. At one point I remember him saying something about wearing his flip flops to church. Truly inspired lyrics.

I loved their set; it was rocking and brilliant at times. Dan's original tunes rendered by these skilled musicians was a real treat. I chose well this evening.

You can connect with Johnson County here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Johnson-County/109196991633?sk=info

 They were giving away disc's last night. I have yet to be able to listen but I know if it is anything like their live show, it will be stellar.

The lucky few that got to see Johnson County were rocking and loving their set. Their last tune had me in chills. Damn, I wish I could capture that song and bottle it when I need a blast. It was freaking amazing with Paul and Dan trading dynamite guitar licks. Jesse was blazing the bottom as Joseph played amazing and creative skins.

Oh yes dear reader, while you were safe at home with your loved ones, recovering from the Seahawks Game or whatever, I was rocking to a private concert at my favorite bar with one of my favorite bands. I may have made a stain.

There were more folks coming in really late, a testament to Sourmash Stevedores legend. I had heard many a tale but had not seen them live in person. I was tired, but I had to stay to see them.

I saw Van Ramsey of KSER and The Wild Snohomians at Darrell's this evening. A talented and sweet fellow, he is a musician, a DJ and I imagine he holds down a 9-5 to boot. He was there to see the Stevedores too.

The Sourmash Stevedores are: Tim Dunn: Vocals and acoustic guitar, Al "the Hammer" Echison: Drums, percussion and backing vocals, Ed Hodge: Bass and backing vocals, Tim Moore: Harmonica and backing vocals and Ray "Tinker" Taylor: Electric guitar and backing vocals.

Here is Tim singing lead and playing acoustic guitar.

Here is a description from their web-page: The Sourmash Stevedores are from Seattle, Washington and play a style of country music that pays respect to classic country while winking at the outlaw brand. Songs of heartache, despair, drinking and going to hell that'll make you stomp your boots and cry in your beer.

The lead guitar player had a style that hit me hard. The instrument, the skill and the music was magic.

They have played all over the Seattle area from Birthday Parties to Bar Mitzvahs.

They provided killer music with passion and skill. The Sourmash Stevedors had a great stage presence and were seasoned pros at delivering the great outlaw-country.

I wish I had more stamina. I left with a good buzz in my ears just after midnight.

You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/sourmash.stevedores?fref=ts

See some live music soon.

The Guardians and The Rallies at Darrells Tavern 1-4-14

This would not be my normal choice in music. Pop is not necessarily a must-hear genre in my head. It brings back the memories of my nightmares about Michael Jackson during the Thriller days. Bad JuJu.

But here I was at Darrells again because I trust them to present quality live music week after week. I did see one of the bands before and I definitely wanted to see The Guardians again.

There was a decent crowd as the first band mounted up. The Rallies are a fresh new sound from Tacoma Washington. They play Pop-Rock influenced by Crowded House, Tom Petty, The Beatles, The La's, Teenage Fanclub and the Plimsouls.

They played great original music. The Rallies featured sweet vocal harmonies and strong guitar playing. They are: Steve Davis, vocals and acoustic guitar, Dave Hawthorne, vocals and lead guitar, David Winfrey, bass and Lee Brown on percussion and vocals.

Here is Dave rocking his beautiful Fender Telecaster.

Steve had a great style and a beautiful voice.

It was extra dark on stage tonight and I didn't get great pics of the bass player or the man in the back.

The Rallies surprised me with their fresh but vintage, new but classic sound.

You can connect with The Rallies here: https://www.facebook.com/TheRallies

The Guardians were up next. I had seen them before, right here at Darrells. You can read that post here: http://liveseattlemusicintheclubs.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-guardians-and-gum-at-darells-tavern.html

Their first public gig was the last time I saw them. This time they had a bit more experience under their belt. They had just gotten better.

Lee writes great music and sings lead vocals.

The Guardians are (from Lee of The Guardians): Lauren McLaren... is our invaluable keyboard player/vocalist. She also played trumpet on one song. Scott Syltebo is our bassist. It was guitarist Erie Jones (on lead guitar and lyrics).  John (aka "Johnny Vinyl") is our other guitarist. Lee Lumsden is the lead vocalist and main lyricist.

There was a point in their set when I just broke out in a big smile. They were kicking ass and producing some marvelous music.

I mentioned to Scott, the sound tech/booking guy that they reminded me of The Nazz, Todd Rundgren's first band. I made the same observation in my last review of them. I had forgotten that.

I loved them this time as much as when I first saw them. There was a different edge this set, a tighter polish.

You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/TheGuardiansWA

Thanks to Darrells for consistently presenting great live music. You can connect with them here: http://www.darrellstavern.com/

Go see some live music soon.