New Years Eve with Paul Benoit, Dry Martinez and Money Jungle ant Darrells 12-31-12

It was a subtle change, I didn't notice it until it got closer to curtain time. My plans for the evening were evolving very late in the evening. The cause was unknown at first, but it became clear that I needed comfort.

Here is one of my favorite scenic views of the year: the bar and one of the fine staff at Darrells Tavern in Shoreline, Washington.

I had planned on seeing some of my favorite bands at one of my favorite venues. The Black Crabs, Banzai Surf and a host of others were playing Slim's in Georgetown. It was a natural and I had planned to go all week. But something took over, my car headed north instead of south.

Once again the lure of family and comfort won over my well thought out decision process. I didn't even know any of the bands that were playing. I just had to go to Darrells for the last show of the year.

Scott and Dan would surely have a killer end to the year, I trusted them. I had been there many a night, rocking to one great bill after another. If they had a New Years bash planned, I was going.

Here is Scott partying right after midnight. Scott is the sound-tech and co-booking agent at this awesome establishment.

Here is Dan partying with the peeps right after the year expired. He is the most excellent booking agent and owner of Darrells.

Here is one of my favorite servers on stage with Money Jungle, she is such a doll.

This was my music family and my favorite stool was still open. I settled in for a fun evening. Here is my view of the stage.

Paul Benoit was first up, he plays a great mix of rock, blues and folk. I did not get the name of all of his cohorts this evening. I hope to get their names as they played an outstanding set.

Paul had a great voice and a commanding stage presence. He directed his mates as they played some of his original and rocking tunes.

He played a beautiful red Gibson guitar with skill and passion.

Sean Divine playing harmonica added just the right sound to this cool mix. They rocked the blues, the crowd was moving from note one.

Bob Heineman played a stellar bass guitar was driving the band.

Paul is seasoned pro and knows how to get the most out of his performance. The guys were tight and rocking. This was a lot of fun, my instincts had been correct. Darrells always know how to present great entertainment.

Dan Weber the  drummer was providing awesome percussion; high quality beats for a driving band.

Paul put a lot of passion into his performance, it was a lot of fun and really great music. He had all the dancers up and grooving.

They played a great set, primed the pump for the rest of the evening. This was a sweet opening band, I am looking forward to seeing Paul again. You can see more about Paul and his mates here: http://us.myspace.com/paulbenoitmusic

Next up was Dry Martinez. I do not know exactly what I expected. With a name like that, maybe lounge, jazz...surf? What we got was a full on assault of the senses. We got Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Alvin Lee and a host of other talented guitar players who displayed a distaste for silence, wrapped into one. Here was Dry Martinez...yikes!

Doug Schoolcraft opened with a scorching guitar solo that had the kiddies hollering a minute into the first tune. This guy was serious and brought a manic curse to his furious picking.

Not to say Doug wasn't skilled. Again, think of Alvin Lee; totally talented and rocking at the highest intensity.

Dry Martinez is Doug on lead, Bill Molloy on bass and Conrad on drums.  They didn't just play screaming blues, some of the best stuff they did bordered on the psychedelic.

The crowd was loving this combination of genres, a bluesy, boozy bunch of fun. Doug was scorching.

Bill was laying down the bottom, moving the band relentlessly onward. Conrad was providing most excellent beats.

They were having fun and so were we. As usual the menu had been selected carefully, the proof was in the pudding. Dry Martinez was super fun and entertaining.

Midnight was closing in and the fever was rising. The band was dishing out the killer tune-age and Doug was melting faces. He also added excellent vocals.

Massive amounts of fun were being experienced by all. Paul joined them onstage, with a little technical problem at first.

But after a while they were rocking the house. They did an awesome duet, blazing guitars calling then answering in classic rock fashion.

The place was going nuts, I noticed an odd group of folks forming on the perimeter. Did the local branch of the Adjusto League decide to come and party at Darrells tonight? No offense to the fashion disabled, but should I be concerned?

The bass guitarist was driving the band with rocking And Doug kept on melting my face with incredible and tasty licks.

The whole band was great; fun driving, dancing music. Bluesy and dirty, some tunes had dark demons spilling out of the speakers. The crowd was all in, the witching hour was drawing nigh. Dry Martinez had hit the crazy bone on the collective elbow of the place.

Oh, and Doug was just pure nuts with guitar talent. Between him and Paul, we saw some killer guitar players tonight.

It turns out many of the members of the bands on stage tonight have played with each other before. Paul was nice enough to fill in some information. They have known each other for years playing in bands like Crosseyed and The Jellyrollers. They are comfortable playing with each other and it shows.

This was a total blast. I think most of the crowd were in a joke that I didn't fully understand. There were knowing smiles being exchanged. As midnight approached the madness was manifested in the thump of the beat and the bobbing of heads. A buzz was vibrating through the place.

It turned out that the next band was the Adusto League in formation. There were known offenders on board, Bill switched positions and instruments on stage. Several of the more twisted appearing folks from the mob had taken stage.

Money Jungle is Bill, Jim Stephan, Dan Weber, and Bob on bass.

It was just 3 minutes before midnight when they mounted up. They barely had the chance to play any music before they had to take time to note the new year.

Minutes into Money Jungle's set, we were freaking out and having fun like it was 2013. Here are a few scenes of the debauchery:

A collective psychosis had taken hold, crazy with the sickness only music can cause. We were having a gas but no one was having more fun than the band. Jim couldn't keep still, he was always out in the crowd.

The place was totally rocking with this band of talented, but severely demented artists. This was performance art with a rock/funk attitude.

Paul joined them in their sickness, he was the perfect prescription for fun. Check him out as gravity gets the better of him.

Nobody was in a chair, every butt was moving to the beat. There was massive customer interaction; a marketing coup. By all comparisons, this event was a success.

This was a hell of a way to ring in the new year, and I do mean that literally. 15 hours later and my ears are still ringing. No regrets, this was a total energy immersion.

Money Jungle was a gas, they also had a great salute. They spent a lot of time with their arms in the air.

I am assuming they were worshiping their god. Good boys, mom would be proud.

All hail Ceasar? No, just a wardrobe malfunction.

This was  another great show produced by Darrells. They presented a great group of musicians who know how to have fun and entertain. I left satiated and exhausted.

 Another masterpiece.