By the time we got a beer, we got into the main room just in time for Jeremy Dien to start. I had certain expectations of him from the songs I have on my mp3 "jukebox" up top. I expected a kinda jazzy acoustic show with horns, which is cool. The acoustic guitar and the jazzy were there, but I was surprised to find no horns, and also an electric guitar (which definitely added to my "it rocks" factor). Jeremy Dien and his band play a great blend of jazz, blues, funk and folk rock. Great guitarwork from Jeremy and the guy on electric (I didn't catch any names, sorry). I also really got off to the lyrics...rambling (in a good way), conversational lyrics set to a funky jazz beat. I wish they had played a little longer. I would have liked to hear more.
I also got to meet Jeremy and talk to him for a few minutes. He's a really nice guy with a positive attitude and a great love for music. He's involved in one way or another with almost every aspect of the music business in San Antonio. If you need information about booking, rehearsal space, production, web design, whatever...man, talk to him.
Now, on to a completely different subject: Skunkweed.
I've seen them before at Jack's, and last time they dragged us and just about everyone else there up onto the stage to dance. That's about all I remember of THAT night...except the laughing! This band will have you damn near spewing beer out your nose.
I can't tell you what genre of music they play. There's everything in there from country to rock to rap. There's trumpet and congas. But the genre isn't important when you're experiencing Skunkweed. The SONGS are. If I had to come up with a name for it, I'd just call it Texas Music. Everything you love about Texas is in their songs. It couldn't be more stereotypical, irreverant and TRUE! It's like a comedy act set to really good music. They manage to make fun of every Texas stereotype and yet somehow are never quite offensive. Their songs are about beer, sex, getting high, sex, white trash Texas boys, titty bars, penis size, masturbation, Mexicans, and oh, did I mention sex? It was great!
My personal favorites were "Titty Bar" and "8 Seconds to Glory".
"Titty Bar" is about...well, how great it is to go to a titty bar, "where an ugly man with money and a handsome man are treated just the same." Where "a girl can make an honest living as long as she's 18." Great lines like, "Sometimes I buy a very special gift for the friend who's in my pants...a little slice of Heaven for just 20 bucks, called a table dance" and "how do I tell my roommate that I've lost the rent in Autumn's g-string?" Kind of a lewder version of Bob Seger's "Main Street."
"8 Seconds to Glory" is about a bull rider...and 8 seconds is how he rides...no matter what or who he's riding. He gets lonely out there, and the bulls and horses aren't always cooperative, so he has to go find a woman. And "I bust out the gate, and when I count to 8, when 8 comes, so do I." My favorite line of this one was "after a minute or two, I think she wanted to screw, I said 'Honey, I'm already done!' "
Another song of theirs I really like is "Wasted," kind of a rap song...they probably performed it at Jack's, but we missed the last part of the show because it was SO FREAKIN HOT in there! We had to get outside, and hung out on the patio for the remainder of the night. I don't wanna dis Jack's...it's a nice place with a nice clientele and they get awesome bands in there, but OMG...OK get rid of the game room and put in another bar because it takes FOREVER to get a beer! Add another bathroom while you're at it, cuz two stalls just isn't enough for that many drunk women! And do something about the AC! I had sweat dripping down my back, which is in no way ladylike!
ANYHOW! We had lots of fun. Both bands were awesome and very nice guys. Check 'em out when you have a chance. Skunkweed recorded this performance for an upcoming live album, so watch for that.
Here's some links for you:
Jeremy Dien's Web Site
Skunkweed's Web Site
Jack's Patio Bar
Added note: Found out that the guy playing on the second stage by the bar was George Devore.