The Mark Monaco Band
The Mark Monaco Band opened the evening with their unique mix of rock and country. Make that hard rock and country. Reminding me a lot of Cross Canadian Ragweed (the only reference I have for this style, really) The Mark Monaco Band play country music as a foundation but build up their songs with distorted guitars and riffs. Listening to their set, I was reminded of many classic rock staples such as AC/DC, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, and countless others. And to emphasize the hard rock edge, lead guitarist Scott actually played a Les Paul through a Marshall (!) half-stack and wore a modest leather and belts wristband over his right forearm. My favorite song of the set had to have been "Bottle Rocket," a country song that was propelled by a thick bump-and-grind rhythm that reminded me of The Scorpions.
As far as complaints go, it still seems that the band is still in a jelling stage of sorts. Of course, I should play fair and mention the announcement that there was a recent addition to the band. Anyhow, they’re all great musicians but it seems that they just need a little more time to gain their footing on the way to becoming a truly powerful live act.
Junior Brown
To say that the crowd was ready for Junior Brown would have been an understatement. Fifteen, twenty minutes before show time, a small and loyal group crowded the front of the stage. Everyone else would come in once the music started, but the hardcore fans wanted to stake their place (I was to the extreme right, in front of the wall of speakers—thank lord for earphones!) During the brief setup, there were shouts and calls for Junior, and when the man himself entered with the other two members of his band (a bassist and drummer) the crowd went crazy.
The band took a quick minute or two or three to adjust their instruments, but they exuded a certain presence before they even hit a note. Everyone was dressed in fine suits and ties—oh and I have to tell you about the drummer's setup: one snare drum and one cymbal; that was all! But the drummer made that set work. Junior Brown himself was dressed in a fine, dark blue suit and wore his trademark cowboy hat. And with him he had his guit-steel—an absolutely beautiful instrument to behold.
Junior Brown & the guit-steel
A quick word about the guit-steel: It is a one-of-a-kind instrument and is a double-neck guitar of sorts. On the top, it is a standard electric guitar (well it looks and sounds like a standard electric, I have no idea about the set up) and on the bottom, it's a pedal steel guitar. Junior moves a slide(a tone bar?) up and down the neck. And with what I assume is a volume pedal, he coaxes those whining, almost Hawaiian, sounds out of the instrument, reminiscent of those classic, honky-tonk records. Anyhow, Junior Brown made some quick chatter with the crowd before the band launched into the first song of the set.
As far as highlights, there were more than plenty. "Broke Down South of Dallas" was the perfect opener with its driving early-Johnny Cash feel. In addition, he played some of his older CMT hits as well including "Highway Patrol" and "My Wife Thinks You're Dead." He even threw in an old Ranchero song as well. Honestly, I didn’t know the title, but what impressed me the most was that Junior Brown's Spanish was flawless and that he sang with so much spirit and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the blazing instrumental (and my personal favorite), "Sugar Foot Rag" was cut short and tacked on as an introduction to "Freeborn Man." But believe me, watching Junior Brown play was more than enough to compensate for any complaints I could have had about his song selection.
Show Dates
The Mark Monaco Band
March 10...Crabby Jacks
April 1...3rd Annual Amigos Chili Cook Off
April 7...Broadway 5050
May 12...Blue Cactus Cafe
Junior Brown
Junior promised that they would come back to SA soon. Be sure to check his website for details...