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the subdudes are back

Listening to:	Dedicate this Heart, Doobies
Reading:	The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut
Weather:	72, thunder shower

Do yourself a favor and go see the Subdudes on this tour. They are sounding amazing. I've been a fan ever since I saw them on Austin City Limits back in the early 90's. This quintet has a distinctive New Orleans flavor, complete w/accordion, with very unique and strong vocal harmonies. The rhythm section includes a tasty and unobtrusive bass player (the only one who doesn't sing) and two percussionists. One plays sticks and mallets on a skinhead tambourine plus kickdrum, and that sound coupled with the vocals is the essence of this band. The auxiliary percussion player is a great vocalist, but the guitar player and accordion/keyboard player are the vocal stars. Luscious powerful and bluesy voices heading toward gospel, especially on this new album.

I'm always fascinated and impressed by artists who can take repetition just up to the point where you've about had enough of it, but never beyond. These guys definitely did that live. Vocal and instrumental vamping, sometimes crescendoing to the long-awaited change, that seemed like they couldn't hold on any longer without going stale, then they'd take a spin in another direction. The guitar player, who is impressive both picking acoustic, playing slide, and crunching that classic Telecaster sound, often kept the vamp interesting by just changing chord voicings.

These cats are at the top of their game, go see them now before they break up again.

An old friend from my Woodbridge days included me on her blast email list where she sent out some reactionary thoughtless blurb about how poor W only has one ranch, but rich Kerry has 4 mansions, and that W paid so much more in taxes than Kerry. Mistake to send that one to me. Diatribe response from me, about burned everybody's eyebrows off, I figure. Anyhoo, suffice it to say, I doubt my name will be on that list anymore, though I enjoyed the opportunity to crystallize some of my own thoughts about that crap. In case any body wondered, I actually like paying taxes when we're not at war. Sure, there are things I don't like the feds spending my money on, but I'd damn sure rather take those than not have roads & schools and whatnot. I'd like to pay MORE taxes and get healthcare, too.

permalink posted by cat 12:03 PM

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