Taking One For The Team #jjgrey #mofro

“Where did my soul go, where did my spirit hide.”

Anyone knowing my history of shows, knows I’ve seen all the versions of JJ Grey’s, MOFRO, nearly 150 times. Wow. Doesn’t seem like a lot until you pause on it.

The latest incarnation of MOFRO has been a slow grow on me. Daryl left to do his own thing, and the hole left by that Strat Slide, set me at a loss for what I grew know as MOFRO. Only over the past 6 months have a I grown to love them again.

Thankfully, during that time, JJ decided that taking to the road as a solo act would be worth something, and man is it. Each and every time I see him solo I am transported to another time and place. Whether it be my childhood, or a favorite place my with wife, or even to memories of love or loss; my world is flipped for a few hours. Flipped by songs I’ve heard a thousand times.  See, JJ doesn’t stray too far from a core base of his greater material.

Well, on the first night of JJ’s recent two night stand at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Florida, John starting, “drinking away”, and definitely “kept the wolves of his mind at bay.” The phrase, ‘pay no mind’ comes to me. The atmosphere was loose, with many diehards from across the south in attendance. Way casual, moreso than normal when he hit the stage at 920 pm.

Set 1
A Woman
Dew Drops
Blackwater
Country Ghetto
WYLF
Hide & Seek
This River

It started like a ‘pain set’ of old MOFRO fame. It ended on an truly inspirational new tune named, “This River”. My favorite songwriters have always used geography in songs, and JJ is exception. “Dew Drops” was the stand out of the set(if not the night), bar none. A song, rarely played live, about a childhood friend who had his back once, yet who lived in a shed with his abusive drunk father; the subject of the songs sings to his late mother with a passion only a child could.  JJ took a break to tune some guitars and wound up chatting with folks for 45 minutes.

Set 2

6 Ways
Ballad Of Larry Webb
Beautiful World
Somebody Else
Bitch Slappin Gloves
Brighter Days
Jookhouse
Circles
DFC
Seminole Wind
Tupelo Honey
Rock Me Baby
Lochloosa
Fireflies
Ho Cake

When John sat down and started up 6 Ways, I felt an unusual energy permeate the room. During the break numerous Maker’s Mark’s served neat found there way to his sideboard, as did a tasty looking Rye Whiskey on the rocks. They all seemed to disappear, as did his inhibition. After those first four tunes, of which two were brand spanking new, and the others again on the rarely played list, JJ took a request. And then another. And then another. So on and on until the night was over. He turned down some request and honored others. Not all tunes were played with perfection, lest you forget about the whiskey, yet all were played with passion. Many were sung with passion, often by an audience who were witnessing the most unique MOFRO show Ive ever seen.

It was cool, like a dude sitting around a fire who knew how to play any song you throw at him. It was honest, and on that night, for a small group of MOFRO faithful, JJ took one for the team, and played songs most haven’t heard in years, or even ever, and maybe never again.

Needed to get my thoughts out, so, hope you enjoy.

Cheers.

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Good and Bad – The Bamboo Room Lives #FL #jjgrey

jj & daryl – circa fall 2003 – bamboo room

“So good to be home”

On most grand occasions there are expectations, but through the years I have learned to at least try and approach all situations with little to none.  Though hard, it makes the small stuff better and the beyond stuff out of this world.  Riding in the same car with expectations are memories.  Memories keep us alive.  Making memories is the breath of life.  When I walked up the steps last night at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Florida I felt like I was returning to see an old friend, and in many ways I was.  I was seeing Craig, who has worked the window since I can recall;  JJ Grey, who i first saw at the Bamboo Room almost 10 years ago; Tanil, Stan, Schnee, Troy, EZ, Wendy, Matty B, Ally,  Liz, Dave, Brett, and Roland, among nameless other faces I have shared the space with over the years.  Newcomers, Adriana, Erica, Jen, Blake, Smoky and more.  Rye Whisky and Kalik beer – Bamboo Room staples.  Great music, and it’s counterpoint – excessive talking.  On a night where the music was great and space was alive, the only expectation I schlepped to Lake Worth was knowing the extra 50+ people they are putting in the space would be bad for chatter.  And seeing as we were all there in that familiar place once again, we all talked, and at times drowned out the music.  A solo guitar and vocal can only take so much.  But so be it.  We live.  I sang last night.  I danced last night.  I smiled last night.  I was grumpy last night.  I cried last night, and I laughed my face off last night.  It was a damn fine night.  Good and bad.  It takes it all.  Let’s do it again.  So good to be home.

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Concert Review – Daryl Hance/Yankee Slickers/Sosos

I like good beer.  Like serious beer.  A Stone Imperial Russian Stout tends to do the trick.  Hell, I like shitty beer too.  It all has a place and time.  Tecate’s while working in the yard or tailgating before the Miami Blues futball match.  You know, a little of this and a little of that.  All things in moderation.  My taste in music tends to work like that also.  Back around 1992, the Gentry brothers from Jacksonville put out a couple of albums on Sub Pop under the name Rein Sanction.   It was damn good.  Serious southern rock that had that cross over potential.  Everyone I knew back then who heard it, dug it.  The punks, the indie freaks, the surfers, the skaters and even the deadheads.  To me, one of the best unknown bands of the early 90’s, just, well, stayed there.  We all know the story though, right?  Day jobs and giggin’ at night.  5 hour van rides to places like Mobile and West Palm Beach, and 5 hours back home the same night in order to keep those day jobs.  Rents due.  Rock and roll, country music, jazz.   No difference.  And just like them beers i so often enjoy, the bands whom crisscross this fine land may just as well be lite, strong, dense, dark, wild, or heavy.  Hell, maybe even unforgiving like that Imperial Stout.

If you want one of them fine beers, you might as well head on over to the The Funky Buddha Lounge in Boca.  I did on Friday night.  Beers were flowing and three bands scheduled that night gave us everything they had, if only for a short while.  Sosos, a local act opened up the evening.  In what might be considered a one-off for them, only four of the six folks in the group jammed Friday night.    At least twice I told someone I was with that this is outdoor music, to be enjoyed with bbq, and lawn chairs.  I think the years of perfection poured into a quality bbq would pair well to  Sosos’ honed up acoustic goodness.  Much enjoyed.  Next to the stage, and down from Jacksonville, were the Yankee Slickers.  A band with two brothers from Jacksonville.  For real, what is in the water up there.  This septet of southern rockers killed it.  For a while I felt like the Yankee Slickers were this musical stew of Skynyrd, the Allmans, the Ramones, Chuck Berry, Marshall Tucker and NRBQ.  Just flat-out great, music, and spot on precision.  I could have taken another two hours of it, but there were three bands on this bill, and not much time for them all.  Along for the ride from Jax, was Daryl Hance, of MOFRO fame.  This was his fifteenth stop of a short solo tour of the southeast.  And it might truly be only his twentieth or so show out on his own, singing his own songs, playing lead, and just being Daryl.  Joined by Shane(drums) and John(bass) from the Slickers, Daryl’s little three-piece had a grunge to it, and often sounded of a dirge.  Not quite blues, not quite rock.  For sure not Tom Waits or Hendrix, yet I heard it in there.  More than anything, it was music with humidity, if that makes any sense.   Like Junior Kimbrough humid, or RL Burnside.  Just up on your shoulders, humid, pressing down.  Sticky.

If you find yourself up at the Buddha, or anyplace which brings together quality music and possibly brew in South Florida, try not to be in a hurry.  Dig your heels in for a while.  Open up.  Listen.  I presume J. Mascis and Alex Chilton would have been inspired friday night at the Buddha.  As well as Cobain and Young.  it was all good ole american music.  Raw, yet extremely polished at times.  Garage and porch fried music.   Night music before the day job.

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A  edited version of this review ran in the New Times Broward.  Link here.  Go leave a comment there for me.  Thanks.

Photo’s link here, courtesy of Dave Earley.

This concert brought to you via Brotherly Love Productions

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