Props go out to Tracey for turning me on to JJ Grey.  She tripped across them a couple of years ago on iTunes.  I heard her playing some smooth new music, checked the artist, and have enjoyed their recorded stuff since.

I actually planned to cruise down to the Queen City a while back to see them but had something come up.  I dunno.  Work.  Family.  Travel.  Could’ve been that whole commuting 800 miles thing.  Can’t quite remember.  At any rate…

We missed the opener while eating at the Ale House; food was basic.  Bear Republic’s Racer 5 chased with a Two Hearted Ale warmed us plenty for the show.  The 300 person capacity hall was about a quarter full when we entered and huddled close to the stage.  It was small with all the amps and instruments crowded in a wide “U”.

I remember thinking when they came on the stage “whoa where did all those guys come from?”  Then I heard the sound.  Big, real big and loud.  “War” was the opener and set a marvelous pace of rockin’ soul as only Mofro could provide.

I was amazed at the energy of the whole group with the exception of guitarist Daryl Hance who leaned against a wall most of the night and showed little emotion.  I note from other sites that perhaps this was personality and not to be mistaken for a lack of passion.  Organ and horns were totally on point.  Guitarist Andrew Trube was a joy to hear live.

Aside from the opener, tunes that stood out in the 17-song set list were “Everything Good”, “Move It On”, “Brighter Days”, and “Sweetest Thing” off the upcoming album.  I was happy to hear the monster rock sound guided by soul and blues.  Jacksonville roots were evident yet the organ and horns provided a richness that no hall of fame band from Florida can supply.

We’re already watching the touring list for their next show close.  They are at Floydfest this weekend.  That’s shaping up to be a great lineup.  Unfortunately for us, we’ll be recovering from DMB in DC Friday.  No excuses for you not to make that one though.

Cheers…

We posted the top 10 things we’ll miss and won’t miss in St. Louis.  What’s there to love about the Big RIC?  Here’s a list:

1. Nickname.  We’re happy to be in a town where we can have some fun with a name.  Columbia has the “Cocks”.  St. Louis was the “Screw”.  We’re marking Richmond as the “Big RIC”.  The airport letters are RIC and it’s the biggest little airport you’ve ever been in.
2. Grits. Yes, grits.  We’re still seeking real grits for breakfast in Richmond’s better known diners.  While we hunt, we’re happy to at least find them in the market.
3. The market.  No family owned grocery stores here.  Richmond has marketing whore markets where competition on price is prevalent.  We’re pleased that the Baptists sold out to the Dutch and we can now buy beer and wine on Sunday here. 
4. OBX.  We’re a few hours from OBX, DC, the Queen City, the Blue Ridge, and many places serving cold beverages and good times.  Not to say Senor Pique didn’t serve us up some good times but c’mon, Ballwin?!
5. History.  Virginia was the first English settlement of the new world.  The American Revolution lead by a Virginian ended here.  Our Declaration of Independence was written by a Virginian.  It doesn’t get any more “red, white, and blue”, regardless of the pattern, than ole Virginia.
6. DMB.  Someone recently accused me of being obsessed with DMB.  I corrected them: “My wife is obsessed with DMB and I’m obsessed with my wife.”  The band is from Charlottesville.  We’re seeing and spending too much on DMB in 2010.
7. Friendlies.  It’s great to be close to old friends and making new ones.  I particularly appreciate my team at the work place – a great gang with potential and passion for what we do each day.
8. The Obvious.  Commuting between Richmond and St. Louis for the past year has been… challenging to say the least.  Now we’re under one roof again.
9. Yes, weather.  It’s breezy here in the Big RIC.  Sure, tomorrow it’s supposed to be well over 100 degrees but there will be wind.
10. Ya’ll.  Why can’t we look forward to folklore, slang, accent, dictionary…anything that says “home”?

Ok so number ten was a stretch.  I’m not the writer for David Letterman.  Even if I was, my top ten with 9 valid items is better than what CBS can muster.  Did I ever share the story of seeing a Letterman taping?  Ah, it was lame and not worth the effort to write a post on.

We hope all are having a great week.  Stay cool.  Drink fine craft brew, American craft brew.  And love your spouse.

This was our first of five shows we are seeing this year for DMB’s 2010 summer tour.  Turns out we picked a good time to get tickets as the band will be taking next year off from touring.  The Internet buzz on the tour so far has the band playing some rare tunes combined with more of last year’s album “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.”  With no real surprises, that would pretty much sum up the St. Louis show.  The entire set list from the show can be found on AntsMarching.org.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch wrote a review too. 

DMB live firsts for us were the Tex Ritter cover “Rye Whiskey”, “Big Eyed Fish”, “Cry Freedom”, and Danny Barnes’ “Road” with Barnes sitting in as lead vocal and on banjo.  I thought when we saw Barnes playing with opener Robert Earl Keen that we may see a guest appeararance in the DMB set and was pleased when he came on for “Cornbread.”  Although I like what the band did with “Cornbread” in St. Louis, with Barnes on banjo the ”Hoe Down” version played in Charlottesville on last year’s tour highlights the rootsy nature of the song better.   

We were surprised at some people around us openly heckling Barnes when he came out and through both tunes he played (as if the band could hear them from 100 yards away).  That was a surprise.  For all the critism the band seems to have taken in online forums, having Barnes on for a couple of tunes particulalry one of his own was a great change of pace.  By the way I thought having guests come on during a set was a part of the DMB mystique anyway?

We’ve also been to enough DMB shows using tickets purchased through the Warehouse to note alot of club members tend to do a good bit of complaining.  Tracey and I are just happy to be there and in fact, every show we go to we hear tunes for the first time.  I guess if you’ve gone to 30 DMB shows you’ve almost heard everything.  Seems like you would just stop going or find something else to complain about, like the millions of gallons of oil dumped in the Gulf?

Anyway, I have to agree with the STL Today review.  The jams and other trusty stand-bys gave the other band members chances to shine.  I thought Rashawn Ross played one of the best shows I’ve heard from him.  Maybe his weight loss has something to do with that?  Jeff Coffin continues to get stronger within the library.  St. Louis native Tim Reynolds didn’t disappoint either.

Other highlights for me were ”Bartender”, “You Might Die Trying”, and “#41″.  These are favorites but in particular I thought the band played them really well.  Specifically Coffin who is beginning to energize the songs with his own style.  The sax solo in #41 is totally over the top!

Next up for us is the Washington DC show at Nationals Park.  We’re not too excited about the general admission field tickets but are happy to have the band close to our new home.  If past basball stadium shows are any indication this one should be good.