BayAreaMusic – The Boring Old Man

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

Here we go again folks, Dogstar is back in town, roughly 4 months into their All In Now tour, which has taken them across the U.S.A., over to Europe for weeks on end, then back across the States once again.

This is maybe the 7th Concert Review of Dogstar on this blog, and I don’t know at this point how many times I have seen them. Maybe 30? It’s hard to say… And no, I’m not some middle-aged fan boy of Keanu – though he is a delightful gentleman – no, in fact every single show I’ve been to is because of Bret, their guitarist/vocalist. Bret and I go back 40+ years. We played our first gigs together at school events and house parties. We wrote our first songs together. We played our first night club shows together. Our first time in a recording studio was together, the first time our song got played on the radio… He was my Best Man when I got married nearly 35 years ago, his family is like my own. He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. And I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s come a long way and worked his hind end off to achieve the level of musicianship he’s reached.

So yes, every single time I have an opportunity to see him and his band, I’ll be there. And now you all get to hear about it too!

The opening band was The Backfires, whom I’d never heard of before today. Because it was a show up in the city and I had to work today, I didn’t get there until their set was almost finished. I heard one song as I was coming into the venue and actually got to see them perform the last song of the set. But that was it. I can’t really say much about them other than their lead guitarist seemed pretty darn good. I wish I’d been able to see a little more of them.

Dogstar put up a solid set, pulled from their most recent album and their last. They definitely seemed tighter as a band after all these months on the road and knocked out a good hour-plus before coming back for an encore. I still think they should pull out some of the tunes from their earlier albums – Our Little Visionary has some absolute bangers that deserve to be played live, but for whatever reason they’re just sticking with the Dogstar v2.0 repertoire. One really pleasant surprise was them whipping out “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements during their set. They did an excellent cover of that song and for me personally, it brought back some great memories. The Replacements were a big influence on Bret and I when we were coming up and it was a touching homage to some wonderful days gone by…

Keanu played great, and honestly I expected no less of him. I know he takes his instrument seriously, and it shows. A lot of people were there just to “see” him, and it’s a shame, cuz he’s actually a fine musician that deserves an audience’s ears more than their eyes.

Rob did his thing on the drums. I try not to say much about him, as I’m afraid it’ll come off as petty. I can’t help but hear Bret’s songs with what I would play behind them, and that’s not fair. Rob does what he does and I do what I do, and they’re simply different. He held it down, and that’s what works for Dogstar.

Bret was in fine form. The tour has certainly pushed his abilities and he’s just getting better all the time. His voice sounded great, which honestly was a bit of a surprise, I half expected him to be worn out a bit after dozens and dozens of shows for months on end, but his voice sounded really strong. And his guitar playing was absolutely on point all night. Great tone, great solos, just all around impressive. And I could tell it meant a great deal to him to be back at The Fillmore, “hometown” shows are always just a bit extra.

So once again I’d say it was a great show. Am I biased? Undoubtedly. But they are a seasoned band. They’ve been putting in the work, and it shows. This ain’t no vanity project, this is the real deal and Dogstar puts out good, solid rock and roll as good as anybody out there on the road today.

They’ve still got maybe 10 or so shows left on this tour, if you have the opportunity, go check them out. If you like tasty guitar and thumping bass, you will not be disappointed! And if you happen to meet any of the guys, tell them the Boring Old Man sent ya!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Aneesa Strings at Yoshi’s, Oakland CA

Tonight was something special. And unexpected…

The Mrs. introduced me to Aneesa Strings some time ago, and I thought she was cool – I mean, who doesn’t dig a woman with an upright bass and a great voice? But honestly, it didn’t exactly knock me out. Not in the way that I’d actively seek out her music, it was just a little too much on the tame side for my tastes.

So when she told me Aneesa was coming to town and she wanted to go see her, I figured, m’eh, why not? It was a Friday night show at Yoshi’s, a club we’ve been to many times and despite being located in Oakland, it’s a spot we really, really like.

We decided to make a night of it and made reservations at the restaurant that’s attached to the club – or is it the club that is attached to the restaurant? Anyhow, we’d always wanted to try the food there – a Japanese -Fusion menu – but every time we’d been there in the past we were running up there after work and never had time to make it to dinner before the show. But this time around it was a late show, we’d made reservations at 7:45, and figured we’d have just enough time to eat before her set.

Let me tell you, we were FOOLS for not eating there in the past! Goodness me, the food was absolutely spectacular! I won’t go into all the details as I’m not a “foodie” and this is a concert review, but I will say I had a pork chop that was hands down the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. And I’m no stranger to pork chops… But seriously, everything we had was delicious and the pork chop was out of this world. I’d eat another one right now if I could!!

Aneesa was accompanied by a drummer, keyboard player and a guitar player, a relatively standard jazz band setup. The show started off a little slow frankly, and after the first song I was thinking to myself “I might be a little too tired to sit through an hour of this“, but very quickly things started to heat up.

I’m not gonna pretend to know what songs she played, old or new, I’m not at all familiar with her catalog of work. What I will say though, is that she was a phenomenal artist. Her voice was smooth as glass – at times – and sometimes gritty, when it was called for. Her bass playing was absolutely on point, it was plainly obvious that she and the upright bass were dear old friends. And midway through the set, she switched it up and picked up an electric fretless Fender Jazz bass, and that’s when things really started cookin’!

One particular highlight was her rendition of Sade’s Ordinary Love, which is a song I (and millions of others) love. I have never heard anyone cover Sade and sound good. Never, that is, until Aneesa. She not only did the song justice, she put just enough of a twist on it to make it her own and I was completely taken in by her version. To be able to hold down that impeccable bass groove – if you know you know – AND sing that song, with that depth of soul, beauty and conviction is beyond impressive.

And speaking of impressive, her band was on fire! We were seated about 8 feet from the drummer, who was right up at the front of the stage, and I was able to see every stroke, every kick drum beat, and as a somewhat snobby drummer myself, I just gotta say WOW. He was so fluid and yet solid as a rock. He played so many parts that straight up surprised me, and yet fit the songs perfectly. That’s how I judge a drummer; if I can predict what they’re gonna play before they play it? M’eh. But this guy took all kinds of turns I never expected, while staying completely in the pocket and just grooving. It was very inspiring. Her guitarist was very much in the background, both literally and musically, but he too was great. I don’t know a lot of jazz players, but his playing reminded me of Larry Carlton. Not at all overbearing, just the right amount of spice to compliment the flavor of the songs. Same with the keys, he took a few solos letting us know he had some chops, but for the most part he played in a supporting role, filling in the overall sound. But as an ensemble, she couldn’t have asked for a better band. They played flawlessly – to my ears anyway – never overshadowed the primary artist, and just helped weave a beautiful, sonic tapestry.

Then for the cherry on top, she finished the show with what was perhaps the most unbelievable “mash-up” I’ve ever witnessed as her encore. She launched into a slightly down tempo, gritty, funky version of Come Together by the Beatles, which wove its way into Blackstreet’s No Diggity, incorporated a few bars from a Biggie Smalls track (I don’t recall the particular song title, but it was immediately recognizable) and back to the Beatles. Now, I’m not really a fan of the Beatles, and I’m absolutely not a fan of Blackstreet nor partial to Biggie, but I gotta admit, the musical acrobatics, the sleekness of which they melded the three songs into one, was certainly one of the most memorable moments I’ve seen on stage in a long time. It was a stellar end to an incredible show.

All things considered, I couldn’t have enjoyed the night more. Excellent food, a great vibe and amazing artistry.

Thank you Aneesa for a night full of “WOW!”, and props to your band for playing their hearts out. I’ve seen literally hundreds of shows over the last 40+ years, and last night’s show at Yoshi’s is gonna live in my personal Hall of Fame! It just goes to show, sometimes when you step outside your comfort zone and open your mind and your ears, you get to witness magic. And last night was absolutely magical for myself and the Mrs!

Thanks for stopping by!

First Time in a Looooong Time!

At this moment I’ve got the truck loaded up and I’m on my way to my first drumming gig in a very, very long time.

I feel like I should be nervous, but for some reason I’m not. This band got together in the last week of April and we’ve had 8 or 9 rehearsals so we’re not exactly a well oiled machine, but I think we can at least pull it off without any full-on train wrecks on stage. It’s our first time out, so who knows what will happen?!? I haven’t set foot in this club in a decade (the Quarternote in Sunnyvale, CA) and I NEVER played there before… Fingers crossed!

We’re the 2nd band of the night, playing from 10pm til Midnight and honestly my biggest concern is staying awake… I was up at 5.30am and working in 90 degree heat outside all day has got me more than a little bit whooped!

Say a prayer folks!

Thanks for stopping by 😉

Concert Review: Sammy Hagar at the Concord Pavillion, Concord, CA

Off the bat, I’ll say I was never really a big fan of Sammy Hagar during his heyday. And frankly when it was announced that he was replacing Diamond Dave in Van Halen, I was outraged and assumed that would be the end of Van Halen. However, despite my strong bias against Sammy fronting one of my favorite bands of all time, I freely admit that the “Van Hagar” era put out some great music.

In reality, my musical relationship with Sammy was complicated… the very first song I ever learned to play on the drumset was ‘Rock Candy’ by Montrose – a band fronted by Sammy Hagar (I was still in elementary school when I got turned on to Montrose, I wouldn’t make the connection with Sammy until years later!). In middle school, I was a big fan of the Heavy Metal soundtrack album, to which Sammy contributed the title track. My favorite Rick Springfield song – ‘I’ve Done Everything for You’ – during that same era, I found out decades later was written by Sammy… I was generally luke warm toward his solo music, although I LOVED ‘I’ll Fall in Love Again’. Then a bit later came his huge hit song ‘I Can’t Drive 55’ which I HATED… Then when he joined VH, it took me a while to get over the “betrayal” and actually listen… And while it will never match the David Lee Roth era to my ears, I cannot deny there were some great songs put out with Sammy and the VH crew.

Much to my surprise over the last few years I found myself becoming a fan of Sammy Hagar, the MAN, through interviews and his TV show, and the more I learned about him I realized a deep respect for him and his history, his work ethic and his overall outlook on life. So when I found out he was going on a summer tour, I decided I needed to take it in. I was NOT disappointed in this decision!

For starters, he assembled a world class, stellar band: Van Halen alumnus Michael Anthony on bass and vocals. Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, on drums. And guitar hero, The Alien himself, Joe Satriani on guitar! Keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte rounded out the lineup. And let me say, these fellas were on top of their game!

Their set was heavily skewed toward Van Halen songs – both the Sammy era songs AND the Diamond Dave songs, but there was also a smattering of solo Sammy songs as well as some Montrose and Chickenfoot (another Sammy off-shoot band) songs and it was a fantastic show!

They played for over two hours straight (no encore, I think they hit the time limit for the venue!) and it was high energy and spectacular musicianship the ENTIRE TIME! They never let up, it was remarkable!

Sammy himself was in great form – he outperforms musicians half his age! Jason was great on the kit – a huge Alex Van Halen-type of setup, which is not his usual thing. He beat that thing like it owed him money and was rock solid for the entire set. And while honestly the drums were a bit ‘muddy’ in the mix, the snare sounded almost exactly like Alex’s very distinct snare tone! Alex was one of my biggest influences as a drummer growing up and sadly I never got a chance to see him live, but this was dang near as exciting!

The cherry on top of the experience was witnessing Joe Satriani do his thing. His playing was beyond exceptional! It’s no wonder he’s a living legend on the guitar! He played Eddie’s parts nearly note-for-note, and the only times he strayed, he just added his own little flavor, nothing diminished whatsoever from the original. His performance alone was worth the price of admission and I’m really glad I finally got the opportunity to see him in a live setting. It was not something I’ll soon forget.

All in all, it was a fantastic night. I don’t know that I had any true expectations for this show, but whatever they may have been, Sammy and his boys far surpassed them. Some of the best musicianship I’ve seen in quite some time. I wouldn’t hesitate to see him again, and if you have the chance I highly recommend this show!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flashback Friday! Roaring 90’s Editon

Despite the fact that I was born in the 60’s, fell in love with music in the 70’s only to become wildly obsessed with music in the 80’s, there were a lot of really original, talented bands in the 90’s that I really dug. There was a ton of crap too, don’t get me wrong. Boy Bands, anyone?

We were fortunate to have one of the earlier “alternative” stations in the Bay Area – the Quake, and then Live 105, but these guys below were all getting the love from college radio first. Ahh, the good old, pre-internet, music discovery days!

Today’s flashback is dedicated to the wild, untamed, bands of the 90’s that continued to blaze new trails in Rock & Roll!

The first song I ever heard from 311 and it knocked me out! Saw them live for the first time touring for the follow up album and I’m still a fan!

These guys got a lot of grief in the press, but if you ask me this was a great song from a great album. Their biggest hit was nothing like the rest of the record, and their one “Pop Hit” bought them a lot of undeserved slagging.

Ok, technically this was released in ’89, but the 90’s were all about NIN. This is where it all started.

I was lucky enough to know Primus as just another local band trying to make a name for themselves and saw many a live show before they blew up! Incredible live shows, off the charts musicianship!

Another local band I used to see all the time – sometimes WITH Primus! Pure energy, stellar playing, non stop groove. They should have been huge. The world wasn’t ready…

These guys were really unique. Another cool Bay Area band. The Skin album is very eclectic, but chock full of great songs. Rented my drum kit as backline equipment to them for one of their gigs in Palo Alto back in the day… Got a major label record deal but sadly never really caught on.

Have a great weekend y’all.

Thanks for stopping by!

A door closes…

Today is the last day at my music studio, and I’m taking it a little harder than I thought I would.

It was always a dream of mine to have “my own” place to play, whenever I wanted, as loud as I wanted and for as long as I wanted, and finally I got to make that dream a reality a little over a year ago. Fourteen months, to be precise.

As a drummer, it’s a lot more difficult to practice, than say for a guitarist or pianist. When I lived in my childhood home, I got pushed out of my bedroom into the garage because it was just too loud for my mom to deal with. But even in the garage – and I’m talking old-school garage, no insulation, no drywall, nothing – I could only go about half an hour before Mom had had enough… Plus you’d freeze in the winter and have a heat stroke in the summer. Not a great situation. When I played in bands through my teens and 20’s, I was always at somebody else’s house or an hourly rental rehearsal space, where you spent half your (paid for) time setting up and tearing down your gear. Then we finally got a house, but also had a baby. Then we had to move into an upstairs apartment, the drums went into storage, and were unfortunately stolen shortly thereafter. So, it’s been a tough run as a drummer.

But as it turned out, the dream was better than the reality. Sort of. I mean, yes, I got to keep my gear in one place, completely set up so I could just walk in and be playing in less than 60 seconds. THAT was awesome! And if it was 6am or 10pm, it didn’t matter. Having no one to complain is a gift that you cannot understand if you’ve not had the cops pounding down your door cuz the neighbors complained.

Don’t get me wrong, I had some good times there, but there was a little aggravation too. There were 40-50 studio spots in the building, the insulation was poor at best, so when 3 or 4 bands would be crankin’ it out simultaneously, the cacaphony would drive me nuts. For a while there was a Tejano group across the hall, with non-stop AMPLIFIED accordian playing. I hated the accordian BEFORE then, now the sound of it completely puts me on edge. A bunch of times the heat or A/C wasn’t working, there would be NO parking for blocks around (and it’s not the kind of neighborhood you wanna walk half a dozen blocks in the middle of the night, if you catch my drift), then the roof started leaking…though thankfully none of my gear got soaked.

But honestly, the worst part of the whole thing is I simply couldn’t find other musicians to join in the fun. I had a writing partner when I first got the space, but his other project took off, he went on tour for 6 months or so, and I spent the last 8 months trying to recruit other players, to no avail. I don’t care what anyone says, finding like-minded musicians to play with in middle age is 110% harder than when you’re a teen or young adult just starting out. Everyone has “real” jobs, spouses, kids, responsibilities… and the middle-aged folks that don’t have that? They’re worse! You find out very quickly why they don’t have any adult stuff in their life…

Bought a sweet bass rig to make life easy…too bad I never found a bassist!

Now, I LOVE playing the drums – as part of an ensemble. Playing drums with no other musicians gets stale and boring after a while. (I’ve always HATED drum solos!) Boredom led to a lack of motivation. Lack of motivation got me making excuses to not go as my savings account burned to the ground paying for a space I was barely using.

And here we are…

On the bright side, I got my MOJO back as a drummer. I’m not at 100% of where I was when I was say, early 20’s, but I was playing about 20-30 hours a week back then, and had essentially no other real responsibilities so my skill level was off the charts. But I do feel like a real drummer again, and that has been good for the soul. I was also able to do a lot of experimenting with different set ups of my kit, which is something I’d never do when I’m paying by the hour for a rehearsal spot. And it’s not like I’m gonna stop playing altogether, I’ll just be going back to my alternate methods for a while. I got my first snare drum at 7 years old. Now I’m 55, and while there have certainly been ebbs and flows over the years, I’ve never stopped playing. I see no reason to stop now. It’s part of my DNA I suppose…

I still have “The Dream” of my own space. I just know now that this wasn’t the right place for me at this time. I’m grateful I took the leap, I’m grateful for the lessons learned and I’m grateful for this not becoming yet another “I wish I would have…” event in my life. Yes, it’s been a very expensive lesson, but I consider it worthwhile. You don’t know what you don’t know, right? Now I know.

So now I’ll be retreating to the spare bedroom, and setting up shop in there to see what, if any, new things I can learn with all the gear I’ve acquired over the last couple years. I’ve got electric drum stuff, samplers and keyboards, guitars and basses that have not been getting much love. Now the amps and the PA and the giant acoustic drum kit are stuffed back into a storage unit (NOT the same place that was burglarized all those years ago!) and it’s time to move on outside of my comfort zone to see what kind of magic I can pull outta my hat! Honestly, even after all these years, I’m intimidated by electronics – back in the 80’s when all that stuff was new and thrilling I tried my hand at programming sequencers and drum machines and…well, let’s just say there is a reason why drums, good old fashioned acoustic drums, are still my main instrument! Hopefully, like with computers, the machines are more intuitive and user friendly than when they were new, cutting edge technology. We shall see. Either I figure it all out and make some cool new music, or I’m gonna have one hell of a yard sale!!

A kit like this ain’t for everyone, but I do love having that many different voices to choose from!

One last walk…

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA

Sunday night was our 4th time seeing Dogstar live in the last 12 months (give or take a week or so…). This time they were at the Great American Music Hall, which is a great venue, and highly recommended.

I’ve written about all their past shows here, and honestly nothing much has changed with Dogstar. My earlier prediction that Bret’s guitar playing would be on fire by the end of the tour has come to pass and they’ve still got a few weeks to go. I’ve known Bret for 40+ years and played in numerous bands with him, as well as followed his other projects over the years and I can say with absolute confidence that last night was some of the best guitar work I’ve ever seen from him! His playing brought me a lot of joy, seeing him come so far. And there was a really special (to me) moment during the show when Bret talked about growing up in San Jose and this being a “home” show, and how he and his friend “who’s here tonight in the audience” used to play clubs on Broadway in SF, and that’s where it all started… Anyway, it was maybe a little sappy to the rest of the audience, but to me and the Mrs. it was special for him to acknowledge our history. Thanks brother!

The set wasn’t much different than the last few shows, though they did throw in an oldie or two as well as a couple new songs not yet recorded… Overall though, it was another strong showing. It’s a shame more people pay attention to the bass player than the actual music happening on stage, but I’m still very happy for their success on this tour and their great new record.

The real shock of the night and a most pleasant surprise was the opening act, The Trims, from San Jose, my (sorta) home town.

I had never heard of the band, but a cursory search told me they’d been around for several years and are getting some traction on our local “Alt Rock” radio station, Live 105. Their sound had a stellar vintage ’80’s New Wave feel, like The Cure and the Damned, sorta dark and moody, but at the same time had some really punchy, upbeat parts. I really, REALLY liked this band and look forward to seeing them again. They were super enthusiastic and energetic on stage, particularly their lead guitarist Tito – he was unbelievably entertaining to watch and simultaneously he just kept whipping out killer guitar parts! It was an extremely fun set to see!

I spoke briefly with Tito backstage after the show and as it turns out, the band has their rehearsal studio in the same building I have my rehearsal studio! Its a small world my friends, a small world! I also had a passing moment with their bassist (who’s name I didnt catch unfortunately) and let him know how much I loved their set, to which he replied “Tell Keanu!”… Well, I had talked to Keanu earlier in the evening and didn’t see him again, so Keanu if you’re reading this, The Trims were AWESOME and you should definitely consider them for opening slots down the road!

Well friends, that about wraps up this review. We’ll be seeing Dogstar AGAIN in about 3 weeks, and that should be a wrap on this year’s tour, but we already have tickets for several shows coming up in 2024, so don’t fret I’ll be back to writing about other bands before you know it!

Thanks Dogstar and the GAMH Staff and last but not least The Trims for an excellent night of music!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Guild Theater, Menlo Park, CA

Wednesday night found us back at the Guild Theater for another Dogstar show, our 3rd time seeing them in the last year.

We were excited to get back to the Guild, and it was the first time for the Mrs. to see a show there. The Guild Theater is quickly becoming our favorite Bay Area venue! Great staff, great sound, great vibe…just an outstanding place for live music.

The opening band was a 4-piece outfit by the name of Archer Oh.

First time seeing them (or hearing of them for that matter!) and they knocked it out of the park! Their sound was sort of a mash-up of the Smiths and the Strokes, with a touch of surf and a hint of psychedelia thrown in the mix. Altogether unique. The performance was excellent- fresh, exciting and wholly unexpected. By the time the set was over, we were fans. So much so we stopped by the merch table and bought both their CDs. I will ABSOLUTELY go see them again, given the chance!

Dogstar hit the stage and was immediately beset with equipment troubles from the guitar rig, so they got off to a bit of a rocky start. The tech was able to get things running quickly however and they were off and running, playing essentially their new album in its entirety, with an old tune and a new song thrown in for good measure.

As per usual, most if the attention was focused on the bassist Keanu (who did a great job, to his credit!) but it was guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose that really carried the show. In spite of the initial gear wonkiness, he had an extremely strong performance. His guitar playing has only gotten stronger since the “record release” party back in December. I can only imagine his playing will be off the hook by the end of this tour with another 30 or so shows under his belt.

Aside from his mother, I’m probably Bret’s biggest fan, and it was really exciting to see him coming back to life on stage and doing his thing at such a high level. That is was at a “hometown” show made it all the more special.

Overall the band seems to have settled in and are getting comfortable with each other again after such a long hiatus. I would have LOVED to hear some of the songs from “Our Little Visionary” – a criminally underrated album – but I’m finding I really like the new songs. They show a lot of growth in the songwriting and the overall performance. I’ve got my order in for the new record when it comes out on October 6th, can’t wait to really dig in to it!

Overall it was a fantastic night. Great music, great, fun vibe in the hall, just an exceptional experience all around.

Thanks Archer Oh and Dogstar for an excellent night of music and some inspiration as well! We’ll see you again in December!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Grandson & K.Flay at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco.

Monday night brought us back to the historic Warfield Theater in San Francisco for the much anticipated Grandson and K.Flay show. This was the Mrs.’ “birthday” show and we’ve been sitting on the tickets for months, so the excitement levels were off the charts and it turned out to be an awesome night!

Opening act Jack Kays was already on stage when we got to our seats and he was OK. Nothing surprising or spectacular, but solid. I wasn’t familiar with his work and what I heard gave me an early 00’s “Emo” vibe. Not really my thing, but I’ve certainly heard worse. At the very least he seemed to be engaging and enjoying himself.

Next up was K.Flay. All I can say is WOW! She came out swinging and delivered an amazing, high energy set that was just off the charts. Her band was outstanding; energetic, technical prowess and just great tone. Her guitarist, who’s name I just couldn’t catch unfortunately, was OUTSTANDING. Really a top-notch, stellar performance. These guys, and K.Flay herself earned my highest regards. This was our 3rd time seeing her show, and it just keeps getting better!!

Grandson’s set was a mixed bag to be honest. Jordan (who essentially IS grandson) was great. He is so enigmatic and enthusiastic it’s impossible to NOT dig what he’s doing. He’s a little creepy and comes off as a little dangerous, but in the best possible way. His performance was certainly as strong as ever before, but the song selection for the set was a bit lacking. And if I’m being perfectly honest, his band was not up to the level we’ve come to expect. His guitar player was good, really good even. But not great. The bass player has been replaced by backing tracks, and the lack of real, interactive bass was noticeable. And his new drummer… I’m not saying he was bad – quite the contrary. He was actually extremely proficient and had chops for days, but he was NOT the right drummer for this band. Yes, I’m highly biased and critical of drummers – 45 years behind the kit will do thst to a guy. Now, I don’t know who this guy is, but I kept hearing gospel drumming throughout the set. Don’t get me wrong, gospel drummers are some of the hottest guys out there, it just didn’t work for me in the context of Grandson. Overall though, it was still a great set.

In the end I’d have to say that K. Flay stole the show, but it was a great night of high energy and excellent musicianship. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend both artists!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Bottlerock Festival, Napa CA

If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you may have noticed the vast majority of concert reviews come from nightclubs and theaters, not arenas and coliseum events. I’ll make exceptions occasionally, but big events are really not my thing. However, today was one of those exceptions and we traveled north to Napa for Day 2 of the annual Bottle Rock Festival. The festival is a 3 day affair – if you’re a glutton for punishment and have a LOT of extra dough lying around you can make a long weekend of it and watch an absurd amount of bands play.

Sensory overload is the best way to describe the day. There were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. It was rather overwhelming. That being said, we did see a lot of good musicians ply their trade, and though it was crowded as anything I’ve ever witnessed, the patrons and staff were pretty well behaved. Lines moved quickly, no scuffles broke out (that we witnessed, anyway) and all in all it was a really fun day.

East Forest was the first act we caught. Very electro. Spacey, background music is how I’d describe it. Not exactly suited for a live show, especially outdoors, at noon no less. But hey, it was background music for us while we got ourselves oriented to the venue and figured out where we needed to be and when.

Paris Jackson was not someone we planned to watch, but we happened upon her set while we were getting some food and libations, and I was SHOCKED by how good she was. I expected the daughter of the “King of Pop”, would be nothing but fluff, but to my surprise she and her band were rocking, with Paris herself digging in on guitar as well as vocals. It was a pleasant surprise and I’ll definitely be looking into her discography.

Lupe Fiasco was the next set we saw. He was high energy and had a great vibe. He was funny, and had a lot of audience interaction, and he really poured it out for us, delivering a great set to an enthusiastic croud. It was a groovy good time, for sure. Would recommend his show if you have the opportunity.

Next in the agenda was Dogstar, the whole reason we went to this festival. Yes, Im highly biased. Regular readers may recall that the the guitarist/vocalist of Dogstar, Bret Domrose, is my best friend going back decades. I was the drummer in his first several bands and we cut our teeth together on the Bay Area club circuit back in the 80’s and 90’s before his career took off. This was the first-time Dogstar played to a big audience is a VERY long time, and you could tell they were having a good time with it. The crowd reaction was solid, but a little slow to respond at first. By the mid point of the set they had really picked up steam and finished really strong. It was a great set and I couldn’t be happier for those guys, hitting it again after a decade’s long hiatus.

Cautious Clay was the next artist we checked out. I didn’t know but one song from him prior to today, but he have us an impressive set too. His band was slamming, and he himself busted out the sax and guitar (a LEFTY no less!) which I had no idea he played. He definitely earned my respect with his performance today!

Tove Lo was the last act for us for the day. She was playful and sexy and obviously having a great time. Her band was solid and the performance was strong, but it was also very “programmed”, using backing tracks and loops and whatnot, that kinda takes away from the magic of live music. But I’ll give her props for her set. She’s clearly a professional and the set was flawless, if not electric with the musicians stepping out and adding some spice to the original compositions. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to see her again, but I wouldn’t be purposely late if she was opening for another show I was going to either.

The main headlining acts were Duran Duran and Lizzo, both playing different stages with overlapping times. The four of us were going to split up to see our preferred artists, but in the end we were all kinda wiped out after Tove Lo, and we decided to call it a day and head home.

All in all it was a great day. Expensive as all get out, but still a great day. Beautiful weather, great food and drink, fantastic music from a wide variety of artists. Who could ask for more on a May Saturday?

Thanks for stopping by!