Allow Rocks Off to let the cat out of the bag for a second: this evening at the Woodlands, Lynyrd Skynyrd will close with "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird." Taking nothing away from either song - they are, after all, a serious rebuke to Dixie-haters and Southern racists alike disguised as a poolside party anthem and the American "Stairway to Heaven," respectively - they are, shall we say, a shade overexposed at this point.
Unfortunately, "Alabama" and "Free Bird" have come to dominate the pub
Photos by Hope Peterson
It took Spring native Betty Soo a little while to get it rolling Tuesday night, but once she did she wowed the Mucky Duck's capacity crowd with her voice, lyrics and gentle personality. Working in fresh-off-the-road Jon Dee Graham bassist Joshua Zarbo for the first time, it took Soo's foursome a few tunes to warm up. But they finally gelled halfway through the first set, allowing Soo to fully open up and lean into her work.
And lean into it she did, most impressively.
LOM still can't get over the death of Tim Krekel. Nor can we get over that he was, for the most part, so underrecognized and underappreciated by the world at large. Several late-night dinner parties have passed at our house in the weeks since his passing, and we always seem to end up listening to Tim's Soul Season at some point. The messages in his music always hit home. He could sell it 'cause he meant it.
Krekel's passing also rekindles the urge we think most music writers have, to bring a me
Those of us who read Tom Friedman's July 28 New York Times column about 59 being the new 30 like it was a lost edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls should be cheered by the musical efforts of two 70-year-olds who just keep on keepin' on. So far this year, both Jesse Winchester and Ian Hunter have issued brilliant albums. The albums are two different yet totally valid interpretations of what American song is and can be.
LOM's significant other loves great voices, and she was beside herself as we list
