As I write this, it is October 14, a significant date for me as it marks the anniversary of my first Grateful Dead show, in 1977 at Hofheinz Pavilion. It was also the occasion on which I learned that the Dead could be a rather polarizing band. Jerry Garcia once said that the Dead were a lot like licorice, in that most people don’t like it, but that those who do “really, really like licorice.”
I did not yet have a driver’s license, so I had to persuade a friend who was just a bit older than me to transport us to the show. While this did get me from the suburbs to the University of Houston campus, it also meant that I had to listen to my friend bitch about the Dead between just about every song while I was grooving hard. It was maybe the first time that I had someone ask me, “Do you really like this shit?”
In the years since then, I have periodically received some good-natured ribbing about my fondness for a band that some find intolerable. I receive memes along the lines of “What does a Deadhead say when he runs out of drugs? ‘This band sucks!’” and “The Grateful Dead: Country music for people who like to take LSD.” But that’s OK. I just smile and cue up my favorite version of “Dark Star.”
Ticket Alert
Blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album Ledbetter Heights with a show at the House of Blues on Saturday, February 21. The record was an immediate hit, establishing Shepherd – who was only 18 at the time – as a guitar wunderkind. Tickets are on sale now and going fast.
Known for her knee-length hair (the longest in the music business?), Crystal Gayle has also distinguished herself by notching 22 number-one country records and becoming the first female country artist with an album that was awarded a platinum certification. Gayle will perform two nights, Friday, February 20, and Saturday, February 21, at Main Street Crossing in Tomball.
Another female vocalist of note who is coming to Main Street Crossing is Judy Collins, who has a two-night engagement at the venue on Thursday, February 26, and Friday, February 27. Still on the road at 86, Collins is equally at home with folk songs like “Both Sides Now” and show tunes like “Send in the Clowns.” And did you know that she served as the inspiration for Stephen Stills’ song “Suite: Judy Blues Eyes?”
Concerts This Week
If you’re looking for music that’s just a bit off the beaten trail, consider checking out Petunia and the Vipers tonight at Under the Volcano. How to describe them? Well, the band’s website says that P and the V’s are “Hank Williams on acid… Tom Waits meets Elvis at Woody Guthrie’s hobo junction… Avant-country night club scene music…” Yep, that pretty much sums it up.
In country music, the Bakersfield sound is about as far as you can get from the Nashville (“Countrypolitan”) sound, so fans of hardcore, twangy honky-tonk music were understandably relieved when Dwight Yoakam’s debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. appeared in 1986, reviving a tradition begun by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. A Dwight Yoakam concert is always a treat, but his show on Thursday at the Smart Financial Centre will be extra-special, with blues phenom Marcus King and Texican rockers Los Lonely Boys opening.
Early on, Robin Trower was dismissed in some circles as a “Hendrix wannabe,” but these critics really missed the mark. Sure, he was inspired by Jimi Hendrix (who wasn’t?), but Trower always displayed a sound that was unique and personal, as displayed on classic albums like Bridge of Sighs and For Earth Below. Catch him on Thursday at the House of Blues.
These days, Ice Cube is, in some circles, better known as an actor than a musician, after appearing in films like Friday, Boyz n the Hood and Barbershop. But it should be noted that Cube broke into the music business as a member of the OG rap group N.W.A. and has released 12 solo albums, including this year’s Man Up. His “Truth to Power – Four Decades of Attitude” tour makes a stop at Toyota Center on Friday.
Bun B’s first solo album, Trill, was released in 2005 after he had established himself as a leading figure in the southern rap scene as part of the duo UGK with Pimp C. The record went to number one on the Billboard R&B / Hip-Hop chart and reached number six on the Billboard 200 chart. To celebrate Trill’s 20th anniversary, Bun B will present an “unplugged” version of the album at the House of Blues on Saturday, which means that live instruments will be featured, along with some stories about Trill’s creation.
It will be all-Jonas all the time when the Jonas Brothers play Toyota Center on Sunday. The evening will include a full-band performance, along with solo sets from Nick and Joe, plus material from Nick Jonas and the Administration and Joe’s band DNCE. Whew, that’s a bunch of Jonas!